Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

The Dumbbell Incline Bench Press is an exercise that is a compound movement that primarily focuses on the recruitment of the Clavicular Head (Upper) of the Pectoral Muscles.

The set up for this exercise is very important. Make sure that your feet are slightly pulled in towards your body and firmly planted on the ground. Create a slight arch in the lumbar of your spine by pushing your chest forward, while keeping your shoulders locked in a neutral position the entire range of the set.

It's also important to note that the angle of the bench should be no more then 15 to 20 degrees. Any higher then this, you will bias more of the tension to the front Delts.

On the eccentric (downward) portion of the rep the humerus needs to stop the movement when level with your shoulder. Past this range of motion, the pecs are no longer the primary mover of the weight which takes away the amount of tension being placed on the intended muscles.

As you descend into the bottom of the rep make sure that your fore arm and elbows stay directly underneath the dumbbells. You don't want the elbows to move backwards or forwards causing pronation or flexion of the shoulders. This will shift the tension toward other muscles that are not the primary focus of this exercise (Traps, Serratus Interior, front delts and sternal region of your pecs)

Next when moving the weight back up on the concentric (upward) portion, you want this to be an explosive movement. You should be thinking about extending your elbows all the way while maintaining the shoulders in a fixed position. Since you are inclined, the angle of your arms should extend in a straight line with the top of your chest.

Now the speed of the rep is dictated by the control you have over the Dumbbells. The lighter the weight the more control and the faster the speed of your rep will be. The heavier the weight the less control you will have which means... you got it!! The slower the speed of the rep will be!! If you lose control, either the weight is to heavy or you need to slow down the the speed of the Dumbbells.

All of these cues are important for maximizing the amount of tension that you place on the muscle. The more tension that you place on it the more muscle fibers are being used. The more muscle fibers.. you got it again!! The better your muscle growth will be.