Dumbbell chest press and strength

The dumbbell chest press fits well into a plan whose goal is better French chest muscles when lying down and bigger chest muscles. Here is a four-day weekly plan in which the dumbbell chest press, back, legs and supporting muscles work together instead of eating into recovery.

The idea behind the dumbbell chest press plan

This plan is built on simple logic: the chest and pressing get 2 exposures a week, but the whole body stays in work. Monday is a heavy chest day. On Thursday the French chest muscles come back, but with less chest volume and a lean toward the shoulders and biceps.

The weekly framework looks like this: Monday – Lying dumbbell chest press, accessory exercises for the chest, triceps, abs. Tuesday – Deadlift, lats, traps. Wednesday – Rest. Thursday – French chest muscles lying down, shoulders, biceps, abs. Friday – Thighs, calves. Saturday – Rest. Sunday – Rest.

For the pressing system exercise, pick one: the regular bench press, close-grip bench press, decline press, barbell floor press or block press. If you go with the block press, choose one height out of the different heights and stick with it for as long as your chosen program lasts.

Pressing and chest-day exercises

Good accessory exercises for chest day are dips, the incline bench press, the dumbbell floor press, dumbbell flyes at different angles and the Smith machine bench press at different angles. If you want to feel the load on the chest better, the dumbbell chest press fits in well here too, because both arms have to do the work on their own.

1. Pressing system exercise – Russian system or 5 x 5
2. Pressing (chest-day) accessory exercise I – 3 x 8 – 10
3. Pressing (chest-day) accessory exercise II – 3 x 12 – 20
4. Barbell French press or French press with palms facing each other – 4 x 5 – 8
5. Cable pushdown – 3 x 10 – 15
6. Hanging leg raises – 3 x 15 – 20

The first exercise is the main part of the day. Pick one of the system exercises and stick with it for as long as your chosen program lasts. You can also do the second and third chest exercises as a superset, but don’t let the volume get too big. You don’t need more than three exercises for the chest. Otherwise recovery gets difficult.

Rest periods for the system exercises should be 1.5 – 3 minutes: as long as you need and as short as you can. You can swap the triceps exercises for your favorites, but stick to the plan when it comes to volume and set lengths. The French press is an important accessory exercise here, not a random add-on.

Back, shoulders and the dumbbell chest press

Tuesday is back day. Here you can decide whether the deadlift is the main lift for building strength or just one heavy back exercise. If the deadlift stays first, do it according to a set system. If you want to work the back as a whole, you can also place the deadlift after the pullover and before the rowing.

1. Deadlift/trap bar deadlift/Sumo deadlift – 4 x 4 – 6
2. Pull-ups – 3 x 4 – 6 + 1 longer bodyweight set to failure
3. Bent-over row with a dumbbell or the end of a barbell – 3 – 4 x 5 – 8
4. Lying dumbbell pullover – 3 x 10 – 12
5. Seated row (use different grips) – 2 x 15
6. Shrugs with dumbbells or a barbell – 3 x 8 – 10
7. Barbell plate front raise – 2 – 3 x 12 – 15

A heavy deadlift takes strength away from pull-ups and bent-over rows. That isn’t a mistake, it’s a choice. For the traps, you can combine the last two exercises into a superset every other workout. It would also be good to set a clear progression principle for the pull-ups.

1. Pressing system exercise – Russian system or 5 x 5
2. Shoulder press variation…seated on a machine/seated on the Smith machine/seated with dumbbells – 4 x 5 – 8
3. Bent-over dumbbell lateral raise – 4 x 10, 15, 20, 25
4. Seated barbell Bradford press or “Six Movements” (Read “Mountain Dog’s shoulder workout”) – 2 – 3 x 10
5. Standing barbell biceps curl – 4 x 6, 4 x 7, 4 x 8, then increase the weight and start again from 4 x 6.
6. Seated or standing dumbbell biceps curl (rotate your hand) – 3 x 15 – 21
7. Machine crunches – 4 x 20 – 30

Thursday is the second pressing day. Only one exercise is left for the chest, so don’t secretly turn it into a full chest day. The rear delt is deliberately placed as the second shoulder exercise. Do 10 reps with the heavier weight, then go slightly lighter for 15, then 20 and 25. You can look up the Bradford press on YouTube.

Leg day and practical tips

Friday is for thighs and calves. The first exercise of leg day should be a heavy basic lift. The hamstrings are deliberately placed second, because this gives a different feel than the usual “do the whole front first” approach.

1. Barbell squat/barbell hack squat, Smith machine squat/box squat/front squat – 5 x 5, use one of these variations for 5 x 5 and progress by working your weights up.
2. Romanian deadlift with dumbbells/Romanian deadlift with barbell/leg curl – 4 x 8 – 10
3. Leg press/hack squat machine, leg extension – 3 – 4 x 15 – 21
4. To finish the leg workout, pick one of the following.

• Split squat – 3 x 10, one leg after the other, effectively 6 sets, the weight is not heavy
• Lunges with a barbell or dumbbells – 2 x 30 steps
• Bodyweight lunges – 1 x 100 steps
• Leg press for 2 minutes…one set
• Trap bar deadlift, with a block under the heels or without, for 2 minutes or 30 x in a row
• Quarter squat, using a bench under your backside as a guide – 1 x 30 x, 40 x or 50 x
• Half squat with arms out in front 2 x 2 minutes
• Half squat with the weight on the front of the shoulders 2 x 1 minute

5. Standing calf raise with a barbell or on a machine – 4 x 6 x 6/5 x 7/4 x 8/4 x 9, the first time pick a weight and do 6 x 6, on the next leg day do 5 x 7 with the same weight, and so on, add weight once you have completed 4 x 9.
6. Calves…seated calf raise 1 x 100 – 200, start with a very light weight, even 15 – 20 kg – that is, the start is deceptive and comfortable, around 100 it starts to work, if you decide to go all the way to 200.

The rep range of 15 – 21 for the third exercise is deliberately wider. You can also use 6/12/25, 10/20/30 or timed sets. 6/12/25 means that after pyramiding up, you do a set of six to failure, then reduce the weight and do 12, and for the third set go lighter still and do 25 reps.

I have also done this with the same weight: first set with 115 kg, rest 2 minutes, next set 12 x with 115 kg, and finally 25 reps with 115 kg. Next time the same attempt, but with a barbell that is 2.5 kg heavier. A simple truth: progression has to be visible somewhere.

Always start with a warm-up and loosening-up exercises. Rest between sets should be 1.5 – 2 minutes; for lighter exercises, more than 1.5 minutes is not needed. Be sure to finish with stretching!

FAQ

Can the dumbbell chest press replace the barbell bench press?

It can, if the goal is to feel the chest muscle better or to find a movement that suits your shoulders more. If the goal is a barbell bench press personal record, keep the barbell as a core lift.

How many chest exercises make sense in this plan?

Up to three on Monday. Only one on Thursday. More will not make the plan better, but may rob you of recovery.

Does the French press have to be included?

It doesn’t, but your triceps need work to support a strong press. If the French press doesn’t suit you, replace it with a triceps exercise where you can gradually increase the weight and reps.

Author: Janar Rückenberg

Source:Turg.Fitness.ee

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