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The main essential pushing muscles in the upper body are the chest pectoralis and triceps brachii. Pushing motions at the shoulder joint occur mainly through the pecs while straightening the elbow requires the triceps. Both of these muscles can be trained with only dumbbells.
Below, we will cover several exercises for the chest and triceps to strengthen the arms. Read below for details on how to perform the exercises, what muscles they work, and expert tips.
7 Chest Tricep Workouts With Dumbbells
These are the top chest and tricep dumbbell exercises to use in 2025:
- Dumbbell Pullover.
- Dumbbell Skull Crusher.
- Tricep Dumbbell Kickback.
- Dumbbell Bench Press.
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press.
- Decline Dumbbell Bench Press.
- Dumbbell Close-Grip Press.
These have been selected as the best dumbbell exercises to build all chest muscles and parts of the triceps.
7 Best Chest And Tricep Workout With Dumbbells
Strengthening the upper body is essential for injury prevention. Discover the top seven exercises to do so below.
Dumbbell Pullover
The dumbbell pullover mainly works the latissimus dorsi, or lats, triceps long head, and pectoralis. It is an optimal choice for developing the strength of the lats and pecs. Both of these muscles are put on high tension, or stretch, at the end range of the movement.
How To Do
- Begin lying flat on your back on a bench with your feet spread apart on the sides of the bench at about shoulder width.
- Make sure the head and neck are fully supported on the bench.
- Grab the dumbbells and extend the arms straight up toward the ceiling.
- Ensure the dumbbells are oriented so one head is facing your head and the other is facing your feet.
- Keeping the arms straight, slowly extend the arms back toward your head in an arc-like pattern while inhaling.
- Stop when the dumbbells just pass your head and your back is slightly arched off the bench.
- Return the dumbbells to the starting position as you inhale, moving them through the arc pattern and stopping when the arms are oriented vertically.
Tips
- Maintain contact with the bench at all times.
- Keep the dumbbells at a width just wider than the head–ensure they do not change width as the weights move.
Optimal Sets & Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Dumbbell Skull Crusher
The dumbbell skull crusher targets all three heads of the triceps through elbow extension. Because it is performed in the overhead position, it also plays a critical role in developing overhead shoulder strength and stability.
How To Do
- Begin lying flat on your back on a bench with your feet spread apart on the sides of the bench at about shoulder width.
- Make sure the head and neck are fully supported on the bench.
- Take the dumbbells and extend the arms straight up toward the ceiling. Be sure to keep the arms shoulder-width apart.
- Ensure the dumbbells are oriented so one head is facing your head and the other is facing your feet.
- Keep the elbows still and slowly bring the weights down toward your head as far as you can. This will include flexing at the elbows while keeping the elbow joint as an anchor point.
- Exhale as the above step is performed.
- You reach the end range when you cannot move further without changing the pivot point of the elbow joint.
- Inhale as you slowly bring the dumbbells back to the starting position by eliciting a strong squeeze as the elbows extend.
Tips
- This exercise can put extra strain on the inner elbow, especially for those with Golfer’s elbow or ulnar nerve tension. These individuals may want to avoid this exercise or start with a lower weight or smaller range of motion.
- Pretend the elbows are a pivot point throughout the exercise.
- To target the long head of the triceps, you may want to start the elbows a bit farther back, such as right behind the head. You may also extend the shoulder a bit which will bring the elbows back further as you move toward the end-range of the movement. The slight shoulder extension and change in elbow position will bias the long head of the triceps.
- To target the lateral and medial heads, keep the elbows stable and do not extend the shoulders. Just focus on the bending and straightening of the elbow joint.
- Make sure the elbows are not flared out much wider than shoulder width.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Tricep Dumbbell Kickback
The tricep dumbbell kickback works the three heads of the triceps through elbow extension. This exercise is often included in programming in addition to an overhead tricep exercise to develop tricep strength in various positions.
How To Do
- Straddle the bench and kneel with one knee and hand on the end of the bench. Hold the dumbbell in the other hand. This arm should be hanging close to the bench.
