Curated By Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.
Few things finish out a superhero physique quite like an ultra-chiseled chest. Especially during beach season, serious chest muscle stands out. I’ll typically blast my chest in two 60-minute sessions every week – but sometimes, I need a quicker burner. That’s when I’ll turn to this 30- minute dropset workout with my SMRTFT adjustable dumbbells, which helps me build muscle without requiring massive weights.
A major driver of muscle growth is pushing the muscle group you’re training as close to fatigue as possible. This three-move circuit lets us do that. You’ll do each move back-to-back-to-back, hitting your reps. After each set, rest 90 seconds. Do 3-4 sets.
MOVE 1: Alternating Incline Press
The best tip I can give you when training chest: Always start with an incline press. This will build your upper chest, key for chest symmetry. Set up on a bench at a 30-degree incline with two heavy dumbbells, abs and glutes tight.
Lower one dumbbell to your chest, then press it back up. Repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep. Do 8-10 reps.
MOVE 2: Dumbbell Press
The first move should leave you a bit fatigued. Now lighten the dumbbells slightly and set the bench to a flat angle.
Lie on the bench, abs and glutes tight, and do 10-12 reps of standard dumbbell presses. You’re piling on volume here, and attacking your chest from a different angle.
MOVE 3: Pushup
Now you’ll drop the dumbbells and drop to the ground for classic pushups. Now we’re lightening the load even more so you can push your chest to its limit – and we’re also getting some underrated core work with these, too.
Do pushup reps until fatigue; on your final rep, you shouldn’t be able to straighten your arms. You’re finishing off your chest this way and blasting calories.
Download Dumbbell Chest Workout As PDF
Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.
Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., is a certified trainer with more than 10 years of training experience. He’s logged training time with NFL athletes and track athletes.
His current training regimen includes weight training, HIIT conditioning, and yoga.
Ebenezer has had multiple prestigious positions including serving as a sports and tech columnist for the New York Daily News.