Positioning, proper movement, and breathing: that’s how you pull off the perfect dumbbell bench press! An essential part of every effective chest workout, the dumbbell bench press is designed to strengthen three main upper-body muscles: the pectorals, the triceps, and the anterior deltoids.

How to perform the Dumbbell Bench Press (Video):

In this short guide, you can learn how to do the dumbbell bench press like a champ in under five minutes. Let’s get started.

Start With a Warm-Up!

A few lighter sets of whatever exercise you are going to do, like a bench press – is good enough. Aim for 2 – 3 sets.

(Study highlights the benefits of eccentric-focused training, News Medical)

The 3 Golden Rules

All warmed up? In that case, it’s time to look at the three golden rules:

1. Get in the Right Position

First, find a bench that’s stable and secure, and make sure that it has zero inclination – its flat. Then, lie down on the bench without arching your back too much, keeping both feet securely placed in the floor.

Before raising the dumbbells for the first time, position them at chest level, with the palms of your hands facing forward, and that’s all. Yes, it’s that simple!

2. Do the Proper Movement

For every repitition, we want you to focus on two essential things:

1. Strong wrists: It’s okay if your wrists are slightly bent, as long as you dont have any pain.
2. Weight: Technique over weight. Make sure you have control, lower the dumbells as far as you can to feel the stretch.

When you lower the dumbbells, your elbows should be at a 45-degree angle relative to your body (for beginners).

3. Breathing

For this exercise, the two most common breathing technique is:

1. Inhale as you press up;
2. Exhale as you lower the dumbbells.

Or breathe in at the top of the movement, do the repitition and breath out at the top again.

What Makes the Dumbbell Bench Press Unique?

Dumbbell Bench Presses vs. Barbell Bench Presses

Fundamentally, the equipment used (dumbbell vs. barbell) is what makes these two exercises different, but that ends up being more significant than it may seem at first. Here’s why:

• The dumbbell bench press allows for a greater range of motion compared to a barbell, letting you lower the weights deeper for a better stretch—something that can help promote more muscle growth.
• You don’t need a spotter for dumbbell bench presses (unlike barbell bench presses) because, in case of trouble, you can always just drop the dumbbells on the floor.

Dumbbell Bench Presses vs. Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses

These two exercises are virtually the same, except one uses zero inclination on the bench, while the other uses a 30 to 45 degree inclination:

• Due to the difference in inclination, the two exercises emphasizes different areas of the chest (mid chest for the dumbbell bench press and upper chest for the incline dumbbell bench press). Both still target the entire chest.
• The incline angle of the dumbbell bench press places greater emphasis on the upper chest and shoulders, meaning the shoulders play a more active role compared to flat bench presses.

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