What Is an Alternative Exercise for Incline Dumbbell Presses?

Incline dumbbell presses are a demanding chest exercise. Using dumbbells forces you to recruit more stabilizing muscles than pressing a barbell or a fixed weight machine. While they mainly hit your pecs, your shoulders and triceps are also involved as secondary muscles. If you can't perform incline dumbbell presses due to injuries or a lack of equipment, there are plenty of other exercises you can substitute into your routine instead.

  1. Alternative Angle Dumbbell Presses

    • If your bench doesn't adjust to a suitable incline, simply perform your dumbbell presses on the flat bench. These don't hit your upper chest as much as incline presses but will still give you an effective pec workout. If incline presses aggravate your shoulders, consider decline presses too. These hit your inner and lower pecs more, according to trainer Mike Robertson, so they are the ideal exercise for those areas.

    Barbell Bench Presses

    • The barbell bench press is one of the three powerlifting moves, along with squats and deadlifts, but it isn't just for powerlifters. Bench pressing is a highly efficient way to boost your upper-body strength and power, and work your chest, shoulders and triceps. Lower the bar all the way to your chest, pause briefly, then lift it back up explosively. Keep your whole body tight and squeeze your back and lat muscles, according to powerlifting coach and former world-record bench presser Dave Tate. Switch between flat, incline and decline barbell presses to get the benefits of each.

    Pushups

    • Pushups might seem like a beginner exercise, but if you don't have any equipment available, they're your best bet. Pushups don't need to be easy -- make them harder by putting your feet on a bench or chair, taking five seconds to lower yourself down and five seconds to push back up. You can also wear a weighted vest to increase the resistance. If you have dipping bars at your disposal, body-weight dips is another move to work the same muscles as incline dumbbell presses. Use a wide grip and lean your torso forward slightly to hit your chest.

    Machines

    • Resistance machines offer a viable alternative to dumbbells, particularly if you're a gym newbie and lack confidence with free weights. The only downside to machines is that they can force you into an unnatural range of motion, so make sure the seat and handles are positioned comfortably. Compound machine chest exercises, such as seated chest presses or incline chest presses, replicate the incline dumbbell press better than machine isolation exercises like the pec deck or fly machine.