The incline dumbbell press works your chest, shoulders and triceps. The muscles of your upper back work to stabilize your shoulders during any pressing exercise, including the incline press. A strong upper back and solid technique helps you avoid pain and increase the weight you can lift. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any strength-training program.
Technique
The first step to limiting your pain involves improving your technique. Not only how you lower the dumbbells, but also how you set up before you lower them plays a role in your stability. When lying back on an incline bench, pull your shoulder blades together like you were trying to crack a walnut between them. Keep your lower back tight and your hips pushed down into the bench. Do not allow your back to move as you lower the dumbbells to your upper chest. To avoid strain on your shoulders, tuck your elbows into your sides as you lower the weights, then flare them out again as you push the dumbbells up.
Upper Back
The large muscle covering most of your upper back -- your trapezius -- provides stability for both your upper back and shoulders during the incline dumbbell press. If your trapezius is weak, it will not perform properly during the exercise. A few extra sets of shrugs can be thrown in at the end of any upper-body workout. Just hold heavy dumbbells in your hands and shrug your shoulders up, pause at the top, then lower the dumbbells. Do not bend your arms, and perform three to five sets of eight to 12 repetitions.
Back
The wide muscles of your back -- the latissimus dorsi -- also stabilize your shoulders during all pressing movements. For every set of pressing exercises that you perform, you should perform one set of chinups or rows. This also helps provide balanced shoulder development while you build a strong, healthy physique. You can rotate chinups and pulldowns with various types of rows, including barbell and dumbbell rows.
External Rotators
The muscles of your external rotator cuff do not get much exercise during conventional training programs. These small muscles help stabilize your shoulders during every single movement of your arm. Perform a lying external rotation by lying on one side with your upper arm against your side and a towel under your upper arm. Hold a dumbbell in your hand and bend your elbow 90 degrees, so your forearm sticks straight out in front of you. Without your upper arm breaking contact from your torso, lower the dumbbell to the limit of your range of motion, then rotate it back up until your forearm points at the ceiling. Perform three to five sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.
References
- "The Westside Barbell Book of Methods"; Louie Simmons; 2008
- "Strength Training Anatomy -- Third Edition"; Frederic Delavier; 2010
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