Dumbbell Push Up: How To Do, Benefits & Tips

Have you intended to build strength in your arms, but don’t have access to a gym or any complicated equipment?

Dumbbell push-ups are an easy and effective way to do just that! Read our guide for all the details about this simple, yet effective exercise for building arm strength.

What is Dumbbell Push Ups

Dumbbell push ups are a variation of the traditional push up exercise.

They involve using a pair of dumbbells in place of the hands to perform the push up movement.

Dumbbell push ups target the same muscle groups as regular push ups, including the chest, triceps, and shoulders, but they can also provide an additional challenge by requiring additional stability and balance.

Benefits of dumbbell push ups

Some benefits of dumbbell push ups include:

1. Increased muscle activation

Using dumbbells in place of the hands can increase muscle activation in the chest, triceps, and shoulders.

2. Improved stability and balance

Because the dumbbells are not as stable as the hands, dumbbell push ups require more core stability and balance. This can lead to improvements in overall body control and coordination.

3. Greater range of motion

The use of dumbbells allows for a greater range of motion in the shoulder joint, which can help to increase flexibility and mobility.

4. Improved strength and endurance

Like regular push ups, dumbbell push ups can help to improve upper body strength and endurance.

Furthermore, regular DB push-ups will also improve your coordination and balance, which are essential for everyday movements.

5. Improve Your Posture and Flexibility

It helps to strengthen and tone your core muscles, while also improving your posture.

Regularly doing dumbbell push-ups can improve posture by strengthening the chest, shoulder, and back muscles; which ultimately increases flexibility in these areas.

6. Increased versatility

Dumbbell push ups can be easily modified to fit any fitness level, making them a versatile exercise that can be incorporated into any workout routine.

Muscle Worked During Dumbbell Push Ups

Dumbbell push-ups primarily work the chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor), as well as the triceps and the front of the shoulders (anterior deltoids).

They also engage the core muscles, back muscles, serratus anterior as they help to stabilize the body during the exercise.

Here’s how these muscles are engaged during the dumbbell push-up:

• Chest muscles: The chest muscles are responsible for moving the arms and shoulders, and they’re activated as you push your body away from the wall.
• Triceps: The triceps are the muscles on the back of the upper arm, and they’re responsible for extending the elbow. They’re engaged as you straighten your arms during the push-up.
• Shoulders: They are responsible for flexing the arm, and they’re engaged as you lift your body off the wall.

Overall, it is a great exercise for strengthening the upper body, including the chest, triceps, shoulders and core muscles.

How To Properly Perform Dumbbell Push-Ups

Using dumbbell for push-ups make push-ups a more powerful exercise and help you increase upper body strength, muscle mass, and overall balance.

To perform dumbbell push ups, follow these steps:

1. Grip a dumbbell in each hand and get into a plank position with your palms facing down towards the floor. 
2. Now raise yourself off the ground straightening your elbows and your arms but keep your elbows close to your body.
3. Raise until your elbows are locked, and pause for a moment at the top of the movement.
4. Now lower your body under slow sustained motion, feeling the motion all the way down until your chest is very close to the ground.
5. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

It’s important to maintain proper form throughout the exercise to avoid injury and ensure that you are targeting the correct muscle groups.

Common mistakes that should be avoided

Here are a few common mistakes to avoid when performing dumbbell push ups:

1. Arching the back

It’s important to keep the body in a straight line from head to heels during the exercise.

Arching the back can strain the lower back and may cause injury.

2. Not keeping the core engaged

Engaging the core helps to maintain proper body alignment and stability during the exercise.

Failing to engage the core can result in poor form and may increase the risk of injury.

3. Lifting the hips too high or allowing them to sag

Lifting your hips too high or allowing them to sag can strain your lower back and can cause improper muscle activation.

The body should remain in a straight line from head to heels during the exercise.

4. Lower Head, Not Chest

Many people drop their heads toward their hands when they perform a push-up.

This puts pressure on the front of your shoulders, increasing the risk of shoulder pain and injury.

Instead, you should shift forward a little as you come down so that your chest comes toward your hands.

