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Exercises

Bench exercises for your whole body, grouped by muscle

Published October 19, 2026

With a weight bench and a pair of dumbbells you can train every major muscle: press flat and incline for your chest, row lying face down on the incline for your back, raise to your shoulders, curl and skullcrush for your arms, hip thrust and step up for your legs and glutes. An adjustable bench doubles the list compared with a flat one, because the incline is what makes chest-supported rows, incline curls and upper-chest presses possible. Add a barbell and rack and the bench press, close-grip press and barbell hip thrust become your heaviest lifts.

  1. Flat Dumbbell Press Chest
  2. Incline Dumbbell Press Chest
  3. Incline Dumbbell Row Upper Back, Lats
  4. Dumbbell Chest Fly Chest
  5. Dumbbell Staggered Hip Thrust Glutes
  6. Step-Up Quads, Glutes
  7. Dumbbell Skullcrusher Triceps
  8. Incline Dumbbell Curl Biceps

Chest presses on a bench: flat, incline and barbell

A bench turns a pair of dumbbells into a full chest program because you can press from three angles. Start with the flat dumbbell press, add the incline press once you own an adjustable bench, and move to the barbell bench press when you have a rack and want heavier loads than your dumbbells allow.

Chest, front delts and triceps, flat

Flat Dumbbell Press

Chest

If you own a bench and one pair of dumbbells, this is the press to build around. Each hand moves on its own, so a weaker side cannot hide, and the dumbbells let your hands travel lower than a bar would, which gives your chest a longer stretch per rep.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the end of the bench, dumbbells standing on your thighs.
  2. Lie back and use your knees to kick the weights up to straight arms over your chest.
  3. Pull your shoulder blades together and down, and plant your feet flat.
  4. Lower both dumbbells until they sit just outside your chest, elbows about 45 degrees from your torso.
  5. Press back up along a slight arc until the weights nearly touch over your chest.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades pinned to the bench
  • Forearms vertical at the bottom
  • Drive your feet into the floor

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides: your shoulders take the load your chest should. Tuck them a little toward your ribs.
  • Dropping the dumbbells to the floor beside the bench at the end of a set: bring them back to your chest, then sit up with them on your thighs.

Swap for: Barbell Bench Press, Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Hex Press

Build a session with Flat Dumbbell Press

Upper chest and front delts

Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Setting an adjustable bench to 30 degrees moves the press toward your collarbones, the part of the chest a flat press trains least. It is the main reason to buy an adjustable bench over a flat one.

How to do it

  1. Set the backrest to about 30 degrees and sit with the dumbbells on your thighs.
  2. Lean back and bring the weights to the outside of your shoulders as your back meets the pad.
  3. Squeeze your shoulder blades back and keep your hips on the seat.
  4. Press up and slightly in until your arms are straight over your upper chest.
  5. Lower under control until your elbows are just below the bench line.

Cues

  • Low incline, not a shoulder press
  • Wrists stacked over elbows
  • Touch the stretch, then press

Common mistakes

  • Setting the bench at 45 degrees or more: the front delts take over. Two or three notches up from flat is plenty.
  • Lifting your hips off the seat to finish a rep: that turns it back into a flat press.

Swap for: Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press, Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press, Incline Barbell Bench Press

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest, front delts and triceps, heaviest press

Barbell Bench Press

Chest

With a rack or uprights, the bar lets you load the press heavier and in smaller steps than dumbbells allow. It is the lift to use when you care about raw pressing strength or when your heaviest dumbbells are no longer heavy enough.

How to do it

  1. Lie under the bar with your eyes level with it and feet flat.
  2. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
  3. Unrack the bar and move it over your shoulders with straight arms.
  4. Lower it to your lower chest, forearms vertical, elbows tucked partway.
  5. Press up and slightly back toward the rack until your arms lock.

Cues

  • Bend the bar into a smile
  • Touch the same spot every rep
  • Push yourself away from the bar

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the bar off your chest: it hides the hardest part of the rep. Touch, then press.
  • Benching heavy alone with no safeties: set the rack pins or arms just below chest height, or stop sets at 2 reps in reserve.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Smith Machine Bench Press, Spoto Press

Build a session with Barbell Bench Press

Chest fly exercises on a bench

Flys work the chest without the triceps, so they go after your presses. The bench holds your back in place, which is what lets you lower the dumbbells into a deep stretch safely.

