Neutral-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press
Trains the Clavicular Head.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells and an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set an incline bench to about thirty degrees and sit back with a dumbbell on each thigh.
- Lie back, using your legs to bring the dumbbells up to your shoulders.
- Start with the dumbbells beside your upper chest, palms facing each other.
- Keep the elbows closer to your sides than on a palms-forward press.
- Press straight up along the bench angle until the arms are almost straight, palms still facing each other.
- Lower under control to the same position beside the chest.
Common mistakes
- Letting the palms rotate to face forward. The neutral grip is the whole difference; once the hands turn, this is an ordinary incline dumbbell press.
- Flaring the elbows out. The neutral grip tucks them naturally, and fighting that gives up the shoulder position the grip was chosen for.
- Expecting more upper chest than a palms-forward press. The tucked elbow reduces how far the upper arm travels across the body, so the triceps take a larger share and the chest a smaller one.
- Setting the bench steep because it feels stronger. Past about forty-five degrees this becomes a neutral-grip shoulder press, which is a good exercise and a different one.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Clavicular HeadPecs