The flat dumbbell bench press is a great alternative to the regular flat barbell bench press. The dumbbell press is slightly tougher as you will be required to stabilize the weight a lot more than a regular barbell press. Each side of the chest will be worked individually so if one side is stronger/weaker than the other, you will know about it after this exercise. If you are switching to flat dumbbell presses after a long period of performing flat bench presses the movement will seem a little awkward at first but stick with it.
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press Form
There are two main reasons for this. One, you are not use to the movement yet and two, your stabilizer muscles require strengthening. It’s normal to seem a bit shakey at first as your stabilzer muscles have not been worked this way for a long time. However, after a few weeks you will be fine and your body and form will eventually adapt. Here’s how to perform flat dumbbell bench presses with proper form:
Find a Bench. Grab yourself a bench and adjust it so that it is in a flat position. Ensure the bench is secured when doing this as you dont want to lay back on it to find it suddenly drops down to a decline position.
Grab Some Dumbbells. Depending on the rep range you are working in on your routine it’s often a good idea to lift a weight in which you can perform around 8-12 solid reps with. If your routine calls for greater intensity then you may only be lifting a weight with which you can get only 5 solid reps. Check out our article how many reps to build muscle for a more detailed look at rep ranges.
Sit on Bench. Once you’ve grabbed your dumbbells from the rack, sit down on the flat bench with dumbbells resting on your thighs in an upright position (the flat bottom part of the dumbbell resting on your thigh). It’s normally best to rest the dumbbells on the lower part of your thigh nearer your knee/on your quads. This helps for the next step.
Kicking The Dumbbells Up Into Position. With dumbbells positioned on your lower thighs you now need to lay back on to the bench while lifting the dumbbells up above you. When laying back you have two methods available to you when it comes to getting the dumbbells up into the top position.
Option 1. One way is to keep dumbbells close to your chest while laying back on the bench. This would mean that dumbbells remain in close contact with your chest until your back touches the bench. Once your back hits the bench you need to rotate your hands out so that dumbbells can be moved to the side of your chest with palms face away from you.
This can be tough especially with heavy weight. When you are trying to lift the dumbbells up for that first rep the weight is basically in a stopped position on your chest. Try your best to lift it up for that first rep as the reps will get easier. However, it doesnt hurt to have a spotter to help push your elbows up for that first rep.
Option 2. Another way to get the dumbbells into position is by kicking them up using your thighs. When laying down on to the bench, keep dumbbells positioned on thighs and raise your legs up by pushing off your toes as you go to lay down on the bench. Grip dumbbells hard and try to manouevre them up into the starting position. Momentum can actually help you in this one as you rock back towards the bench.
However, try this a few times and get use to the technique before using a lot of momentum to kick those dumbbells up above your chest. If you can master this small yet very effective technique you can save a lot of energy by not having to perform that first rep from a dead stop off your chest. This technique can be extremely effective when the weights start to get heavy.
Lowering The Weight. Always try your best to lower the weight in a steady and controlled manor. Imagine you are pulling the dumbbells down instead of just letting them drop down to your chest. When lowering dumbbells keep shoulder blades pinned against the bench. This should create a small arch in your lower back and create some space on the bench for someone to be able to place their hand underneath your lower back without actually touching it.
Keep feet planted firmly on the floor and do not move them. A good position for the feet is just behind the knees. Do not position them infront of the knees otherwise you can lose stability during the lift and it will feel uncomfortable. Also puff your chest out and grip the dumbbells hard when lowering them. Try and bring the dumbbells down just above your chest. No need to touch it.
Lifting The Weight. Similar rules apply when lifting the weight. Keep back and shoulder blades pinned down against the bench, keep chest puffed out and drive the dumbbells upwards. Feet remain fixed to the floor and positioned slightly behind the knees. Keep squeezing the dumbbells hard throughout the lift as this can help you feel stronger and get you another rep or two. It’s also worth mentioning that when raising the dumbbells it’s best to raise them up and inwards slightly. The up and inwards motion can help keep tension on the chest muscle and make the movement feel more natural and comfortable.
Flat Dumbbell Bench Presses – Things To Think About
Shoulder Blades Against Bench. It’s important that your upper back/shoulder blades remain pinned down against the bench throughout the movement. This will ensure form is kept tight and give you a solid base to lift from when lowering and lifting the dumbbells.
Slight Arch In Lower Back. By pinning shoulder blades and upper back against the bench you should automatically create a small arch in your lower back where someone could place their hand underneath your lower back without actually touching it. If by pinning your back and shoulder blades against the bench does not create this arch then your probably doing it wrong. Get that slight arch in your lower back and you should find the position where your shoulder blades and lower back are pinned down against the bench correctly.
Up and Inwards Motion. The up and inwards motion can be important when it comes to stabilizing the weight and keeping proper form. If your just lifting straight up from the sides of your chest, once you fatigue slightly the dumbbells will have a habit of swaying outwards. Once they do this tension from the muscle can be lost and you will expend more energy trying to get them back into the correct position. This will lose you valuable reps.
Getting the Dumbbells Up. Try and practice the two techniques described above when it comes to getting the dumbbells up into position. It can take a while to get use to so try using them out on your warm up/lighter sets as well to get extra practice in. If it all feels too uncomfortable for you simply use a training partner or spotter to hand you the weights or help you lift them into position.
