Dumbbell bench press Lie down on your back on a bench and hold 2 dumbbells at chest level along your body, palms facing your feet. Holding dumbbells at the outside edges of your shoulders, lift the dumbbells straight up over your chest. That’s 1 rep; do 2 sets of 15 per side. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and hold on to the bench with your left hand above your head. Dumbbell chest workouts offer a versatile form of training and a great way to strengthen your upper body. Like the dumbbell chest press, dumbbell fly can be performed in three ways: flat, decline and incline. Lower the dumbbells, touching the outside of your shoulders, then push them back up. Mixed-Style Incline Dumbbell Press It combines the best from both the isometric and dynamic worlds. Do a pushup. But what are the best dumbbell exercises for the chest? And if your balance needs work, this exercise will let you know it. Here are the best chest exercises with dumbbells: 1.) https://editorial.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/3. Chest Fly Exercises With Dumbbells. Your chest muscles are also responsible for more than just pressing weight upward; they also adduct your shoulder, pulling it toward your chest. Keep that in mind during this workout, especially when you’re doing crossover pushups and incline pushups. For this one, you will require a dumbbell in each hand. Go through the sequence 2 more times for 1 set. Pick up a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing in and sit on your incline bench. Great home dumbbell workouts are, luckily, easy to build and find. Dumbbell Press This is a classic chest exercise and it’s awesome for building both muscle and strength. Let us shed some light on the five best chest workouts involving dumbbells that you could add to your workout routine to build a strong and a robust chest. Install Barbarianbody All-Access App Free: https://beomt.app.link/workoutapp5min Home CHEST Workout (DUMBBELLS ONLY / NO BENCH!!). Breathe out when raising the dumbbells and breathe in when lowering them back. The weighted dip is a good exercise for overloading the chest, although it … HOW TO DO IT: Lie on a bench with your left glute and left shoulder blade on the bench and right glute and right shoulder blade off the bench. The dynamic part is pressing the dumbbells. 10 Workouts You Can Do With Just 2 Dumbbells For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube! WHY IT WORKS: This dumbbell bench variation stabilizes your shoulders while providing the same chest benefits of the traditional barbell bench press. To get the best home dumbbell workout possible, you need a dumbbell workout plan. HOW TO DO IT: Stand on one leg, gripping a stable surface in front of you (perhaps the dumbbell rack or bench) with one hand. Focus on form as you build size and strength during this 3-step chest workout. The Z Press, which can be done with a barbell, kettlebells, or dumbbells is a great movement to increase thoracic stability, reinforce proper shoulder stabilization, and core strength. The key concept to follow with dumbbell exercises, like all exercises, is to squeeze at the top of the movement. Bend by dropping your chest and lifting the leg opposite your free hand. Take your dumbbell press to the floor for a shoulder-safe chest pump. For the first minute, walk for 30 seconds, then rest for 30. All rights reserved. Pause for a second at the top. Keeping your upper arm perpendicular to the floor, rotate at the shoulder, pulling the band away. Hold for 2 seconds, then lower back to the floor. 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With dumbbells, there’s no need to wait for machines, enlist a spotter, or find a place to install a suspension trainer. Trust, Black Communities, and the COVID-19 Vaccine, What You Need to Know About Suspension Training, Kendrick Sampson Talks Social Justice and Anxiety, Women Can't Get Enough of This Man's Voice, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Why it's on the list: With dumbbells, each side of your body must work independently, which recruits more stabilizer muscles; dumbbells are harder to control than a barbell. So while kettlebells or barbells might be ideal for some lifts, dumbbells are usually an adequate substitute for those moves—and preferable for others. Follow the workouts in order, all you need is a pair of dumbbells and follow the instructions. Doing only pushups and bench presses will lead your chest-muscle fibers to tighten, pulling your shoulders forward (especially if you have a desk job). Walk for 5 more seconds each minute after that. Dumbbells typically offer a better range of motion than barbells, allowing you to