Chest, long-stretch isolation

Dumbbell Chest Fly

Chest

The fly trains your chest with almost no triceps help, so it adds chest work after pressing without tiring your arms for later exercises. The flat bench supports your back so you can open your arms wide and lower under control.

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench, dumbbells pressed up over your chest, palms turned in.
  2. Bend your elbows slightly and keep that angle fixed for the whole set.
  3. Open your arms in a wide arc until you feel a deep stretch across your chest.
  4. Pull the weights back up along the same arc as if hugging a big barrel.
  5. Stop when the dumbbells are a few inches apart over your chest.

Cues

  • Fixed elbows, moving shoulders
  • Wide arc down, hug up
  • Stretch, do not strain

Common mistakes

  • Turning the fly into a press by bending the elbows more on the way down: lighter weights and a locked elbow angle fix it.
  • Going so deep that your shoulders roll forward off the pad: stop at the point where your chest is stretched and your shoulder blades still touch the bench.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Fly, Flat-Bench Cable Fly, Decline Dumbbell Fly

Build a session with Dumbbell Chest Fly

Upper chest isolation

Incline Dumbbell Fly

Chest

Same arc as the flat fly, but the incline biases the upper chest and gives you a steeper stretch at the bottom. Pair it with the incline press on the same day for a full upper-chest block.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to a low incline and lie back with the dumbbells over your upper chest.
  2. Turn your palms to face each other and soften your elbows.
  3. Lower the weights out and down until your chest is fully stretched.
  4. Bring them back up and in along the same arc.
  5. Pause briefly at the top without letting the weights clank.

Cues

  • Low incline, same arc
  • Lead with your elbows
  • Slow the bottom inch

Common mistakes

  • Using the same weight as your flat fly: the incline is weaker. Start lighter.
  • Letting your lower back arch high off the pad to make it easier: keep your hips and ribs down.

Swap for: Dumbbell Chest Fly, Incline Cable Fly, Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Fly

Back and shoulder exercises on an incline bench

Most people buy a bench for pressing and forget it is also the best rowing station a home has. Lie face down on the incline and you can row, raise to the rear delts and raise to the side delts with your lower back fully supported.

Upper back and lats, chest supported

Incline Dumbbell Row

Upper Back, Lats

Lying face down across an incline bench takes your lower back out of the row, so every rep is limited by your upper back and lats instead of how long you can hold a hinge. It is the main pulling exercise a bench gives you without a cable or bar.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 30 degrees and lie face down with your chest on the top of the pad.
  2. Let the dumbbells hang straight down with your arms long and palms turned in.
  3. Pull the weights up and back toward your hips, driving your elbows past your torso.
  4. Squeeze your shoulder blades together for a beat at the top.
  5. Lower until your arms are straight and your shoulder blades spread apart.

Cues

  • Chest glued to the pad
  • Elbows toward your back pockets
  • Full hang at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your chest off the pad to heave the last reps: that brings the lower back back in. Stop the set or use lighter dumbbells.
  • Shrugging the weights up instead of rowing them: keep your shoulders away from your ears.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise, Incline Dumbbell Shrug

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Row

Rear delts and upper back

Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

Shoulders

Pressing work trains the front of the shoulders hard, and the rear delts rarely get direct work at home. Lying chest down on the bench removes any swing, so light dumbbells are enough.

How to do it

  1. Lie face down across an incline bench with light dumbbells hanging under your shoulders.
  2. Turn your palms to face each other or slightly back, with a soft bend in the elbows.
  3. Raise your arms outward to the sides so they line up with your shoulders.
  4. Hold the top for a second.
  5. Lower slowly until the weights hang straight down again.

Cues

  • Arms out, not back
  • Pinkies lead
  • Light and slow

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the shoulder blades all the way together: that makes it a row. Keep the movement at the shoulder joint.
  • Going heavy and bending the elbows more to finish: pick a weight you can raise for 12 clean reps.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Row, Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

Side delts, one arm at a time

Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Shoulders

Lying on your side on an incline bench makes the raise hardest near the bottom, where a standing raise is easiest. It is a way to make light dumbbells work harder for the side of your shoulder.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to about 45 degrees and lie sideways, with your chest against the backrest edge.
  2. Hold a dumbbell in your top hand, arm hanging in front of your body.
  3. Raise it out in an arc until your arm is roughly parallel to the floor.
  4. Pause briefly, then lower slowly back across your body.
  5. Finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Reach out, not up
  • Elbow slightly bent and fixed
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Rotating your thumb up and turning it into a front raise: keep your palm facing the floor at the top.
  • Rushing the bottom of the rep: that is where this version earns its place.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Bench exercises for triceps and biceps

The bench gives you the two arm exercises that are awkward standing: a skullcrusher lying flat and a curl leaning back. Bench dips and the close-grip press add bodyweight and heavy barbell options.

