ChestDumbbellsIntermediate

How to Do a Dumbbell Bench Press

By Bryan Alger, Co-Founder of Gravitus

· Updated Sep 30, 2026

A dumbbell bench press is a chest press on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Lower both to the sides of your chest, elbows 45 to 60 degrees from your body, then press them up. It trains the chest, front delts and triceps. Most lifters do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

Sets x reps 3-4 x 8-12

Median 10-rep weight, per dumbbell 6530 lbkg men 3013 lbkg women

Muscles Chest, front delts, triceps

Vs barbell 40% of your bench per dumbbell

Dumbbell Bench Press bottom and top positions

1Bottom. Dumbbells level with your chest, forearms vertical, shoulder blades pinned to the bench.
2Top. Press until your arms are straight over your chest, then lower over 2 to 3 seconds.

Watch 3 video demonstrations

Video 1 of 3

Find more video demonstrations in the Gravitus app

Technique

How to do a dumbbell bench press

Sit on the end of a flat bench with a dumbbell standing on each thigh, just above your knees.
Lie back and use your knees to kick the dumbbells up to your chest as your back reaches the pad. Press them up over your chest.
Plant your feet, pull your shoulder blades back and down, and keep your head, upper back and glutes on the bench. Palms face forward or turn slightly in.
Lower over 2 to 3 seconds until the dumbbells sit beside your chest. Your elbows stay 45 to 60 degrees out from your sides, with your forearms vertical.
Press back up until your arms are straight, without knocking the dumbbells together. After the last rep, bring them to your chest, lift your knees and sit up with the dumbbells on your thighs.

Gravitus data

How much weight should you dumbbell bench press?

On Gravitus, the median man lifts 65 lb (30 kg) per dumbbell for 10 reps on the dumbbell bench press, and the median woman 30 lb (13 kg).

Men, typical 65 lb per dumbbell for 10 reps

Most lift: 50 to 80 lb
Top 10% lift: 100 lb or more
Starting out: under 50 lb

Women, typical 30 lb per dumbbell for 10 reps

Most lift: 22.5 to 40 lb
Top 10% lift: 55 lb or more
Starting out: under 22.5 lb

Men, typical 30 kg per dumbbell for 10 reps

Most lift: 22.5 to 37.5 kg
Top 10% lift: 45 kg or more
Starting out: under 22.5 kg

Women, typical 13 kg per dumbbell for 10 reps

Most lift: 10 to 18 kg
Top 10% lift: 25 kg or more
Starting out: under 10 kg

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, per dumbbell, rounded to 5 lb (2.5 under 40). From 14,728 men and 3,140 women who log the dumbbell bench press on Gravitus, computed Oct 4, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	70 / 50 lb	30 / 22.5 lb
Median	90 / 65 lb	37.5 / 30 lb
75th	105 / 80 lb	55 / 40 lb
90th	135 / 100 lb	70 / 55 lb

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, per dumbbell, rounded to 2.5 kg (1 under 20). From 14,728 men and 3,140 women who log the dumbbell bench press on Gravitus, computed Oct 4, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	30 / 22.5 kg	13 / 10 kg
Median	40 / 30 kg	18 / 13 kg
75th	47.5 / 37.5 kg	25 / 18 kg
90th	60 / 45 kg	32.5 / 25 kg

Weights are per dumbbell, the way lifters log them. Double the number for the total in your hands. Compare yourself to your own log on a flat bench, since an incline takes weight off.

Gravitus data

Dumbbell vs barbell bench press: how the weights compare

40%Each dumbbell, of your barbell max

80%Both dumbbells together

35-45%Middle half of men, per dumbbell

Each dumbbell is about 40% of your barbell bench, not half. We compared the best estimated max of 12,000+ men and 2,000+ women who log both lifts in Gravitus (Sep 2026). The median man's dumbbell max, per hand, was 40% of his barbell max, and the median woman's was 41%. A 225 lb (100 kg) barbell bench predicts dumbbells of about 90 lb (40 kg) each for one rep.

A lab study found a similar gap: trained men lifted 17% less with dumbbells than with a barbell (Saeterbakken 2011). Dumbbell training does not close it. Ten weeks of dumbbell pressing raised trained men's dumbbell 6-rep max by 39% but their barbell bench by 12% (Saeterbakken 2020). If you want a bigger barbell bench, train with a barbell.

Anatomy

Dumbbell bench press muscles worked

Chest, middle and lower mostPushes the arms up and together. On a flat bench the middle and lower chest work harder than on any incline (Rodríguez-Ridao 2020).

Primary

Front deltsRaise the arms forward. They work in every press and more as the bench tilts up.

Secondary

TricepsStraighten the elbows. They work less with dumbbells than with a barbell (Saeterbakken 2011, Farias 2017).

Secondary

Rotator cuff, biceps, serratus anteriorKeep each dumbbell steady and the shoulder blades in place. Biceps activity was higher with dumbbells than with a barbell (Saeterbakken 2011).

