Twisting Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
In SetGrip: Dumbbell Bench Press (Twisting Grip)
Rotating the dumbbells as you press, palms forward at the chest turning inward toward lockout, adds a wrist twist that keeps the elbows tracking closer to your sides and hands more of the finish to the triceps. The rotation costs some stability, so drop 10 to 20 percent from your normal dumbbell press weight and keep the tempo smooth.
How to do the Twisting Grip Dumbbell Bench Press
- Lie flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your back pressed against the bench.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, palms facing away from you.
- Extend your arms straight up over your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
- Lower the dumbbells down towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- As you lower the dumbbells, twist your wrists so that your palms face towards you at the bottom of the movement.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then reverse the movement by pressing the dumbbells back up to the starting position.
- As you press the dumbbells up, twist your wrists back to the starting position with palms facing away from you.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Squeeze the bar hard and bend it toward your feet to keep the elbows in and the lats tight.
Muscles worked
Primary
Triceps · Arms
The triceps take over in the top half of the press to lock the elbows, and they do more with a closer grip.
Common mistakes
- Elbows flared to 90 degrees — this puts the shoulder in a poor position at the bottom; tuck the elbows to about 45 to 60 degrees and touch the bar on the lower chest.
- Losing shoulder blade position — the shoulder blades should be pulled back and down before the unrack and stay there; if they roll forward, the chest loses leverage.
- Bouncing off the chest — control the bar to a light touch and pause for a beat before pressing; a bounce hides how much you can actually press.
- Feet dancing around — plant the feet flat and drive them into the floor for the whole set to keep the body tight.
Where it fits in a workout
Bench press goes first in a chest or push session when you are strongest. Superset it with a row for a push and pull pair, or follow it with flies for volume.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without dumbbell
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.