Muscles worked
The dumbbell bench press trains the same muscles as the bench press: your chest does most of the work, helped by the front of your shoulders and your triceps. Because each hand holds its own weight, the muscles around your shoulders work harder to keep the dumbbells steady, and a stronger side cannot take over. You can also lower the dumbbells slightly deeper than a bar. Turning your palms to face each other shifts some of the work to your triceps, and many people find that grip kinder on their shoulders.
Common mistakes
- You struggle getting into and out of position. Sit on the end of the bench with the dumbbells on your thighs, then lean back and let your knees help them up to your chest in one movement. After the set, bring them to your chest, pull your knees up and roll up to sitting. Never drop them out to the sides with straight arms.
- The dumbbells clash at the top. That gives your muscles a break and can knock the dumbbells apart. Stop a few centimetres before they meet.
- You lower further than your shoulders can handle. If your shoulders roll forward at the bottom, you have gone too deep. Stop where you feel a clear stretch in your chest with your shoulders still back against the bench.
Variations and alternatives
- The bench press when you want to lift more in total and progress in smaller steps.
- The incline dumbbell press for more focus on the upper chest.
- The dumbbell floor press at home without a bench, where the floor stops your elbows and shortens the movement.
- The dumbbell fly after pressing, to train your chest without your triceps helping.
Sets and reps
To build muscle, the dumbbell bench press works best at 6 to 12 reps, often over 3 to 4 sets. For strength you can do 4 to 6 reps, but heavy dumbbells are hard to get into position, so most people save their heaviest sets for the bench press. For endurance, 12 to 20 reps with lighter dumbbells works well. See the guide to sets and reps.
The tricky part is the jump between dumbbells. Going from 20 to 22.5 kg per hand is more than ten per cent heavier. Stay on the same pair until you hit the top of your range on every set, then move up. This double progression is the simplest way to apply progressive overload with dumbbells.