Chest · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Lying Hammer Press
How to do the dumbbell lying hammer 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 flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other in a neutral grip. Press the dumbbells up over your chest until your arms are nearly straight, then lower under control to chest level, keeping the neutral grip throughout.
- 1Feel your chest and triceps drive the dumbbells up with the elbows tucked
- 2Keep your palms facing each other through the full press
- 3Pull your shoulder blades down and back into the bench
Common mistakes
- Do not let your elbows flare wide; the neutral grip keeps them in
- Avoid arching your lower back off the bench to push the weight
- Do not clash the dumbbells together at the top
Muscles worked
The dumbbell lying hammer press mainly works the mid chest and triceps, with the front delts, upper chest, and lower chest assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- TricepsPrimary
- Front DeltsSupport
- Upper ChestSupport
- Lower ChestSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell lying hammer 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.