Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Dumbbell Bench Press
- Lie down on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand resting on top of your thighs. The palms of your hands will be facing each other.
- Then, using your thighs to help raise the dumbbells up, lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them in front of you at shoulder width.
- Once at shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. The dumbbells should be just to the sides of your chest, with your upper arm and forearm creating a 90 degree angle. Be sure to maintain full control of the dumbbells at all times. This will be your starting position.
- Then, as you breathe out, use your chest to push the dumbbells up. Lock your arms at the top of the lift and squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then begin coming down slowly. Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions of your training program.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Dumbbell Bench Press
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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2
Bench Press - With Bands
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a resistance band.
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3
Decline Barbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a barbell.
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4
Machine Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
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5
Smith Machine Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
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6
Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
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7
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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8
Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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9
Hammer Grip Incline DB Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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10
Incline Dumbbell Bench With Palms Facing In
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do dumbbell bench press work?
Dumbbell Bench Press primarily works the chest. The shoulders and triceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for dumbbell bench press?
Dumbbell Bench Press uses dumbbells.
Dumbbell Bench Press: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Dumbbell Bench Press is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of dumbbell bench press?
Barbell Incline Bench Press - Medium Grip, Bench Press - With Bands, Decline Barbell Bench Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my dumbbell bench press reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; dumbbell bench press can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Dumbbell Bench Press with AI
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