Setup
Set a bench to a 15-30 degree decline and secure your feet under the foot pads. Sit with a dumbbell on each thigh, then lie back and position the dumbbells at chest level with palms facing forward and elbows bent at roughly 90 degrees.
How to do it
- Press the dumbbells up and slightly together until your arms are fully extended above your lower chest.
- Lower the dumbbells with control until they reach chest level, keeping your elbows at about a 45-degree angle from your body.
- Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down throughout the entire movement.
- Maintain tension in your chest by stopping just before the dumbbells touch your body at the bottom.
- Drive through your chest to explosively press the weight up while maintaining control.
Watch out for
- ✗Flaring elbows out too wide, which shifts stress to the shoulders and reduces chest activation.
- ✗Bouncing the dumbbells off the chest or using momentum instead of controlling the descent.
- ✗Allowing the dumbbells to drift too far toward the head instead of keeping them over the lower chest.