The dumbbell bench press underhand grip is a flat-bench compound press performed with the palms facing back toward the head, training the upper chest with the elbows tucked. Turning the palms up rotates the upper arm outward and pins the elbows to the ribs, so the dumbbells travel a narrow path with the forearms tilted toward your face. That supinated position shifts pressing work toward the clavicular head of the pec, the part a standarddumbbell bench pressloads least on a flat bench. Program it as a second press on a chest day.
What Muscles Does the Dumbbell Bench Press Underhand Grip Work?
- Primary: Pectoralis major (clavicular head, upper chest)
- Secondary: Anterior deltoid (front shoulder), triceps brachii, biceps brachii
- Tertiary: Serratus anterior, rotator cuff, wrist flexors
How Do You Set Up for the Dumbbell Bench Press Underhand Grip?
Set a bench flat and sit on the end with a dumbbell standing on each thigh. Lie back, kick the dumbbells up one at a time, then rotate your wrists so your palms face the ceiling and slightly toward your head. Plant your feet flat, squeeze your shoulder blades into the pad, and lock your elbows in against your ribs. Hold the dumbbells over your lower chest, arms extended, wrists stacked over elbows.
How Do You Perform the Dumbbell Bench Press Underhand Grip?
- Fix your elbows against your ribs so the upper arms point forward, not out to the sides, before the dumbbells move.
- Lower the dumbbells toward the bottom of your sternum, letting your forearms tilt back toward your face as your palms stay up.
- Stop when the dumbbells reach the sides of your lower chest and your elbows sit just below the bench line.
- Pause for one count with your wrists still rolled back and the dumbbells parallel to your torso.
- Press up and slightly inward toward the top of your chest until your arms straighten over your collarbones.
- Squeeze at the top for a beat, then reset your elbows on your ribs and begin the next descent.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Elbows kiss the ribs: keep the upper arms brushing your sides on the way down so the supinated grip never drifts wide.
- Knuckles toward the ceiling: drive up through your knuckles rather than your palm to stop the wrists folding back under load.
- Think of pressing toward your chin, so the bar path finishes over your collarbones and the upper pec keeps working.
- Feel the biceps shorten at the bottom and let that tension, not a bounce, start the press.
- Keep the shoulder blades pinned to the pad from first rep to last.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Using your normal pressing weight: the supinated wrist cannot support it, so the dumbbells fold back over your face and the set turns into a rescue; start at about two-thirds of your regular dumbbell load.
- Flaring the elbows at the bottom: the outward rotation stacks onto a wide upper arm and strains the front of the shoulder capsule; keep the upper arms tight to the torso.
- Letting the dumbbells rotate back to a standard grip on the way up: the grip change hands the work back to the mid pec; lock the palms facing up.
- Cutting the descent short: stopping above the chest skips the stretched position where the upper pec earns the rep.
- Lifting the hips off the bench to finish a rep: it turns the flat press into a decline; keep the glutes down.
What Are the Best Dumbbell Bench Press Underhand Grip Variations?
- Underhand grip dumbbell floor press: the floor stops the elbows early, a regression for learning the grip.
- Incline underhand grip dumbbell press: a 30-degree bench stacks the incline onto the grip for the most upper-chest emphasis.
- Reverse grip barbell bench press: the same wrist position with a fixed bar, more load, and a spotter required.
- Single-arm underhand grip dumbbell press: one dumbbell at a time, so the trunk resists rolling.
- Underhand grip dumbbell press on a stability ball: the ball replaces the bench and adds a stability demand.
How Do You Progress the Dumbbell Bench Press Underhand Grip?
- Move up 5 pounds a hand once you press every set at the top of the rep range with the palms still facing up at the bottom.
- Build from 8 reps to 12 per set before each weight jump.
- Add a fourth set when three no longer fatigue the upper chest.
- Slow the descent to a three-count and pause at the bottom to make the stretched position the hardest part.
How Should You Program the Dumbbell Bench Press Underhand Grip?
Run the dumbbell bench press underhand grip as the second press of a chest or upper-body day, after a barbell or standard dumbbell bench press, once or twice a week. Work 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps with 90 to 120 seconds of rest so the wrists recover between sets. It pairs with a low-to-high cable fly that finishes the upper chest afterwards.
