# Decline Dumbbell Press: how to do it

- Main muscles: lower chest
- Also works: triceps
- Equipment: dumbbell, bench
- Level: intermediate
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/decline_dumbbell_press/3531fd9e6d/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Hook your feet under the rollers and lie back on the decline.
2. Press the dumbbells up over your shoulders, palms facing your feet.
3. Lower them slowly to the sides of your lower chest.
4. Press back up and slightly in until your arms are straight.

## Cues

- Elbows at about 45° from your sides
- Shoulder blades pinned to the bench
- Lower slowly, press smoothly

## Common mistakes

- Dumbbells drifting over your face: keep them above the shoulders.
- Elbows flared straight out: tuck them to about 45°.
- Bouncing at the bottom: pause briefly, then press.

## Starting position

A decline bench set head-down at 15° below horizontal (accept 15–30°). The lifter lies on it with the knees bent over the top pad and the ankles hooked under the leg rollers, so the body cannot slide towards the head. Head, upper back and buttocks on the pad; shoulder blades pulled down and back; natural low-back curve. One dumbbell in each hand, overhand (pronated) closed grip, palms facing the feet, handles in one line end to end. Wrists straight.

## The movement

A slight arc. Down and a little out to the sides of the lower chest; up and a little in, finishing over the shoulders. Only the arms move. Head, shoulders and buttocks stay on the pad and the legs stay locked under the rollers.

## End position

(turnaround point): Dumbbells beside the lower chest (about nipple line), each one directly above its forearm, forearms vertical to the floor. Upper arm about 45–60° out from the torso (default 50°), never 90°. Elbows just below the level of the bench pad. Inner ends of the dumbbells just outside the chest, about at the chest's width.

## Tempo

2 s lowering, about 0.3 s still at the bottom (no bounce), 1.5 s pressing, about 0.2 s at the top.

## Form in numbers

| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bench angle (head below hips) | −15° | −15° to −30° |  |
| Upper arm from torso at bottom | 50° | 45–60° |  |
| Dumbbell height at bottom | level with the lower chest | 0–3 cm above chest surface |  |
| Elbow at top | 175° | 170–180° |  |
| Arms at top | vertical to the floor | ±5° |  |
| Gap between dumbbells at top | 5 cm | 2–10 cm |  |
| Lowering / pressing time | 2 s / 1.5 s | 1–3 s each |  |

## Sources

1. [[ExRx.net: Dumbbell Decline Bench Press (Wayback copy)](](https://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralSternal/DBDeclineBenchPress)
2. [[ACE: Chest Press (dumbbells)](](https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/19/chest-press/)
3. [[Lauver et al. 2016, Eur J Sport Sci, bench angle and muscle activation (Europe PMC abstract)](](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:25799093&resultType=core&format=json)

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/decline-dumbbell-press