When doing incline dumbell presses, is it best to only bring the arms down parallel to the floor, or all the way through the full range of motion of the excercise. I went only parallel for quite some time, but when I went back to the barbell, I found it more difficult due to the fact that bringing it to the chest seemed to bee more difficult due to the fact that it was more of a full range of motion than just parallel. Thanks for the info.
[quote]speedy5323 wrote:
When doing incline dumbell presses, is it best to only bring the arms down parallel to the floor, or all the way through the full range of motion of the excercise. I went only parallel for quite some time, but when I went back to the barbell, I found it more difficult due to the fact that bringing it to the chest seemed to bee more difficult due to the fact that it was more of a full range of motion than just parallel. Thanks for the info.[/quote]
Full ROM is the best and only way for ALL excersices IMO!!
…except board and JM presses 
Full ROM. You’ll be better off for it.
Full ROM does NOT mean as far as you can go. It has to do with full range, but not putting yourself at a mechanical or injurious disadvantage.
There is no need for musculature to drop your elbows much below 90 degrees.
At that point you may be putting your shoulders at a mechanical disadvantage and also de-stressing the pecs. If you want to do it and your flexibility is fine ok I guess. But for the purpose of the exercise, there is no reason to do that.
All the way baby!
But I would add that don’t pause for too long at the bottom and keep in a strong position. A lot of ppl at the bottom let their hands drift down so the DBs are nearer to their stomachs. This puts you in a weak position which will reduce the load you can handle and is harder on the shoulders. Find the groove where you can handle the maximum load with the max range with good form and hammer it!
For me, this groove is directly in line with my shoulders, this results in less torque on my shoulders too.
[quote]speedy5323 wrote:
When doing incline dumbell presses, is it best to only bring the arms down parallel to the floor, or all the way through the full range of motion of the excercise. I went only parallel for quite some time, but when I went back to the barbell, I found it more difficult due to the fact that bringing it to the chest seemed to bee more difficult due to the fact that it was more of a full range of motion than just parallel. Thanks for the info.[/quote]
I don’t think you can get the “full range” that you can with regular barbell benching anyway. The plates on the ends will not allow it.
That’s one reason I prefer dumbbell benching over barbell benching. Dumbbells protect the shoulder in two ways:
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You cannot go as low thus avoiding loading your shoulder with a heavy weight and putting it at a mechanical disadvantage. (Many guys are not “built” to barbell bench).
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With dumbbells your hands and writs are not locked into a predetermined position. You can move the wrists to a comfortable and more natural position. This also helps you avoid long term injuries.