- There’s no single answer for you to decide between incline dumbbell press vs bench press. Both are great for your upper chest development in different ways.
- The incline bench allows for heavier weights to be used and more muscle fiber activation in the chest.
- Incline dumbbell press provides more activation in the stabilization muscles and gives you a better range of motion.
- You can’t go wrong implementing both into your training plan, but there are some considerations you need to keep in mind.
When building a large chest in the gym, there are multiple exercises you can do to achieve your goal. When it comes to building your upper chest specifically, adding an incline to the angle of the bench will help more so than a flat bench. With the incline of the bench, two exercises top the list for chest growth: incline dumbbell press and incline bench press. Knowing the difference between incline bench press and incline dumbbell press will help you achieve your fitness goals.
The Basics of Incline Bench vs Incline Dumbbell Press
Setting up your bench to an incline between 30-45 degrees will activate more of the upper chest, specifically the area right below your collarbone. Deciding between doing the incline dumbbell press vs bench press will be based on what specifically your fitness goals are.
Using dumbbells allows each arm to work independently of the other, allowing for more muscle fiber activation in each arm while also using less weight. The barbell incline bench press is a more stable movement, but has limited movement because your arms are in a fixed position.
Targeting Specific Muscles
When comparing incline dumbbell press vs incline bench press, they more or less work the same muscle groups but there are a few differences. Using dumbbells puts more emphasis on each arm and the stabilizing muscles. This prevents one strong arm from helping to compensate for the weaker arm when using a barbell. The independent movement of each arm leads to more balanced development between both sides.
When using a barbell for incline bench press, you’ll have a more stable movement and can likely handle heavier weight. This leads to more muscle fiber activation and can provide more strength development.
Range of Motion Comparison
One of the biggest differences when it comes to the incline dumbbell press vs bench press debate is the range of motion. When using dumbbells, your range of motion is much more natural. This enhanced range of motion gives you better muscle growth across the entire arm, even when using a lower weight.
As touched on before, performing the incline bench press is much more stable due to the two fixed points of contact across the bar. However, with the limited range of motion, you can put more stress on your shoulder joints.
Strength Development
If you want to maximize the amount of strength gains, the incline bench press will be your primary focus. The weight-sizing selection of the weights you can add to a barbell makes increasing your incline bench press weight a smoother progression. With barbell weights, you can add something as light as 1-2.- pound plates to each side for a smooth increase. With dumbbells, you may have to make a 5 or 10-pound jump all at once.
Another consideration when it comes to the strength development difference between incline bench press and incline dumbbell press is the equal development that comes from using a dumbbell. Requiring stabilizing muscles while controlling two separate weights can give benefits to your core.
Safety and Shoulder Health Considerations
Something all lifters are concerned with is any potential damage to their joints. The incline dumbbell press vs bench press conversation has another talking point here. Using dumbbells has a more natural range of motion, which reduces stress on the shoulders.
The incline bench, while not dangerous, can place more stress on the shoulder due to the fixed range of motion. This becomes even more apparent at steeper angles of the bench.
If you do have shoulder issues, aim to keep your incline at no more than 30 degrees. This will give you the best compromise of upper chest activation and shoulder safety.
Workout Program Recommendations
From an overall training perspective, there is no clear winner when it comes to incline bench press vs incline dumbbell press. Both have their place in your training program with their specific benefits. With the main difference between incline bench press and incline dumbbell press coming from the range of motion, usage of stabilization muscles, and potentially higher weight able to be used with the barbell, you’d be wise to implement both. You might alternate between one of the two on your chest day, or do both on the same day to really hammer home the growth.
Both exercises target the same muscles in general, but also support the growth of different areas, which will allow improvements in one exercise to benefit the other.
If you’re only going to choose one, then it comes down to your specific goals. If you want pure strength and a larger chest, the incline bench will be your go-to. If you want to increase your strength evenly on both sides, while improving your core strength, you’ll want to focus on using dumbbells. Anyone with shoulder issues should probably focus on using the dumbbells to prevent any additional damage.
Parting Thoughts on Incline Bench vs Incline Dumbbell
When it comes to incline dumbbell press vs bench press, both will have a place in your training regiment. The incline dumbbell press will give you better muscle activation, better range of motion, and improved shoulder health. The incline bench press will give you higher pure strength gains and more development of your upper chest muscles. The best one for you will be based on your goals, and more importantly, any shoulder pain you may feel if you’re using a barbell.
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