5. Allowing the elbows to flare out to the sides

The elbows should stay close to the body during the exercise to target the chest and triceps effectively.

Allowing the elbows to flare out to the side can cause strain on the shoulders and may lead to improper muscle activation.

6. Not keeping the neck in a neutral position

It’s important to keep the neck in a neutral position (in line with the spine) during the exercise to avoid strain on the neck muscles.

Tilting the head too far forward or back can disrupt proper body alignment and may cause neck strain.

7. Using too much momentum

It’s important to perform the exercise with control and minimal momentum to engage the correct muscle groups effectively.

Using too much momentum can reduce the effectiveness of the exercise and may increase the risk of injury.

Variations of dumbbell push ups

Try adding in different grip variations, widening or narrowing your grip, as well as playing with the placement of your feet.

Incorporating a variety of exercises into your routine will not only increase the effectiveness of the workout, but it’ll help keep things interesting, so you’ll stay motivated to reach your goals.

Here are a few best variations of dumbbell push ups that can add variety to your workout routine:

1. Dumbbell T Push up

Dumbbell T push ups, also known as DB T-stand push ups, that involve lifting one hand off the ground and reaching it towards the ceiling to form a T shape with the body.

This exercise targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders, as well as the core muscles, which are engaged to maintain proper body alignment and stability during the exercise.

How To perform dumbbell T push ups

1. Grip a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Walk your feet back until your body is in a straight line from head to heels.
3. Your arms should be fully extended, with your hands on the dumbbells directly under your shoulders.
4. Engage your core and keep your body straight as you lower your chest down towards the dumbbells.
5. Keep your elbows close to your body as you lower.
6. Once your chest touches the dumbbells, press back up to the starting position and lift one hand off the dumbbell.
7. Reach the hand towards the ceiling, forming a T shape with your body.
8. Lower the hand back down to the dumbbell and repeat the movement on the other side.
9. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of times.

2. Wide grip dumbbell push ups

Dumbbell wide grip push ups are a variation of dumbbell push ups that involve placing the hands wider than shoulder-width apart on the dumbbells.

This variation targets the outer chest muscles (pectoralis major) more heavily and can help to increase the difficulty of the exercise.

How To perform wide grip dumbbell push ups

1. Place a pair of dumbbells on the ground in front of you.
2. Stand facing the dumbbells and place your hands on the ends of the dumbbells, positioning them wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Walk your feet back until your body is in a straight line from head to heels.
4. Engage your core and keep your body straight as you lower your chest down towards the dumbbells.
5. Once your chest touches the dumbbells, press back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.

3. Close grip dumbbell push ups

Dumbbell close grip push ups are a variation of dumbbell push ups that involve placing the hands closer together on the dumbbells.

This variation emphasizes the triceps more and can help to improve arm definition.

How To perform close grip dumbbell push ups

1. Grip a dumbbell in each hand, positioning them closer together than shoulder-width apart.
2. Walk your feet back until your body is in a straight line from head to heels.
3. Your arms should be fully extended, with your hands on the dumbbells directly under your shoulders.
4. Keep your elbows close to your body as you lower down.
5. Once your chest touches the dumbbells, press back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.

4. Renegade row push ups

Renegade row push ups are a compound exercise that combines a push up with a dumbbell row.

This exercise targets the chest, triceps, shoulders, back muscles, and core.

How To perform renegade row push ups

1. Grip a dumbbell in each hand, positioning them slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Engage your core and keep your body straight as you lower your chest down towards the dumbbells.
3. Keep your elbows close to your body as you lower down.
4. Once your chest touches the dumbbells, press back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms.
5. As you press up, row one dumbbell up towards your chest, keeping your elbow close to your body.
6. Lower the dumbbell back down to the ground and repeat the movement on the other side.
7. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.

5. Single dumbbell push ups

Single dumbbell push ups variation also improves grip strength, which is essential when handling heavy dumbbells.

This is a great full-body exercise because the abs, glutes, and thighs will contract in this position to support you.

