One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press is a beginner compound dumbbell exercise that mainly works your chest, with help from your shoulders and triceps.


How to do the one arm dumbbell bench press
- Lie down on a flat bench with a dumbbell in one hand on top of your thigh.
- By using your thigh to help you get the dumbbell up, clean the dumbbell up so that you can hold it in front of you at shoulder width. Use the hand you are not lifting with to help position the dumbbell over you properly.
- Once at shoulder width, rotate your wrist forward so that the palm of your hand is facing away from you. This will be your starting position.
- Bring down the weights slowly to your side as you breathe in. Keep full control of the dumbbell at all times. Tip: Use the hand that you are not lifting with to help keep the dumbbell balance as you may struggle a bit at first. Only use your non-lifting hand if it is needed. Otherwise, keep it resting to the side.
- As you breathe out, push the dumbbells up using your pectoral muscles. Lock your arms in the contracted position, squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly. Tip: It should take at least twice as long to go down than to come up.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions of your training program.
- Switch arms and repeat the movement.
Muscles worked
Sets and reps
For strength, do 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps with 2-3 minutes of rest. For muscle growth, 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with 90 seconds of rest. Add a little weight when you hit the top of the range on every set.
Track your one arm dumbbell bench press with GymPlan AI
Log every set in seconds, see your progress on charts, and ask the AI coach to build a plan around your goals and equipment. 7 days free, no card needed.
Start your free trialOne Arm Dumbbell Bench Press alternatives
Exercises that train the same main muscle, including options with other equipment.
Bench PressBarbell · Beginner
Chest PressMachine · Beginner
Push UpBodyweight · Beginner
Dumbbell Bench PressDumbbell · Beginner
Cable Chest PressCable · Beginner
Svend PressOther · BeginnerFAQ
What muscles does the one arm dumbbell bench press work?
It mainly works your chest; your shoulders and triceps assist.
How many sets and reps of one arm dumbbell bench press should I do?
For strength, do 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps with 2-3 minutes of rest. For muscle growth, 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with 90 seconds of rest. Add a little weight when you hit the top of the range on every set.
Is the one arm dumbbell bench press good for beginners?
Yes. It is a beginner-friendly movement: start light and focus on the form steps above.