build even more strength in the pectoral area. Lie on a bench set to a 30-degree incline, holding medium-weight dumbbells directly over your shoulders. After you have properly warmed up your shoulders and chest, you can use these dumbbell exercises for your chest muscles! Bend your knees slightly and hinge at your hips; let the dumbbells hang. Wrist position becomes the key twist in Reverse Dumbbell Chest exercises. How: Stand with feet set wider than shoulder-width and hold a dumbbell with both hands in front of your chest. Your chest, however, is the unsung contributor of this move because it provides stability in the “catch” phase. You also want to get a good squeeze at the top of the movement. At the bottom of the movement, your palms should be facing the ceiling. Do it: Lay back on the floor gripping a pair of dumbbells tightly. WHY IT WORKS: This is a full-body exercise, and most of the power comes from your hips. Now lower both dumbbells to your chest and press them back up; repeat. Lie on a bench, holding medium-weight dumbbells directly over your... 2. Start in a neutral, grounded standing position with your dumbbells by your sides, palms facing forward. The Ultimate Workout For a Bigger, More Powerful Chest, Blast Your Chest and Abs at the Same Time. Keeping your left arm straight, lower the right dumbbell to your chest and press it back up; repeat. Rest from all training on Sundays. Stand with your right side a few feet away from a light resistance band set waist-high; grasp its end with your left hand. PART 1: The 4-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan Part 1: Chest And Back. Offset that with rows; stronger back muscles will pull your shoulders back, allowing your chest fibers to broaden out visually. HOW TO DO IT: Lying face-up on a flat bench, hold a pair of dumbbells over your chest with palms facing each other and elbows only slightly bent. To protect your shoulders, awaken your back muscles before you start training your chest. This 4-week plan will help you develop a bigger, better chest — without the flab. This exercise is said to be the reverse of the Standing chest workout at home with dumbbells. A quality dumbbell bench press will also spruce up those triceps and work the shoulder muscles as well. Row them to your rib cage, squeezing your shoulder blades; do 6. Lower the weight until your elbow is in line with your shoulder. The weighted dip is another great exercise for progressive overload of the chest. (Alternatively, set up perpendicular to the bench, so only your upper back is supported, as shown here.) Forget all that time on the barbell bench press and focus on training with dumbbells and learning to make your movements precise. Place it on the floor, hold, then return to the start. After each set, without resting, do exercise 3b. Get off the bench and give these moves a try to pump up your pecs. Lie … Dumbbell pullovers are not just a chest exercise, but they also work your lats and triceps. You’ll keep the … Pete Williams is a NASM-certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of a number of books on performance and training. That’s one rep. WHY IT WORKS: This is a total-body exercise, but it primarily challenges the lats and chest while also stretching the hamstrings. Before we make a jump to the dumbbell variation of a bench press, let’s look at another great exercise for chest strength, the weighted dip. Do 10 and switch sides. As you raise your torso, lift your right hand and pull the band across your chest. This is the start. Building a stronger chest is important to improve your posture and will enhance your workouts, be it swimming, gymnastics or Olympic weightlifting. Keeping your arms almost straight, separate your hands and lower the dumbbells to the sides until you feel a stretch in your chest. Whole Chest: Dumbbell Push-Ups: 4 sets of 20 reps (30 seconds rest between sets) Dumbbell Floor Press: 4 sets of 15 reps (30 seconds rest between sets) Exercise Ball Chest Flys: 4 sets of 12 reps (30 seconds rest between sets) Sign up below to receive our newest workout routines, recipes, news stories, and offers from our partners. PART4: The 4-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan Part 4: Shoulders Subscribe to Men’s Health Start standing with heavy dumbbells at your sides. PART 2: The 4-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan Part 2: Arms. Do 4 sets. Place the dumbbells on the floor, then do 6 slow pushups, squeezing your shoulder blades on each rep. Repeat. This is your starting position. Tighten your glutes, raising your feet and thighs a few inches in the air. That’s 1 rep; do 8 to 10 reps per side. Lean back onto the bench and position your dumbbells between chest and shoulder height with your elbows bent and slightly below your ribs. Incline Dumbbell Press, or Any Chest Compound Exercise (choose one) 3 sets of 8-10 reps. 1-2 minutes rest between sets. This exercise is also good for developing shoulder mobility and flexibility. Flys focus on pectoralis major muscles. Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. Do this for 5 minutes. We may earn a commission through links on our site. Return to the start. While this movement is not a chest exercise specifically, it can help strengthen the shoulders and promote overall shoulder health. The secret to building a chest that pops out of your shirt and helps make you look like a superhero: Stop training like everyone else. Muscleandfitness.com is part of A360 Media LLC Fitness & Health Network. Grab it and get in pushup position, far enough away that you feel light tension. This farmer’s walk drill hones posture, which can help your chest look bigger. Directions: Do this workout on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The 30-Minute Dumbbell Workout to Build Your Chest Dumbbell Bench Press. That’s 1 rep; do 4 sets of 12. This is the start. As you do this, squeeze your back muscles, lifting your arms and chest off the floor. Decline Dumbell Bench Press Keep your core and glutes tight. Go beyond the bench with these off-beat, challenging exercises. Adjustable dumbbells, relatively unusual 15 years ago, now are commonplace and affordable, eliminating the need for an expensive, space-sucking rack of iron at home. Follow these fit women we're crushing on for inspiration, workout ideas, and motivation. Standing Dumbbell Chest Fly This exercise is like a front raise that you would do for your shoulders, but with a simple twist of the wrists that makes it an effective chest exercise. The isometric part is squeezing the dumbbells together, and it helps you improve the feeling of your chest contracting. If you want a bigger chest, do back exercises. Reverse the motion until you reach the starting point, a movement some liken to “hugging a barrel.”. Chest Exercises with Dumbbells and a Bench Although a bench isn’t necessary for chest workouts, it does allow you to work your muscles in slightly different ways. Before answering this question, we must first know some basic information about the pectoral or chest muscles and how they can be developed. If you have access to a bench – either at a gym or at home – give these three moves a try. Continue for 10 reps and then switch sides. 2. Pull it to the side of your waist and then lower it. It’s not quite a full-body exercise, but it does use most of your upper body muscles. Flat Bench Dumbbell Press. Without a bench, one of the best options for your pecs is the svend floor press. Men's Health participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. This 30-minute dumbbell workout to build your chest is designed as a circuit workout. Stand holding medium-weight dumbbells at your sides. In … Now you’re ready for a chest workout just about anywhere—hotel gym, garage, or backyard. Concentrate on maintaining a tight core and squeezing your pecs hard on every single rep — which is exactly what you will be doing throughout this month’s program. Notes: This was incline dumbbell press in the original routine, so if you have an adjustable bench, it would still be ideal in this spot. The best dumbbell workouts for building upper-chest stamina involve sets with enough weight to exhaust your muscles within 12 to 15 repetitions. Squeeze your shoulder blades and bend at the elbows and shoulders, lowering the dumbbells to your chest. Raise the dumbbells straight up until your elbows are close to being locked and lower them back slowly after a short pause. Next, keep your right arm straight, lower the left dumbbell to your chest, and press it back up; repeat. WHY IT WORKS: Few movements so effectively challenge the pecs while also hitting the shoulders and biceps. Thank you for signing up. The key with the dumbbell press is to get a deeper stretch at the bottom than you would with a barbell. The Best Dumbbell Chest Exercises. On the other days, row 1,500 meters on the cardio machine and do 4 sets of 10 to 12 single-arm dumbbell rows per arm. Explode in one motion, extending your hips quickly and pulling the dumbbell straight up. Floor presses also reduce your ability to hip-drive the weight up, so they emphasize your pecs even more. Ebenzer Samuel, C.S.C.S., is the fitness director of Men's Health and a certified trainer with more than 10 years of training experience. Go only as far as is comfortable. 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