Chest · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Incline Hammer Press
How to do the dumbbell incline hammer press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie back on an incline bench set to 30 to 45 degrees with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other in a neutral grip. Press the dumbbells up over your upper chest until your arms are nearly straight, then lower under control to chest level.
- 1Feel your upper chest and triceps drive the dumbbells up from the incline
- 2Keep your palms facing each other and elbows tucked closer to your sides
- 3Squeeze your shoulder blades down and back into the bench
Common mistakes
- Do not let your elbows flare wide; the neutral grip keeps them tucked
- Avoid arching your lower back off the bench to push the weight
- Do not clash the dumbbells together at the top or bounce them at the bottom
Muscles worked
The dumbbell incline hammer press mainly works the upper chest, triceps, and mid chest, with the front delts and lower chest assisting.
- Upper ChestPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Front DeltsSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell incline hammer press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.