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Summary of Correct Exercise Execution

1. Grasp a pair of dumbbells and hold them close to the body and then sit on the end of a secure flat bench. Lean back slowly with the dumbbells clutched close to the chest. Bring the dumbbells out wide of the body into a position that creates a right angle between the forearms and the upper arms. You will want to make sure that the elbows are positioned under the dumbbells and not behind them.



2. You will want to make certain that the feet are firmly planted on the floor and that the entire region of the back is supported by the bench. The head should also be supported by the bench.



3. Initiate the concentric contraction phase of the movement by extending the arms upward. You will want to make certain that the elbows remain in the desired position under the dumbbells. You will need to provide strong neural-impulsing into the pectorals in order to alleviate the strain on the shoulder-joint and to reduce the amount of involvement of the triceps.



4. As the arms are extended upward begin to turn the wrists inward so that they form a semi-pronated grip at the conclusion of the ascent. The semi-pronated grip should be applied by twisting the humerus at the shoulder-joint and not by merely by the inward rotation of the wrists. This will allow for optimum activation of the pectorals.



5. Complete the concentric contraction phase of the movement by straightening the arms and drawing the wrists (not just the dumbbells), together. The action of bringing the wrists together will further accentuate the involvement of the medial portion of the pectoralis (major and minor) muscles. A note should be added that the dumbbells should not be brought together in vigorous fashion but rather controlled as a result of muscular contraction. Smashing the dumbbells together reduces the muscular control over the movement thereby reducing the motor-unit recruitment potential throughout the entire ROM of the movement application. The resulting clanging noise of the dumbbells will also invoke the ire of other gym members as it disturbs the concentration of everyone else in the room.



6. Pause at the completion of the concentric contraction phase of the movement for a full count before lowering the weights.



7. Begin the eccentric contraction phase of the movement by lowering the weights slowly by virtue of strong muscular contraction. You will need to concentrate fully in order to avoid allowing gravity to take over control of the descent. You will also be challenged to avoid the natural tendency of allowing the elbow to flare back behind the dumbbells during the descent.



8. Complete the eccentric contraction phase of the movement by slowly lowering the arms to the natural movement range of the shoulder-joint. You will want to utilize slow speed-of-contraction movement applications in order to reduce the risk of internal and external injury. As well, you will need to avoid the natural tendency to raise the head during the completion of the eccentric contraction in effort to provide a more advantageous angle of application. Raising the head reduces the amount of stretch provided during the completion of the eccentric contraction thus reducing the overall effectiveness of the dumbbell application. It should be noted that the dumbbell press movements can also be performed with a constant pronated-grip application. In this variation the dumbbells are also drawn in toward the mid-line of the body which activates the medial pectoral fibres more readily than in the straight-up application. Further accentuation can be placed upon the medial pectoral fibres by tilting the wrist in an upward fashion (so that the thumbs raise towards the ceiling) at the peak of the movement. The twisting motion from pronated grip to semi-pronated grip is recommended in order to gamer maximum benefit from the flexibility of movement potential associated with dumbbell training.

Keys to the Lift

1. Maintain the elbows under-the-weight position throughout the entire movement application.



2. Utilize the flared elbow position in both the concentric and eccentric contraction phases of the exercise in order to accentuate the pectoral muscles.



3. Maintain contact with the bench with the head during the completion of the eccentric contraction phase of the movement.



4. Concentrate fully in directing strong neural-impulses into the muscles of the chest in order to alleviate the accentuation upon the shoulders and triceps.

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