Dumbbell chest workouts can be incredibly effective for building pec size—if you do the right exercises.
The problem is, too many people waste time on gimmicks like standing “squeeze” presses and renegade push-ups that do little for pec growth.
You only need a handful of dumbbell exercises to build a strong, well-developed chest. These are the ones that work:
- Dumbbell bench press
- Incline dumbbell bench press
- Neutral-grip dumbbell bench press
- Close-grip dumbbell bench press
- Dumbbell pullover
- Dumbbell fly
In this article, you’ll learn why these exercises are so effective, how to do them correctly, and how to program them for maximum results.
Want to know exactly how you should train to reach your fitness goals? Take our free 60-second training quiz and find out now.
Key Takeaways
- The best dumbbell chest exercises for building pec size and strength are the flat, incline, neutral-grip, and close-grip dumbbell bench press, dumbbell pullover, and dumbbell fly.
- For optimal growth, train your chest with 10–20 weekly sets, push close to failure, and use a mix of flat, incline, and isolation exercises.
- Dumbbell chest exercises without a bench are mostly ineffective. If you don’t have a bench, stick to push-ups.
- To accelerate your results, use a high-quality protein powder to hit your daily protein target, creatine to boost recovery and growth, and a pre-workout to enhance energy, focus, and performance.
- Dumbbells are effective for chest training because they let you move through large ranges of motion, build balanced size and strength, and adjust your arm path to train around pain or injury.
Table of Contents
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The 6 Best Dumbbell Chest Exercises for Pec Growth
There’s no shortage of articles about dumbbell chest exercises online. Most, however, contain too much fluff—Svend presses, standing flys, and the like.
Exercises like these don’t allow you to lift heavy weights, train through effective ranges of motion, or easily apply progressive overload (lift heavier weights over time), so they do little for your chest gains.
The dumbbell chest exercises below are different. They’re ideal for gaining chest mass because they train the main functions of the chest and make it easy to get stronger, which is vital for building muscle.
Add these to your dumbbell chest workouts and you’ll never have problems gaining pec mass.
1. Dumbbell Bench Press
Why: Most good dumbbell chest workouts revolve around the dumbbell bench press because it develops your entire pec top to bottom, allows you to lift heavier weights than other dumbbell pec exercises, and trains your pecs through their full range of motion, all of which makes its ideal for gaining chest mass.
How to:
- While sitting on a flat bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest them on your thighs.
- Lie back and “kick” the dumbbells up into position so you’re holding them by your chest.
- Press the dumbbells over your chest until your arms are straight and your elbows are locked.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3–4 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 mins
Expert Tip: Keep your elbows tucked 6–10 inches from your sides at the bottom of each rep to reduce strain on your shoulders.
READ MORE: How to Dumbbell Bench Press: Form, Benefits, and Variations
2. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Why: The incline dumbbell bench press emphasizes the upper portion of your pecs, which many people struggle to develop. Include it in your dumbbell chest workouts to create a chest that looks full and well-proportioned from every angle.
How to:
- Set a bench to a 30–45-degree incline and sit with a dumbbell in each hand resting on your thighs.
- Lie back and “kick” the dumbbells up into position so you’re holding them by your chest.
- Press the dumbbells over your upper chest until your arms are straight and your elbows are locked.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3–4 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 mins
Expert Tip: Don’t set the bench higher than 45 degrees. Steeper inclines shift the load away from your chest and on to your shoulders.
READ MORE: How to Do an Incline Dumbbell Press & Common Alternatives
3. Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
Why: The neutral-grip dumbbell bench press trains your chest just like the regular dumbbell bench press, but with your palms facing each other. Some people find this slight tweak reduces stress on their shoulders and elbows, which can make it more comfortable.
How to:
- While sitting on a flat bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest them on your thighs.
- Lie back and “kick” the dumbbells up into position so you’re holding them by your chest with your palms facing each other.
- Press the dumbbells straight over your chest until your arms are straight and your elbows are locked.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3–4 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 mins
Expert Tip: You don’t need to turn your palms so they face each other perfectly. Experiment until you find a wrist orientation that works for you.
4. Close-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
Why: The close-grip dumbbell bench press is similar to the neutral-grip version, but you press the dumbbells together throughout the set. Some people find this setup more stable, which often lets you lift heavier weights and build more muscle.
The close grip may also train your upper chest more than regular pressing because it involves more shoulder flexion (raising your arms in front of you), which makes the upper pecs do more work.
How to:
- While sitting on a flat bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest them on your thighs.
