The single-arm dumbbell bench press appears to be an upper body pressing exercise, but it's actually more appropriate to categorize it as a core anti-rotation movement. This is the most challenging aspect of the exercise, after all. The unilateral loading forces the body to resist against rotational forces acting upon it.
This has great carryover to the regular bench press:
- It requires a good amount of leg drive to keep the hips stable and allow for force to transfer throughout the body and into the weight.
- It requires you to "connect" to the bench by engaging the hips, upper back and the entire trunk to remain flat on the bench.
- Due to each arm working independently, it can help even out any side-to-side strength imbalances.
- It will make the entire body tremendously strong, which will carry over to literally any other lift.
related posts
Tip: The Handcuff Drill for Healthy Delts
No, you don't need to get arrested. Just do this exercise to keep your shoulders healthy and mobile. Take a look.
Maximum Recruitment Training 2
You got the introduction to MRT last week, now here's the meat. If you've got limited time but want maximum results, this is your baby. The cool thing? The workouts won't take you much longer than 30 minutes.
How Hard Do You Need to Work Out?
The average person will gauge the quality of his workout by his level of discomfort. But is driving yourself into the ground every workout necessary?
Tip: Build Triceps With This Drop Set
Recruit more muscle fibers with this mechanical drop set: triceps extension to forehead, triceps pullover and extension, then close-grip press.