Triceps, long head

Dumbbell Skullcrusher

Triceps

With your arms angled back over your head, the long head of the triceps works stretched, which a pushdown or bench dip does not give you. Dumbbells are easier on the wrists than a straight bar.

How to do it

  1. Lie back on a flat bench and press two dumbbells up over your chest, palms turned in.
  2. Tilt your upper arms slightly back toward your head and lock them there.
  3. Bend only at the elbows, lowering the dumbbells beside your ears.
  4. Straighten your elbows to bring the weights back up.
  5. Stop just short of lockout to keep the triceps working.

Cues

  • Upper arms still
  • Lower beside your ears
  • Straighten, do not press

Common mistakes

  • Letting the elbows drift and pressing the weight up: that is a close-grip press. Keep the upper arms fixed.
  • Elbows flaring wide: keep them about shoulder width.

Swap for: EZ-Bar Skullcrusher, Close-Grip Bench Press, Kettlebell Decline Skullcrusher

Build a session with Dumbbell Skullcrusher

Triceps and inner chest, heavy

Close-Grip Bench Press

Triceps, Chest

The close grip shifts the bench press toward your triceps while letting you use far more weight than any extension. If you have a bar and rack, it is the heaviest triceps exercise you can do on a bench.

How to do it

  1. Lie under the bar and grip it with your hands about shoulder width apart.
  2. Unrack and hold the bar over your shoulders with straight arms.
  3. Lower it to the bottom of your chest with your elbows tucked close to your sides.
  4. Press back up, keeping your elbows in.
  5. Lock out fully at the top.

Cues

  • Hands shoulder width, not touching
  • Elbows brush your ribs
  • Bar to the base of your chest

Common mistakes

  • Gripping so narrow that your wrists bend: shoulder width is close enough.
  • Letting the elbows flare as the set gets hard: the triceps lose the load to your chest.

Swap for: JM Press, Dumbbell Skullcrusher, Reverse-Grip Bench Press

Build a session with Close-Grip Bench Press

Triceps, bodyweight

Bench Dip

Triceps

The bench dip needs nothing but the bench, so it works as a triceps finisher on any day. Putting your feet farther out or a plate on your lap makes it harder.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the side of the bench and set your palms on the edge beside your hips, fingers forward.
  2. Walk your feet out with your legs straight and slide your hips forward off the bench.
  3. Bend your elbows to lower your hips toward the floor.
  4. Stop when your upper arms are about parallel with the floor.
  5. Straighten your arms to push back up.

Cues

  • Hips close to the bench
  • Elbows point back
  • Stop at parallel

Common mistakes

  • Dropping too low: going past parallel loads the front of the shoulder, not the triceps.
  • Pushing with your legs: keep them straight and let them rest on your heels.

Swap for: Dumbbell Skullcrusher, Close-Grip Bench Press

Build a session with Bench Dip

Biceps, stretched position

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Biceps

Leaning back on an incline lets your arms hang behind your body, which stretches the biceps at the start of each rep. A bench is the only thing that makes this curl possible.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to 45 to 60 degrees and sit back with two dumbbells.
  2. Let your arms hang straight down beside the bench, palms forward.
  3. Curl both dumbbells up without moving your upper arms forward.
  4. Squeeze at the top.
  5. Lower all the way until your elbows are straight again.

Cues

  • Shoulders back on the pad
  • Upper arms stay vertical
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the elbows forward to finish the curl: that hands the work to your shoulders.
  • Stopping short of straight arms: the stretch at the bottom is the point of this curl.
Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Curl

Leg, glute and ab exercises with a bench

A bench is also a step, a back support and an anchor for your feet. Hip thrusts load your glutes with your back on its edge, step-ups use it as a box, and the decline crunch hooks your feet under its pads.

Glutes, barbell

Hip Thrust

Glutes

The bench supports your upper back so your hips can move through their full range under a heavy bar. It is the most direct way a bench lets you load your glutes.

