Many of us don’t have time to go to a gym or can’t afford the membership fee. For such people dumbbells are the best weapon to keep them fit and in good shape.
In fact, lately I have started using dumbbells to workout all my body parts including chest, shoulder, bicep, tricep, legs and back exercises.
In my opinion, dumbbell chest workout is the perfect solution to train pectorals. Pressing with dumbbells is safer for your shoulders and activates more pectoral muscle, which means more focused training directly on your chest. The advantages for working your chest with dumbbells are that each side has to work equally, second because of the freedom of movement and the use of auxiliary muscles involved to balance properly.
This is my fourth post on “Home Gym With Only two Equipment”. I have started writing this series on dumbbells workout because they’re fairly inexpensive, compact, allow you to tone every part of your body and easy to use even at home.
Click here to read my other posts published in this series:
(i) Home Gym Dumbbells Workout
(ii) Working Out Biceps With Dumbbell
(iii) Best Tricep Workout With Dumbbell
(iv) Lower Back Workout With Dumbbell
(v) Chest Workout With Dumbbell
The Best Dumbbell Only Routine To Build Chest Muscles At Home
Follow this Dumbbell chest workout routine just for four weeks, and I bet you’ll add as much as another quarter-inch to your chest.
There are four main types of dumbbell chest exercises:
(i) Dumbbell Chest Press (flat, incline, decline)
(ii) Dumbbell Chest Flys (flat, incline, decline)
(iii) Pushups
(iv) Pullover
And to do that all you just need two equipment at home, just a set of dumbbells and one adjustable exercise bench.
Chest Press Exercises With Dumbbells
Let’s take a look at the three types of dumbbell chest press.
# 1
Flat Dumbbell Chest Press
Flat bench dumbbell chest press works the whole pectoral muscle, plus front deltoids and triceps. After all, chest press is a compound exercise.
Method:
(i) 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.
(ii) 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. Then place your feet flat on the ground.
Tip: Sometimes I use to keep my feet on the edge of the bench to avoid arching my lower back too much.
(iii) 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 forming a 90-degree angle. Make sure to maintain full control of the dumbbells all through the exercise. This will be your starting position.
(iv) Then while keeping your back as flat as you can, ideally adherent to the bench, use your chest to push both the dumbbells up. Keep pushing the dumbbells up, until your arms are locked at top of the lift and squeeze your chest. Hold for a second and then begin lowering the weights till your upper arm and forearm form a 90-degree angle.
Tip: For optimum results, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.
(v) Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions. Do 3 sets.
Tip: When you are through, do not drop the dumbbells next to you because this is dangerous to your rotator cuff in your shoulders and others working out around you.
Just raise your legs from the floor bending at the knees, twist your wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing each other and place the dumbbells on top of your thighs. When both dumbbells are touching your thighs simultaneously push your upper torso up (while pressing the dumbbells on your thighs) and also perform a slight kick forward with your legs (keeping the dumbbells on top of the thighs). By doing this combined movement, momentum will help you get back to a sitting position with both dumbbells still on top of your thighs. Now you can place the dumbbells safely on the floor.
# 2
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Incline bench dumbbell chest press exercise works the upper pectoral muscles (and front deltoids and triceps of course).
The movement is the same as of the flat bench press. The difference is that your bench should be inclined 45 degrees.
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# 3
Decline Dumbbell Chest Press
By now, you already know what to expect from the decline bench dumbbell chest press.
It focuses the workout on the lower pectoral muscles and the movement is the same as the flat bench.
You will only notice that it is harder to balance, due to the angle. The bench should be declined 45 degrees.
Chest Fly Exercises With Dumbbells
Flys focus on pectoralis major muscles.
Flys consist of a movement where the elbows remain at a constant angle while the arm moves through an arch.
Like the dumbbell chest press, dumbbell fly can be performed in three ways: flat, decline and incline.
# 4
Flat Bench Dumbbell Chest Fly
Method
(i) 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.
(ii) Using your thighs to help lift the dumbbells, raise the dumbbells one at a time so you can hold them in front of you at shoulder width with the palms of your hands facing each other. Raise the dumbbells up like you’re pressing them, but stop and hold just before you lock out. This will be your starting position.
