17 December, 2007
Ask the coach: Dumbbell chest press
The dumbbell chest press works the joints of the shoulders and the elbows. The muscled exercised are your chest muscles (pecs), shoulders, and the backs of your arms (triceps). The problem you will face is a limit on your time, so it's vital to choose exercises that recruit many muscles and burn off more calories during training.
One such exercise suitable for beginners and those with more experience is a dumbbell (d/bell) chest press. It mimics the pattern of movement you will experience when you are pushing that turkey into the oven.
Here are some tips:
1. Sit at the edge of the bench with the d/bells placed on your thighs. As you lie back, bring the d/bells either side of your chest muscles, with your feet on the floor. If your feet struggle to reach the floor it is best to place an aerobics bench on the floor in front of the bench, where you can stabilise your legs.
2. Keep your palms facing inwards and let your knuckles face the ceiling.
3. Keeping your head in contact with the bench and your eyes on the bells,straighten your arms to the ceiling so your fist finishes directly above your shoulders. Squeeze your chest muscles together as you press.
4. Don't let the d/bells touch. Feel which muscles you are working.
5. Slowly bend your elbows down so the d/bells finish outside your shoulders.
- Sets: Start with two sets of repetitions and increase to four.
- Repetitions: 10 to 12. The more experienced the trainer, the lower the repetitions and the higher the weight.
- Tempo: Lower down in four seconds, push back to the starting position in one second, and pause at the top for a second.
- Rest: 60 seconds after each set, then repeat.