The Dumbbell Squeeze Press: How to & Tips

The dumbbell squeeze press goes by a number of names, just like the hex or champagne press, however all of them imply the identical factor—extra features on your chest. Part dumbbell chest press and the half dumbbell flye, the squeeze press creates muscular rigidity from the get-go for juicy muscle-building features.

Lifting heavier weights for extra reps and units is the key to progressive overload and extra muscle and energy. But typically, this isn’t attainable as a result of you will have plateaued or are working round an damage. If one or the opposite or each is the problem creating muscular rigidity in several methods helps you keep on the achieve practice.

This is the place the dumbbell squeeze press is available in. By creating rigidity by urgent the dumbbells collectively earlier than you press, you create a flood of muscular rigidity in your chest by making a lighter weight really feel heavy.

Here we’ll dive into this underrated chest-building variation on your pectoral wants.

What is the Dumbbell Squeeze Press?

The dumbbell squeeze press is a dumbbell bench press variation by which you are taking a pair of hex dumbbells, press them collectively frivolously, and carry out a bench press. This bench press variation is a component shut grip press and half isometric dumbbell flye. The squeeze press is a superb train to really feel your chest working and to make a light-weight weight really feel heavy.

How to Do the Dumbbell Squeeze Press

1. Sitting upright on a weight bench, curl a pair of dumbbells to your knees.
2. Lean again, kick the dumbbells out of your knees, and place them over your chest.
3. Using a impartial grip, frivolously press the dumbbells collectively, feeling the stress in your chest.
4. With your head, higher again, and butt on the bench, press the dumbbells till lockout.
5. Without shedding the squeeze, decrease the dumbbells to simply above your chest and reset and repeat.

Squeeze Press Muscles Trained

Unlike the barbell bench press, the place you employ your decrease physique as a counterbalance, the squeeze press has minimal lower-body involvement. Here are the main higher muscle groups educated by the squeeze press.

• Pectoralis Major: This variation trains the chest through shoulder horizontal adduction, specializing in the internal and higher chest fibers.
• Anterior Deltoid: The anterior deltoid flexes the shoulder and assists in squeezing the dumbbells collectively throughout the press.
• Triceps: Because of the shut grip, impartial grip, and lowered vary of movement of the squeeze press, it should gentle up your triceps.
• Rotator Cuff: The rotator cuff all the time performs a significant position in any dumbbell press variation as a result of it stabilizes the shoulder joint due to the unstable nature of urgent dumbbells.
• Serratus Anterior: The muscle that provides you a serrated look beneath your chest, whose main position is to protract (unfold aside) the shoulder blades. Reaching up after you end the press will present the SA some love.

Squeeze Press Benefits

As beforehand talked about, the squeeze press is a superb train to really feel your chest working with lighter weights. Here are a number of very important advantages of incorporating the squeeze press is your energy accent routine.

• Can You Feel It: When the squeeze press is carried out with good kind, you’ll really feel your chest contract all through your entire vary of movement. Because of the energy curve of the dumbbell chest press, you’ll really feel it extra on the backside of the press within the chest than on the high. Squeezing the dumbbells guarantee you’ll really feel your chest working all the time.
• Overcoming Sticking Points: A typical sticking level with the bench press is simply off the chest throughout the preliminary begin of the press. Because the dumbbell squeeze press begins from there, and also you’ve already created rigidity, this helps enhance your energy within the backside portion of your press.
• Better Mind Muscle Connection: The mind-muscle connection is a flowery approach of claiming whether or not you’re feeling your focused muscle groups working throughout a rep. When some mindlessly carry out a rep and need to get it over and completed with, they won’t really feel the muscle working. Some have bother feeling the muscle groups working for no matter cause. But the isometric contraction of the squeeze press will repair each issues.
• Shoulder-Friendly Press: Like the dumbbell ground press, squeezing the dumbbells over your chest limits shoulder extension and exterior rotation on the backside, which is usually a downside with some lifters. The lowered ROM, lighter weight, and further rigidity make this press variation extra shoulder pleasant.

Form Tips and Fixes

The squeeze press is an easy train, however there are some things to be careful for, together with your ego and utilizing an excessive amount of weight. But you already know this.

• Take the Time To Set Up And Finish Correctly: Taking the time to get the dumbbells into place with out destroying your shoulder is significant. Getting the dumbbell on every knee and ’kicking’ them into the beginning place and doing the other when you find yourself completed is protected all-round. It could appear extra easy to drop the dumbbells after ending your set, but it surely might be harmful and unsafe. Just don’t do it.
• Don’t Lose The Squeeze: It appears apparent as a result of it’s the title of the train, however there are two factors within the vary of movement the place it isn’t straightforward to keep up the squeeze. The first level is the underside, the place you want inner rotation to maintain the dumbbells collectively, and at lockout, the place shoulder horizontal adduction power is required to maintain the dumbbells collectively. Focus on sustaining the squeeze at these two factors to get the very best out of this raise.
• Chest Up And Elbows In: Keeping your chest up engages your higher again to keep up a very good lifting posture and a greater dumbbell urgent path. Plus, lifters can are likely to flare out the elbows to keep up the squeeze as a result of the higher again isn’t engaged. Keep it tight and elbows in, girls and gents.

Squeeze Press Programming Suggestions

Unlike most workout routines, the squeeze press is programmed in varied methods, like on higher physique days, as a primer for the barbell bench press, or as an accent train to enhance your bench. The squeeze press isn’t a 1RM kind train however to strengthen the underside and high of your bench press and so as to add slabs of muscle to your pecs.

Here are some basic programming suggestions for the squeeze press.

• Muscle Building And Accessory Exercise: The squeeze press lends itself effectively to including muscle due to the elevated rigidity, lighter weights used, and the flexibility to rep out to close failure. Using 50% to 70% of what you often press, doing three to 4 units of between 12 to 16 reps works effectively.
• As A Primer: The squeeze press is great for many who have bother feeling their chest throughout a bench press or require an prolonged warm-up earlier than hitting the barbell. One to 2 units of eight to 12 reps will work utilizing the identical load as above.

Dumbbell Squeeze Press Variations

The pectorals are a fan-like muscle with fibers working in several instructions, so it pays to coach the squeeze press from completely different angles and physique positions for higher chest growth. Here are a number of variations to place into your coaching.