- Lie back and “kick” the dumbbells up into position so you’re holding them by your chest with your palms facing each other.
- With your palms facing each other, press the dumbbells straight up, then bring them together until they’re touching.
- While keeping them together, lower them to your chest.
- Press them back up and repeat.
Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3–4 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 mins
Expert Tip: Press the dumbbells together, but don’t squeeze them like your life depends on it. Squeezing wastes energy, feels awkward, and doesn’t make your chest grow faster.
5. Dumbbell Pullover
Why: The dumbbell pullover trains your pecs at an angle other exercises miss. That’s important because training your muscles through different ranges of motion helps maximize muscle growth. It also deeply stretches your pecs under load, which can benefit muscle growth.
How to:
- While lying on a flat bench with your feet on the floor, and your head as close to the end of the bench as possible, hold a dumbbell at one end with both hands and rest it on your chest.
- Press the dumbbell over your chest until your elbows are almost completely locked out.
- While maintaining a slight bend in your elbows, slowly lower the dumbbell in an arc over your head until your biceps are next to your ears.
- Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3–4 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 mins
Expert Tip: You can do this lying lengthwise on a bench or with your shoulders across it (perpendicular to your body). Try both setups and go with the one that feels most natural and stable.
READ MORE: How to Do the Dumbbell Pullover for Lats and Chest Size
6. Dumbbell Fly
Why: Unlike the other exercises on this list, which also train muscles like your shoulders and triceps, the dumbbell fly only works your pecs. This is beneficial because it allows you to train the pecs with the volume (sets) they need to grow without other muscle groups becoming the limiting factor.
How to:
- Sit on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand resting on your thighs.
- Lie back and “kick” the dumbbells up into position so you’re holding them by your chest with your palms facing each other.
- With your palms facing each other, press the dumbbells straight up, then bring them together until they’re touching.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells in an arc out to your sides as far as you comfortably can.
- Lift them back to the starting position while keeping your arms mostly straight.
Sets, Reps, and Rest: 3–4 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 mins
Expert Tip: Trying to keep your elbows completely straight can cause discomfort. Instead, keep them slightly bent throughout the entire range of motion to relieve strain on the joints.
How to Program Effective Dumbbell Chest Workouts
Here’s everything you need to know to create effective dumbbell chest workouts, no matter your experience level.
Exercise Selection
The most important part of choosing exercises for your dumbbell chest workouts is picking ones you enjoy and can perform comfortably.
Assuming all the exercises above check those boxes, the next step is to build a routine that trains your pecs from different angles and through various ranges of motion. That’s the best way to promote balanced, all-around chest growth.
Here’s what an effective dumbbell chest workout should include:
- A flat press to train your entire chest.
- An incline or close-grip press to emphasize your upper pecs.
- A “non-pressing” exercise like flys or pullovers to give your shoulders and triceps a break while still training your chest.
Whether you start with a flat press or incline press is up to you and can vary depending on your goals. That said, it’s generally smart to begin your dumbbell chest workouts with one of these since they’re the most demanding and should be done when you’re freshest.
Volume
To develop your chest (or any muscle, for that matter), most research shows you need to train it with 10–20 weekly sets. Doing more might produce better results for some, but that’s the exception, not the rule.
Of course, 10–20 sets is a broad range, and you might be wondering where you fall on this continuum. A good rule of thumb is:
- If you’re new to training, aim for the low end (10–12 sets per week).
- If you’re more experienced, push toward the upper end (13–20 sets per week).
Trying to cram 10–20 sets into a single workout is unrealistic, however. By the end, you’ll be so gassed that you’ll lift much lighter weights, for fewer reps, with worse form—all of which compromises your gains.
That’s why it’s smarter to split your weekly sets into two dumbbell chest workouts.
We’ll look at how to divvy up your sets across a week soon.
READ MORE: Volume vs. Intensity for Hypertrophy: Which Is More Important?
Intensity
To make your dumbbell chest workouts as effective as possible, take most of your sets to within 1–2 reps of failure (the point where you can’t perform another rep with proper form).
In other words, if you finish a set with more than two good reps in the tank, increase the weight or reps on your next set to make it more challenging.
Training this way ensures you’re pushing your muscles hard enough to stimulate growth, but it’s only part of the equation. To keep building muscle and getting stronger, you also need to focus on progressive overload
Here’s how to do it:
If your dumbbell chest workout calls for 4–6 reps of the dumbbell bench press and you complete 6 reps in a set, increase the weight of each dumbbell by 5 pounds for your next set.
