10 Best Chest Workout With Dumbbells at Home or Gym

If you are looking for the best chest workout at home with dumbbells, then you are in the right place. Here we discuss the best chest workout that you can do at home or at the gym with the help of dumbbells to build muscle mass and strength. However, for a workout setup at home, only an adjustable bench and dumbbells are required.

A really deep and well-shaped chest is one of the most important qualities of a physique. Having a well-developed chest not only contributes to the fullness but also has functional benefits.

Sufficient size and strength will contribute to greater strength to lift heavyweights. To achieve this requires training with a variety of exercises. This best Chest workout with dumbbells at Home or Gym definitely helps you to build size and strength.

Dumbbells don’t let you go as heavy as barbells, so don’t fight it—instead focus on higher reps and keeping the muscles under constant tension, so they work to exhaustion. However, dumbbells train muscles through a larger range of motion.

Chest Muscles

The pectoral major may conversationally be referred to as “pecs”, “pectoral muscle” or “chest muscle” due to it being the largest and most superficial muscle in the chest area.

The muscles of the chest consist of the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor.

Pectoralis major

The pectoralis major is the most superficial muscle in the pectoral region. It is large and fan-shaped and is composed of a sternal head and a clavicular head, each of which may be worked differently depending on the angle of adduction.

The function of the pectoralis major is 3-fold and dependent on which heads of muscles are involved.

• Flexion, adduction and medial rotation of the arm at the glenohumeral joint
• Clavicular head causes flexion of the extended arm
• Sternoclavicular head causes extension of the flexed arm

Pectoralis minor

It is the triangle-shaped muscle located under the pectoralis major, a layer deeper, and draws the shoulder blades down and forward.

What Are The Benefits of Working My Chest With Dumbbells?

There are many benefits of doing a chest workout using dumbbells. Dumbbell training offers the following benefits for chest gains.

• Dumbbells require more balance than barbells or machines that can lead to greater muscle fiber recruitment.
• It requires more muscular control than barbells, enhancing kinesthetic awareness.
• Dumbbells chest workout allow unilateral training (training one limb at a time), increase core stability, and improve muscular imbalances.
• Chest workout with dumbbells allows for greater joint safety and stabilization and allows the joints to move naturally within their range of motion.
• It affords a greater level of variety, which prevents physical and mental burnout.
• Dumbbell variations allow for a greater range of movement (ROM), which leads to an increased number of muscle fibers recruited.
• Chest workout with dumbbells are perfect for the at-home exerciser with the limited space.

What Chest Exercises Can I Do With Dumbbells?

Any chest move that you can do with a barbell can replicate with dumbbells. Here are our favorites—many of them classic moves you’re probably already familiar with, but with a clever twist that elicits even greater gains.

Here are the 10 Best Dumbbell Only Chest Exercises to build a massive and well-shaped chest:

1. Dumbbell Bench Press

Dumbbell Bench Press is a great way to add muscle mass to the chest. Learn how to do them correctly and puff your pecs with these tips. Barbell Bench Press has a limitation that it does not involve the full range of motion, a limitation Dumbbell Bench Press overcomes.  

Dumbbell Bench Press adds the extra range of motion at the top for a complete Chest development. Also, Dumbbells demand better coordination forcing the stabilizing muscles to assist as well.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Pectoralis major.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps

1. Lie flat on the bench keeping your feet on the floor for better balance with a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Hold the Dumbbells straight overhead, palms facing forwards.
3. Now lower the weights to your outer chest, stretching the chest to the maximum at the bottom.
4. Now raise it until your arms are nearly locked out, dumbbells very close to each other.

Tips

• Don’t allow the dumbbells to collide at the top of each rep – bouncing them together may cause you to lose stability within the shoulder and injure yourself.
• Keep a controlled motion and avoid jerky movements.
• Maintain more tension through the pecs by not locking out the elbows entirely.

Sets and reps

• 3-5 x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps

 2. Incline Dumbbell Press Exercise

Incline Dumbbell Press Exercise is an excellent way to develop middle and upper pectoral muscles. Just like Incline Bench Press, Incline Dumbbell Pressworks mostly on upper pecs, but dumbbells allow full range of motion, and therefore in some ways better than the bench press.