- The other leg (on the same side as the weight) should be planted on the floor next to the bench.
- Engage the core to avoid back rounding.
- The chest should be slightly higher than the hips so the back is at a 30-degree angle.
- Pull the shoulder blade back toward the spine and complete a row so the arm with the dumbbell is mid-torso.
- Keep the upper arm in place and think of the elbow as the pivot point.
- Keeping the elbow tucked at the side, slowly extend the forearm back so the elbow is fully straight while exhaling.
- Pause for a second and slowly allow the elbow to bend back to the starting position while inhaling.
Tips
- Avoid using momentum by rotating the torso as fatigue sets in.
- Keep the neck in line with the rest of the spine to avoid placing extra strain on the neck.
- Imagine the end-range of elbow extension as a strong “squeeze” to emphasize the mind-muscle connection.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Dumbbell Bench Press
The dumbbell bench press is a staple exercise to develop the pec major and minor, anterior deltoids, and triceps. It is widely used as a main exercise on upper body or chest, shoulder, and tricep workout days.
How To Do
- Lie on your back on the bench with the head and tailbone supported.
- Plant the feet flat on the ground on each side of the bench with the knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Hold one dumbbell in each hand, oriented with the heads of the dumbbell facing each other.
- Start with the elbows flared to the side, directly in line with the shoulders, and the dumbbells touching each side of the chest.
- Slowly start pushing the weights up and extending the elbows while exhaling.
- When the elbows are fully extended, pause for a second and then slowly lower them down to the starting position while inhaling.
Tips
- A narrower grip width targets the triceps more, while a wider grip width will target the pecs and anterior deltoids more.
- Maintain contact of the shoulder blades, tailbone, and both feet flat on the bench and ground at all times.
- Your shoulder will be at the most vulnerable point when close to the chest. If you have a history of instability or dislocations, you may need to limit the range of motion.
- Control the weight on the descent to fully engage the muscles and think about squeezing the shoulder blades together.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
The incline dumbbell bench press works the same muscles as the dumbbell bench press. However, the incline version biases toward activation of the upper pectoral fibers and triceps.
This exercise also often serves as a main movement in the upper body or chest, shoulder, and tricep workouts. It can also be used to build volume within strength and hypertrophy programs as an accessory movement.
How To Do
- Start with a bench oriented between 15- to 45-degree angle.
- Place the feet slightly wider than the shoulders at the base of the bench.
- Place the back and neck flat against the bench.
- Start with the dumbbell heads facing each other touching each side of the chest.
- The elbows should be midway between the shoulders and hips at the starting point.
- Slowly push the dumbbells toward the ceiling until the elbows are fully extended. As you are pushing, rotate your hands so your palms are facing away from your head.
- Exhale while performing the step above. The dumbbells should end in a position even with the head.
- Pause for a second then slowly lower the weights back to the starting position while inhaling.
Tips
- The most common bench angle used for upper chest development is 30 degrees. An increased angle will bias toward the anterior deltoid bringing more shoulder development.
- Maintain contact of the shoulder blades, tailbone, and both feet flat on the bench and ground at all times.
- Control the weight on the descent to fully engage the muscles and think about squeezing the shoulder blades together.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
The decline dumbbell bench press emphasizes the lower pecs, triceps, and anterior deltoid. Incorporating this in programs with other bench press angle variations can assist in building a well-defined chest.
How To Do
- Begin with a bench that has ankle anchors attached to the end.
- Decline the bench between 15 and 30 degrees.
- Slide the ankles under the anchor points.
- Ensure the back and head maintain contact with the bench.
- Start with the dumbbell heads facing each other at 15-degree angles, touching each side of the chest.
- The elbows should be midway between the shoulders and hips at the starting point.
- Slowly push the dumbbells toward the ceiling until the elbows are fully extended while exhaling. Rotate your hands as you go so your palms face away from your feet.
