Chest · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Larsen Press
How to do the dumbbell larsen press, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- HorizontalPush
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand at chest level, with your legs straight out and feet off the floor so you cannot use leg drive. Press the dumbbells up until your arms are extended, then lower them under control to your chest. Stay tight and balanced through the whole set without your feet for support.
- 1Press the dumbbells up with your chest and triceps and no leg drive
- 2Keep your shoulder blades pinned and your core braced for balance
- 3Feel each pec controlling its dumbbell independently through the press
Common mistakes
- Don't let the dumbbells drift apart or your elbows flare wide
- Avoid arching hard or shifting your hips to find leverage
- Don't let your wrists bend back under the load
Muscles worked
The dumbbell larsen press mainly works the mid chest, with the triceps, upper chest, lower chest, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell larsen press for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.