Incline dumbbell press is a great chest builder, but there are a few training tips to make it more effective. Join IFBB Pro Fouad Abiad as he walks us through key techniques to keep in mind to get the most out of your sets.
Always make sure the muscle is warmed up before hitting your working sets by using a few feeder sets. Three or four feeder sets, where you increase weight gradually, will make sure the muscle and joints are ready for your heavy, working sets.
The angle of the bench is important – too high and the work is going to recruit more front delt and upper chest. Set the bench at a lower incline to focus the work on the pectoralis major, which is what you’re after. In each rep, watch the depth of your range of movement. Aiming for a 90-degree bend in the elbow at the bottom of your rep will work the pec without putting added strain on the front delt, bicep tendon, and the insertion point of the pec. At the top of the reps, you want the elbows to keep a slight bend. As soon as you lock out the elbows, the tension is taken off the chest. Keeping the range just short of lock out will make the full set more intense for the pecs.
Enhance your workout with the right supplements. BLOODSHOT is a powerful stim-free pre-workout focused on flooding the muscle with blood and nutrients so you can train harder. The clinically dosed formula enhances nitric oxide and promotes vasodilation to get the blood flowing to the working muscles. Delivering 6 grams of pure L-citrulline, 1.5 grams of agmatine sulfate, and 3 grams of GlycerSize, BLOODSHOT will create a muscle pump like you’ve never experienced before.
Quick tips for incline dumbbell press:
Do’s
- Set the bench incline
- Hit a 90-degree bend in the elbow at the bottom of the movement
- Keep the tension in the chest by stopping just short of the top
Don’ts
- Don’t set the incline too high, this will hit more front delt and upper chest
- Don’t go too low in the range of movement
- Don’t lock the elbows at the top of the press
