The upper chest is one of the most important muscles in your body. It’s used for everything from breathing and coughing to lifting a heavy weight and pushing your body up from the floor. If you want to build up this muscle group, a workout with dumbbells can help you with that. But which type of upper chest workout should you do? And how many sets should be done? In this article, we’ll answer all these questions by showing you some of experts’ favorite upper chest workouts with dumbbells so you can start building up your pecs!
Anatomy of Upper Chest Muscles
The upper chest muscles are located in the front of the body, just under the collarbone. They consist of several muscle groups that coordinate to help you move, breathe and speak.
The pectoralis major is a large, broad muscle that sits in the front of your chest and provides support for the shoulder joint. It also helps with motion and stability in the shoulder joint and can be activated by either raising your arms straight out in front of you or pressing your elbows together.
The pectoralis minor lies under the pectoralis major and helps move your arms laterally (side-to-side). This is often called “pushing” movement because it’s involved when lifting something heavy off the ground or pushing through a doorway.
The serratus anterior is an upper back muscle that helps stabilize your neck by drawing up toward your shoulders as you breathe deeply during exercise or when lifting weights.
Benefits of Upper Chest Workout With Dumbbells
Upper chest workouts with dumbbells are a great way to build up your chest muscles. These exercises help you build strength and muscle mass and improve posture. They also make you look more athletic and fit, which will help prevent injuries in the long run.
In addition to building up your upper chest muscles, many other benefits also come from these exercises, including fat loss! If you do not want to lose weight but still want some definition in this area, then we recommend using only one hand on each side when doing these movements so as not to cause any unnecessary strain on either side of your body while also reducing stress on joints such as hips/knees, etc.
Tips for Upper Chest Workout with Dumbbells
Though dumbbell exercises are found quite beneficial regarding muscle buildup and mass gaining, multiple troubles are also associated with them. Any misunderstanding or failure to perform your exercises rightly can result in unnecessary strains, injuries, and even imbalanced muscles. Therefore, you need to follow these tips to make the most out of your dumbbell upper chest workouts.
- Before you begin, warm up by doing some light cardio or stretching.
- You should rest between sets, but don’t be afraid to build up to a higher weight than you’re used to lifting if it feels good for your body.
- Use a weight that is comfortable for you and avoid overdoing it! If it feels too heavy or hard, take a break.
- If there’s no bench available, use the floor instead—but make sure someone else has their back to catch any weights that may fall over (or off).
- Focus on the contraction, not the motion.
- Keep your elbows close to your body.
- Lower the dumbbells in a controlled manner.
- Use dumbbells to increase your range of motion and work different angles of motion than you would with barbells or smith machines. For example, Dumbbell flies are great for working overhead presses because they allow you to use a wider grip with less injury risk than traditional overhead presses on flat ground where your feet are planted firmly against the floor! They also help prevent injuries caused by fatigue over time since most people don’t have access at home, so they do them at work instead, which doesn’t make sense if they’re sitting all day long anyway.
7 Best Upper Chest Workout with Dumbbells
Here are 7 remarkable upper chest exercises and workouts that can help you strengthen your upper chest. These exercises are not just beneficial for the chest, they also strengthen your forearms and shoulder muscles.
1. Incline Dumbbell Press
This is a great exercise that targets your upper chest. It also works out your biceps, forearms, and triceps. You can do this once or twice weekly to build strength and size in your upper chest muscles.
How to do the Incline Dumbbell Press?
- With dumbbells in each hand, stand facing away from a bench with feet shoulder-width apart and arms at the sides (resting on the hips).
- Keep back straight as you bend down until your chest touches the bench, then push back up until locked out with shoulders high away from ears.
- Repeat for a specified number of reps (1-6).
2. Incline Bench Dumbbell Fly
Incline bench dumbbell fly is another effective exercise for strengthening the upper chest muscles and mass gain.
Here is how you should be performing this exercise;
- Lie face up on a bench, holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Position the weights so that they hang down in line with your chest and shoulders.
- With palms facing up, slowly raise one arm straight out to the side until it reaches shoulder height (about 1 inch above where you would place your head if sitting upright).
- Then lower it back down slowly to starting position without using momentum or momentum-producing muscles such as the biceps or triceps (which would be unnecessary here).
- Repeat for each arm independently with minimal rest between reps; try not to use momentum when raising this weight off the ground!
The goal is not just to lift but also to control how much weight each time so that there isn’t much-wasted motion whenever possible – this goes especially well if done in sets rather than continuously throughout workout sessions as well since less fatigue may occur during training sessions which include warmup/cooldown periods too!
3. Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
This is a great exercise that targets your upper chest. It also works out your biceps, forearms, and triceps. You can do this once or twice weekly to build strength and size in your upper chest muscles.
How to perform?
- Lie on a decline bench with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent, and arms at your sides.
- Position yourself so that you are leaning forward at about a 45-degree angle. Your upper chest will be right in line with your nipples.
- Grasp a pair of dumbbells in each hand and hold them directly above your chest with palms facing away from each other (palms facing inward). Keep elbows close together but not locked out; they should remain slightly bent as well as flexed slightly toward the shoulder joint (not fully extended).
- Lower weights by bending both arms until they are almost parallel to the floor; then push them back up into position overhead as you inhale through pursed lips while keeping elbows close together throughout movement.
4. Single-Arm Dumbbell Fly
The Single-Arm Dumbbell Fly is a great exercise for the upper chest. It targets the front deltoids and triceps but can also be used to strengthen your biceps as well.
To perform this workout:
- Hold a single dumbbell in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Start by holding the weight close to your body (about shoulder width) and lift it up overhead until it’s just above eye level with arms fully extended behind you or slightly away from your body, depending on where you want to place them during the execution of this movement (referring back).
- Lower slowly until arms are once again bent at 90 degrees with elbows straight but palms facing outwards towards the target area being targeted; repeat motion once more before ending the exercise set by lowering dumbbells back down into starting position without allowing them to touch the ground between repetitions.
- 10 reps total per set should be enough since this isn’t meant for heavy lifting purposes, so don’t push yourself too hard unless absolutely necessary!
- If performing multiple sets per exercise, rest periods between sets could vary depending on how many reps were completed within the previous round(s).
5. Incline Alternating Dumbbell Press
Incline Alternating Dumbbell Press is also an effective movement for the chest as well as strengthening forearms and biceps. The inclusion of this exercise in your upper chest workout routine can help you get results faster than other similar exercises.
Follow the below steps for performing this exercise well;
- Lie on an incline bench with your feet flat on the floor and hold a pair of dumbbells in each hand.
- Bend at the elbows, bringing them to about 90 degrees and keeping your arms straight as you lower the weights toward your kneecaps.
- Return to start position by pressing up until arms are back in line with shoulders; then slowly repeat for a specified number of repetitions (usually 6-10). Take 30 seconds rest between sets if needed.
6. Incline Renegade Row
The incline renegade row is also one of the most preferred exercises for chest buildup. You can find most of the trainers suggesting their trainees this exercise for upper chest strength.
Here is how you can perform this remarkably beneficial exercise;
- Grab a pair of dumbbells and lie on an incline bench with your knees bent and feet flat.
- Keeping your back straight, bring the dumbbells up to chest level and then lower them back down. Repeat this 6-8 times or until fatigue sets in; perform 3 sets total for best results.
- If you want to make this move more effective, alternate between arms each time you do it so that one arm is resting while the other works out the targeted area (i.e., shoulders).
7. Dumbbell Push-up
This exercise is one of the best upper chest workouts with dumbbells because it targets all your chest muscles: the pectoralis major, clavicular portion, and middle part. The motion is similar to a bench press but with more emphasis on the lower half of your chest area.
Follow the below steps to perform this exercise.
- For this movement, you’ll need two light dumbbells (about 8 pounds each).
- Start in an upright position with your feet flat on the floor and both arms straight out in front of you at shoulder height.
- Lower yourself until both arms are horizontal against your body.
- Pause briefly before raising back up slowly until arms are parallel with the torso again or until they reach lockout position, depending upon how far down you go during the lowering phase.
- Then repeat the process once more if necessary.
Upper Chest Workout FAQ
Does Using Dumbbells Really Work for the Upper Chest?
Dumbbells are effective for upper chest workouts because they allow you to isolate your chest muscles more effectively than barbells. They also provide a more comfortable way to exercise your upper body muscles and help you increase strength, endurance, and size, and burn extra calories. While using dumbbells is relatively easy compared to a barbell, it takes some practice before you can start getting results from this type of training session.
Do Only Dumbbells Are Enough For Building Upper Chest?
While dumbbells are a great way to build muscle, they may not be the best for building muscle in the chest. Other exercises will work the upper chest more effectively.
The bench press is one of the most effective exercises for building upper chest muscle and should be included in your workout plan if you want to develop your upper chest faster than using only dumbbells alone.
As you can see, upper chest workouts with dumbbells are very effective in building muscle mass. However, they can be more challenging than other workouts as they require more focus and concentration. So, if you want to build your upper chest muscles, then this type of workout is perfect for you.
