Dumbbell Chest & Arm Workout: 14 Best Exercises to Gain Mass

Chest and arms are the crucial upper body muscles; bolstering them will help you build a strong torso and improve your physical appearance.

In this article, I’ll show you various exercises to strengthen your arms and chest with dumbbells.

The dumbbells are easy to use, adaptable, and efficient equipment you can use anywhere, such as at home and the gym. They provide a full range of motion and sufficient resistance to build strength and muscle mass.¹ Schwanbeck, Shane R et al. “Effects of Training With Free Weights Versus Machines on Muscle Mass, Strength, Free Testosterone, and Free Cortisol Levels.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research vol. 34,7 (2020): 1851-1859. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000003349, ²5 Benefits of Dumbbell Training by Pete McCall (MS, CSCS, and ACE Certified Personal Trainer) – American Council of Exercise

The Best Dumbbell Exercises for Arms & Chest

CHEST: Flat Bench Press, Incline Bench Press, Dumbbell Fly, Squeeze Press, and Dumbbell Pullover are the 5 best dumbbell chest exercises. These exercises target the upper, middle, and lower pecs and build a well-shaped chest.

TRICEPS: French Press, Overhead Triceps Extension, Kickback, and Tate Press are the top dumbbell triceps exercises. These exercises hammer your lateral, medial, and long heads to build sculpted triceps.

BICEPS: Alternating Biceps Curl, Concentration Curl, Hammer Curl, Incline DB Curl, and Spider Curl are the five most effective dumbbell exercises that hit the long and short heads and develop rounded biceps.

Let’s see how to perform each exercise step-by-step and when to include it in your training program

Dumbbell Chest Exercises

1. Flat Dumbbell Bench Press

The dumbbell bench press is one of the most effective exercises for building solid pecs. It provides a better range of motion and allows you to easily activate chest muscles. So even if you’re a beginner, you can easily do it.

Steps to do it:

1. Grab one dumbbell in each hand and lie on the flat bench.
2. Keep your feet on the ground, arms bent to your sides and brace your core.
3. Press the dumbbells directly over your chest until your arms are straight.
4. Slowly lower the dumbbells, pause for one second at the bottom, then press again.

Exercise Tips:

• Lower the weight slowly during the lowering (eccentric) phase). It keeps your muscles under constant tension and promotes muscle growth.
• Lower the dumbbells until you feel a stretch in your chest or else your chest won’t engage properly.
• You can do more reps on your weaker side to improve your strength imbalance.

2. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

The incline bench press targets the upper pecs (clavicular head) and helps build a fuller and proportional chest.

To activate your chest effectively, adjust the bench at a 30-degree angle, going beyond that increases shoulder involvement and reduces tension on the pecs.³ Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise – International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

An incline dumbbell press involves the following steps:

1. Set a bench to a 30-degree inclined angle and lie on it with one dumbbell in each hand.
2. Keep your arms bent with your elbows below your shoulder and palms facing forward.
3. Brace your abs and push the dumbbells upward and slightly inward over your chest until your upper pecs are fully engaged.
4. Return the dumbbells with a slow temp, hold for a second at the dip, then press back.

Exercise Tips:

• You can set the bench slightly above 30 degrees if it feels good in your chest but avoid going beyond 40 degrees.
• Holding your feet firmly grounded will also help you push more weight with better control.
• One mistake people often make during incline press is that they keep their elbows flared which is bad for shoulders in the long run. So, try to keep your shoulders 60-degree angle from your torso to avoid injury.

3. Dumbbell Fly

The dumbbell fly is an isolation exercise that reinforces chest muscles from a different angle and builds strong pecs.⁴ A Comparison of Muscle Activation between Barbell Bench Press and Dumbbell Flyes in Resistance-Trained Males – Journal of Sports Science and Medicine

It also makes the upper body flexible, enhances pulling strength, and engages the biceps.

It is an effective exercise but requires better control over movement to avoid injuries.