If you do 3 reps or fewer in subsequent sets, reduce the load of each dumbbell by 2.5 pounds to stay in the 4–6 rep range.
Apply this approach to every exercise in your dumbbell chest workouts, aiming to add either weight or reps every session.
By combining the right intensity (training close enough to failure) with progressive overload, you’ll have no issues getting bigger and stronger pecs.
Sample Dumbbell Chest Workouts
Now that you know the best dumbbell chest exercises and how to program them, here are a few example workouts to help you put everything into practice.
Beginner Dumbbell Chest Workout Routine for Hypertrophy
If you’ve been training for a year or less, the dumbbell chest workout below is a great place to start. It trains all areas of your chest, contains the right number of sets across each week, and won’t wear you to a frazzle.
As we’ve already seen, the smartest way to do enough chest volume each week is to split your sets across two workouts.
That’s why this routine includes:
- A main dumbbell chest workout with 9 sets for your chest (and 3 for your triceps)
- A second workout (in this example, a shoulder day) with 3 more chest sets to round out the week
Leave at least one full day between these two workouts—ideally two—either for rest or to train another muscle group. This gives your chest time to recover and grow.
Workout #1:
- Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Dumbbell Fly: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest
- Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Workout #2:
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
- Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raise: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Advanced Dumbbell Chest Workout Routine for Hypertrophy
If you’ve been training consistently for over a year, this routine will help you continue building chest size.
As we covered earlier, most people at this stage make the best progress with 15–20 sets of dumbbell chest exercises per week. That’s why this program gives you a range of sets per exercise (e.g., 3–4 sets), so you can make adjustments based on your experience.
Rather than using a single dedicated dumbbell chest day, this routine includes two “push” workouts that emphasize dumbbell chest exercises alongside shoulder and triceps training.
Workout #1:
- Dumbbell Bench Press: 3–4 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3–4 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise: 3 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest
- Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Workout #2:
- Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press: 3–4 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Dumbbell Pullover: 3–4 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
- Dumbbell Fly: 3–4 sets | 8–10 reps | 2–3 min rest
Again, leave at least one day between these workouts for rest or to train another muscle group
Dumbbell Chest Workout Routine for Strength
If your main goal is to build pressing strength, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- While dumbbell training can absolutely help you get stronger, barbells are generally better for building maximal strength. Bars are more stable and allow you to lift heavier weights, which is critical when you’re trying to increase your one-rep max.
- Training for maximum strength means emphasizing compound presses and doing fewer isolation exercises. If you’re trying to build a bigger bench press, you’ll benefit more from heavy dumbbell pressing than from flys or pullovers.
Finally, it’s important to remember that pressing strength isn’t just about your pecs. Your triceps are a major player in any press, especially in the top half of every rep.
That’s why this routine focuses on heavy dumbbell pressing—including close-grip variations, which emphasize the triceps—and contains additional triceps work to ensure they’re not a weak point in your press.
Dumbbell Chest Workout for Strength:
- Dumbbell Bench Press: 3–4 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3–4 sets | 4–6 reps | 3–5 min rest
- Dumbbell Close-Grip Bench Press: 3–4 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
- Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3–4 sets | 6–8 reps | 2–3 min rest
Warming Up for Your Dumbbell Chest Workouts
According to research, warming up with heavy weights is the best way to prime your body for pressing.
Here’s the protocol I recommend:
- Estimate the weight you’ll use for your first hard set of your first exercise.
- Do 6 reps with about 50% of that weight and rest for 1 minute.
- Do 4 reps with about 70% of that weight and rest for 1 minute.
After this, you’re ready to tackle your hard sets for your first exercise and the rest of your workout.
READ MORE: The Best Way to Warm Up For Your Workouts
Can You Do Dumbbell Chest Workouts Without a Bench?
There are scores of articles and videos about dumbbell chest workouts without a bench. The problem is that most are . . . well . . . terrible.
They’re usually built around ineffective exercises. Take the Svend press, for example. It shows up in almost every no-bench chest routine, but it’s a poor choice for several reasons. Aside from having a short range of motion and limited capacity for progressive overload, it doesn’t actually train your pecs well.
You feel your pecs working because their main function is horizontal shoulder adduction (bringing your upper arm across your body), which is what you’re doing when you squeeze the dumbbell or plate.
But you’re not pressing the weight against gravity—you’re pressing it forward while gravity pulls straight down—so your front delts do most of the work, not your chest.
