RIRLift app icon RIRLift

Exercises

Incline dumbbell press alternatives: upper chest swaps for every setup

Published October 23, 2026

The best incline dumbbell press alternative is the incline press machine: the same angled press on a fixed path, with no balancing. Without it, a Smith machine or barbell incline press does the job. If your dumbbells are light, use the alternating incline press; with no incline bench, a landmine chest press or decline push-ups press on the same upward line.

What a incline dumbbell press alternative has to replace

The incline dumbbell press trains your upper chest, the front of your shoulders and your triceps, pressing up and back over your collarbones. It loads your chest hardest at the bottom, where the dumbbells sit just outside your shoulders.

A replacement has to keep that upward angle; flat pressing shifts the work to the middle of your chest. Keep the incline low, around 30 degrees, on any bench you use.

How to do the incline dumbbell press

Machines

When the dumbbells or the bench are taken, a machine or guided bar keeps the upward angle with no balancing.

Closest machine swap

Machine Incline Press

Chest

The incline press machine runs the same angled press on a fixed path, so the set ends when your chest gives out, not your balance. Use the same sets and reps you ran with dumbbells.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles start a bit above the middle of your chest, and sit with your back flat on the pad.
  2. Take the handles with your elbows pointing down and slightly out.
  3. Press up and away until your arms are nearly straight.
  4. Lower the handles slowly back toward your upper chest and repeat.

Cues

  • Press up and away
  • Chest high
  • Elbows under the handles

Common mistakes

  • Arching off the pad: end the set when your back has to help.
  • Letting the stack crash between reps: control every return.
Build a session with Machine Incline Press

Guided bar at your bench angle

Smith Machine Incline Press

Chest

Roll your incline bench into the Smith machine and you get the same angle with a bar on rails and safety stops. It suits heavier, lower-rep sets than dumbbells do.

How to do it

  1. Place an incline bench at about 30 degrees under the Smith bar so the bar lines up with your upper chest.
  2. Grip just outside shoulder width, twist the bar off the hooks and hold it over your chest.
  3. Lower it to your upper chest under control.
  4. Press back up to straight arms, then turn the bar back onto the hooks when the set is done.

Cues

  • Bar meets your upper chest
  • Elbows under the bar
  • Rack it with a wrist turn

Common mistakes

  • Bench too far forward or back, so the bar lands on your neck or belly: check the path with an empty bar first.
  • Skipping the safety stops: set them just below chest height.
Build a session with Smith Machine Incline Press

Barbell and landmine

A bar lets you load heavier than dumbbells. The landmine also solves having no incline bench.

Heaviest free-weight swap

Incline Barbell Bench Press

Chest

Both arms share one bar, so you can load more than with dumbbells. You lose a little range at the bottom and each side's independence.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 30 degrees and lie back with your eyes under the bar.
  2. Pinch your shoulder blades back, plant your feet and unrack the bar with a grip a bit outside shoulder width.
  3. Lower the bar to your upper chest, just below your collarbones.
  4. Press it straight up until your arms lock, keeping your chest high.

Cues

  • Bar to the collarbones
  • Chest up to meet the bar
  • Lower the angle if your shoulders take over

Common mistakes

  • Setting the bench too steep, which turns it into a shoulder press: 30 degrees is plenty for most people.
  • Bringing the bar to your mid chest as on a flat bench: on an incline it belongs higher.
Build a session with Incline Barbell Bench Press

Upper chest swap with no incline bench

Landmine Chest Press

Chest

Pressing a bar up and forward from a corner puts your arm on roughly the same upward line as an incline press, standing. It works one arm at a time and needs no bench.

How to do it

  1. Wedge one end of a bar into a landmine or a padded corner and load the other end.
  2. Stand with your feet about shoulder width and hold the loaded end in one hand at your chest.
  3. Press it up and forward until your arm is straight, letting your shoulder blade reach forward at the top.
  4. Lower it back to your chest under control. Finish the set, then switch hands.

Cues

  • Press up and out
  • Ribs stay down
  • Reach at the top

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to press: stay tall or slightly forward so your chest does the pushing.
  • Letting the bar crash into your chest: lower it slowly to the same start every rep.
Build a session with Landmine Chest Press

Other dumbbell presses on the incline

Same bench, different setup. Useful when your dumbbells are light, you only have one heavy one, or the regular grip bothers your shoulders.