How to Dumbbell Fly:

1. Grab one dumbbell in each hand and lay down on a flat/incline bench.
2. Keep your arms out to the sides with your elbows slightly bent.
3. Squeezing your pecs, bring the dumbbells close to each other until they are together over your chest.
4. Return the dumbbells in a controlled manner to the start. That’s one rep.

Exercise Tips:

• Perform a combination of flat and incline dumbbell fly to hit the middle and upper chest effectively.
• Keep your elbows and wrists softly bent.
• Keep lowering the dumbbells until you feel the stretch in your chest. Nice stretch and controlled drop help increase muscle growth.

4. Dumbbell Squeeze Press

The squeeze press involves holding the dumbbells with a neutral grip and pressing them above your chest.

It deeply engages the pectoral muscles, including the inner chest, and helps bring out the best shape.

Doing it after the fly and presses will pump your chest nicely.

Steps to Perform a Squeeze Press:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells with a neutral grip and lie on a flat or incline bench.
2. Keep your arms bent beside your chest with your palms facing each other.
3. Squeezing your chest, press the dumbbells upward till your chest is fully engaged.
4. Lower the dumbbells deliberately to the start. That’s one rep.

Exercise Tips:

• Keep the dumbbells together throughout and squeeze them as hard as possible.
• You can also do it with one dumbbell lying on the floor, making it an excellent option for those who train with only one dumbbell.

5. Dumbbell Pullover

The dumbbell pullover is a multi-joint exercise that works on several muscles at once, primarily the chest and lats.⁵ Effects of the pullover exercise on the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi muscles as evaluated by EMG – Journal of Applied Biomechanics

It is one of the go-to chest exercises for old-school bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, and Lee Haney.

The pullover works by stretching your chest at the bottom and squeezing it at the top, making it a good alternative to machine chest exercises.

The dumbbell pullover involves the following steps:

1. Grip one end of the dumbbell with your hands and place the upper back and shoulders on the flat bench with your feet firmly on the ground, your hip in line with your chest, and your arms straight behind your head. That’s the start.
2. Keep your abs tight and pull the dumbbell all the way from your head to the chest.
3. Pause for one second at the top and return to the start in a controlled manner.

Exercise Tips:

• You can also lie fully on a flat bench if you have difficulty maintaining balance during the upper-back supported pullover.
• Actively think about your chest muscles pulling the dumbbell back to the starting position and avoid relying on your lats to perform the movement.

Dumbbell Exercises for Arms

6. Incline Dumbbell French Press

The incline French press targets the triceps long head, increases strength and mass, and builds bigger arms.

It is a good alternative to the barbell skull crusher, a muscle-building exercise for the triceps.

It also provides a full range of motion, allowing you to hit your triceps effectively and improve muscle definition.

To Perform the Dumbbell French Press:

1. Grab a pair of light dumbbells with a neutral grip and lie on the bench.
2. Keep your arms back with your elbows close to your ears and pointing up and forward.
3. Extend your arms entirely until you feel the full contraction in your triceps muscles.
4. Pause for a moment, then return to the start.

Exercise Tips:

• The triceps is a smaller muscle group, so use light dumbbells and aim to perform 12-20 reps.
• Do not let your wrists bend backward or forward; keep them aligned with your forearms.
• You can also do single-arm extensions to work on each arm separately.

7. Standing Triceps Extension

If you want to strengthen your triceps with only one dumbbell without using the bench, it should be the standing overhead extension.

The standing triceps extension activates the triceps long head, increases strength, and builds strong upper arms.

It can be used interchangeably with standing triceps extension.

The standing triceps extension involves the following steps:

1. Grab the top of a dumbbell (inner part) firmly with your hands.
2. Bend your elbows and lower the dumbbell behind your head.
3. Keeping your elbows fixed, extend your arms until your triceps are fully engaged.
4. Hold momentarily at the top then slowly return to the start.

