The Dumbbell Bench Press is a classic exercise for building chest strength and sculpting defined pectorals (pecs). Compared to its barbell counterpart, the dumbbell press offers a wider range of motion and allows for greater individual muscle engagement.
The barbell bench press is not an effective enough chest exercise to justify its massive popularity. It’s a great exercise, sure, but its place as a workout staple is perhaps down to the fact that benching a big weight is as good for the ego as it is for your muscles.
If you’re ready to look beyond the bench press, “we have suggestions for chest exercises you should do instead – one of which is the dumbbell bench press. That’s right, all you need to do to improve on the bench press is to switch out the barbell for a brace of dumbbells“, especially if you’re looking to bulk up your chest.
“Using dumbbells allows a greater range of motion than using a barbell and this, in turn, means you can work more of the pec muscles during the exercise”. Your pecs are the main muscles targeted by the exercise, but as an added bonus it also works your triceps. “Opting for dumbbells also trains each side in isolation, so you can’t rely on a stronger side to muscle up the weight like you can when using a barbell”. If you do find that one side is struggling when using dumbbells, you can then focus on building your strength on that side to balance your body.
This article will delve into the proper form, benefits, variations, and safety considerations of the dumbbell bench press, equipping you to effectively target your chest muscles at the gym.
Understanding the Muscles Targeted:
The primary muscle targeted in the dumbbell bench press is the pectoralis major, specifically the upper and middle portions. Additionally, the exercise engages secondary muscles, including the anterior deltoids (shoulders), triceps (back of the arms), and core muscles for stability.
Benefits of the Dumbbell Bench Press:
- Increased Muscle Activation: The independent movement of each arm allows for a wider range of motion and potentially greater activation of the pecs compared to the barbell bench press.
- Improved Balance and Stability: Balancing the dumbbells throughout the movement engages core muscles, promoting better overall stability and coordination.
- Reduced Risk of Injury: The unilateral nature of the exercise allows for a more natural arm path, which can help to reduce stress on the shoulders compared to the barbell bench press.
- Increased Core Engagement: Maintaining a stable core throughout the movement is crucial for proper form and helps to protect your spine.
- Versatility: The dumbbell bench press allows for variations in hand position and grip width, targeting different portions of the chest and promoting overall development.
Dumbbell Bench Press Overview
The dumbbell bench press is a variation of the barbell bench press and an exercise used to build the muscles of the chest.
Oftentimes, “the dumbbell bench press is recommended after reaching a certain point of strength on the barbell bench press to avoid pec and shoulder injuries”.
Additionally, “the dumbbell bench press provides an ego check on the amount of weight used due to the need to maintain shoulder stability throughout the exercise”.
The exercise itself can be featured as the main lift in your workouts or an accessory lift to the bench press depending on your goals.
Dumbbell Bench Press Instructions
- Pick up the dumbbells off the floor using a neutral grip (palms facing in). Position the ends of the dumbbells in your hip crease, and sit down on the bench.
- To get into position, lay back and keep the weights close to your chest. Once you are in position, take a deep breath, and press the dumbbells to lockout at the top.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells under control as far as comfortably possible (the handles should be about level with your chest).
- Contract the chest and push the dumbbells back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
**Dropping the dumbbells to the side is discouraged unless you are experienced with the technique or using excessively heavyweights.
**Ideally you should twist the dumbbells back to neutral (palms facing each other), bring your knees up so the ends of the dumbbells are touching your thighs, then use the weight of the dumbbells to rock back to an upright, seated position.
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Dumbbell Bench Press Tips
- Maintain more tension through the pecs by not locking out the elbows entirely.
- Keep the weights slightly tilted at a 45-degree angle in order to keep the elbows in a neutral position.
- Don’t allow the dumbbells to collide at the top of each rep – bouncing them together may cause you to lose stability within the shoulder and injure yourself.
- Squeeze the dumbbells as tight as possible to improve a phenomenon known as “irradiation” which promotes greater shoulder stability.
- Keep your shoulder blades pinched together to ensure the shoulders remain in a safe position.
- Imagine you’re trying to push yourself away from the weights rather than pushing the weights away from yourself.
- If you’re feeling pain within the shoulder joint itself (specifically at the front), ensure your shoulder blades are slightly retracted and try to keep the shoulder girdle “packed”.
- Ensure you maintain some tension in your abs and don’t allow your lower back to arch excessively.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor and don’t allow the lower body to move during the set.
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