Essomio™

← All exercise guides

chest

Dumbbell Declined Bench Press

A dumbbell press on a bench tilted downward, for the lower chest. Each arm works on its own.

intermediatedumbbellsdecline bench

Dumbbell Declined Bench Press, start position
START
Dumbbell Declined Bench Press, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START2
  1. Set the bench to a 15 to 30 degree decline.
  2. Ask someone to hand you the dumbbells once you are lying down, if you can.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Sit on the bench and hook your legs under the pads, holding a dumbbell on each thigh.
  2. Lie back and bring the dumbbells to the sides of your chest.
  3. Press the dumbbells up above your lower chest, palms facing your feet.

Check: The dumbbells are above your lower chest, almost touching, with your arms straight.

Lower the dumbbells

  1. Bend your elbows and lower both dumbbells slowly to the sides of your chest.
  2. Stop when the dumbbells are level with your chest.

Check: The dumbbells are level with your chest and your forearms point straight up.

Press up

  1. Push both dumbbells up and slightly together until your arms are almost straight.

Check: The dumbbells are back above your lower chest, nearly touching.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then lower the dumbbells to your chest and sit up with help, or set them down carefully to the sides.

Breathe in as you lower for 2 to 3 seconds; breathe out as you press up in about 1 second.

MUSCLES WORKED
Dumbbell Declined Bench Press: muscles worked, front view
Dumbbell Declined Bench Press: muscles worked, back view

chestfront deltstriceps

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES2
  • Elbows flared straight out. Fix: Keep them at about 45 degrees from your sides.
  • Dumbbells drifting toward your face. Fix: Press straight up above your lower chest.
SAFETY2
  • Use lighter dumbbells than on a flat bench until you are used to the position.
  • Come up slowly after the set; the head-down position can make you dizzy.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • decline bench · bench angle: 15 to 30 degrees head-down · leg pads: snug over your shins
RELATED EXERCISES

easier: dumbbell bench press

harder: barbell declined bench press

variants: incline dumbbell bench press

© 2026 Essomio LLC. The illustrations, muscle charts and guide text on this page are works of Essomio LLC, all rights reserved. They are for your personal use and may not be copied, redistributed or used to train models without written permission — see Licensing.