If you’re looking for a dumbbell push workout program and exercises to strengthen your chest, shoulder, and triceps, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, I’ve shared some of the best dumbbell push workouts that you can perform on your push day of the PPL workout schedule.
What are Push Workouts?
Pushing the weights up, down, or against the body is considered a push workout—for example, bench press, pushup, and overhead press. Push exercises hit the chest, triceps, and shoulder, the three major muscles of the upper body that make your physique look solid.
You can do push exercises with different types of equipment, such as barbells, machines, and kettlebells, but this article is mainly for dumbbell lovers.
I’ve included various workouts that you can do with dumbbells at home and the gym on your push day. The push workouts allow you to work on multiple muscles in the same training sessions and help you increase strength and mass.
The Best Dumbbell Push Exercises to Gain Muscle
If you want to add muscles to your chest, shoulders, and triceps, try doing the following dumbbell push workouts. These exercises are customized to add strength and bulk to your upper body.
- Chest
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
- Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
- Dumbbell Squeeze Press
- Shoulder
- Dumbbell Overhead Press
- Seated Arnold Press
- Dumbbell Push Press
- Triceps
- Dumbbell Crush Grip Push-Up
- Incline Dumbbell French Press
- Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
- Dumbbell Tate Press
- Dumbbell Tricep Kickback
You can also incorporate front and lateral raises in your dumbbell push day workout to build solid and broad shoulder muscles.
1. Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Chest | Dumbbells and Bench | Beginner |
The flat dumbbell bench press is one of the primary workouts you can do on your push day dumbbell workout to build a muscular upper body, particularly the chest. It is slightly easier than the barbell bench press because of the better range of motion; even a beginner can do it.
To perform this movement,
- Grab a pair of dumbbells, lie on the bench, and hold the dumbbells beside your chest.
- Contracting your pecs, press the dumbbells up until your arms are straight.
- Return and repeat for the suggested reps and sets.
2. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Chest | Dumbbells and Flexible Bench | Beginner |
The incline dumbbell bench press is a great exercise for strengthening the upper chest and adding a little size to the upper pectorals.
With the horizontal and incline dumbbell bench press, you’ll be able to develop defined pecs at home.
Steps to do it:
- Holding a pair of dumbbells, sit on a 30-degree incline bench, and put the dumbbells on your thighs.
- Lie on your back and use your thighs to push the dumbbells up alternatively and hold them about your shoulder width.
- Now, inhale and press the dumbbells over your upper pecs until your arms are straight.
- Exhale and return to the star. This is your one rep!
3. Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Pecs | Dumbbells and Flexible Bench | Intermediate |
If you want to hit the lower chest specifically, you can do the decline dumbbell bench press. The decline bench press is a strength and muscle-building workout that adds strength and definition to your pectoral muscles.
However, this is not a beginner-friendly workout as well as is not important for everyone unless your instructor tells you to do it.
That’s why I also perform this exercise only once or twice a month, whereas the flat and incline press six to eight times.
How to do it:
- Adjust the bench to a 15-30 degree decline.
- Holding a pair of dumbbells, lie on the bench with your feet secure at the end of it.
- Hold the dumbbells about shoulder-width with your palms facing away. It will be your starting position.
- Brace your core, inhale, and press the dumbbells away from you until your arms are straight directly over you.
- Exhale and return the dumbbell to the start.
- Repeat for the suggested reps and sets.
Tips: Take your partner’s help as they will help you move the weight up and down so you can perform safely.
4. Dumbbell Squeeze Press
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Chest | Dumbbells and Bench | Intermediate |
The dumbbell squeeze press helps you isolate your chest and triceps muscles. It puts your pecs under constant tension and increases metabolic stress and levels of mechanical tension that helps swole on your chest muscles.
I do it once in two sessions as a finisher workout on my chest day.
How to do it:
- Grab a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip and lie on a flat bench with your face up.
- Hold the dumbbell together just above your chest with your elbows bent.
- Contracting your chest, press the dumbbell above your chest until your arms are straight.
- Return and repeat for the suggested reps and sets.
5. Dumbbell Overhead Press
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder | Dumbbells | Beginner |
The overhead press is an effective exercise to increase shoulder mass and strength and is one of the best dumbbell push workouts.
It bolsters the entire muscles of the shoulder, like front and side delts, and improves your upper body composition.
How to do it:
- Grab one dumbbell in each hand and stand upright with your feet hip-width apart.
- Bend your elbows and hold the dumbbells just outside your shoulders, palms facing away from you.
- Brace your abdominal muscles and press the dumbbells overhead until you feel the complete contraction in your shoulders.
- Return the weight to the start. That’s one rep.
- Aim for eight to twelve reps and perform three to four sets.
6. Seated Arnold Press
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder | Dumbbells and Flexible Bench | Intermediate |
If you want to build a thick and broad shoulder, you can also perform the Arnold press while doing the push workout with dumbbells.
The Arnold press is one of the advanced variations of the shoulder press that hits all three heads of the delt, creating one of the most complete shoulder workouts possible.
It appeared to be more effective than the standard shoulder press in a research published on the website, Researchgate.com.
How to do it:
- Holding one dumbbell in each hand, sit on the edge of a flat bench.
- Hold the dumbbell in front of you at about shoulder level with your elbows bent and palms facing in.
- Now, rotating your wrist, press the weight overhead until your arms are straight and palms facing forward.
- Reverse the movement to bring the dumbbells to the original position. That’s one rep.
- Aim for six to 10 reps, and perform three to four sets.
7. Dumbbell Push Press
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Chest | Dumbbells | Beginner |
The dumbbell push press involves pressing the dumbbells overhead explosively using the core, legs, hips, and shoulder muscles.
The involvement of multiple muscle groups makes this exercise super effective for strength and power development and improving athleticism.
