RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Dumbbell upper chest exercises: incline presses and flies

Published October 19, 2026

The best dumbbell upper chest exercise is the incline dumbbell press on a bench set to about 30 degrees, because that angle lines the press up with the collarbone fibers of the pec. Add a second press with a grip change, the underhand or squeeze press, and finish with an incline fly for the stretch. Lead every chest session with an incline exercise and give the upper chest 10 to 20 hard sets a week, ending each set 0 to 2 reps short of failure.

  1. Incline Dumbbell Press Chest
  2. Incline Dumbbell Fly Chest
  3. Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press Chest
  4. Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press Chest
  5. Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press Chest
  6. Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press Chest

Incline dumbbell presses for the upper chest

The upper chest is the clavicular head of the pec, the fibers that attach to your collarbone. They work hardest when your arms press up and forward from the chest, which is exactly what a 30 degree incline gives you. Pick one of these as the first exercise of every chest session.

Upper chest, two-arm incline press

Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

This is the upper chest builder with dumbbells: a low incline lines your press up with the collarbone fibers of the pec, and dumbbells let you lower past the line of the bench for a full stretch. Make it the first exercise of the session and the one you try hardest to add weight to.

How to do it

  1. Set an adjustable bench to about 30 degrees, usually the second or third notch.
  2. Sit with the dumbbells upright on your thighs, then lie back and kick them up one at a time to the sides of your upper chest.
  3. Press up and slightly in until your arms are straight above your collarbones.
  4. Lower for two seconds until your elbows drop a little below the bench, then press again.

Cues

  • 30 degrees, not 45 or more
  • Lower to the top of the chest
  • Shoulder blades back and down

Common mistakes

  • Cranking the bench up to 45 degrees or more: past that point the front delts take over. Lower it.
  • Pressing straight up over the face: the dumbbells should finish over your upper chest, not your nose.

Swap for: Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press, Incline Barbell Bench Press, Smith Machine Incline Press

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Press

Upper chest, alternating incline press

Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Pressing one dumbbell while the other holds at the top keeps both sides of the upper chest working for the whole set, so a light pair does far more. It is the best way to keep an incline press hard when your dumbbells have stopped getting heavier.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 30 degrees and press both dumbbells up to straight arms over your upper chest.
  2. Hold the left one still at the top while the right one comes down to your chest.
  3. Drive the right one back up to meet the left.
  4. Lower the left while the right holds, and keep alternating until each side has done its reps.

Cues

  • Top arm stays locked
  • Count reps per side
  • Same depth both sides

Common mistakes

  • Resting the waiting arm by bending it: hold it straight over your chest so the upper chest keeps working.
  • Rocking your torso toward the moving arm: both shoulder blades stay on the pad.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Press, Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press, Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press

Build a session with Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press

Upper chest and core, one-arm incline press

Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Pressing with one arm forces your trunk to resist rolling off the bench and lets you put your full attention on one side of the upper chest. Use it if one side is lagging or if you only have one heavier dumbbell.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 30 degrees and lie back with one dumbbell at the side of your upper chest.
  2. Grip the bench beside your hip with your free hand, or rest it on your stomach.
  3. Press the dumbbell up until your arm is straight over your collarbone.
  4. Lower slowly to a deep stretch, do all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Hips and shoulders stay square
  • Weaker side first
  • Same reps both sides

Common mistakes

  • Twisting toward the dumbbell at the bottom: brace your abs and keep the free shoulder pinned.
  • Doing more reps on the stronger side: match the reps you got on the weaker side.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Press, Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press, Landmine Chest Press

Build a session with Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press

Grip changes that bias the upper chest more

Changing your grip on the same incline press shifts where the load goes. An underhand grip keeps the elbows tucked and takes some work off the front delts; squeezing the dumbbells together keeps the chest working toward the midline. Use one as your second press.

Upper chest, underhand incline press

Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Turning your palms back toward your face keeps your elbows tucked and shifts more of the press onto the upper chest and less onto the front of the shoulder. It feels awkward the first time, so start lighter than your normal incline press.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 30 degrees and bring the dumbbells to your upper chest with your palms facing you.
  2. Keep your elbows tucked in front of your torso rather than out to the sides.
  3. Press the dumbbells up and slightly back until your arms are straight over your upper chest.
  4. Lower them slowly to the top of your chest along the same path.

