For most people, the dumbbell bench press is equally effective most of the time, and sometimes even more so. That’s why, regardless of your objectives, we put up this guide on dumbbell bench press form: you should come to appreciate this essential chest-building exercise as much as we do. Now let’s get going.
How To Do the Dumbbell Bench Press
- Step 1: is to squeeze your shoulder blades together while holding each dumbbell firmly. To move a weight to your shoulder, lift one knee. Drive the other knee up after that. (Take caution not to throw the dumbbells too hard or you could strike your head.) Return to the bench and lay down while you drive the last dumbbell up.
- Step 2: Make sure your feet are actively pressing into the floor by pressing your shoulder blades together.
- Step 3: Lower the dumbbells gradually in the direction of your chest. The weights must to drop to the sides as well as down. Press back up after lowering until your upper arm is parallel to the floor.
Sets and Reps
For Beginners: 3 x 10
To Build Muscle: 4 x 6-8
Changes
To make it easier, try doing this exercise while lying on the floor with small dumbbells.
Make It More Difficult: To lessen your stability, raise your feet and put them on the end of the bench. Alternatively, raise the bench seat and do an incline dumbbell bench press.
Variations for Dumbbell Bench Press
There are a couple more ways to customize the dumbbell chest press exercise.Try these bench press variants if you’re seeking for some:
Dumbbell Floor Press:By limiting your range of motion during the pressing motion, lying on the floor puts more strain on your triceps to help you get into the lockout position.It can also assist you in developing a more thorough understanding of upper back stabilization.
Dumbbell Hex Press:The Hex Press modifies your upper arm’s angle, which impacts the activation of your chest.Hex presses are a variation of the close-grip dumbbell bench press that are, for the most part, less taxing on the shoulders.
Alternatives for Dumbbell Bench Presses
Don’t worry if the dumbbell bench isn’t the right fit for you.Here are several dumbbell bench press substitutes you may use to target comparable muscles:
Dumbbell Press Overhead
- Set the seat of an adjustable weight bench seat to around ninety degrees.
- Place a dumbbell on each knee as you sit.
- After raising the weights to shoulder level, inhale deeply and tensify your core.
- Extend your arms fully by pressing the weights up above.
Barbell Bench Press
- Assume a squat rack or bench station position beneath a barbell.
- Unrack the bar and place it exactly over your shoulders in a grip that is shoulder-width apart.
- Maintaining your elbows under the bar the entire time, take a breath, tense your core, and lower the weight until it reaches your sternum or nipple line.
- Once the bar is back over your shoulders in its initial position, press up and back.
Dumbbell Hip Extension Floor Press
- Holding a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length, lie on the floor.
- To raise your hips off the ground and maintain an extended posture, contract your glutes.
- Press back up after lowering the weights until your elbows hit the floor.
Muscles Worked by the Dumbbell Bench Press
Pectoralis Major: The pectoral muscles are the main muscular groups that produce the force required to do the bench press with a dumbbell. During the bottom half of the range of motion, your pecs mainly contract.
Anterior Deltoid: Your arms can stretch in all directions because the deltoids move the ball-and-socket shoulder joint. Your shoulders are working to support the shoulder joint and help with the press, but your triceps and chest are doing the majority of the work.
Triceps Brachii: The triceps are in charge of the elbow’s stability and its last extension, which locks out the bench press. By using exercises like the close-grip bench press, you may adjust the width and style of your bench press grip to better isolate your triceps.
The Dumbbell Bench Press Advantages
The dumbbell bench press has the following advantages.
Exercises with dumbbells frequently resemble natural movement patterns more than those with barbells.This may result in increased functional strength which will help with everyday tasks and athletic performance.
In general, bench pressing can result in significant increases in strength and muscular hypertrophy. Almost every lifter, regardless of sport, could use a little extra muscle growth and strength.For the development of upper body pushing strength, exercises like the bench press and overhead movements are essential.
Mobility Freedom
Dumbbells allow the lifter to change their grip, unlike barbells that lock your joints into a set position. A specific angle that depends on hand position can cause pain for some lifters when rotating their elbows.
Enhanced One sided Power
Everybody has a more powerful side.Individuals tend to use one arm more than the other and lean more to one side by nature.It is typical for one side of the body to exert more effort than the other in order to raise the total weight when doing barbell exercises.However, employing dumbbells enables autonomous movement of the body’s sides.
You can lower the dumbbells farther than a barbell bench press since there isn’t a barbell pounding your chest. This implies that you will put your shoulder joints through a wider range of motion and stretch your muscle fibers more, which will result in greater muscular injury and, ultimately, growth.
Typical Errors in Dumbbell Bench Presses
Dumbbell work can go wrong even if it’s not as complex as a powerlifter’s bench press or even the snatch. When learning how to perform the dumbbell bench press, keep in mind these two typical bench press blunders.
Beginning With Too Much
Dumbbell workouts require more stability because you’re using two different tools at once. You may be surprised at how difficult it is to control if you start out trying to equal your barbell bench press weight (two 90-pound dumbbells if you bench 180 pounds, for example).
Swapping Arms
It makes no sense to press with one arm at a time unless you’re a serious athlete who wants to maximize muscle endurance.Holding a dumbbell at arm’s length will practically double the time it takes to complete the set but it will not increase your strength or progress your muscles.
While it could be interesting to mix things up occasionally, pressing the weights at the same time is usually sufficient for achieving most fitness objectives. Make it easy.
If you’re learning how to bench press a dumbbell for the first time there’s no reason to stop short of your full range of motion.However strategically removing some of that range can be great for strength growth.You should reduce the weights until they are about chest level if your comfort and range of motion allow.
Concluding
One of your favorite exercises should be the dumbbell bench press if your goals are to gain more upper body strength, gain muscle, or just improve your general fitness.You can definitely find your own reason to appreciate the movement but we love it for its accessibility and simplicity.You just need to get right in.
As a seasoned content writer specialized in the fitness and health niche, Arun Bhagat has always wanted to promote wellness. After gaining proper certification as a gym trainer with in-depth knowledge of virtually all the information related to it, he exercised his flair for writing interesting, informative content to advise readers on their healthier lifestyle. His topics range from workout routines, nutrition, and mental health to strategies on how to be more fit in general. His writing is informative but inspiring for people to achieve their wellness goals as well. Arun is committed to equipping those he reaches with the insights and knowledge gained through fitness.