Exercise Tips:

• Keep your elbows close to your ears and your upper arms stationary so the stress is evenly and effectively on the triceps.
• Lower the dumbbell back until you feel a stretch in the triceps, but don’t go so far that it strains your shoulders.

8. Dumbbell Kickback

The triceps kickback involves lifting your lower arms backward while keeping the upper arm still. It is one of the most effective tricep exercises that engage both the long and short heads and build chiseled triceps.⁶ ACE Study Identifies Best Triceps Exercises – American Council of Exercise

You can do it in several ways with and without a bench, such as an incline kickback, bend-forward kickback, and kneeling kickback.

Here’s how to do a bent-forward tricep kickback:

1. Grab a dumbbell in your right hand and stand in the hip-width stance.
2. Slightly bend your knees and place your left hand on the knee for support.
3. Slightly bend your elbows and hold the dumbbell to your side, close to your rib.
4. Extend your lower arms backward while keeping the upper arm still until your triceps are engaged. That’s one rep.

Exercise Tips:

• Your upper arms should remain close to your body and parallel to the floor throughout the movement.
• Slowly bring the dumbbells back to the starting position. This keeps tension on the triceps.

9. Dumbbell Tate Press

The Tate press is not popular in the world of bodybuilding but is well known in the powerlifting universe. It is used as an accessory lift to maximize bench press and strengthen the triceps.

It works the long, lateral, and medial, all three heads of the triceps, from a different angle than the above exercises, and helps develop fuller and well-defined upper arms.

Steps to Perform Dumbbell Tate Presses:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells, lie flat on the bench, and keep your arms straight over your chest with your elbows pointing out.
2. Lower the dumbbells inward and downward towards your chest until your elbows are bent and your triceps are stretched.
3. Pause for a second and extend your elbows till your arms are straight.

Exercise Tips:

• You can also do it lying on the floor.
• Focus on higher rep ranges to hit the triceps effectively.
• Focus on stretching and contracting your triceps.

10. Standard Dumbbell Curl

The alternating dumbbell curl is a unilateral exercise that allows you to focus on one arm at a time and helps you build stronger and bigger biceps.

It provides better control over how you move the dumbbells and helps you train your biceps more accurately.

Follow these steps to perform the standing dumbbell curl:

1. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and stand upright with your arms straight at your sides.
2. Bring the dumbbells toward your shoulders until your biceps are fully engaged.
3. Pause for a moment, then uncurl your arms. That’s your one rep.

Exercise Tips:

• Perform more reps on your weaker side.
• Keep the rep range of 10-12 per arm.
• Position your elbows close to your body.

11. Dumbbell Concentration Curl

The concentration curls involve sitting on the bench, placing your triceps on the inner thigh, and doing biceps curls by looking at it.

It puts your biceps under constant tension, creating nice contractions in your both long and short heads, and helps develop fuller and rounded biceps.

It is also beginner-friendly, making it suitable for all ages and genders.

The concentration curl involves the following steps:

1. Sit on the edge of a flat bench, and grab a dumbbell in your right hand with an underhand grip.
2. Slightly bend forward and place the back of your elbows on your thigh.
3. Curl your arm until you feel a good squeeze in your biceps.

Exercise Tips:

• Perform more reps on your weaker side to correct the strength imbalance and build symmetrical biceps.
• The sitting position and supported elbow prevent swinging, ensuring strict form and isolating the biceps.

12. Dumbbell Hammer Curl

The hammer curls involve performing biceps curls using a neutral grip. It targets the biceps from a different angle and helps build proportional biceps.

The hammer curls also engage the brachialis that lies beneath the biceps and the forearm muscles and help build stronger overall arms.

How to Perform Hammer Curl:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbells with a neutral grip and stand upright.
2. Curl your arms until your biceps are fully engaged.
3. Pause for a second at the top, squeeze your biceps, and then return to the start in a slow and controlled fashion.

Exercise Tips:

• You can also do hammer curls by sitting on a bench and using one arm at a time.
• If you want to get more from this exercise, ensure you perform each rep deliberately feeling the work in your biceps.