How to do it:
- Grab one dumbbell in each hand and stand straight in the shoulder-width stance.
- Hold the dumbbells about your shoulder level with palms facing forward.
- Lower into a partial squat, and extending your hips and knees, press the dumbbells up until your elbows are locked out overhead. This will be your one rep.
- Return and repeat for the recommended reps and sets.
8. Dumbbell Crush Grip Push Up
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Chest and Triceps | Dumbbells | Intermediate |
This exercise is one of the most challenging push-up variations you can do with a pair of dumbbells. It is an excellent upper-body push workout that helps develop chest and triceps muscles and build good good-looking physique.
This push-up also improves the strength in the wrists, forearms, core, and shoulders. However, it isn’t suitable for beginners. So if you’re a newbie you can do kneeling pushups to scale up for crush grip.
How to do it:
- Holding a pair of dumbbells with a neutral grip, get into a high plank position with your arms straight below your chest and hands shorter than shoulder-width apart. This will be your starting position.
- Bending your elbows, lower your chest close to the ground, and extend your arms to push back. This is your one rep.
9. Incline Dumbbell French Press
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps | Dumbbells and Bench | Beginner |
You can do various push workouts with dumbbells to sculpt your triceps, and the incline French press is one of them. Incline French press is a free-weight exercise that primarily hits the long head of the triceps and builds up brawny arms.
How to do it:
- Grab one dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip and lie on a 30-45 degree incline bench.
- Bend your elbows and hold the dumbbells behind your head, arms close to your ears, and elbows facing away. This will be your starting position.
- Keeping your elbows fixed, extend your arms until your triceps are entirely engaged.
- Return and repeat for the recommended reps and sets.
10. Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps | Dumbbells | Beginner |
The dumbbell overhead triceps extension is a quick, simple, and effective exercise that can strengthen the triceps, a large group of muscles in the upper arm. It is suitable for all fitness enthusiasts. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you can do overhead extension when you perform dumbbell push exercises at home.
How to do it:
- Grab the top of a dumbbell with your hands and sit on the edge of a flat bench.
- Hold the dumbbell behind your head with your elbows bent and pointing forward.
- Now, extend your arms fully overhead. That’s one rep. You’ll feel the work in your triceps as you extend your arms.
11. Dumbbell Tate Press
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps | Dumbbells and Bench | Intermediate |
The Tate press is one of the best dumbbell push exercises you can do to bolster your triceps muscles. It targets the long and medial head, the two major triceps muscles, and builds burly arms.
It is also an excellent way to increase your bench press. Many powerlifters use it as an accessory exercise to maximize bench press.
How to do it:
- Grab one dumbbell in each hand and lie on a flat bench.
- Hold the dumbbells above your chest with straight arms, palms facing away, and elbows pointing out. This will be your starting position.
- Lower the dumbbells inward and downward towards your chest until they are close to it but do not let them touch your chest.
- Extend your elbows until your arms are entirely straight. You’ve done your first. Now go for the recommended reps.
12. Dumbbell Tricep Kickback
| Muscle Worked | Equipment Needed | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps | Dumbbells | Beginner |
Dumbbell kickbacks are effective for building and toning triceps. It isolates the triceps and allows the muscle to be worked at a different angle than other basic triceps exercises such as pushdowns, dips, and lying extensions.
An ACE sponsor study has shown that kickback exercise produces higher muscle activation in tricep muscles among various exercises, such as overhead triceps extensions, pushdowns, and closed-grip bench presses. So, including it in your dumbbell-only push workout routine maximizes your overall results.
How to do it:
- Grab a dumbbell in your right hand and stand upright with your feet together.
- Slightly bend your front knee, lean forward, and place your left hand on your knee for support.
- Raise your elbow a bit and keep it tucked at your side.
- Extend your arm behind until your arm is entirely straight.
- Pause for a moment and lower the weight to the start.
How Push Day Dumbbell Workout Routine Looks Like
If today is your push day, you can use these dumbbell workout routines to build up your strength and mass. These are straightforward, effective, and easy to follow.
1. One Hour Push Workout with Dumbbells
This dumbbell push workout routine is perfect for anyone who wants to gain muscle mass in the shoulder, chest, and triceps. This workout doesn’t require much space, only a gym bench and a set of dumbbells.
Note: Complete all sets of one exercise before doing the next one.
| Exercise | Muscle | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Dumbbell Bench Press | Chest | 12 x 4 |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | Chest | 10 x 3 |
| Seated Arnold Press | Shoulder | 10 x 3 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises | Shoulder | 10 x 3 |
| Dumbbell Crush Grip Push-Up | Chest, Tris | 10 x 2 |
| Incline Dumbbell French Press | Triceps | 10 x 3 |
| Dumbbell Tricep Kickback | Triceps | 10 x 3 |
2. 30-Minute Dumbbell Push Workout No Bench
Whether you’re a male or female, you can add this routine to your dumbbell push/pull/legs workout schedule. This routine requires no special equipment, even a workout bench.
Related: No Bench Dumbbell Workout Plan With PDF
| Exercise | Muscle | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Floor Press | Chest, Tris | 10 x 3 |
| Dumbbell Close Grip Push-Up | Chest, Tris | 10 x 3 |
| Dumbbell Squeeze Press | Chest, Tris | 10 x 3 |
| Dumbbell Overhead Press | Shoulder | 10 x 3 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises | Shoulder | 10 x 3 |
| Dumbbell Tricep Kickback | Triceps | 10 x 3 |
You can add the dumbbell pull and leg workouts to these push exercises to create a workout schedule for yourself.
You may also like: 6 Day Push/Pull/Legs (PPL) Dumbbell Workout Plan To Build Muscle
