The Only 4 Dumbbell Exercises You Need for a Chiseled Chest livestrong

Table of Content

• What Chest Exercises Can I Do With Dumbbells?
• Middle And Inner Chest Exercises With Dumbbells
• How Can I Build My Upper Chest Without A Bench?
• Dumbbell Floor Chest Press
• Degree Dumbbell Floor Press
• How to do Tricep Kickbacks Guide + Fitness Tracker
• How To Do Lower Chest Workouts With Dumbbells At Home Without bench?
• Improved Stability

When referring to the lower chest, that means the entire sternocostal head. The lower chest, which is your sternocostal head, is activated best when your arms are pushing straight forward or at a downward angle. The sternocostal head originates at your sternum and makes up 80% of your pec major’s total size. It is informally known as the “lower chest”.

Before we make a jump to the dumbbell variation of a bench press, let’s look at another great exercise for chest strength, the weighted dip. The study also found that when using dumbbells, each participant had higher activation of their pecs compared to the barbell. That’s because using dumbbells allows for more adduction of the humerus, which is a movement primarily controlled by the pectoralis major. Extend your arms, but keep a slight bend in your shoulders. Exhale, then press up and bring the dumbbells back to your starting position.

What Chest Exercises Can I Do With Dumbbells?

The dumbbell twisted fly is the same exact concept but it allows for even more muscle fiber activation. By rotating your arms slightly so that as you reach the top, your palms are in an underhand grip, you will get a stronger contraction. As you lower back down, you rotate your hands back so that they are facing each other like a traditional dumbbell fly during the stretching phase. This sample advanced no bench chest workout with dumbbells is sure to give you a serious pump. Each exercise in this workout will require you to use not only your chest muscles but also your stabilizer muscles as well because a few of them involve the exercise ball.

If you are new to working out, take things slowly, and always err on the side of caution when choosing how much weight to use per exercise. Aim for a full range of motion on each repetition. Contract the muscle you are working on without rushing each set. Starting with a full-body workout is ideal for beginners. It allows the nervous system and muscles to adapt slowly without risking burnout or injury.

Middle And Inner Chest Exercises With Dumbbells

Holding a dumbbell in each hand, lift your arms above your head roughly shoulder-width apart. Keep your elbows slightly bent and palms facing each other. Your upper body's "pushing" muscles are your chest muscles, AKA pectorals or pecs, along with the deltoid and triceps. Your pecs allow you to perform pushing movements like presses.

Plant your feet at the end of the decline bench and slowly lie down. Dumbbells serve as the perfect complement to almost any form of chest training, but can also be the main course of your bodybuilding meal. Dumbbell chest training encourages both sides of the chest to develop evenly, while training strictly with machines or barbells can allow for compensations. The chest is comprised of two major compartments that attach from the sternum to the clavicle and humerus . The best way to take advantage of the dumbbells is by hitting the chest from multiple angles with pressing and flye variations.

How Can I Build My Upper Chest Without A Bench?

This all-in-one home gym option comes with everything you need to take your at-home setup to the next level. The set combines a power rack, functional trainer, smith machine, chin-up station, and core trainer, all in the footprint of a standard power rack. The design includes smart storage solutions for your barbells, plates, and cable attachments, ideal for small spaces, without sacrificing quality. This upright bike offers high-performance cardio with features like Terrain Control Technology and high-quality design and engineering.

This system is plate-loaded and uses strong cable pulleys to provide resistance. With the smith machine option, you'll feel safe performing heavy lifts such as squats and bench presses. The smith machine allows for up to 772 pounds of Olympic weight plates, ensuring you can progress your workout safely. You’ll be able to perform 75 different exercises using the cables and 18 included attachments.

At the same tempo, you lowered the weight, lift it back up as you return to an upright position. Using a single dumbbell or a kettlebell , lift the weight over your head. Stretching the triceps will help to increase flexibility in the arm. This exercise can be done either in a standing or sitting position. Starting on all fours in a tabletop position with your hips overtop of your knees.

You can alter your body position to target different areas of your chest too (i.e. place your feet up on a chair and you are hitting your upper chest like incline bench presses). If you want a broad, muscular, well-defined chest, dumbbell chest exercises are a must. Nothing against barbell lifts, as they surely have their place, but dumbbells are more versatile and they reign supreme when it comes to hypertrophy and sculpting the pecs. In this article, you are going to find out why dumbbells are so great for chest workouts and learn the 15 best chest exercises that you can do with dumbbells.

Degree Dumbbell Floor Press

The largest muscle in the chest the pectoralis major or pec major gets its name from the Latin word pectus or breast and major because it is the larger of the two pectoral muscles. This is the most superficial muscle in the area and has a fan shape that makes up the majority of the chest area. The pectoralis major covers half of the upper chest and is attached to points on the humerus, clavicle, ribs and sternum. There are two heads of the pec major; the sternocostal head and the clavicular head with both being attached to the upper arm. The two heads of the pec major have some shared responsibilities but they also have some distinct differences in function that are determined by the angle the upper arm is moved in. All you need to grab a dumbbell with your hands and get into a decline position.

You can do dumbbell chest exercises using an exercise ball as support against your upper back with your torso at 45 degrees then do chest presses or flys. Resistance bands also enable you to build upper chest muscles without a bench by using your body or an anchor point then pressing up and away. Bench-press a pair of dumbbells and you’ll feel that the chest muscles have to contract at the top of the movement to prevent the weights from drifting outward. That’s not something you need to worry about when your hands are connected by a steel bar. Lower the weight slowly with a slight bend to your elbows as in a dumbbell flye, concentrating on the eccentric lowering of the weights to put the stress on the pectoral muscle.

However, you’re in a whole world of trouble if, while pressing, you aggravate an existing injury, or worse still, cause an injury. For example, the shoulders can move more freely and are not stabilized during the press. Increase stabilisation and muscle activation, therefore recruiting more muscle fibres. Lower the weights back down to your chest with control. BOXROX – Competitive Fitness Magazine is the world’s biggest online magazine for fans of CrossFit® and functional fitness.

If the aim is to build muscle mass, facilitate fat loss, or increase body strength, dumbbell exercises check every box while improving cardiovascular capacity. The two exercises target the pectoral muscles differently. While the bench press is a vertical pressing movement, the fly is a horizontal adduction movement. Doing both exercises, or variations of them is best for total pectoral development. For years, there has been a debate over free-weight King between the barbell and the dumbbell.

How To Do Lower Chest Workouts With Dumbbells At Home Without bench?

Having personally tested the Nuobells against other adjustable dumbbells, they feel the most natural and functional to use. Other versions can be bulky and make it difficult to perform certain movements properly. It’s also important to remember that most of these are working just one side of your body at a time, so three sets of 8-12 reps actually end up being 6 sets and reps total. Great for building all heads of the shoulder, it also challenges your legs, back, and core stability. Maintain a neutral head and neck position as you slowly bend sideways at the waist lowing the weight towards your knee, using your obliques to pull your torso downward. Keep the weight close to the side of your body.

Located on the back side of the shoulder and upper arm, the rear deltoid muscles help extend and rotate the arms laterally. It is one of the chest workouts at home that work on your upper body. Yet, they likewise increment pec actuation because your muscle groups will be under pressure for longer.