Upper chest with two bells

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Set the bench to a modest incline. Bells over your shoulders. Lower with control. Press. Your low back is not a trampoline.

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Hunter: I use 30 to 45 degrees. A steep bench turns this into a shoulder press I did not ask for. I log the angle in the notes if I change it.

Cues

Bench 30-45 degrees. Shoulder blades on the pad. Feet planted.
Bells over the shoulders, not over your hairline.
Lower until the bells are by the upper chest. Elbows about 45 degrees.
Press up and slightly together. Do not clang for a soundtrack.
Wrists stacked. Neck long. Butt stays on the bench.

Setup

Kick the bells up with your knees if they are heavy. A spotter is nice near failure. Push Pull Legs puts these after barbell bench and a press. 3 sets of 8-10. Same weight both hands unless you wrote a reason.

PPL push day

Barbell bench, overhead press, then this. You do not need a fourth chest machine after. Log the bells. If the incline benches are a line, a flat dumbbell bench is an honest swap. Log that name.

Why dumbbells after a bar

The bar is a number you can load fast. Dumbbells teach each side to stay honest. Use both across a week. Do not pretend a 50-pound bell is the same as 50 per side on a bar. Engine stores what you typed.

Angle that stays comparable

Pick one notch on the bench for four weeks. If you bounce between almost-flat and almost-upright, the log is fog. Notes exist for a reason.

Common misses

Steep incline that dumps the work into the neck. Flaring to 90. Bouncing the bells off the chest. Hips hopping. Also: unmatched dumbbells because the rack was a mess and you did not write it down.

FAQ

What incline is best?

There is no magic degree. 30-45 is the range I use. Pick one notch and repeat it.

Touch the chest?

Yes, with control, if your shoulders allow it. If you cannot touch without bouncing, the bells are too heavy or the angle is too steep.

Log incline dumbbell bench in the free Vitality Engine. Weight of one bell, or both if that is how you write it, but be consistent.

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