Dumbbell Bench Press

What You'll Need
Wanna guess? Throw a flat bench in with some dumbbells and you're golden.

Why You Should Be Doing This Exercise
Some love the bar, others the certainty of equal work that dumbbells bring. Either way this is a classic for a reason. Even if you're using dumbbells this exercise will help build those Pecs like no other and might even help you build stronger shoulders, arms, and stabilizers as well.

Start
Place the weights on your thighs while sitting on the bench. Kick one up and fall back. The beauty of momentum is that the other will follow. Now you should be lying flat, feet on the ground and essentially shoulder width apart. Your elbows should be out now, parallel to the ground.

Middle
Press the dumbbells up so that your arms are extended. Don't lock your arms out and don't arch your back while doing this. Please keep those feet firmly planted on the ground and your head on the bench.

Finish
Tricky stuff. The inclination is to drop them and be the weight dropper. We all know someone in that group. Don't join. Instead, when done, try gently placing one on the floor, and then doing the same with the other. Everyone will appreciate the effort.

Key Don'ts
1. Do not put your feet on the bench. This is foolish and should never to be done.
2. Don't arch your back. Nope, read that again please. Got it? Good.
3. And don't lock out at the top, okay?


Oh, and if you want to flip this exercise up to help your bar bench, give Coach Jay's piece a read here.