- Pause for a second and then slowly lower the weights back to the starting position while inhaling.
Tips
- A 15-degree decline angle is the best position for lower pec development.
- Sit up or stand between sets to prevent blood pooling in the head.
- A narrower grip width targets the triceps more, while a wider grip width will target the pecs and anterior deltoids more.
- Your shoulder will be at the most vulnerable point when close to the chest. If you have a history of instability or dislocations, you may need to limit the range of motion.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Dumbbell Close-Grip Press
The dumbbell close-grip press is a bench press variation that biases toward tricep development without totally isolating the triceps. The pecs and anterior deltoids are also engaged.
How To Do
- Lie on your back on the bench with the head and tailbone supported.
- Plant the feet flat on the ground on each side of the bench with the knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Hold one dumbbell in each hand, oriented with the heads of the dumbbell facing the feet and head.
- Start with the elbows tucked into the side as close as possible with a 90-degree bend in the elbows.
- Slowly start pushing the weights up and extending the elbows while exhaling.
- When the elbows are fully extended, pause for a second and then slowly lower them down to the starting position while inhaling.
Tips
- Those with more muscle or soft tissue mass in the arms will have a more difficult time tucking the arms to bias toward tricep development.
- Do not allow the weights to rotate throughout the movement.
- The same tips for the dumbbell bench press apply here:
- Maintain contact with the shoulder blades, tailbone, and head flat on the bench at all times.
- Your shoulder will be at the most vulnerable point when close to the chest. If you have a history of instability or dislocations, you may need to limit the range of motion.
- Control the weight on the descent to fully engage the muscles and think about squeezing the shoulder blades together.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Best Chest And Tricep Workout Routine With Dumbbells
Below is an example of a chest and tricep workout routine with dumbbells designed for hypertrophy.
Exercise | Sets x Reps |
|---|---|
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 8–12 |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 8–12 |
| Dumbbell Skull Crusher | 8–12 |
| Decline Dumbbell Bench Press | 8–12 |
| Tricep Dumbbell Kickback | 8–12 |
Anatomy Of The Chest
The chest is primarily made of the pectoralis minor and the pectoralis major. The pectoralis major is divided into two heads, the clavicular and sternocostal heads.
The pectoralis minor attaches to the front of the shoulder blade and inserts on the inner portion of the upper humerus, upper arm bone. It controls the internal rotation of the humerus, along with depression, protraction, and downward rotation of the shoulder blade.
The pectoralis major clavicular head, or upper pec, attaches to the medial part of the clavicle as well as the sternum and cartilage of the rib bones. It inserts on the inner part of the upper humerus as well. This head flexes, horizontally adducts, or brings the arm across the body, and rotates the humerus inward.
The sternocostal head of the pectoralis minor, or the lower pec, starts at the front of the sternum, rib cartilage, and external oblique area. It inserts on the inner part of the upper humerus. The lower pecs adduct, flex, and internally rotate the arm. They can also straighten the arm from a flexed position.
All pectoral muscles play a major role in powerful pushing movements of the arms, such as during bench press. The setup angle of the arms and bench can drastically change which pectoral muscle and which heads are most engaged.
Clavicular Head of Pectoralis Major
Muscles located at the top of your chest, running from your armpit to collar bone. Smaller portion of your chest muscle.
Sternal Head of Pectoralis Major
Large muscles located underneath your clavicle head. Makes up most of your chest area
Abdominal Head of Pectoralis Major
Muscles located at the bottom of your pectoral region, just above your abdominal muscles.
Anatomy Of The Triceps
The triceps brachii consist of three heads — the long, medial, and lateral heads. All three straighten the arm at the elbow.
The long head starts near the bottom of the arm socket within the shoulder blade and attaches to the elbow joint in a tendon on the inner forearm bone. Because the origin is at the shoulder joint, the long head can also assist in straightening and adducting the shoulder. It is also a shoulder stabilizer, unlike the other two heads.
