One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press

What it is

This unilateral movement builds strength and stability across your chest, shoulders, and triceps. You perform it lying on a flat bench, pressing a single dumbbell with one arm at a time. This variation helps address muscular imbalances and enhances core stability by preventing rotation. It is an effective exercise for developing overall upper body pushing power.

Technique tips

• Engage your core throughout the movement to maintain a stable torso.
• Control the dumbbell deliberately, especially during the lowering phase.
• Breathe in as you lower the weight, then exhale forcefully as you press it up.
• Actively squeeze your chest muscles at the top of the movement.
• Use your non-lifting hand for light support only if balance is challenging.
• Ensure the lowering phase is slower and more controlled than the pressing phase.

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.