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One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press

One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press is a beginner strength exercise using dumbbell. It works the chest, with help from the shoulders and triceps.

beginnerdumbbellpush movementcompoundstrength

Main muscles
chest
Also works
shoulders, triceps

How to do it

  1. Lie down on a flat bench with a dumbbell in one hand on top of your thigh.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions of your training program.
  7. Switch arms and repeat the movement.

Watch a form tutorial on YouTube · Search Hominin for it

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General information, not medical advice: start light, learn the movement before adding weight, and ask a qualified coach or doctor if you are injured or unsure. Exercise data from the Free Exercise DB (public domain).

One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press: muscles worked and how to do it | Hominin