It adds an extra range of motion at the top for complete chest development. Also, dumbbells demand better coordination forcing the stabilizing muscles to assist as well.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Upper pectoralis major.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and lie on an incline bench (45 degrees inclined).
2. Clean the dumbbells and lift them straight overhead, feel a good chest squeeze at the top.
3.  Lower the dumbbells and feel a good chest muscle stretch at the bottom.

Tips

• Perform press in a controlled manner.
• Keep your shoulder blades pinched together to ensure the shoulders remain in a safe position.
• Set bench at about 45 degrees inclined. Do not go more upright as the stress shifts more to shoulders rather than chest area.

Sets and reps

• 3-5 x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps

3. Decline Dumbbell Press

The decline dumbbell bench press is a variation of the decline bench press. It is used to build the lower chest. It is an excellent exercise to build lower chest muscles.

By using dumbbells during a decline bench press, you allow yourself a greater range of motion during the exercise. Using dumbbells also requires a great deal of shoulder stability; thus, it recruits more muscle fibers to stabilize the body than its barbell counterpart. Decline dumbbell press is done on a decline bench with a pair of heavy dumbbells.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Lower pectoralis major.

Secondary: Triceps, anterior deltoid, and Lats.

Steps

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and lie on a decline bench.
2. Hold the weights above you at shoulder height.
3. Now extend the weights to the top overhead, feeling a good chest muscle contraction.
4. Lower the dumbbells to the starting position and feel a good stretch in your pecs.

Tips

• Exhale while you exert.
• Perform them before triceps in any workout.
• Don’t allow the dumbbells to collide at the top of each rep — bouncing them together may cause you to lose stability within the shoulder and injure yourself.
• Ensure you maintain some tension in your abs and don’t allow your lower back to excessive arch.

Sets and reps

• 3-5 x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps

4. Dumbbell fly

The dumbbell fly utilizes a chest fly movement pattern to isolate the muscles of the chest, help the muscles grow, and become stronger.

The dumbbell fly is often thought of as a classic body-building movement, as the goal of the exercise is to isolate the chest for aesthetic purposes.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Inner and Upper pectoralis major.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps

1. Lie on the flat bench with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Lift your arms straight up from your shoulders and the dumbbells directly over your upper chest.
3. Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about shoulder level or slightly above
4. Bring your arms back toward the midline of your body, focusing on using your pec muscles to draw them back together.

Tips

• Perform press in a controlled manner.

Sets and Reps

• 3 × 12 reps

5. Incline dumbbell fly

The incline dumbbell fly is a variation of the dumbbell fly. This fly is an isolated strength exercise that targets the upper chest muscle. The incline bench position allows for the isolation of the harder-to-develop upper pectorals.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Upper pectoralis major.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps

1. Set an incline bench at a 30-to 45-degree angle. Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor.
2. Lift your arms straight up from your shoulders and the dumbbells directly over your upper chest.
3. Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about shoulder level or slightly above.
4. Bring your arms back toward the midline of your body, focusing on using your pec muscles to draw them back together.

Tips

• Perform press in a controlled manner.
• Set bench at about 30-45 degrees inclined. Do not go more upright as the stress shifts more to shoulders rather than chest area.

Sets and Reps

• 3 × 12 reps

6. Decline Dumbbell Fly

The decline dumbbell chest fly is a variation of the dumbbell fly used to target the lower muscles of the chest. In particular, the decline chest fly targets the lower chest due to the decline angle used.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Lower pectoralis major.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and lie on your back on a declined bench. Hook your feet into the foot pads or rollers.
2. Extend the dumbbells above your chest. Turn the palms to face each other and the dumbbells directly over your upper chest.
3. Slowly lower your arms out to your sides until your wrists come to about shoulder level or slightly above.
4. Bring your arms back toward the midline of your body, focusing on using your lower pec muscles to draw them back together.

Tips

• Keep the movement slow and controlled.
• Use a slight decline, such as 30 degrees. Extremes are never the best option.
• If you’re using very heavyweights, a spotter should hand the dumbbells to you once your body is in position.

Sets and Reps

• 3 × 12 reps

7. Dumbbell Pullover

Dumbbell Pullover is the best exercise to build a strong rib cage and build serratus anterior muscle to build a complete chest and back.

Pullover work directly on the serratus anterior muscle to develop the back. This exercise is done lying across a bench with a heavy dumbbell.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Lower Pectoralis.

Secondary: Lats, Shoulders, Triceps.