How to do it

  1. Sit down, upper back against the long side of the bench.
  2. Roll a padded bar over your hips and plant your feet about shoulder width apart.
  3. Drive through your heels and lift your hips until your torso is level with the floor.
  4. Tuck your chin and ribs and squeeze your glutes hard at the top.
  5. Lower your hips toward the floor without letting the bar settle.

Cues

  • Shins vertical at the top
  • Chin tucked, eyes forward
  • Ribs down, glutes squeeze

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to get the hips higher: the movement should stop when your glutes are fully squeezed.
  • Feet too far forward: the hamstrings take over. Move them in until your shins are vertical at the top.

Swap for: Dumbbell Staggered Hip Thrust, Kettlebell Hip Thrust, Smith Machine Hip Thrust

Build a session with Hip Thrust

Glutes, one side biased

Dumbbell Staggered Hip Thrust

Glutes

Moving one foot forward puts most of the load on the back leg, so one dumbbell is enough to make a hip thrust hard at home. It is the hip thrust for people without a barbell.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your upper back against the bench and a dumbbell across your hips.
  2. Plant your working foot under your knee and set the other foot a step forward on its heel.
  3. Push through the working heel to lift your hips until your torso is flat.
  4. Squeeze the working glute and pause.
  5. Lower under control and finish the set before switching legs.

Cues

  • Most of the weight on the back foot
  • Hips level, not twisted
  • Pause at the top

Common mistakes

  • Letting the front leg do the pushing: keep only the heel down and the toes up.
  • Twisting the hips toward the forward leg: keep both hip bones pointing at the ceiling.

Swap for: Hip Thrust, Kettlebell Hip Thrust

Build a session with Dumbbell Staggered Hip Thrust

Quads and glutes, single leg

Step-Up

Quads, Glutes

A flat bench is the right height for a step-up for most people, and holding dumbbells makes it a full leg exercise. It trains each leg alone, which is what a bench-and-dumbbell setup needs to load legs well.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing the bench with two dumbbells.
  2. Place one whole foot on the bench.
  3. Lean forward a little and push through the top foot to stand up on the bench.
  4. Bring the other foot up only to touch, then lower it back to the floor.
  5. Finish all reps on one leg before switching.

Cues

  • Whole foot on the bench
  • Push through the top heel
  • Lower slowly, do not drop

Common mistakes

  • Pushing off the floor with the back foot: that halves the work. Keep the trailing foot light.
  • Using a bench so high that your knee is far above your hip: you will rock instead of step.

Swap for: Barbell Step-Up

Build a session with Step-Up

Abs, loaded flexion

Decline Crunch

Abs

With your feet hooked at the top of a decline bench, gravity pulls against your whole torso, so this is far harder than a floor crunch. Holding a plate or dumbbell on your chest adds load when bodyweight gets easy.

How to do it

  1. Set the bench to a decline and hook your feet under the pads.
  2. Lie back with your arms crossed on your chest.
  3. Curl your torso up, rounding your spine one segment at a time.
  4. Stop when your torso is upright or just short of it.
  5. Lower slowly back to the bench.

Cues

  • Curl, do not hinge
  • Ribs to hips
  • Slow lowering

Common mistakes

  • Pulling on your head: keep your hands on your chest.
  • Swinging up with momentum: if you need a bounce at the bottom, lower the decline.
Build a session with Decline Crunch

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Adjustable bench and a pair of dumbbells at home

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets51 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench, Flat Bench

You have an adjustable bench and dumbbells, adjustable or a small set, and want one routine that covers your whole body.

Every exercise here uses the bench in a different way: flat to press, incline to row face down, as a back support for the hip thrust and as a step. The press and row get three sets at 2 reps in reserve because they carry the most load; the fly, raise and curl get two sets at 1 rep in reserve because a light isolation set has to end close to failure to do much.

Full Body
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstSwap in the flat press every other session. 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Incline Dumbbell RowChest stays on the pad. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Staggered Hip ThrustPer side. 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
Step-UpPer side. 2 × 8–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Chest Fly 2 × 10–15 1 1 min
Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise 2 × 12–20 1 1 min
Incline Dumbbell Curl 2 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Run the routine three times a week with a day between. Alternate the incline press and the flat press each session so both angles get trained every week. You need an adjustable bench and dumbbells you can change in small jumps.
How to progress
When every set of an exercise reaches the top of its rep range at the target reps in reserve, move to the next dumbbell. On the staggered hip thrust and step-up, add reps until you hit the top of the range on both legs before going heavier.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Two short sessions a week

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets21 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Flat Bench, Incline Bench

You have 30 minutes, twice a week, and want the bench to do as much as possible in that time.