13. Incline Dumbbell Curl

The incline curls provide nicer stretch in a lengthened position and higher contraction during the arm flexion.

These unique characteristics make this a great addition to the biceps muscle-building training.

The incline curls involve the following steps:

1. Grasp one dumbbell in each hand and lie on a 45-60 degree incline bench.
2. Keep your arms at your sides with your elbows slightly bent.
3. Flex your arms until your biceps are fully contracted.
4. Pause for one second at the top then slowly lower them back to the start.

Exercise Tips:

• Perform each rep with the full range of motion to activate your biceps effectively. Focus on quality reps, not quantity.
• Keep your arms straight below your shoulders.

14. Prone Incline Curl

The incline prone curl involves lying on the chest and doing curls. This chest-supported variation eliminates swinging and allows you to effectively engage your biceps muscles.

Steps to perform an inclined prone curl:

1. Set a bench to a 45-degree incline, and grab a pair of dumbbells with an underhand grip.
2. Lie on the bench on your stomach with your chest at its edge.
3. Curl your straight arms until you feel the full contraction in your bi’s.
4. Pause momentarily, then lower your arms slowly.

Exercise Tips:

• Move your upper arms only while keeping your elbows stationary. This ensures your biceps will do the most work.
• Take 2 to 3 seconds during the eccentric (lowering) phase to increase time under tension and increase exercise effectiveness.

30-Minute Arm and Chest Dumbbell Workout

• Number of sets: 3
• Reps range: 8-12
• Rest between exercises: up to 30 seconds
• Rest between sets: 1-2 min
• Duration of a session: 45-60 minutes

Workout A

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Flat Bench Press	3-4	12-15
Incline Bench Press	3-4	12-15
Dumbbell Fly	3-4	10-12
4A Overhead Triceps Extension	3	15-20
4B Concentration Curl	3	10/arm
5A Single-arm Kickback	3	10/side
5B Incline DB Curl	3	12-15

Workout B

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Incline Bench Press	3-4	12-15
Flat Dumbbell Fly	3-4	12-15
Dumbbell Pullover	3-4	10-12
4A French Press	3	15-20
4B Alternating DB Curl	3	10/arm
5A Tate Press	3	12-15
5B Hammer Curl	3	12-15

Can You Train Arms and Chest Together?

Yes, you can train your arms and chest together. It is recommended that one should train one large and one small muscle together, such as the chest and triceps & biceps.

The chest and triceps work when you push or extend your arms, while the biceps engage during the pull exercises.

So, you can train the muscles in the following way: Chest, biceps, and triceps superset, or chest, triceps, and biceps individually, one after another.

Should You Train Your Arms or Chest First?

Training the large muscles first or doing multi-joint exercises always produces better results, as several professionals, trainers, and fitness websites suggested.

So, starting your training session with chest exercises, such as dumbbell bench press, fly, and pullover, would be great, followed by single-joint exercises, such as tricep kickback and dumbbell curl.⁷ Large and Small Muscles in Resistance Training: Is It Time for a Better Definition? – Strength and Conditioning Journal

References

• 1
  Schwanbeck, Shane R et al. “Effects of Training With Free Weights Versus Machines on Muscle Mass, Strength, Free Testosterone, and Free Cortisol Levels.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research vol. 34,7 (2020): 1851-1859. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000003349
• 2
  5 Benefits of Dumbbell Training by Pete McCall (MS, CSCS, and ACE Certified Personal Trainer) – American Council of Exercise
• 3
  Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise – International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• 4
  A Comparison of Muscle Activation between Barbell Bench Press and Dumbbell Flyes in Resistance-Trained Males – Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
• 5
  Effects of the pullover exercise on the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi muscles as evaluated by EMG – Journal of Applied Biomechanics
• 6
  ACE Study Identifies Best Triceps Exercises – American Council of Exercise
• 7
  Large and Small Muscles in Resistance Training: Is It Time for a Better Definition? – Strength and Conditioning Journal