The one-arm dumbbell bench press is an often forgotten chest exercise that incorporates balance training into your chest routine. This variation of the standard dumbbell chest press has both benefits and drawbacks: it cannot replace other chest press exercises, but it can add a new training dimension to your chest workout.
The Movement
Grab a dumbbell in your right hand and lie back on a weight bench. Use your left hand to position the dumbbell above your chest with your arm fully extended. Rest your left hand at your side or hold onto the bench for balance. Lower the dumbbell down and out to the side. Stop when your upper arm is parallel to the ground or when you feel a slight stretch in your chest. Pause for a count then press the dumbbell back up, straightening your arm.
Muscles Worked
The one-arm dumbbell bench press targets the same muscles as other bench press exercises. The chest muscles are the primary movers for a bench press. The triceps muscles and the front shoulders assist the chest. Other muscles that aren't involved in standard presses, such as your back and abdominal muscles come into play during the one-arm dumbbell press. They contract to stabilize your body on the bench against the weight of the single dumbbell.
Benefits
The body is a very efficient machine. If you always provide the same stimulus, it adapts and has no reason to change or improve. Incorporating new exercises into your workouts provides a new, challenging stimulus. The one-arm dumbbell bench press works your muscles in a different way than standard bench presses, adding much needed variety and freshness to your chest routine. It also challenges your muscles in a new dimension since it requires not only strength, but balance.
Drawbacks
If you are training to improve your strength, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, or NSCA, recommends using heavy weights that fatigue your muscles within four to six repetitions. You generally use lighter weight on the one-arm dumbbell bench press than you do for standard bench presses because of the balance issue. Although this exercise is appropriate for improving your balance and muscular endurance, it is not the best choice for improving strength.
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