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Dumbbell Incline One Arm Press
A single-arm incline dumbbell press that trains the upper chest one side at a time while the core fights rotation, exposing and correcting pressing imbalances.
ChestDumbbellIncline press
GoLightWeight mediadumbbell-incline-one-arm-press
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
Pectoralis major
Secondary
Anterior deltoidsTricepsCore
Equipment
Dumbbell
Pattern
Incline press
Setup
- 01Set an incline bench to 30 to 45 degrees.
- 02Bring one dumbbell to the shoulder and lie back.
- 03Grip the bench with the free hand or rest it on the thigh.
- 04Plant both feet firmly and pin the shoulder blades.
Execution
- 01Press the dumbbell from the shoulder to lockout over the upper chest.
- 02Lower under control back to the side of the shoulder.
- 03Keep the hips and shoulders square against the offset load.
- 04Finish the set, then switch arms and match the reps.
Checkpoints
- -Both hips and both shoulder blades stay on the bench.
- -The dumbbell path angles slightly in, finishing over the shoulder.
- -The free side stays quiet; no reaching or flailing.
- -Elbow tracks about 45 degrees from the torso.
Common mistakes
- -Twisting the torso to press the weight up.
- -Letting the working-side hip lift off the bench.
- -Cutting depth compared to the two-arm press.
- -Overloading and losing the square position on rep one.
Programming notes
- -Use 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side, starting with the weaker arm.
- -Load roughly 10 to 15 percent below your per-hand two-dumbbell incline press.
- -Useful as a second press on upper-body days or for rehabbing a lagging side.
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