Stabilizer

Compare

Dumbbell bench press vs barbell bench press vs incline dumbbell press

Attribute	Dumbbell bench press	Barbell bench press	Incline dumbbell press
Chest activity	Same as barbell, or a little more	Same	More upper, less middle and lower
Weight you can lift	80% of your barbell, both together	Most	Less than flat
Triceps	Less	More	Less
Bottom of the rep	Dumbbells beside your chest	Bar stops on your chest	Dumbbells beside your upper chest
Best for	Whole chest, one arm at a time	Heaviest loads, small jumps	Upper chest

Verdict

A close call for the chest. Chest activity was the same with dumbbells and a barbell in one study (Saeterbakken 2011) and slightly higher with dumbbells in another (Farias 2017); no study has compared growth. Strength carries over only partly, so if you want a bigger barbell bench, bench with a barbell and use dumbbells as your second press.

Research

Dumbbell bench claims the research does not back

"Dumbbells build your barbell bench just as well." Only partly. Dumbbell training raised trained men's dumbbell 6-rep max by 39% and their barbell bench by 12% (Saeterbakken 2020).
"Dumbbells work the chest harder because you have to stabilize them." Chest activity with dumbbells matched the barbell even though lifters used 17% less weight; the biceps worked harder and the triceps less (Saeterbakken 2011). One study found slightly more chest activity with dumbbells (Farias 2017). Neither measured growth.
"Bring the dumbbells together at the top to squeeze the chest." Dumbbells are pulled straight down. With your arms vertical, touching them adds no load to the chest.

Programming

Sets, reps and progression

3-4Sets

8-12Reps

1-2Reps left

Do dumbbell bench presses once or twice a week, first or second in a chest, push or upper-body workout. Stop each set 1 to 2 reps short of failure. Sets taken close to failure build muscle across a wide range of reps (Schoenfeld 2021), so pick a range you can keep strict.

Use the full range every rep. In a 10-week bench press study, full reps built more strength than two-thirds or one-third reps (Martínez-Cava 2022). Dumbbells usually go up 5 lb (2.5 kg) per hand, which is 10 lb (5 kg) more in total. Add reps first: when every set reaches 12, move up one dumbbell size and drop back to 8.

Form

Common mistakes

Elbows flared straight outThe front of the shoulder takes the strain. Keep your elbows 45 to 60 degrees from your sides.
Stopping short at the bottomHalf reps build less strength. Lower until the dumbbells sit beside your chest every rep.
Knocking the dumbbells togetherIt adds nothing for the chest and makes the dumbbells harder to control. Stop with them a few inches apart.
Wrists bent backThe dumbbell sits behind your forearm and strains the wrist. Keep the handle stacked over your forearm.
Dropping the dumbbells from the topLetting go with straight arms yanks on your shoulders. Bring the dumbbells to your chest, then to your thighs, and sit up.

Variations

Dumbbell bench press variations

Incline dumbbell pressA 15 to 30 degree bench. Over 8 weeks, incline pressing grew the upper chest more than flat pressing (Chaves 2020).

Neutral-grip dumbbell bench pressPalms facing each other, elbows tucked closer to your sides. Many lifters find it easier on the shoulders.

Single-arm dumbbell bench pressOne dumbbell at a time. Your core works to stop you rolling toward the weight.

Dumbbell floor pressLying on the floor, which stops your elbows short. A partial press for when you have no bench.

Barbell bench pressThe same press with a bar. Heavier loads, smaller jumps, and the lift to train for a bigger bench.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What muscles does dumbbell bench press work?

The chest (pectoralis major), most of all its middle and lower parts on a flat bench, with the front delts and triceps helping. The rotator cuff, biceps and serratus anterior keep the dumbbells steady.

Is dumbbell bench press a compound exercise?

Yes. It moves two joints, the shoulder and the elbow, and trains the chest, front delts and triceps together.

Does dumbbell bench press work shoulders?

Yes, the front delts. They help the chest press the dumbbells up, and they do more as the bench tilts up (Rodríguez-Ridao 2020).

How low to go on dumbbell bench press?

Until the dumbbells sit beside your chest, with your shoulder blades still pinned to the bench. Full-range bench pressing built more strength than partial reps (Martínez-Cava 2022). Stop higher if your shoulders roll forward or hurt.

Is dumbbell bench press better than barbell bench press?

Not for chest activity; it was the same with dumbbells and a barbell, with 17% less weight on the dumbbells (Saeterbakken 2011). The barbell loads heavier with smaller jumps and builds the barbell bench best. Dumbbells let each arm work alone and let your wrists turn to a comfortable angle.

How does dumbbell bench press weight compare to barbell bench press?

For the median Gravitus lifter, each dumbbell is 40% of their barbell max, so both together are 80%. A 225 lb (100 kg) barbell bench predicts about 90 lb (40 kg) per dumbbell for one rep.

How much weight should I dumbbell bench press?

For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 65 lb (30 kg) per dumbbell for men and 30 lb (13 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 80 lb (37.5 kg) and 40 lb (18 kg) or more.

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References