Incline Dumbbell Twist Press
Also known as: incline dumbbell rotating press, rotating incline dumbbell press, incline twist press, dumbbell incline twist press, incline dumbbell twisting press, incline dumbbell press with rotation
In SetGrip: Dumbbell Twist Press (Incline)
Rotating the dumbbells as you press up the incline lets your shoulders follow their natural arc instead of holding one fixed grip from bottom to top. The twist favors smooth 8-to-12-rep sets over maximal loads, making it a useful upper-chest alternative when the standard incline press feels grindy at the wrists or shoulders.
How to do the Incline Dumbbell Twist Press
- Set up an incline bench at a 45-degree angle.
- Sit on the bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other.
- Plant your feet firmly on the ground and keep your back straight against the bench.
- Start with the dumbbells at shoulder level, elbows bent and palms facing each other.
- Press the dumbbells up and away from your body, extending your arms fully.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
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.
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
- Decline Dumbbell Neutral Grip Bench PressDumbbell
- Incline Alternating Dumbbell Bench PressDumbbell
- Neutral Grip Incline Dumbbell PressDumbbell
- Incline Single Arm Dumbbell Bench PressDumbbell
- Incline Stability Ball Single Arm Dumbbell Bench PressDumbbell
- Incline Stability Ball Dumbbell Bench PressDumbbell
Without dumbbell
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.
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Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- 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.