Tag: Press

Incline Press

Sit on an incline bench angled at 45 to 60 degrees, grasp the barbell with an
overhand grip wider than shoulder width:
Inhale and lower the barbell to the
sternal notch.

  • Extend the arms.
  • Exhale at the end of the movement.

This exercise mainly solicits the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, triceps brachii, serratus anterior, and pectoralis minor. This exercise may be done at a frame that guides the bar.

Variations:

  1. Incline barbell bench press: This is a classic variation of the incline press, where you use a barbell and an incline bench. It’s a great exercise for building overall upper body strength.
  2. Incline dumbbell bench press: This variation is similar to the barbell bench press, but uses dumbbells instead. It’s a great exercise to help improve your upper body stability.
  3. Incline machine press: This is a machine-based variation of the incline press that can be easier to perform for beginners. It’s also a good option if you want to focus on your chest muscles without using your triceps as much.
  4. Close-grip incline press: This variation involves bringing your hands closer together on the bar or dumbbells. This places more emphasis on your triceps, making it a great exercise for building arm strength.
  5. Single-arm incline press: This variation is performed using one arm at a time, either with dumbbells or a cable machine. This helps to improve balance and stability, as well as targeting each side of your body individually.
  6. Plyometric incline press: This variation involves performing explosive, plyometric movements with the bar or dumbbells. It’s a great way to improve your power and explosiveness.

Front Dumbbell Press

Sit on a bench, keeping the back
straight. With elbows bent and pointing forward, hold the dumb- bells at shoulder level with an underhand grip (thumbs pointing away from each other):

  • Inhale and extend the arms vertically while rotating 180 degrees at the wrists, bringing them into an overhand grip (thumbs pointing toward each other).
  • Exhale at the end of the movement.

This exercise solicits the deltoid, mainly the anterior deltoid, as well as the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, triceps brachii, trapezius, and serratus anterior.

Variations:
This exercise may be performed seated against a backrest to help prevent an excessive arch in the back, standing, and alternating arms.

Comment: Working with the elbows pointing forward prevents excessive friction, which triggers inflammation in the shoulder that can eventually develop into a more serious injury.
This movement is recommended for people with weak shoulders and is meant to replace more intense exercises, such as classic dumbbell extensions with the elbows pointing to the sides or extensions from behind the neck.

Seated Dumbbell Press

Sit on a bench, keeping the back straight, and hold dumb- bells at shoulder level with an overhand grip (thumbs pointing inward):

  • Inhale and extend the arms vertically.
  • Exhale at the end of the movement.

This exercise contracts the deltoid, mainly the middle deltoid, as well as trapezius, serratus anterior, and triceps brachii.
This movement may also be performed standing or alternating the arms. A backrest helps prevent an excessive arch in the back.

Variants:

  • Seated Alternating Dumbbell Press: Alternate pressing one dumbbell at a time for a more intense isolation of each arm.
  • Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press: Perform the exercise with a wide grip for greater involvement of the lateral deltoid.
  • Seated Dumbbell Arnold Press: This variation involves rotating the dumbbells as you press up, working the front, side and rear deltoids.
  • Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise: Hold the dumbbells at your sides and raise them to the side in a smooth, controlled movement, focusing on the lateral deltoids.
  • Seated Dumbbell Upright Row: Keep the dumbbells close to your body and raise them vertically, targeting the front and side deltoids as well as the biceps.

Seated Front Press

Sit with the back straight and hold the bar with an overhand grip, resting it across the upper chest:

  • Inhale and extend the bar vertically.
  • Exhale at the end of the movement.

This fundamental exercise mainly uses the anterior and lateral deltoids, clavicular head of the pectoralis major, triceps brachii, serratus anterior, trapezius and, deeper in, the supraspinatus.

You can also perform this exercise standing, as long as you keep the back straight, avoiding excessive curvature of the lumbar spine. Extending the barbell with the elbows forward isolates the anterior deltoid.
Extending the bar with the elbows spread apart isolates the middle deltoid.
You can use various machines for this exercise.

Variations:

  • Dumbbell Seated Front Press – Performed with dumbbells instead of a barbell, this variation allows for a greater range of motion and increased activation of stabilizing muscles.
  • Seated Arnold Press – Named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, this variation involves rotating the hands as you press the weight overhead, hitting the front, middle, and rear deltoids.
  • Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise & Press – This exercise combines a lateral raise with a front press, targeting the lateral and front deltoids.
  • Seated Smith Machine Press – This variation uses a Smith machine for stability and can be used to progress to heavier weight.