Best chest exercises with dumbbells

Exercises where chest is a main mover and that need a pair of dumbbells, plus a bench at most. Best muscle growth rating first, with more weight on ratings several sources agree on. The full chest ranking covers every kind of equipment.

  1. 1Flat dumbbell press, start positionFlat dumbbell pressHorizontal pushDumbbellsVery good; among the better picks for the muscle. Hard in the stretched position. Also works front delts and triceps.
    Growth
    4.0 5 sources
    Injury risk
    3.0 1 source
  2. 2Incline dumbbell press, start positionIncline dumbbell pressHorizontal pushDumbbellsVery good; among the better picks for the muscle. Also works front delts and triceps.
    Growth
    3.7 7 sources
    Injury risk
    3.0 1 source
  3. 3Low incline dumbbell press, start positionLow incline dumbbell pressHorizontal pushDumbbellsVery good; among the better picks for the muscle. Also works front delts and triceps.
    Growth
    4.0 2 sources
    Injury risk
    2.0 1 source
  4. 4Dumbbell guillotine press, start positionDumbbell guillotine pressHorizontal pushDumbbellsVery good; among the better picks for the muscle. Also works front delts and triceps.
    Growth
    4.0 1 source
  5. 5Low incline dumbbell fly press, start positionLow incline dumbbell fly pressChest flyDumbbellsVery good; among the better picks for the muscle. Peak tension at a deep stretch. Also works front delts and triceps.
    Growth
    4.0 1 source
  6. 6Dumbbell fly, start positionDumbbell flyChest flyDumbbellsSolid; a reasonable default. Peak tension at a deep stretch. Also works front delts.
    Growth
    3.0 3 sources
  7. 7Decline dumbbell press, start positionDecline dumbbell pressHorizontal pushDumbbellsSolid; a reasonable default. Also works front delts and triceps.
    Growth
    3.0 1 source
  8. 8Dumbbell fly stretch hold, start positionDumbbell fly stretch holdChest flyDumbbellsSolid; a reasonable default. Also works front delts.
    Growth
    3.0 1 source
  9. 9Cross-body standing dumbbell flyChest flyDumbbellsPoor stimulus; little growth even near failure. Also works front delts.
    Growth
    1.0 1 source
  10. 10Hex press, start positionHex pressHorizontal pushDumbbellsPoor stimulus; little growth even near failure. Also works front delts and triceps.
    Growth
    1.0 1 source
  11. 11Pinch press, start positionPinch pressHorizontal pushDumbbellsPoor stimulus; little growth even near failure. Also works front delts and triceps.
    Growth
    1.0 1 source
  12. 12Single-arm dumbbell press, start positionSingle-arm dumbbell pressHorizontal pushDumbbellsBelow average; better options exist for every goal. Also works front delts and triceps.
    Growth
    1.7 3 sources

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