The traditional squeeze press is performed by squeezing together a pair of dumbbells as you press them up. Besides nailing the chest (particularly the inner fibers), it also teaches you how to fire your lats and tuck your elbows while pressing, which is important for pain-free pressing mechanics and healthy shoulders.
The exercise is also effective for targeting the front delts and triceps while simultaneously placing high levels of continuous tension across the targeted musculature.
With the squeeze press, you're actually performing a combination of a press with an isometric flye in the contracted position. Unfortunately, it requires only moderate effort to keep the dumbbells pressed together. As a result, this can negate your ability to maximally engage the chest fibers.
To truly ramp up the intensity and maximize muscle building, hold a bumper plate between the dumbbells.
You reap the same benefits of a traditional squeeze press, but with even greater stimulation because you're forced to produce a maximal isometric contraction similar to the top of a machine or cable chest flye.
The mechanical tension, metabolic stress, cellular swelling, and overall pump make this an incredibly effective hypertrophy exercise. It's a great finisher for the end of your normal chest workout.
Yeah, it's going to burn, but you'll love the results.
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