Dumbbell chest workouts offer a versatile form of training and a great way to strengthen your upper body.
Building a stronger chest is important to improve your posture and will enhance your workouts, be it swimming, gymnastics or Olympic weightlifting.
Working with dumbbells allows a greater range of motion and, even though they might not allow you to press the biggest weight you can, they will work muscles that aren’t reached when training with barbells.
They also give you a balanced development, forcing you to work equally as hard on both sides instead of compensating with your stronger side like you’d be unconsciously prone to do with a barbell.
Improve your strength
Chest workouts usually also have an impact on your arms, shoulders, and back, building a stronger upper body overall. Working out to toughen your chest will improve your CrossFit performance by making exercises such as push-ups, dips, and almost every overhead movement easier.
On a less serious note, a strong chest can help you open that jar that defeated you last time you tried to have a jam sandwich.
Here are five dumbbell chest workouts for you to try out next time you head to the Box.
WOD 1 – Dumbbell Chest Workouts
For time:
- 1 mile Run
- 27 DB Bench Presses
- 27 Handstand Push-Ups
- 27 Dumbbell Thrusters
- 27 Knees-to-Elbows
- 27 Deadlift
- 1 mile Run
Dumbbell bench presses will force you to isolate the weight into both arms; without compensation you’ll get a balanced workout.
Being independent tools, dumbbells also mean you can vary your grip, allowing you to target muscles slightly differently.