Dumbbell bench press

Selecting a projectile

The dumbbell press is a special variation of the classic press. Movements with a barbell and with dumbbells are fundamentally different in execution technique, biomechanics and load factor. Therefore, in the context of this article, we will consider only the dumbbell press and talk about its advantages and disadvantages.

Gyms and fitness centers often have 1-2 rows of identical dumbbells. If you have the opportunity, use small short dumbbells with large discs. The longer the dumbbell, the more the movement resembles a barbell press and the corresponding biomechanics.

Technique of execution

Starting position

Sit on a horizontal bench. Take dumbbells in your hands and place them on your knees. Slowly lie down on the bench, holding the dumbbells on your straightened arms. The torso touches the bench at three points - the buttocks, the upper back and the back of the head. The middle of the back is arched at a natural angle, and the gaze is directed strictly upward, and not at the pectoral muscles or arms.

Final movement

Due to the fact that in the initial position the projectile is at the top and the movement begins with a negative phase, there is no classic final phase here. It is combined with a controlled lowering of the projectile and its subsequent rise. So let's not quibble over the conventions, and write everything down in the basic movement.

Main movement

Slowly and in a controlled manner, begin lowering the dumbbells down. Make sure that the angle between your shoulders and the latissimus dorsi is right angle. Your forearms are perpendicular to the floor throughout the movement. When the dumbbells are level with your chest, lower your shoulders down, thereby maximally stretching your chest. Try to lower the dumbbells as low as possible without losing the above factors of correct technique.

Do not relax your chest muscles. Imagine that your chest is a spring. When you lower the weight down, you compress it and prepare for a powerful impulse. After such a mental "scene", press the dumbbells up as quickly as possible. The movement of the weights resembles a kind of press and adduction of the arms. You need to lift the dumbbells not just up, but to the point above your solar plexus, that is, to the middle, but do it alternately: first straighten your arms, and then adduce them.

During the extension of the arms, it is important to raise the shoulders as high as possible. This will provide additional neuromuscular innervation to the pectorals due to the complete adduction of the arms - the main anatomical function of the chest.

After a second pause, begin a new repetition. Pay close attention to the position of your hands relative to your torso and the perpendicularity of your forearms during the movement. The adduction of the hands is the adduction of the area with the biceps and triceps, not the tilt of the forearm to the side.

Nuances and tricks
Maximum reduction

At the top point, statically tense your chest. This can be easily done using a simple technique: at the critical point, when the dumbbells touch each other, you need to mentally imagine how you squeeze them and move them upwards.

Visually, this will look like a full extension of the elbows and bringing the forearms together. A simple trick that dramatically increases innervation at the peak point of the main movement.

Maximum stretch

At the moment of lowering the dumbbells, in addition to moving the shoulders down, you need to arch the spine, like a powerlifter bridge during a classic bench press. This will stretch the pectoral muscles along the chest, and the greater the stretch, the greater the strength potential and the percentage of muscle cell activation.

However, there is a serious nuance here. At the beginning of the positive movement (lifting the weights), you need to return the spine and back to the starting position. If you do not do this, the entire productivity of the exercise will be reduced. Be careful. If you are not confident in the ability to change the position of the torso in a timely manner, do not use this "trick".

Errors

The main mistake is bringing the forearms together in the initial phase of the movement. First, you need to press the weights up, and only then start bringing your hands together, and by bringing your biceps closer to each other, not your forearms. Beginners turn the dumbbell press into a dumbbell reduction, which prevents you from working with a really large working weight, and without the necessary strength stimulus, the exercise is useless in the context of gaining muscle mass.

Weakness of the stabilizer muscles and shoulder girdle is a conditional mistake when choosing this exercise. Mikhail Klestov has repeatedly noted that the dumbbell press is the most global exercise in terms of its impact on the pectoral muscles, but most athletes are so weak that they cannot even independently take and hold dumbbells of the required weight. That's right.

If you have a weak shoulder girdle and weak stabilizers, or you are a beginner, it is better to first train the muscles in the motor stereotype and improve their tone. For this, there is a classic barbell press and various hammer trainers that simulate a press with a fixed trajectory. To develop stabilizers, use functional training or various martial arts.

Style Summary

The dumbbell bench press is a complex basic exercise. The simple technique is filled with small nuances that prevent beginners from mastering this movement. It is more suitable for experienced athletes who are already familiar with strength training.

Beginners will have to put in a lot of effort to learn all the details of the exercise, starting with the arch of the back and ending with the correct adduction of the hands. In addition, the weakness of the muscular system will be your enemy at the beginning. Therefore, beginners are advised to look towards the classic bench press or exercise machines, while learning to press dumbbells with a minimum working weight.