Cues

  • Palms toward your face
  • Elbows tucked in front
  • Smooth, no jerk off the chest

Common mistakes

  • Letting the wrists bend back under the load: keep the knuckles pointing at the ceiling and go lighter.
  • Flaring the elbows out to press more weight: that removes the reason for the grip.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Press, Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press, Reverse-Grip Bench Press

Build a session with Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press

Upper and inner chest, incline squeeze press

Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press

Chest

Pressing the dumbbells together on an incline makes the upper chest work to pull your arms toward the midline the whole set. With a moderate pair it is a strong second exercise after the main incline press.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 30 degrees and hold two dumbbells together over your upper chest, palms facing in and the heads touching.
  2. Squeeze them hard into each other and keep squeezing for the whole set.
  3. Lower them together to your upper chest, elbows close to your sides.
  4. Press them back up as one unit without letting them separate.

Cues

  • Crush the dumbbells together
  • Touch the upper chest
  • Three seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbells come apart halfway: drop to a lighter pair you can keep pressed together.
  • Lowering them to the stomach: keep the touch point high on the chest.

Swap for: Dumbbell Hex Press, Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press, Incline Dumbbell Press

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press

Incline flies for the upper chest stretch

Flies load the upper chest in its stretched position without the triceps. Do one after your presses with a light pair. If you have no adjustable bench, an exercise ball can give you the incline.

Upper chest, incline fly

Incline Dumbbell Fly

Chest

An incline fly stretches the upper chest under load with no triceps involved, which covers the part of the movement presses only touch for an instant. A light pair and a slow lowering are all it needs.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 30 degrees and press two dumbbells up over your upper chest, palms turned toward each other.
  2. Unlock your elbows a little and keep that angle for the whole set.
  3. Open your arms out wide until the dumbbells are about level with your shoulders and your chest is stretched.
  4. Sweep them back together over your upper chest along the same wide arc.

Cues

  • Hug a barrel
  • Stretch, then squeeze
  • Elbows stay soft and fixed

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows more on the way down so the fly becomes a press: lighten the pair.
  • Going so deep that the front of the shoulder hurts: stop at the point where the stretch is strong but comfortable.

Swap for: Incline Cable Fly, Low-to-High Cable Fly, Stability Ball Incline Dumbbell Fly

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Fly

Upper chest, fly on an exercise ball

Stability Ball Incline Dumbbell Fly

Chest

Lying with your upper back on a stability ball and your hips dropped gives you an incline without a bench, and your trunk and glutes work to hold the position. It is the upper-chest fly to use at home when you have a ball but no adjustable bench.

How to do it

  1. Holding two light dumbbells, sit on a stability ball, then step forward, letting the ball roll up until it supports your upper back.
  2. Let your hips sink so your torso is angled up toward your shoulders, feet planted wide.
  3. With the dumbbells over your upper chest and elbows soft, open your arms out wide in an arc until you feel a stretch.
  4. Bring the dumbbells back together over your upper chest and repeat.

Cues

  • Hips low for the incline
  • Feet wide for balance
  • Light and slow

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips into a flat bridge, which removes the incline: keep them dropped.
  • Using dumbbells heavy enough to roll you off the ball: the balance demand means this needs a much lighter pair than a bench fly.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Fly, Single-Arm Band Chest Fly, Dumbbell Floor Fly

Build a session with Stability Ball Incline Dumbbell Fly

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Adjustable bench and heavy dumbbells

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench

You have an adjustable bench and dumbbells that go heavy, either a full rack or adjustable dumbbells, and the upper chest is the priority.

Heavier dumbbells mean the regular incline press can be loaded progressively, so it opens Session A for 4 sets at 6 to 10 reps and 1 to 2 reps in reserve. Session B starts with the underhand press for a different stimulus and then returns to the incline press for higher reps, with the squeeze press last. The fly in Session A goes to 0 to 1 reps in reserve because it is light and safe to push. Each session is 10 working sets, putting the upper chest near 20 hard sets a week.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstBench at 30 degrees. 4 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell PressReps per arm. Weaker side first. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Incline Dumbbell FlySlow into the stretch. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstPalms toward your face. 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Incline Dumbbell PressLighter than Session A. 4 × 10–15 1 90 s
Incline Dumbbell Squeeze PressKeep the dumbbells touching. 3 × 12–15 0 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Session A and Session B on separate days, two or three days apart, at the start of your chest, push or upper-body day.
How to progress
When every set of the incline press reaches 10 reps at the target reps in reserve, move up one dumbbell size and start back at 6. Add reps to the other exercises first, then weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

One light pair and a bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets18 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench

You train at home with a single pair of fixed dumbbells, around 15 to 30 pounds, and a bench that inclines.

