Dumbbell workouts solve a lot of logistical problems. With dumbbells, there’s no need to wait for machines, enlist a spotter, or find a place to install a suspension trainer. You don’t even need a gym membership as long as you have a bench and a parking spot’s worth of space. Adjustable dumbbells, relatively unusual 15 years ago, now are commonplace and affordable, eliminating the need for an expensive, space-sucking rack of iron at home. Best of all, dumbbells work for pretty much every lift. So while kettlebells or barbells might be ideal for some lifts, dumbbells are usually an adequate substitute for those moves—and preferable for others. And if you don’t have an adjustable bench at home, try propping up one end of the bench on a sturdy support, like cinderblocks or bricks.
Now you’re ready for a chest workout just about anywhere—hotel gym, garage, or backyard.
How It Works
This 30-minute dumbbell workout to build your chest is designed as a circuit workout. You’ll hammer through 4 total circuits of these seven moves. To produce maximum results with minimal time, rest only briefly—about a minute or so—between circuits.
Pete Williams is a NASM-certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of a number of books on performance and training.
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Dumbbell Bench Press
WHY IT WORKS: This dumbbell bench variation stabilizes your shoulders while providing the same chest benefits of the traditional barbell bench press.
HOW TO DO IT: Lying face-up on the bench, hold dumbbells at the outside edges of your shoulders. Press the dumbbells straight up over your chest. Pause for a second at the top. Lower the dumbbells together and touch the outside of your shoulders. That’s one rep.
PRESCRIPTION: 10 reps
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One-Arm, One-Leg Dumbbell Row
WHY IT WORKS: This is a total-body exercise, but it primarily challenges the lats and chest while also stretching the hamstrings. And if your balance needs work, this exercise will let you know it.
HOW TO DO IT: Stand on one leg, gripping a stable surface in front of you (perhaps the dumbbell rack or bench) with one hand. Bend by dropping your chest and lifting the leg opposite your free hand. Grab a dumbbell with your free hand. Pull it to the side of your waist and then lower it. Do 10 and switch sides.
PRESCRIPTION: 10 reps per side
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Dumbbell Chest Flyes
WHY IT WORKS: Few movements so effectively challenge the pecs while also hitting the shoulders and biceps.
HOW TO DO IT: Lying face-up on a flat bench, hold a pair of dumbbells over your chest with palms facing each other and elbows only slightly bent. Keeping your arms almost straight, separate your hands and lower the dumbbells to the sides until you feel a stretch in your chest. At the bottom of the movement, your palms should be facing the ceiling. Reverse the motion until you reach the starting point, a movement some liken to “hugging a barrel.”
PRESCRIPTION: 10 reps
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Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
WHY IT WORKS: This bench press variation hits your chest at a different angle, forcing you to place more emphasis on your upper chest as well as the front of your shoulders.
HOW TO DO IT: Lie face-up on a bench set at a 45-degree angle. Holding dumbbells at the outside edges of your shoulders, lift the dumbbells straight up over your chest. Lower the dumbbells, touching the outside of your shoulders, then push them back up.
PRESCRIPTION: 10 reps
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One-Arm Dumbbell Hang Snatch
WHY IT WORKS: This is a full-body exercise, and most of the power comes from your hips. Your chest, however, is the unsung contributor of this move because it provides stability in the “catch” phase. Pro tip: Do this move with a light weight until you’re comfortable with the form.
HOW TO DO IT: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart while holding a dumbbell straight down in front of you. Keeping your back flat and chest up, push your hips back and down to lower the weight between your knees. Explode in one motion, extending your hips quickly and pulling the dumbbell straight up. When the weight reaches maximum height, drop your body underneath and catch it overhead. Lower it back to starting position.
WHY IT WORKS: This builds strength in your chest like a conventional dumbbell press, while also placing more emphasis on stabilizing your shoulders.
HOW TO DO IT: Lie on a bench with your left glute and left shoulder blade on the bench and right glute and right shoulder blade off the bench. (Alternatively, set up perpendicular to the bench, so only your upper back is supported, as shown here.) Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and hold on to the bench with your left hand above your head. Lower the weight until your elbow is in line with your shoulder. Return to starting position. Continue for 10 reps and then switch sides.
PRESCRIPTION: 10 reps per side
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Bridged Floor Press
WHY IT WORKS: By placing yourself in a bridged position, you target the pecs while also activating your glutes and hamstrings. Floor presses also reduce your ability to hip-drive the weight up, so they emphasize your pecs even more.
HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back on the floor or a mat with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells over your chest, palms facing each other. Squeeze your glutes and press the balls of your feet to the floor, creating a line from knee to shoulder. Lower weights and hips together, pausing at the bottom, and then bridging back up as you bring the weights back together.