(iii) With a slight bend on your elbows in order to prevent stress at the biceps tendon, lower your arms out at both sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest – at this point you body on the bench will be in a T shape with a slight bend at the elbows (for safety reasons). Your palms will be facing up.
Tip: Keep in mind that throughout the movement, the arms should remain stationary; the movement should only occur at the shoulder joint.
(iv) Return your arms back slowly to the starting position as you squeeze your chest muscles.
Tip: Make sure to use the same arc of motion used to lower the weights.
(v) Hold for a second at the contracted position and repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
Variation: You may want to use a palms facing forward version for different stimulation.
# 5
Incline Bench Dumbbell Chest Fly
Method
(i) Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie on an incline bench that is set to an incline angle of no more than 30 degrees.
(ii) Extend your arms above you with a slight bend at the elbows. Now rotate the wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing you.
Tip: The pinky fingers should be next to each other. This will be your starting position.
(iii) Begin to slowly lower the arms to the side while keeping the arms extended and while rotating the wrists until the palms of the hand are facing each other.
Tip: At the end of the movement the arms will be by your side with the palms facing the ceiling.
(iv) Begin to return the dumbbells back up to the starting position by reversing the motion and rotating the hands so that the pinky fingers are next to each other again.
Remember that the weights move always vertically. If a person is beside you, he/she should see the dumbbells move on a vertical line.
Tip: Keep in mind that the movement will only happen at the shoulder joint and at the wrist. There is no motion that happens at the elbow joint.
Repeat for the desire number of repetitions.
Variation: You can do regular flyes and also twisting flyes where your initial position starts with the thumbs facing each other instead of the pinky.
# 6
Decline Bench Dumbbell Chest Fly
(i) Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and lie down with a dumbbell in each hand on top of your thighs. The palms of your hand will be facing each other.
(ii) Once you are lying down, move the dumbbells in front of you at shoulder width. The palms of the hands should be facing each other and the arms should be perpendicular to the floor and fully extended. This will be your starting position.
(iii) With a slight bend on your elbows in order to prevent stress at the biceps tendon, lower your arms out at both sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest.
Tip: Keep in mind that throughout the movement, the arms should remain stationary; the movement should only occur at the shoulder joint.
(iv) Return your arms back to the starting position as you squeeze your chest muscles.
Tip: Make sure to use the same arc of motion used to lower the weights.
(v) Hold for a second at the contracted position and repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.
Variation: You may want to use a palms facing forward version for different stimulation.
# 7
Straight-Arm Dumbbell Pullover
Another dumbbell chest exercise I do at my home gym is straight-arm dumbbell pullover.
Known as an exercise to enlarge the chest cage, it’s a good exercise for lower chest.
Method
(i) Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench.
(ii) Ensuring that the dumbbell stays securely placed at the top of the bench, lie perpendicular to the bench press (torso across it as in forming a cross) with only your shoulders lying on the surface. Your hips should be below the bench (ideally at a slightly lower angle than your shoulders) Legs bent with feet firmly on the floor, about shoulder apart. Your head and neck should hang over the bench.
(iii) Grasp the dumbbells with your hands crossed in a diamond shape using your thumbs and pointer fingers (palms should be facing the ceiling). Hold the dumbbell straight over your chest at arms length. Both palms should be pressing against the underside of one of the sides of the dumbbell. This will be your starting position.
Caution: Always ensure that the dumbbell used for this exercise is secure. Using a dumbbell with loose plates can result in the dumbbell falling apart and falling on your face.
(iv) While keeping your elbows locked at the same angle and slightly bent (do not let this angle change throughout the entire movement), lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head until you feel a stretch on the chest.
(v) At that point, bring the dumbbell back to the starting position using the arc through which the weight was lowered.
(vi) Hold the weight on the initial position for a second and repeat the motion. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions in the 12-plus range.
Caution: If you have a history of shoulder problems, take great care when introducing this exercise. Unless you are injury-free and have a respectable amount of shoulder flexibility, you may need to start with very light weight or avoid it altogether.
