Decline Dumbbell Press
Muscles worked: Chest (assisted by triceps).
How to do it
- Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and lie down with a dumbbell on each hand on top of your thighs.
- Once you are laying down, move the dumbbells in front of you at shoulder width.
- Once at shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you.
- Bring down the weights slowly to your side as you breathe out.
- As you breathe out, push the dumbbells up using your pectoral muscles.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Bells over the lower chest
- Squeeze in slightly at the top
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 8 to 12 rep range, progressing in 2 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Barbell Bench Press - chest
- Dumbbell Bench Press - chest
- Incline Dumbbell Press - chest
- Incline Barbell Press - chest
Track the decline dumbbell press properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.