The lateral head of the triceps starts on the back of the humerus slightly above the medial head. It joins with the other two heads at the elbow on the inner forearm bone.
The medial head of the triceps starts on the back of the humerus slightly below the lateral head. It also joins with the other two heads at the elbow on the inner forearm bone.
The medial and lateral heads of the triceps are strong elbow extensors regardless of shoulder or wrist position. However, they do not act on the shoulder.
Triceps Lateral Heads
Muscles located on the back of your arm between your shoulder and elbow.
Triceps Medial Heads
Small muscles located at the back of your arms. Deep to the triceps long heads between the shoulder and elbow.
Triceps Long Heads
Large muscles located at the back of your arms between your shoulder and elbow. Most outside portion of the tricep.
Benefits Of Chest And Tricep Workout With Dumbbells
If all you have access to is dumbbells, you can still build a strong chest and triceps! Read below to discover the benefits of dumbbell chest and tricep exercises.
Improves Appearance
The pectoral muscles and triceps are large muscles and primary joint movers. Therefore, when well-developed, they will become more noticeable than other secondary muscles.
Men often complain about flabby chests. Women often complain about “chicken wings,” or the flab that accumulates on the underside of the arms. Building the pectoral muscles can develop flabby chests and building the triceps will slowly erase the underarm flab.
Building the chest and triceps can make individuals more attractive, and both males and females tend to believe upper body muscle development is important.
Supports Functional Strength
The chest and triceps are the main pushing muscles of the upper body at the shoulder and elbow joints in all positions. This includes overhead, at the side or hips, and near the shoulders.
Lifting heavy items onto high shelves requires full elbow extension, engaging the triceps.
Many individuals use push lawnmowers in their yards and need adequate strength and endurance in the pecs and triceps to push the mower. Pushing open heavy doors requires sufficient pec strength. Kneeling on the hands and knees to play with a child or to work on plumbing involves a sustained isometric contraction of the triceps and chest muscles.
Regarding function with athletics, football players must be able to push large, 300-pound bodies across the field. For swimmers, both the pectoralis major and the triceps are critical during swimming with the butterfly stroke.
Tones Muscles
Toned muscle is essentially muscle hypertrophy or muscle growth, that results in an improved definition of the muscle bellies. Chest and tricep exercises utilizing free weights and machines can induce muscle hypertrophy. Therefore, even with minimal resources, you can tone these muscles.
When well-toned, the pectoralis muscles look like a well-defined fan shape spanning from the inner humerus to the clavicle and sternum. The triceps brachii will appear as three well-defined bulges on the back of the arm.
Expert Training Tips
- The angle of incline or decline, grip width, and elbow position can drastically affect which chest and tricep muscles you recruit most. Consider this during dumbbell bench press variations.
- Consider prior shoulder injuries, dislocations, or instability when determining the range of motion you will perform for chest and tricep exercises.
- If you are focused on building the chest and tricep muscles, consider implementing a four- or five-day split for your workouts. This will allow more exercises per muscle group compared to a three-day full-body split.
Conclusion
This article provides a thorough overview of exercises to develop the chest and triceps with expert tips. Developing these pushing muscles is essential for any well-developed program for strength, hypertrophy, power, or endurance.
Chest and tricep exercises must be incorporated into upper-body push workouts, upper-body workouts, and full-body workouts alike. This will assist in maximizing the benefits of each of these workout programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this is a frequent way to train. The chest, shoulder, and triceps are often trained together for upper-body push days. They are also often trained together on upper-body and full-body days.
This depends on your goals and training style. It is common to perform between five and eight exercises.
This also depends on the goals and training style. See the above chart for strength, hypertrophy, endurance, and power rep scheme guidelines.
Yes. The pecs, triceps, and deltoids are often grouped for upper-body push days. The pecs, triceps, deltoids, lats, and biceps are often grouped for upper body days. Each of these muscles and leg muscles is targeted on full-body days.
Resources
Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.
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About the Author
Cara Schildmeyer, DPT Doctor Of Physical Therapy
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