Skip to content
ascend.
Exercise guide

Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise

How to do the Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.

IsolationDumbbellBeginnerPush
Primary muscles

Shoulders

Secondary

Triceps

Equipment

Dumbbell

Step by step

How to do the Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise

  1. 1

    Sit on an Incline Bench while holding a dumbbell on each hand on top of your thighs.

  2. 2

    Lift your legs up to kick the weights to your shoulders and lean back. Position the dumbbells above your shoulders with your arms extended. The arms should be perpendicular to the floor with your palms facing forward and knuckles pointing towards the ceiling. This will be your starting position.

  3. 3

    While keeping the arms straight and locked, lift the dumbbells by raising the shoulders from the bench as you breathe out.

  4. 4

    Bring back the dumbbells to the starting position as you breathe in.

  5. 5

    Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

In Ascend

Log it, see it on your body.

Every Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap, so your shoulders volume is visible at a glance, and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.

Related

More shoulders exercises

FAQ

Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise: common questions

What muscles does the Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise work?

The Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise primarily works the Shoulders. It also recruits the Triceps as supporting muscles.

Is the Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise suitable for beginners?

Yes. The Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise is a beginner-level exercise, so it's a solid choice if you're new to training. Start light and focus on the movement pattern before adding load.

What equipment do I need for the Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise?

To do the Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise you'll need a dumbbell.

Is the Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise a compound or isolation exercise?

The Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise is an isolation exercise, it targets the shoulders through a single joint, which makes it useful for focused, targeted work.

How do I do the Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise with correct form?

Sit on an Incline Bench while holding a dumbbell on each hand on top of your thighs. Follow the full step-by-step above for the complete movement.

Try the climb

Log your Dumbbell Incline Shoulder Raise sets, free.

Waitlist members get TestFlight + Play Store internal-track invites and a founder badge on their profile.

Free to join · No card · Founder badge kept
Ascend Club

The app is free. Club adds the coach, leagues and analytics.

Core tracking stays free forever, the climb, streaks, logging and your league tiers. Club is for when you want the full coach, worldwide competition and the depth, at about the price of one coffee a month.

See Club plans

14-day free trial · no card to start

 FreeClub
Tracking, the climb and streaks
Per-set logging, PR detection, wearables
Muscle-league tiers
The AI coachnudgesFull conversation
Worldwide leagues and challenges,
PR projections and deep analytics,
Unlimited crews,
Themes, export and higher AI limits,