With this exercise, you target the chest’s clavicular fibers, also known as the ”upper chest”. Other muscles like the tricep and anterior delt also contribute to this lift.
This exercise does not offer great stability because it is free weight, and keeping the weights stable can be challenging. The free weight does have a free path to move, and it is easy to converge, leading you to get the chest muscle as shortened as possible and increase your range of motion.
The setup for this exercise is quite simple. You need a bench set to 15-30 degrees incline and dumbbells. When performing the exercise, you should press in the scapular plane (elbows tucked in towards the body. 30-45 degrees) because pressing with flared elbows can put unnecessary stress on your shoulders. Pressing in the scapular plane also lines best up with your chest muscle. The exercise should be executed with high intensity, and pick a challenging weight for your rep range.
Alternatives to this exercise are other ”upper chest” focused pressing movements. Incline machine press, incline smith machine press, or incline barbell press. Some of these exercises can offer more stability, but the difference is not massive. Therefore sticking to the exercise, you like the most would be the best.
The incline dumbbell press is an excellent exercise that will improve your chest if done consistently.