There's always a time and place for heavy bench pressing, but it's not the only way to grow your chest. Using just a pair of light dumbbells, strength coach Brandon Lee credits a simple three-exercise complex with growing his pecs like never before – and delivering a serious chest pump in the process.
'By far the best workout that changed the way I look at light weight,' Lee says. 'An OG taught me this back in the days and now I'm going to teach it to you. Do you want the most perfect chest workout ever? I got you.'
The tri-set keeps your chest working continuously across three different movements, accumulating a large amount of volume without requiring heavy weights. All you need to do is set a bench to a 30- or 45-degree incline and select a pair of light dumbbells. Without putting the weights down, move through all three exercises with control, working to failure on the final movement to squeeze every last rep out of your pecs.
'By the time you're done your chest is going to be burning. Add this to your chest day and thank me later,' Lee adds.
The Dumbbell Chest Complex
A. Dumbbell Chest Press with Offset Isometric x 10-15 reps
B. Dumbbell Chest Fly x 10-15 reps
C. Dumbbell Chest Squeeze Press x as many reps as possible to failure
Why it Works
Constant Tension
You're going to complete 30, 40, perhaps even 50 reps without putting the dumbbells down, meaning your chest spends a significant amount of time under tension. The weights may be light, but as fatigue accumulates, those later reps become increasingly challenging.
The key is choosing a load that allows you to maintain good form throughout the entire complex while still making the final few reps genuinely difficult.
What to read next
Training to Failure
By the time you reach the squeeze press, your chest has already accumulated plenty of fatigue from the first two movements. Taking that final exercise to failure allows you to continue challenging the muscle even with relatively light dumbbells.
That doesn't mean every set you perform needs to end in failure, but in a finisher like this, pushing the final movement until you can no longer complete another clean rep can provide a potent muscle-building stimulus.
Different Movements, One Muscle
Each exercise challenges your chest slightly differently. The offset dumbbell press combines pressing with an isometric hold, forcing one side to remain locked out while the other works.
The fly takes your arms through a wide arc, loading your pecs in a stretched position, while the squeeze press requires you to actively push the dumbbells together as you press. Combined, the three movements allow you to challenge your chest in several ways without changing equipment.
How to Do the Movements
Dumbbell Chest Press with Offset Isometric
- Lie on a bench with your knees bent and your feet planted firmly on the floor.
- Press a pair of dumbbells overhead until your arms are straight.
- Keeping one arm locked in position, slowly lower the opposite dumbbell until it reaches the outside of your chest. Keep your core tight to maintain stability on the bench.
- Press the dumbbell explosively back to the top while keeping the opposite arm locked out.
- Alternate between the working and static arm with each rep.
Dumbbell Fly
- With a neutral grip, press the dumbbells directly above your chest.
- Maintain a slight bend in your elbows and lower the weights out to your sides, moving primarily at the shoulders.
- Lower only as far as your mobility comfortably allows, stopping when you feel a strong stretch across your chest.
- Squeeze your pecs to bring the weights back towards the starting position. Don't bang the dumbbells together at the top – stop just short and maintain tension through your chest.
Dumbbell Chest Squeeze Press
- Press the two dumbbells firmly together directly above your chest using a neutral grip.
- Maintain that inward pressure as you slowly lower the weights towards your sternum.
- Pause briefly at the bottom before pressing the dumbbells explosively back to the starting position.
- Continue for as many clean reps as possible, keeping the dumbbells pressed together throughout.
If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.
Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.
