# Incline Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Press: how to do it

- Main muscles: upper chest, triceps
- Also works: front delts
- Equipment: dumbbell, bench
- Level: beginner
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/incline_hammer_press/da33e7ff38/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Set the bench to about 30° and sit back with your feet flat.
2. Press the dumbbells up over your shoulders, palms facing each other.
3. Lower them slowly to the sides of your upper chest, elbows close to your body.
4. Press back up until your arms are straight.

## Cues

- Palms face each other throughout
- Elbows tucked at about 30–45°
- Back and hips stay on the bench

## Common mistakes

- Setting the bench too steep: 30° keeps the work on the upper chest.
- Flaring the elbows: keep them in line with your ribs.
- Arching off the bench to finish the rep: lighten the weight.

## Starting position

Adjustable bench with the back pad at 30° (accept 30–45°), the seat tilted up a little so the hips stay back. Head, upper back and buttocks on the pads, feet flat on the floor. Shoulder blades pulled down and back, a natural low-back curve. One dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing each other): the handles lie in the plane of the torso, pointing up and down the bench, never across it. Wrists straight.

## The movement

Down to the upper chest and back up to finish over the shoulders, a near-vertical line in the side view. Both dumbbells together and level, the palms facing in the whole time. Hips stay in the seat, head and upper back on the pad.

## End position

(turnaround point): Dumbbells beside the upper chest, just below the collarbones. Upper arm about 35° from the torso (accept 30–45°: the neutral grip keeps the elbows in), elbows a little below the pad, forearms near vertical (within about 10°).

## Tempo

About 1.9 s lowering, no bounce, 1.4 s pressing, a short hold at the top.

## Form in numbers

| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Back pad | 30° | 30–45° |  |
| Elbow at top (included) | 172° | 165–178° |  |
| Upper arm to torso at bottom | 35° | 30–45° |  |
| Forearm at bottom from vertical | 8° | 0–12° |  |
| Handles | in the torso's plane, palms in | no turn across the bench |  |
| Tempo down / up | 1.9 s / 1.4 s | 1–2 s each |  |

## Sources

1. [[ACE: Chest Press (dumbbells)](](https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/19/chest-press/)
2. [[NASM: Two-Arm Incline Dumbbell Chest Press](](https://www.nasm.org/resource-center/exercise-library/two-arm-incline-dumbbell-chest-press)
3. ExRx.net, Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
4. NSCA, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 4th ed., free-weight technique

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/incline-hammer-press