Incline Stability Ball Single Arm Dumbbell Bench Press

In SetGrip: Dumbbell Bench Press (Incline, Stability Ball, Single Arm)

Secondary muscles
Delts, Triceps
Body part
Chest
Position
Standing
Laterality
Unilateral (one arm at a time)
Category
Strength

Track this exercise in SetGrip — no account needed

Download SetGrip on the App Store

One dumbbell pressed from an incline bridge on a stability ball leaves nothing symmetrical: the offset weight tries to roll you sideways while your hips hold the bridge that makes the angle. The pec work is real but light, so treat it as a trunk-and-shoulder control movement where a weight you can press ten times smoothly beats any grind.

How to do the Incline Stability Ball Single Arm Dumbbell Bench Press

  1. Sit on an exercise ball with a dumbbell in one hand, feet flat on the ground.
  2. Slowly walk your feet forward, rolling the ball until your head, neck, and upper back are supported on the ball.
  3. Hold the dumbbell at shoulder height with your palm facing forward.
  4. Press the dumbbell upward until your arm is fully extended.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.

Tip: Squeeze the bar hard and keep the wrists straight over the elbows through the whole rep.

Muscles worked

Primary

Pectorals · Chest

The chest presses the arms together and forward, and decline and wide grip variations put more emphasis on the lower and outer pecs.

Secondary

  • Delts — The front delts assist every press and take over on Bradford and behind the neck variations.
  • Triceps — The triceps lock out the elbow on every press and dominate close grip and skull press variations.

Common mistakes

  • Elbows flaring wide — on horizontal presses keep the elbows at roughly 45 degrees from the torso; pressing overhead, keep them under the weight instead.
  • Losing the shoulder blade position — on bench-style presses set the shoulder blades back and down and keep them there; overhead, let the shoulder blades rotate up naturally with the arms.
  • Bouncing or rushing the bottom — control the bar down and pause for a beat before driving up, especially on decline and close grip variations.
  • Not committing to a variation — Bradford presses, skull presses and the like are hybrids; pick a fixed range and stick with it for the whole set.

Where it fits in a workout

Presses are the main movement in a push session and should go first or second. Superset them with a row or pulldown for a push and pull pair.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without dumbbell

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

Track the Incline Stability Ball Single Arm Dumbbell Bench Press in SetGrip

All 1,100+ exercises with animations are in the app. No account, no sign-up — your history stays on your iPhone and in your private iCloud. Works with Apple Watch.

Download SetGrip on the App Store

More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.