Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Bench Press

PushDBBench

Dumbbell bench press with palms facing each other throughout, reducing shoulder external rotation demand and often the most shoulder-friendly heavy pressing variation available.

Demo: Strength coaching demo

Sets

3

Reps

8-12

Rest

1:30

Contraindications

Ideal for those with anterior shoulder discomfort from wide-grip barbell pressing.

Setup

Sit on bench, dumbbells in neutral (palms-in) grip on thighs, kick up to shoulders as you lie back.

Execution

  1. 1Press dumbbells up, keeping palms facing each other the whole time
  2. 2Lower with control to a comfortable stretch
  3. 3Keep elbows tracking under the wrists
  4. 4Avoid rotating the wrists mid-rep

Key cues

  • Palms stay facing in the whole rep
  • Press straight up, not out
  • Keep shoulder blades locked to the bench
  • Control the negative

Common faults

  • Rotating grip mid-rep
  • Flaring elbows despite neutral grip
  • Dropping weights too fast on the eccentric
  • Excessive arch to compensate for fatigue

Tweaks

  • Single-arm neutral-grip press for stability
  • Add a 1-2 second pause at the bottom
  • Incline variation for upper chest

Regressions

Standard Push-Up

Progressions

Close-Grip Bench Press

Muscles

Primary: Pectoralis Major, Triceps Brachii

Secondary: Anterior Deltoid

Sources

Attribution: General S&C canon