How To perform Single dumbbell push ups

• Place one dumbbell on the floor in a standing position, grabbing the head with your hands.
• Position yourself in a plank position with your arms straight and directly below your chest.
• Lower your body down, and push back up.

6. One-armed dumbbell push ups (uneven push-ups)

Instead of using two dumbbells, use only one.

This variation requires a greater level of stability and balance, as well as increased strength in one arm.

7. Feet-elevated dumbbell push ups

Place your feet on an elevated surface, such as a bench or step, while performing the dumbbell push ups.

This increases the difficulty of the exercise and targets the upper chest muscles more heavily.

8. Dumbbell Diamond Push-Ups

Dumbbell push-ups are more effective than regular diamond push-ups.

It helps your triceps grow faster by targeting them more deeply.

If you want to do it, place the dumbbells on the floor in a way that they form an A shape.

Remember to start with a variation that is appropriate for your current fitness level, and gradually progress to more challenging variations as you become stronger.

It’s important to maintain proper form and technique throughout the exercise to avoid injury and ensure that you are targeting the correct muscle groups.

Incorporating dumbbell push ups into a workout routine

There are a few ways to incorporate dumbbell push ups into a workout routine:

1. As a substitute for regular push ups: Dumbbell push ups can be used as an alternative to regular push ups to mix up your routine and challenge the muscles differently.
2. As a way to increase difficulty: If you can perform regular push ups with ease, you can try using dumbbells to increase the difficulty of the exercise. This can help to continue challenging your muscles and promote further strength and endurance gains.
3. As a part of a full-body workout: Dumbbell push ups can be incorporated into a full-body workout along with other exercises that target different muscle groups. For example, you could pair dumbbell push ups with exercises like squats, lunges, or rows to create a well-rounded routine.

It’s also important to incorporate a variety of exercises into your routine to challenge your muscles in different ways and avoid boredom.

Takeaways

In conclusion, dumbbell push ups are a great exercise that can help to build upper body strength and improve overall muscular endurance.

It can be easily modified to fit any fitness level, making them a versatile exercise that can be incorporated into any workout routine.

It’s important to maintain proper form and technique during the exercise to avoid injury and ensure that you are targeting the correct muscle groups.

By incorporating dumbbell push ups into your workout routine, you can mix up your push up routine and continue challenging your muscles.

FAQs

Dumbbell push ups vs. regular Push up

Both dumbbells push ups and regular push ups are effective exercises that can help to build upper body strength and improve muscular endurance.

However, there are a few key differences between the two exercises:

1. Muscle activation: Using dumbbells in place of the hands during dumbbell push ups can increase muscle activation in the chest, triceps, and shoulders. This can make the exercise more challenging and help to promote further strength and endurance gains.
2. Range of motion: The use of dumbbells allows for a greater range of motion in the shoulder joint during dumbbell push ups, which can help to increase flexibility and mobility.
3. Stability and balance: Because the dumbbells are not as stable as the hands, dumbbell push ups require more core stability and balance. This can lead to improvements in overall body control and coordination.
4. Modification: Dumbbell push ups can be easily modified to fit any fitness level, making them a versatile exercise that can be incorporated into any workout routine.

Ultimately, both dumbbell push ups and regular push ups are effective exercises that can be incorporated into a workout routine.

The choice between the two will depend on your fitness goals and current fitness level.

Are dumbbell push ups harder?

Push-ups using dumbbells can be more challenging than regular push-ups due to the increased instability of the dumbbells. It requires more stability and balance in the core.

However, the difficulty of dumbbell push ups will depend on your current fitness level.

If you are unable to perform regular push ups with proper form, it may be more challenging to perform dumbbell push ups.

Is it good to do push-ups on dumbbells?

Yes, it can be beneficial to do push ups on dumbbells as they can add an element of instability to the exercise, which can increase muscle activation and improve overall body control and coordination.

Using dumbbells in place of the hands during push ups can also increase the range of motion in the shoulder joint, which can help to improve flexibility and mobility.

The dumbbell push-up is a great way to build strength in your chest and arms without a gym or complicated equipment. Read our guide for all the details!

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