Carve that upper-chest line.
Keep the incline shallow so you hit chest, not just front delts.
The dumbbell incline press targets the upper chest from a low incline, with each hand free to find its own path and press slightly inward at the top, where the upper pecs squeeze hardest. Your shoulders assist off the bottom, but keeping the bench shallow stops them from stealing the lift. It's the go-to for building the clavicular line that makes a chest look full from every angle.
Low, around 15 to 30 degrees. The steps call for a shallow setting because every degree steeper hands more of the rep to your front delts.
The bench is probably too steep or you're flaring your elbows straight out. Drop the incline a notch, tuck the elbows slightly, and lower to the upper chest, not the neck.
Dumbbells give a deeper stretch, a squeeze at the top and independent arms, the bar loads heavier. If your upper chest is the weak point, the dumbbells' extra range usually wins.
