Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
Trains the Pecs.
- Equipment
- Dumbbells and either a flat bench or an adjustable bench
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Sit on a flat bench with one dumbbell on the same-side thigh.
- Lie back, using the leg to bring the dumbbell to your chest.
- Rest the free hand on your hip or hold the bench — do not use it to help.
- Press the dumbbell up until the arm is almost straight, keeping the shoulder blade set against the bench.
- Lower under control until the upper arm is roughly level with the torso.
- Finish the repetitions on that side, then swap and match them.
Common mistakes
- Letting the loaded side roll off the bench. One dumbbell on one side is a rotation the trunk has to resist for the whole set, and that resistance is most of what the single-arm version adds.
- Bracing hard with the free hand on the bench. Holding on for safety is fine; pulling on it to stay square hands the anti-rotation work to the other arm.
- Taking half your two-dumbbell weight. The trunk becomes the limit before the chest does, so the usable load is usually less than half.
- Letting the hips shift toward the loaded side. The body stays square; sliding across is a way of putting the weight back over the middle of the bench and cancelling the point.