Swap when your dumbbells are light

Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

You press one dumbbell up while the other comes down, so neither arm rests at the top and your chest works the whole set. That makes a lighter pair feel heavy, which is why it suits light dumbbells.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 30 degrees and lie back with a dumbbell in each hand at the sides of your chest, palms facing forward.
  2. Press the right dumbbell up until your arm is straight over your upper chest.
  3. As the right one comes back down, start pressing the left one up, so the two pass each other halfway.
  4. Keep the see-saw going at a steady pace until each side has done its reps.

Cues

  • One up, one down
  • Count reps per side
  • Same depth both sides

Common mistakes

  • Pausing with both dumbbells at your chest between reps: keep one arm moving at all times.
  • Rocking your torso toward the pressing arm: keep both shoulder blades on the pad.
Build a session with Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press

Swap with only one heavy dumbbell

Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

One dumbbell at a time lets you use your heaviest single weight, and your trunk has to stop you rolling off the bench. It also shows up a weaker side quickly.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 30 degrees and lie back with one dumbbell at shoulder height, your free hand holding the bench.
  2. Brace your stomach so your hips stay square on the pad.
  3. Press the dumbbell up over your upper chest until your arm is straight.
  4. Lower it under control to the start, finish your reps, then switch arms.

Cues

  • Hips square, no twisting
  • Free hand grips the bench
  • Same reps on both arms

Common mistakes

  • Letting the loaded side roll off the bench: brace harder or use a lighter dumbbell.
  • Doing more reps on your strong arm: match the weaker side and log that number.
Build a session with Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press

Upper chest squeeze with a light pair

Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press

Chest

Pressing two dumbbells together on the incline keeps your chest squeezing the whole set. Use it as the second press of a session or when your weights are light.

How to do it

  1. On a bench set to about 30 degrees, hold two dumbbells together over your chest with your palms facing each other.
  2. Press them into each other hard enough that they can't separate.
  3. Lower the pair to your chest with your elbows close to your sides, still squeezing.
  4. Drive them back up to straight arms without letting the squeeze go.

Cues

  • Dumbbells never separate
  • Elbows tucked
  • Squeeze harder at the top

Common mistakes

  • Going heavy and losing the squeeze: pick a pair you can crush together the whole set.
  • Rushing the reps: three seconds down keeps your chest working the whole way.
Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press

Underhand grip, elbows tucked

Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Turning your palms toward you keeps your elbows close to your ribs, a groove some lifters find kinder on the shoulders. Expect lighter weights than the regular grip.

How to do it

  1. Sit back on a bench set to about 30 degrees, holding the dumbbells at shoulder height with your palms facing you.
  2. Keep your elbows pointed at the floor and close to your ribs.
  3. Press the dumbbells up over your upper chest until your arms are straight.
  4. Lower to shoulder height under control, keeping the underhand grip the whole way.

Cues

  • Palms face you
  • Elbows close to your ribs
  • Wrists stacked over elbows

Common mistakes

  • Letting your wrists bend back: lighten the pair and keep your knuckles pointing up.
  • Flaring your elbows out: the grip only helps if your elbows stay tucked.
Build a session with Reverse-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press

Upper chest flys

Flys aimed at your upper chest work well after a press. On their own they lack the load to fully replace one.

Upper chest fly to pair with a press

Incline Dumbbell Fly

Chest

The fly on the same low incline trains your upper chest without your triceps helping. Put it after a press, not in its place, if size is the goal.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to a low incline and lie back with the dumbbells over your upper chest.
  2. Turn your palms to face each other and soften your elbows.
  3. Lower the weights out and down until your chest is fully stretched.
  4. Bring them back up and in along the same arc, pausing at the top without clanking them.

Cues

  • Low incline, same arc
  • Lead with your elbows
  • Slow the bottom inch

Common mistakes

  • Using your flat-fly weight: the incline is weaker, so start lighter.
  • Arching your lower back high off the pad: keep your hips and ribs down.
Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Fly

Cable swap for the upper chest

Low-to-High Cable Fly

Chest

From low pulleys your hands sweep up toward your chin, the same target as an incline press. Cables keep the tension on the whole way.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys at the bottom and hold a handle in each hand, palms facing forward.
  2. Take a step forward into a staggered stance, arms down and slightly behind your hips.
  3. With soft elbows, sweep the handles up and in until they meet at chin height.
  4. Lower back along the same arc until your arms are just behind your body again.

Cues

  • Scoop up toward your chin
  • Ribs down, chest proud
  • Stop at chin height, not overhead

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the handles up with your traps: keep your shoulders down and let the arc come from your chest.
  • Leaning back to finish the rep: if you need to, the stack is too heavy.
Build a session with Low-to-High Cable Fly

Bodyweight

No weights at all: put your feet up so your arms press up toward your head.