Steps

1. Lie across on a bench on your shoulders so that your head is hanging.
2. Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and get it straight over your chest.
3. Lower the dumbbell in an arc slowly, getting a good stretch in your rib cage.
4. Lower the dumbbell as far as possible and then raise it back to the starting position.

Tips

• Exhale while you exert.
• Maximum stretching ensures the greatest expansion on the rib cage.
• Relax your hips and let them fall as relaxed hips help in extra expansion.

Sets and Reps

• 3 x 12 reps

8. Dumbbell Squeeze Press

The dumbbell squeeze press is one of the most effective chest pressing exercises you can perform to induce functional hypertrophy in the inner body, particularly the inner pectorals.

During this exercise, the dumbbells are kept in contact with each other at all times, and you’re actively squeezing them inward (against each other) as hard as possible.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Lower pectoralis major.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps.

Steps

1. Take the dumbbells in your hands and lay down on the bench.
2. Place the dumbbells together side by side and lift them up over your chest.
3. Lower them down together by touching each other, then push the dumbbells back up.
4. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips

• Breathe out on the way up.
• Maintain more tension through the pecs by not locking out the elbows entirely.

Sets and Reps

• 3-4 x 15 reps

9. Incline-bench Dumbbell Pullover

Incline Bench Dumbbell Pullover is the best exercise to build a strong rib cage and build serratus anterior muscle to build an upper chest and back.

The incline dumbbell pullover allows for a wide range of motion, thus providing a deep pectorals and lats stretch. This exercise is done lying across on an Incline bench with a heavy dumbbell.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Upper Pectoralis major and minor.

Secondary: Deltoid, Back, Serratus, Tricep.

Steps

1. Set the bench position between 30-45 degrees. Now lie across on an Incline bench.
2. Grasp a dumbbell with both hands, get it straight over your chest.
3. Lower the dumbbell in an arc slowly, getting a good stretch in your rib cage.
4. Lower the dumbbell as far as possible, then raise it back to the starting position.

Tips

• Exhale while you exert.
• Maximum stretching ensures the greatest expansion on the rib cage.
• Vary the position of the bench to hit different angles of the upper chest.

10. Standing Upward Chest Fly

Standing dumbbell chest fly is one of the best chest workouts that you can do at home with dumbbells. It is a good exercise to target your upper chest. With only a pair of dumbbells, you can make your chest area broader and more developed.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Upper pectoralis.

Secondary: Anterior deltoid, triceps, Core.

Steps

1. In a standing position, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing upward. 
2. Make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart and your arms down straight in front of your center.
3. Extend your arms up and out to the sides, keeping your elbows straight and your arms at chest level.
4. Bring them back to the center to finish a single rep. 

Tips

• Exhale during the concentric (muscle-shortening) part of the motion.
• Your arms and shoulders will work but most of the work should be done with the pecs.

Sets and Reps

• 3 x 12-15 reps

Bonus: Dumbbell Push-Ups

Push-Ups is the best Bodyweight exercise to build your entire upper body and shoulder, chest, and arms. Push-Ups can be a real challenge if done in various angles and Intensity to Build Muscle and Strength. This exercise is done on the floor with dumbbells. Must add the chest workouts at home with dumbbells, In your workout regime.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Pectoralis major.

Secondary: Shoulder, triceps, and core.

Steps

1. Grip a dumbbell in each hand and get into a plank position with your palms facing down towards the floor. 
2. Now raise yourself off the ground straightening your elbows and your arms but keep your elbows close to your body.
3. Raise until your elbows are locked and pause for a moment at the top of the movement.
4. Now lower your body under slow sustained motion, feeling the motion all the way down until your chest is very close to the ground.

Tips

• Exhale while you exert.
• Brace your core throughout your chest workout to keep it engaged.

Sets and Reps

• 4 x 15-30 reps

Takeaways

Dumbbells offer numerous advantages over regular barbell bench presses. Greater range of motion, effective muscle activation, and freedom to manipulate the grip through the movement offer a unique benefit for chest development.

For anyone, who is interested to build chest muscles and gaining strength, this dumbbell-only exercise is highly recommended. It not only allows for targeted muscle development, but also provides an overall upper body workout. It is easy to do and requires no more scientific details. If done consistently, the results will speak by themselves.

Thanks for reading, enjoy a Chest workout at home with dumbbells!

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