Another popular recommendation is the floor press. And while it’s not completely useless, the floor prevents your elbows from moving behind your body, which shortens the range of motion and limits how much your pecs are involved.
If you’re training at home without a bench, your best option is the push-up. It requires no equipment and little space, and there are so many variations that you can overload it better than most realise by starting with easy variations and progressing to more difficult ones.
Supplements to Maximize Your Dumbbell Chest Workout Results
If you want to accelerate your dumbbell chest workout results, consider these three supplements:
- Protein powder: Protein powder, such as Whey+ (Legion’s whey isolate) or Casein+ (Legion’s micellar casein), provides your body with the nutrients needed to build muscle tissue and recover from workouts.
- Creatine: Creatine boosts muscle and strength gain, improves anaerobic endurance, and reduces muscle damage and soreness from your workouts. For a natural source of creatine, try Legion’s creatine monohydrate, creatine gummies, or post-workout Recharge.
- Pre-workout: A high-quality pre-workout enhances energy, mood, and focus, increases strength and endurance, and reduces fatigue. For a top-tier pre-workout containing clinically effective doses of 6 science-backed ingredients, try Legion’s Pulse with caffeine or without.
Want even more specific supplement advice? Take the Legion Supplement Finder Quiz to learn exactly what supplements are right for you.
How Quickly Will You See Results from Your Dumbbell Chest Workouts?
How quickly you see results from these dumbbell chest workouts depends on several factors, like how consistently and hard you train and how well you manage recovery, sleep, nutrition, and stress.
That said, if you follow the advice in this article, you should see noticeable chest growth within 3–6 months.
These guys joined the Legion Body Transformation Coaching Program, followed the principles you’ve just read, and achieved results like this in a similar timeframe:
If you want to transform your body but aren’t sure how to start, how to structure your training and diet, or how to stay consistent, our body transformation coaching is for you. We’ve helped over 4,000 people of all ages and experience levels reach their fitness goals—and we can help you do the same.
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Benefits of Dumbbell Chest Workouts
Here are a few of the main reasons dumbbell chest workouts are a solid way to train.
Greater Range of Motion
Research shows that muscles grow more when you train them through a full range of motion, especially when that range includes a deep stretch.
One downside of the barbell bench press is that you have to stop each rep when the bar touches your chest, even though your hands could likely go lower. In other words, the bar limits your range of motion and you miss out on the deepest pec stretch.
Dumbbell chest exercises don’t have this issue. You can lower the dumbbells as far as your mobility allows, which makes them highly effective for building chest mass.
(That doesn’t mean dumbbell exercises are better. You can usually press at least 15% more weight with a barbell, which makes it better for overloading your pecs. In other words, both have advantages, so the smartest approach is to include both in your program.)
Balanced Size and Strength
During most dumbbell chest exercises, each side of your body has to lift the same weight independently.
This helps you find and fix muscle and strength imbalances, since one side can’t compensate for the other like it often does during barbell chest exercises.
READ MORE: How to Find and Fix Muscle Imbalances
Easier on Your Joints
Dumbbell chest exercises let your arms move more freely and naturally than barbell exercises, which makes it easier to adjust your form to avoid discomfort.
For example, a barbell locks your wrists in place, while dumbbells allow you to rotate them into a more comfortable position. That flexibility is especially helpful if you’re dealing with a wrist, shoulder, or elbow injury and need to train around it.
FAQ #1: Can you build your chest with just dumbbells?
Yes—if you follow an effective routine, train close to failure, and apply progressive overload, you can build an impressive chest using dumbbells alone.
FAQ #2: Can dumbbell chest exercises replace barbell exercises?
Yes, especially if your goal is building muscle. That said, if you’re looking to maximize one-rep max strength, barbell training is likely slightly better.
FAQ #3: Are standing dumbbell chest workouts effective?
Not really. Your pecs’ main function is to bring your upper arm across your body. To train them, you need to perform that movement against resistance.
Thanks to gravity, dumbbells only provide resistance in one direction: downward. Therefore, for a dumbbell to provide resistance in a chest exercise, you have to lie on your back and push upward against gravity.
When you do most standing dumbbell chest exercises, your arms may move in a pressing motion, but gravity is pulling the weight straight downward. That means your pecs aren’t doing much—your shoulders are handling most of the load instead.
FAQ #4: Are dumbbell chest workouts for women the same as those for men?
Yes. The best dumbbell chest exercises and programming principles for building a strong, defined chest are the same regardless of sex.
Scientific References +
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