How to do it
- Lie back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, feet planted, shoulder blades pulled down and back.
- Lower the dumbbells to chest level until you feel a deep stretch across the pecs.
- Press up and slightly inward, stopping just short of the dumbbells clashing.
Cues that matter
- Keep the wrists stacked directly over the elbows the whole way.
- Think about pushing your body away from the dumbbells, not the dumbbells away from you.
Common mistakes
- Letting the dumbbells drift towards the head, which turns it into a shoulder press.
- Locking out hard and resting at the top instead of keeping tension.
Muscles worked
Primary
- Chest
- Mid chest
Also works
- Triceps
- Front delts
Sets and reps
What to do with it depends on what you are training for. These are the ranges MuscleMap uses when it puts Dumbbell Bench Press in a session, with 150 seconds between sets.
- Strength
- 4–6 reps
- Build muscle
- 6–10 reps
- Endurance
- 12–20 reps
Same muscle, different kit
Movements that train the same part of the chest with different equipment — for a day the dumbbell is taken, or a gym that does not have one.