Best 5 chest dumbbell exercises

Chest Dumbbell exercises will let your chest get into shape quickly. All you need is a good quality dumbbell and some amazing exercises that you will learn in this article. For all the ladies out there who are afraid of lifting dumbbells, must not worry! There are dumbbells designed specifically for women. Therefore, they can also do chest dumbbell exercises. Let's take a look at these five best dumbbell chest workouts.

1.    Dumbbell Bench Press

The dumbbell bench press is arguably the most effective free-weight exercise for the development of defined pecs. This movement allows you for better muscle contraction as you can bring the dumbbells together at the top of the movement. How to perform dumbbell bench press: Lie down on a flat bench and bring the dumbbells above using the technique discussed before. Hold the dumbbells with a pronated grip; twist your wrist as your thumbs are facing each other.

1. Position your arms parallel to your shoulder with slightly bent elbows – slowly lower your arms and spread elbows as far as possible.
2. Hold for a second, then use your chest to raise your arms up and close together in a triangle-like action. At the top, avoid letting the dumbbells touch.
3. To get a greater muscle contraction, tilt your wrists outwards; so that your thumbs are pointing slightly up.
4. Squeeze your chest and hold the contraction for 1-2 seconds.

Sets: 3-5 sets

2.    Twisting Dumbbell Bench Press

This is the most uncommon dumbbell chest exercise which, however, exploits the non-fixed grip advantage of dumbbells. The 180-degree rotation of the dumbbell throughout the movement aims to stimulate all the muscle fiber bundles of the pectoralis major. Twisting the dumbbells hold you back and force you to use less weight than in regular presses. As a result, you shouldn't put too much emphasis on achieving personal bests in this movement. Instead, focus on perfect muscle isolation. Starting Position: Lie down on a flat bench and bring the dumbbell above your chest using the technique discussed before. Twist your wrist by holding the dumbbells in a supinated grip, so that your pinkies face each other.

1. Position your arms to parallel to your shoulder and slightly bend your elbows. Contract your chest and press the dumbbells against each other, forcing an even more powerful contraction.
2. Slowly remove the dumbbells from each other, keeping your chest contracted – lower your arms, spreading your elbows apart like a typical dumbbell bench press.
3. Whilst lowering the dumbbells, slowly turn your wrists, so that your thumbs face each other (pronated grip) once reaching the bottom part of the movement.
4. IV. Hold the stretch for a second and then slowly twist your wrists to a supinated grasp at the peak of the action, using your chest to bring the arms back up – at this point squeeze your chest and press the dumbbells together and hold the contraction for 1-2 seconds.

Sets: 3 sets

3.    Crush Grip Dumbbell Bench Press

This exercise is going to crush your chest as the name suggested. A crush grip dumbbell bench press will set your chest on fire. The movement is simply pressing both dumbbells against each other throughout the entire motion. Your chest needs to deal with applying force both horizontally (“crush grip” dumbbells) and vertically (pressing dumbbells.) This allows for incredible muscle contraction and activation. Starting Point: Lie down on a flat bench and bring the dumbbells above your chest. Keep your palms facing each other holding the neutral grip and bring the dumbbells together.

1. Position your arms in line with your shoulders and slightly bend your elbows.
2. Squeezing your chest, press the dumbbells against each other as hard as you can.
3. Lower the dumbbells approximately one inch from your chest while maintaining the "crush-grip."
4. Return the dumbbells to their starting positions and contract your chest for a second at the top.

Sets: 3 – 4 sets [caption id="attachment_17770" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Crush Grip Dumbbell Bench Press[/caption]

4.    Dumbbell Flyes

No chest training program should be completed without this exercise. Dumbbell flyes are the most effective exercises one could add to their chest workout routine for a good reason. Though, this movement allows for an intense loading stretch. If performed correctly, dumbbell flye is an amazing finisher to a chest session. However, the bigger mistake which most trainees do is bringing the dumbbells too close together, which technically leads to losing the muscle contraction. Starting Position: Place the dumbbells above your chest while lying down on a bench. Make sure your palms are pointing in the same direction.

1. Align your arms with your shoulders and bend your elbows slightly.
2. Lower your arms in a wide arc until you feel a stretch in your chest – minor discomfort is normal; pain is not. Your safe range of motion will grow as you get more flexible — forcing it will result in damage.
3. Hold the stretch for a second and then raise your arms in a wide arc with your chest - the bend in your elbow should be consistent and your arms should be rigid. (Only move shoulders)
4. The tops of the dumbbells should not contact, since this will result in a loss of chest contraction - Squeeze your chest tight for 1 second (imagine bringing your arms together with your pecs.)

Sets: 3 sets

5.    Dumbbell Pull-Overs

Dumbbell pullovers are commonly thought of as a back exercise rather than a chest exercise, although they are both. The bend in your arms and range of motion are critical factors in determining whether it will stimulate the former or the latter; both are explained in detail in the step-by-step tutorial. The exercise allows for an intense loaded stretch, similar to dumbbell flyes. However, it works in tandem with the flyes by targeting the pectoralis major from a different aspect. Starting Position: Place a dumbbell upright holding with both hands, on top of a bench, just off the edge. Lie across the bench on your back, with only your shoulder blades touching the bench's surface. Important Note: Your neck should be off the bench to prevent cervical spine injuries.

1. Place your feet firmly on the ground, lower your hips, and hold the dumbbell in both hands, pressing your palms against the weight plates' inner side: Tangle your thumbs around the handle and wrap your fingers over the dumbbell's edge to ensure a firm grasp.
2. Raise the dumbbell above your head, slightly bend your elbows (too much bending will engage your back more than your chest), and flex your chest for a second.
3. Slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head until your arms are in line with your torso, hold the stretch for a second, and then lift the dumbbell back to above your eyes.
4. Squeeze your chest and hold the contraction for a second by raising the dumbbell to just over your brow. This will put additional stress on your back.

Sets: 3 sets