Upper chest swap with no equipment

Decline Push-Up

Chest

Feet up on a chair tilts the push-up so your arms press up toward your head, the same line as an incline press. Raise your feet higher to make it harder.

How to do it

  1. Put your feet on a chair or bench and your hands on the floor under your shoulders.
  2. Brace so your body is straight from heels to head.
  3. Lower until your forehead is just above the floor, elbows about 45 degrees from your sides.
  4. Press back to straight arms without letting your hips rise first.

Cues

  • Higher feet, harder rep
  • Forehead toward the floor
  • Press the floor away

Common mistakes

  • Piking your hips to make the press easier: if the straight line goes, use a lower chair.
  • Shoulders riding up to your ears at the bottom: keep them pulled down and back.
Build a session with Decline Push-Up

Hardest push-up with no equipment

Archer Push-Up

Chest

Shifting most of your weight onto one arm keeps the push-up hard with no gear.

How to do it

  1. Set your hands about twice shoulder width apart in a plank, fingers turned slightly out.
  2. Lower toward your right hand, bending the right elbow while the left arm stays straight.
  3. Bring your chest close to your right hand, then press back to the middle.
  4. Repeat to the left and keep alternating, or finish one side first.

Cues

  • Bent arm does the work
  • Straight arm only balances
  • Hips stay square

Common mistakes

  • Bending both arms equally, which makes it a wide push-up: keep the helping arm straight.
  • Twisting your hips toward the floor: hold the plank level as you shift.
Build a session with Archer Push-Up

Example sessions without the incline dumbbell press

Session 1

Gym, dumbbells or bench taken

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentIncline Bench, Smith Machine, Incline Chest Press, Cable Crossover

You train in a gym where the incline bench and dumbbells are busy, but the machines and cables are free.

The Smith incline press is the heavy lift, the incline press machine adds volume you can push close to failure, and the low-to-high cable fly finishes the upper chest. 10 working sets.

Chest
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Smith Machine Incline Press2 warm-up sets first 4 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Machine Incline Press 3 × 10–12 1 90 s
Low-to-High Cable Fly 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Once or twice a week on your chest or push day.
How to progress
When every set reaches the top of its range at the RIR shown, add the smallest weight jump and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home, light dumbbells and an adjustable bench

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 a pair of dumbbells that feel light for incline presses.

The alternating press keeps your chest working the whole set, the squeeze press makes a light pair hard for your upper chest, and the incline fly finishes it. Reps run higher, rest is shorter and sets end closer to failure because the weights are light. 10 working sets.

Chest
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstReps are per arm. 4 × 10–15 1 75 s
Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Incline Dumbbell Fly 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Lower every rep for three seconds.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range, then add a one-second pause at the bottom before moving up a dumbbell.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

No incline bench, a bar in a corner

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentLandmine

You train at home with a barbell and plates but no incline bench.

The landmine chest press takes the incline press's place on the same upward line, decline push-ups add the same angle with bodyweight, and archer push-ups finish one side at a time. 10 working sets.

Chest
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Landmine Chest Press1 warm-up set firstSets are per arm. 4 × 8–12 2 90 s
Decline Push-Up 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Archer Push-UpSets are per side. 3 × 5–8 1 75 s
How to run it
Twice a week, at least two days apart. Start each landmine set with your weaker arm.
How to progress
Add a small plate to the landmine when you reach 12 reps per arm. On the push-ups, raise your feet or widen your hands once you reach the top of the range.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What is a good substitute for the incline dumbbell press?

The incline press machine is the closest, then the Smith machine or barbell incline press. With no machines, the alternating incline dumbbell press or a landmine chest press keeps the same angle.

What is an incline dumbbell press alternative with no bench?

The landmine chest press, standing, presses on almost the same upward line. With no equipment, decline push-ups with your feet on a chair do the same.

What are the benefits of the incline dumbbell press?

It trains your upper chest harder than flat pressing, and each arm works on its own so your weaker side can't hide. Dumbbells also let your hands go a little deeper than a bar.

Can I use a barbell instead of dumbbells for incline press?

Yes. The barbell incline press trains the same muscles and lets you load more. You lose a little range at the bottom and each side's independence.

What is the #1 chest exercise?

There isn't one. A flat press, an incline press and dips together cover your whole chest, and taking each set close to failure matters more than the pick.

What grows the chest the most?

Enough hard sets each week, taken close to failure, with the weight or reps going up over time. Any of the presses or flys above work if you do that.