Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip

What it is

This dumbbell exercise is a compound movement performed on a flat bench, primarily targeting your chest for strength and hypertrophy. You press two dumbbells upwards from your chest, keeping your palms facing each other throughout the movement. Your shoulders and triceps also contribute significantly to the lift.

Technique tips

• Lie flat on the bench with feet on the floor and shoulder blades retracted.
• Start with arms extended directly above you, palms facing each other.
• Lower the dumbbells slowly until they are near your torso.
• Pause briefly at the bottom of the movement before pressing up.
• Keep your elbows slightly tucked, avoiding excessive flaring.
• Exhale as you press the dumbbells back to the starting position.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.