Chest · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
How to do the dumbbell incline bench 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
- Horizontal Press
- Mechanic
- Compound
See it in motion
How to do it
Lie back on an incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand above your shoulders, palms facing forward. Lower the dumbbells slowly to the sides of your chest, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle, then press them back up to the starting position.
- 1Lie on an incline bench and press the dumbbells up, feeling your upper chest and shoulders engage
- 2Keep your shoulder blades retracted and your elbows at a moderate angle
- 3Squeeze your chest at the top and lower slowly to feel the stretch
Common mistakes
- Don't flare your elbows straight out to the sides or let them drop too low
- Avoid arching your back excessively or lifting your feet off the floor
- Don't bounce the dumbbells off your chest or lose control on the way down
Muscles worked
The dumbbell incline bench press mainly works the upper chest and mid chest, with the triceps, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Upper ChestPrimary
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell incline bench press for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the leverage machine bench press
- How to do the cable chest flyes
- How to do the chest dip
- How to do the machine chest press
- How to do the close-grip bench press
Last reviewed April 2026.