One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
Starting position
End position
How to Do One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
- Lie down on a flat bench with a dumbbell in one hand on top of your thigh.
- By using your thigh to help you get the dumbbell up, clean the dumbbell up so that you can hold it in front of you at shoulder width. Use the hand you are not lifting with to help position the dumbbell over you properly.
- Once at shoulder width, rotate your wrist forward so that the palm of your hand is facing away from you. This will be your starting position.
- Bring down the weights slowly to your side as you breathe in. Keep full control of the dumbbell at all times. Tip: Use the hand that you are not lifting with to help keep the dumbbell balance as you may struggle a bit at first. Only use your non-lifting hand if it is needed. Otherwise, keep it resting to the side.
- As you breathe out, push the dumbbells up using your pectoral muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions of your training program.
- Switch arms and repeat the movement.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to One Arm 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
Extended Range One-Arm Kettlebell Floor Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a kettlebell.
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5
Machine Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
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6
Smith Machine Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
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7
Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using a machine.
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8
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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9
Dumbbell Bench Press
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
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10
Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the chest, using dumbbells.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do one arm dumbbell bench press work?
One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press primarily works the chest. The shoulders and triceps assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for one arm dumbbell bench press?
One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press uses dumbbells.
One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. One Arm 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 one arm 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 one arm dumbbell bench press reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; one arm 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 One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press with AI
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