Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip vs Incline Dumbbell Press

Lie back on a flat bench. Using a medium width grip (a grip that creates a 90-degree angle in the middle of the movement between the forearms and the upper arms), lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked. This will be your starting position.

From the starting position, breathe in and begin coming down slowly until the bar touches your middle chest.

After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Focus on pushing the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again. Tip: Ideally, lowering the weight should take about twice as long as raising it.

Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

When you are done, place the bar back in the rack.

Lie back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand atop your thighs. The palms of your hands will be facing each other.

Then, using your thighs to help push the dumbbells up, lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them at shoulder width.

Once you have the dumbbells raised to shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This will be your starting position.

Be sure to keep full control of the dumbbells at all times. Then breathe out and push the dumbbells up with your chest.

Lock your arms at the top, hold for a second, and then start slowly lowering the weight. Tip Ideally, lowering the weights should take about twice as long as raising them.

Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

When you are done, place the dumbbells back on your thighs and then on the floor. This is the safest manner to release the dumbbells.