Dumbbell Bench PressMuscles Worked
The dumbbell bench press works your chest, with your front delts and triceps assisting each press. Because each arm moves on its own, you get a deeper stretch at the bottom and can spot a weaker side more easily than with a barbell.
How to do it
- Sit at the end of a flat bench, resting a dumbbell upright on each thigh.
- Lie back and use a small knee drive to bring the dumbbells up, then press them over your chest with your palms turned toward your feet.
- Set your shoulder blades back and down and plant your feet.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly beside your chest, forearms vertical, until you feel a comfortable stretch across your pecs.
- Press the dumbbells up and slightly together until your arms are straight over your chest.
- After the last rep, bring the dumbbells down to your chest and then onto your thighs as you sit up.
Form tips
- Keep your wrists stacked over your elbows so the dumbbells don't drift out wide.
- Lower only as far as your shoulders stay comfortable, since a bigger stretch isn't worth losing control.
- Press both dumbbells at the same speed and don't let one side lag behind.
Why it made the list
No. 2 of 13
Best Chest Exercises
Allows greater ROM than barbell, better for addressing left/right imbalances. Often preferred by people with shoulder issues since wrists can rotate freely.
More chest exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Dumbbell Bench Press sets in KasMaker and watch your chest, shoulders, and triceps fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
