Is the hammer grip easier on sore shoulders?

Often, though not for everyone. Keeping the palms facing each other lets the elbows stay closer to your sides, which many lifters find more comfortable than a palms-forward press, so test it with light dumbbells and stop if the front of the shoulder hurts.

What bench angle should I use?

An incline of 30 to 45 degrees suits most lifters. Going steeper turns the press into more of a shoulder exercise, while a lower setting moves it toward the flat Dumbbell Hammer Bench Press.

Is this better for the upper chest than a regular incline dumbbell press?

Not clearly. The incline is what shifts the work toward the upper chest, while the grip mainly changes the elbow path and joint comfort, so use whichever version of the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press your shoulders and wrists tolerate better.

How is it different from the incline squeeze press?

Both use palms facing each other, but in the Dumbbell Incline Squeeze Press the dumbbells are pressed hard together for the whole set. In the hammer press they move independently and stay slightly apart, which lets you use heavier weights.

How do I get heavy dumbbells into position?

Sit with the dumbbells standing on your thighs, then lie back and use a small push from your knees to bring them to the sides of your upper chest. Reverse the same path to finish, bringing them back to your thighs rather than dropping them.

Dumbbell Incline Hammer Bench Press

What Is the Dumbbell Incline Hammer Bench Press?

Dumbbell Incline Hammer Bench Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the chest and also engages the front shoulders and triceps. It is a beginner-level movement that combines an incline bench with a neutral grip, palms facing each other throughout the press, which lets the elbows travel a little closer to the body than in a palms-forward dumbbell press.

The incline is what moves more of the work toward the upper chest and the front of the shoulders. In a study of 24 young women pressing light 4.5 kg dumbbells, the 45-degree incline press drew more front shoulder activity than the flat bench press, and less than a seated shoulder press. The hammer grip mainly changes how the arms move: with the palms facing in, the elbows stay nearer the sides, the triceps do a little more of the pressing, and many lifters find the position easier on the shoulders and wrists than a palms-forward grip.

That joint-friendly position is the main reason coaches program it. It works well as the main incline press for lifters whose shoulders object to wider pressing, or as an accessory after a heavier barbell or dumbbell press, usually in moderate to higher rep ranges. Because each arm moves its own dumbbell, it also shows up and helps even out a side that is weaker or less stable.

Compared with the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press, only the grip changes, while the Dumbbell Hammer Bench Press keeps the same grip on a flat bench and the Dumbbell Decline Hammer Bench Press moves it to a decline. It is not the same as the Dumbbell Incline Squeeze Press, where the dumbbells are pressed hard into each other for the whole set. Beginners can start here with light dumbbells, and anyone who struggles to control them or get them into position can build up with the Incline Push-Up or the Machine Incline Bench Press first.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Pectoralis Major: Primary
Deltoid: High
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): High
Triceps Brachii (Medial Head): High
Triceps Brachii (Long Head): Medium
Biceps Brachii: Low
Infraspinatus: Low
Serratus Anterior: Low
Brachioradialis: Minimal
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Minimal

Instructions

Set an adjustable bench to an incline of 30 to 45 degrees and sit on it with your feet flat on the floor, a little wider than your hips.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other and rest the dumbbells upright on your thighs.
Lie back against the pad and use a small push from your knees to bring the dumbbells to the sides of your upper chest, keeping your palms facing each other.
Press your head, upper back and hips into the bench and pull your shoulder blades back and down.
Start with the dumbbells beside your upper chest, forearms vertical, wrists straight and elbows below the dumbbells, slightly out from your sides.
Press the dumbbells up until your arms are straight above your shoulders, bringing them close together without letting them touch.
Lower the dumbbells under control along the same path until they reach the sides of your upper chest, keeping the palms facing each other.
After your last rep, bring the dumbbells back down to your thighs as you sit up, then set them on the floor.

Common Mistakes

Bench set too steep
Raising the backrest well past 45 degrees turns the lift into more of a shoulder press and loads the front of the shoulders instead of the upper chest.
Losing the neutral grip
Letting the palms turn forward as you lower or press changes the elbow path and takes away the joint-friendly position this variation is chosen for.
Elbows flared straight out
Pushing the elbows out level with the shoulders strains the front of the shoulder, so keep them below the dumbbells and slightly in from your sides.
Shoulders rolling forward at the bottom
Sinking the dumbbells past the sides of your upper chest lets the shoulder blades lift off the bench and puts the front of the shoulder in a vulnerable stretch.
Wrists bent back
Letting the dumbbells tip the hands back loads the wrists, so keep the handles stacked over your forearms with the wrists straight.
Dropping the dumbbells after the last rep
Letting the dumbbells fall out to the sides from the bottom position strains the shoulders and biceps, so bring them back to your thighs before setting them down.

Injuries

Dumbbell Incline Hammer Bench Press is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The neutral grip keeps the elbows closer to the body, which most lifters find gentler on the shoulders than a palms-forward press, and the dumbbells can simply be lowered to the thighs if a set goes wrong.

The front of the shoulder takes the most strain, especially when the bench is set steeper than 45 degrees, the elbows flare straight out to the sides, or the dumbbells sink so low that the shoulders roll forward off the bench. The elbows can get irritated by snapping into lockout, and the wrists by letting them bend back under the load. Most problems, though, happen getting into or out of position: swinging heavy dumbbells up without help, or dropping them to the floor from the bottom of the last rep, strains the shoulders and the biceps tendon. Bring the dumbbells up off your thighs, keep your shoulder blades pulled back into the bench, stop the lowering when the dumbbells reach the sides of your upper chest, and bring them back to your thighs to finish the set.

If the incline bothers your shoulders, lower the bench toward the flat Dumbbell Hammer Bench Press, shorten the range with the Dumbbell Floor Press, or use the fixed path of the Machine Incline Bench Press. To progress, add load gradually, or train one side at a time with the Dumbbell Incline Single-Arm Bench Press to add a core stability challenge.

Stop the set if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the front of the shoulder, pain on the inside or back of the elbow, or if you start losing control of a dumbbell. Ending a set one or two reps short of failure is the safer choice when you have no spotter.

Overview

Primary Focus: Chest
Equipment: Dumbbell and bench
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the hammer grip easier on sore shoulders?: Often, though not for everyone. Keeping the palms facing each other lets the elbows stay closer to your sides, which many lifters find more comfortable than a palms-forward press, so test it with light dumbbells and stop if the front of the shoulder hurts.
Q: What bench angle should I use?: An incline of 30 to 45 degrees suits most lifters. Going steeper turns the press into more of a shoulder exercise, while a lower setting moves it toward the flat Dumbbell Hammer Bench Press.
Q: Is this better for the upper chest than a regular incline dumbbell press?: Not clearly. The incline is what shifts the work toward the upper chest, while the grip mainly changes the elbow path and joint comfort, so use whichever version of the Dumbbell Incline Bench Press your shoulders and wrists tolerate better.
Q: How is it different from the incline squeeze press?: Both use palms facing each other, but in the Dumbbell Incline Squeeze Press the dumbbells are pressed hard together for the whole set. In the hammer press they move independently and stay slightly apart, which lets you use heavier weights.
Q: How do I get heavy dumbbells into position?: Sit with the dumbbells standing on your thighs, then lie back and use a small push from your knees to bring them to the sides of your upper chest. Reverse the same path to finish, bringing them back to your thighs rather than dropping them.