Pairing a push with a pull or a leg move on the same bench setting lets you rest one muscle while the other works, so two exercises fit into the rest time of one. Sets stay at 1 to 2 reps in reserve because with only two sessions a week, each set has to count, and the set count per exercise is low enough that you will not run out of time.

Upper
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
A1 Flat Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set first 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
A2 Incline Dumbbell Row 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
B1 Incline Dumbbell Lateral RaisePer side. 2 × 12–20 1 1 min
B2 Dumbbell Skullcrusher 2 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Upper in the session builder

Lower and Arms
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
A1 Step-UpPer side. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
A2 Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
B1 Dumbbell Staggered Hip ThrustPer side. 3 × 10–15 2 90 s
B2 Bench Dip 2 × 10–20 1 1 min

Open Lower and Arms in the session builder

How to run it
Do the A and B pairs back to back, resting after each pair. Run Upper on one day and Lower plus Arms on the other, with at least two days between them. You need an adjustable bench and dumbbells.
How to progress
Add a rep to the first set each session until all sets hit the top of the range, then go up a weight. If both sessions finish in under 25 minutes, add a third set to the first pair.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Bench with a rack and a barbell

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts4× a week
  • Working sets54 a week
  • Per workout~40 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Dumbbells, Incline Bench

You train at a gym or in a garage with a rack, a barbell and plates, and you want the heavy versions of the bench lifts.

The barbell takes over the two lifts where load matters most, the bench press and the hip thrust, and both get a warm-up set and longer rest at 2 reps in reserve so you can add weight week to week without grinding. The close-grip press replaces dumbbell triceps work for the same reason. Dumbbells stay for the row and fly, where moving each arm on its own beats a bar.

Push
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Barbell Bench Press2 warm-up sets firstSafeties set. 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Incline Dumbbell Press 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Dumbbell Chest Fly 2 × 10–15 1 1 min
Close-Grip Bench Press 3 × 6–10 2 2 min

Open Push in the session builder

Pull and Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Hip Thrust1 warm-up set firstPad the bar. 4 × 6–10 2 2:30 min
Incline Dumbbell Row 4 × 8–12 2 90 s
Step-UpPer side. 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
Incline Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise 2 × 12–20 1 1 min
Incline Dumbbell Curl 2 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Pull and Legs in the session builder

How to run it
Split it into Push and Pull plus Legs, and run each twice a week (four sessions). Set the rack safeties just below chest height for both presses.
How to progress
Add the smallest plates when all sets of the bench press, hip thrust or close-grip press reach the top of the range at 2 reps in reserve. Keep the dumbbell lifts on rep progression first.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What workouts can I do with just a bench?

With only a bench and no weights, you have bench dips, step-ups, decline crunches and incline or decline push-ups. Add one pair of dumbbells and you can do a full-body routine: presses, flys, chest-supported rows, rear delt raises, curls, skullcrushers, hip thrusts and weighted step-ups.

Is an adjustable bench worth it over a flat bench?

For most home gyms, yes. The incline setting is what lets you row face down with your back supported, curl from a stretch and press for the upper chest. A flat bench covers presses, flys, skullcrushers, hip thrusts and step-ups, and not much more.

Can you build muscle with only a bench and dumbbells?

Yes, as long as your sets end close to failure and you add weight or reps over time. The limit is usually your heaviest dumbbells, not the bench. When you outgrow them, single-arm versions, slower lowering and higher reps keep you progressing before you need to buy more weight.

How many times a week should I bench?

Two or three sessions of pressing a week works for most people. The full-body plan here presses three times a week with three sets each time; the barbell plan presses twice a week with more sets per session. Both put chest volume in a range most lifters grow on.

What is the 5/3/1 bench program?

5/3/1 is a barbell strength program that cycles the bench press, squat, deadlift and overhead press through monthly waves of 5, 3 and 1 reps based on a training max. It needs a barbell and rack. If you have them, the barbell plan here works as hypertrophy work alongside or between strength blocks.

How high should a bench be for step-ups?

High enough that your thigh is about parallel to the floor when your foot is on it. A standard flat bench, around 17 inches, fits most people. If your knee ends up well above your hip, use a lower step.