A light pair stops being hard on a two-arm press quickly, so this plan uses ways to make the same weight harder: alternating presses keep each side loaded longer, the squeeze press adds constant inward tension, and the reps run up to 20 with sets taken to 0 or 1 reps in reserve. The fly finishes both sessions. Each session is 9 working sets.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Alternating Incline Dumbbell PressReps per side. Top arm stays locked. 3 × 10–20 1 90 s
Incline Dumbbell Squeeze PressThree seconds down. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Incline Dumbbell FlyPause in the stretch. 3 × 15–20 0 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell PressReps per arm. Free hand grips the bench. 3 × 10–20 1 90 s
Alternating Incline Dumbbell PressOne-second pause at the bottom. 3 × 10–20 0 90 s
Incline Dumbbell FlyElbows fixed. 3 × 15–20 1 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Do the two sessions on non-consecutive days. Keep the bench at the same notch every session so you can compare reps.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range at the target reps in reserve, then slow the lowering to three seconds and add a one-second pause at the bottom. Buy the next pair up when the alternating press passes 20 reps per side with that tempo.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Gym add-on after flat bench

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench

You train in a gym and already bench press flat, but your upper chest lags behind the rest.

Your flat bench already covers the middle and lower chest and your overall pressing strength, so this block adds only upper chest work, in one routine. The underhand press goes first for a heavier set without asking more of your front delts, the one-arm press lets you even out the sides, and the fly finishes the stretch. It is 8 working sets, short enough to add after your main press without running long.

Upper Chest Block
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstPalms toward you. Elbows tucked. 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell PressReps per arm. 3 × 8–12 1 90 s
Incline Dumbbell FlyLight. Two seconds down. 2 × 12–15 0 1 min
How to run it
Add this block right after your flat bench on one or two days a week. If you bench twice a week, do it both days.
How to progress
Add reps until all sets hit the top of the range at the target reps in reserve, then move to the next dumbbell on the rack.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do I target my upper chest with dumbbells?

Press or fly on a bench set to about 30 degrees. That angle lines up the movement with the upper fibers of the pec. Put the incline exercise first in your session while you are fresh, and keep your elbows angled about 45 degrees from your sides.

What is the best bench angle for upper chest?

About 30 degrees, often the second or third notch on an adjustable bench. Steeper than about 45 degrees makes the front delts do more of the work, and flat puts the emphasis on the middle chest.

How many reps of incline dumbbell press should I do?

Six to 15 reps per set for most people, 3 to 4 sets, ending each set 1 to 2 reps short of failure. Heavier sets of 6 to 10 build strength best; lighter sets of 12 to 15 work just as well for muscle size if they end close to failure.

Are 4 exercises enough for chest day?

Yes, usually more than enough. Three or four exercises with 3 to 4 hard sets each puts you at 10 to 15 sets, which is a full session. For upper chest, two of those should be incline exercises.

Can I work my upper chest with dumbbells at home?

Yes, if you have a bench that inclines. All the presses and flies here work at home. Without an adjustable bench, use the exercise ball fly for the incline and decline push-ups for extra upper-chest pressing.

How do I stop my shoulders taking over on incline presses?

Keep the bench at or below 30 degrees, pull your shoulder blades back and down before you unrack, and lower the dumbbells to the top of your chest with your elbows about 45 degrees from your sides. If the front of your shoulders still does most of the work, switch to the underhand grip for your main press.

Is the incline dumbbell press better than the barbell incline press?

For the upper chest they are close. Dumbbells allow a deeper stretch and let each arm find a comfortable path, while a barbell lets you load more total weight. Use whichever you can progress on and train close to failure with good form.