May 1

May 1 5 Chest Workouts with Only Dumbbells

Build a barrel chest with only a set of dumbbells and the right exercises.

Growing your chest comes less from the amount of weight and more from how you lift the weight.

With the right exercises, done the right way, and with the right form, you can finally start building a chest you can show off with confidence and dumbbells are the perfect tool for activating those pectoral muscles.

These are the 10 best dumbbell chest exercises:

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Low Incline Dumbbell Chest Flyes
Flat Bench Dumbbell Chest Flyes
Barrel Press
Squeeze Press
Push-Ups on Dumbbells
Wide-Grip Push-Ups on Dumbbells
Single-Arm Dumbbell Press Lying on Side

Let’s put these phenomenal dumbbell chest exercises into five workouts that will give you the biggest chest pump and the most muscle activation.

Each workout has exercises that target the upper chest, the middle chest, and the lower chest.

Dumbbell Chest Workout #1

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

Do them on a bench with a slight decline or from the floor if you don’t have a bench.
Keep your arms at a 45-degree angle from your body and press through your chest.
Lower the weight slowly.
Do 4 sets of 10-15.

Dumbbell Squeeze Press

Keep dumbbells together with a neutral grip and squeeze them together as you press up.
Feel the contraction in your chest at the top.
Do these on an incline bench or seated while leaning back if you have no bench.
Do 4 sets of 15-20.

Low Incline Dumbbell Chest Flyes

Do them on the floor or a flat bench if you have no incline bench.
Hold the dumbbells with a supinated grip and bring them together at eye level.
Squeeze your chest.
Do 4 sets of 20.

Wide-Grip Push-Up on Dumbbells

Place the dumbbells outside shoulder-width to better isolate the pecs during the movement.
Do 4 sets until failure.

Dumbbell Chest Workout #2

Flat Bench Dumbbell Chest Flyes

Lay on a bench and start with the dumbbells out at your side and squeeze your chest to bring them partially up. Do not bring them all the way up.
Do 4 sets of 15-20 reps.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Press Lying on Side

Lay on your side on a bench with a slight incline and your body facing the working side. Press the dumbbell up and across your body.
Do 4 sets of 15-20 reps.

Dumbbell Barrel Press

This is a hybrid between a fly and press so you need less weight than a normal press. Use a neutral grip and go wide with the dumbbells.
Hold at the bottom for 2-3 seconds to exaggerate the stretch on your chest muscles.
Do 4 sets of 10-15 reps.

Push-Ups on Dumbbells

Grab the dumbbells with a neutral grip and keep them shoulder-width apart.
Do 4 sets until failure.

Dumbbell Chest Workout #3 (Without Bench)

Dumbbell Floor Press

Lay on the floor and press the dumbbells up with your chest.
Rotate your hands inward as you come down.
Do 4 sets of 10-15.

Standing Low Dumbbell Chest Flyes

This exercise is designed to mimic a low cable fly - use the same motion you would with a cable machine.
Hold the dumbbells with a supinated grip at your side and bring them together in front of you up to eye level, while squeezing your chest.
Do 4 sets of 15-20 reps.

Wide-Grip Push-Ups on Dumbbells/Push-Ups on Dumbbells/ Regular Push-Ups

Do these three push-up variations back-to-back-to-back, with no rest in between.
Start with the dumbbells wide, then bring them to shoulder width, and then toss them out of the way and place your hands o the floor.
Do 3 sets of each until failure.

Get a dumbbell workout program to start making big progress.

Dumbbell Chest Workout #4 (Chest and Triceps)

Decline Dumbbell Barrel Press

This is a hybrid between a fly and press so you need less weight than a normal press. Use a neutral grip and go wide with the dumbbells.
Do these on a decline bench or on the floor if you don’t have a bench.
Hold at the bottom for 2-3 seconds to exaggerate the stretch on your chest muscles.
Do 4 sets of 10-15 reps.

Low Incline Dumbbell Chest Flyes

Do them on the floor or a flat bench if you have no bench.
Hold the dumbbells with a supinated grip and bring them together at eye level.
Squeeze your chest.
Do 4 sets of 20.

Reverse Grip Dumbbell Bench Press

Use a reverse grip and drive the dumbbells up through your chest.
Do 4 sets of 15-20.

Dumbbell Skullcrushers (Drop Set)

Lay on a bench or on the floor and drive the dumbbells up and away from your shoulders by extending your triceps.
Do 4 sets of 15-20 reps. Within each set, after pushing to 15-20 reps, lighten the weight and do another 15-20 reps. Repeat this two more times.

Watch the video below by Ryan Humiston to better understand how to target your chest with only dumbbells.