The incline dumbbell squeeze press is an underrated but effective upper-body workout that trains the shoulders’ chest, triceps, and anterior deltoid muscles.
The Incline Squeeze Press is a traditional incline dumbbell chest press variation. As you perform this, you’ll notice that squeezing the dumbbells together creates constant tension in your chest muscles.
Since it’s performed on an incline bench, the focus is on the upper pectorals (clavicular head), and the squeezing action works the inner portion of the chest muscles.
While your chest is doing most of the work, don’t forget your shoulder. The incline position engages your anterior delt to step up, contributing to overall shoulder strength.
The Incline squeeze press is also known as the incline close grip press or incline dumbbell crux press.
Muscles Worked
- Primarily muscles worked: Chest, mainly upper pectoralis major and inner chest.
- Secondary muscles worked: Anterior deltoid, and Triceps brachii.
- Synergist muscles and stabilizer muscles: Rotator Cuff Muscles, Core Muscles (Rectus Abdominis, Obliques), Biceps brachii, and Serratus Anterior
How To Do Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press
- First, adjust your bench to between 30 and 45 degrees—whatever feels good for you. Now, lie back and plant your feet firmly on the ground.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other (neutral grip).
- Now, press those dumbbells up over your chest until your arms are straight. Make sure the dumbbells touch each other. This squeezing motion activates the inner chest muscles.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells towards your chest. You aim to go until they’re just above your chest or until your elbows dip below the bench. Whichever comes first.
- While maintaining the squeeze, press the dumbbells back up to the starting position by extending your arms.
Pro-Tips and Form
- Remember, you might need to go a bit lighter than usual with this one. It’s tougher than it looks.
- Before you even start the movement, pull your shoulder blades back and down. This sets a stable foundation and helps protect your shoulders
- Don’t rush the movement. Lower and raise the dumbbells in a controlled manner to maximize muscle tension.
- Keep your elbows at about a 45-degree angle to your torso. Don’t let them flare out wide – that puts unnecessary stress on your shoulders.
- Keep your wrists neutral, in line with your forearms. Don’t let them bend back or forward.
- One thing to keep in mind: you may need to use lighter weights than you’re accustomed to with regular incline presses
- Of course, the number of sets and reps will be determined based on your fitness journey, but here is a great starting point, 3-4 Sets and 8-12 Reps
Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.
Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.