Dumbbell Around the World
Also known as: Lying Dumbbell Around the World, Around the World
StrengthPush
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Description
Lying on a flat bench, you move two dumbbells in one large circle with almost straight arms: up over your chest, behind your head, then out wide to the sides and back to your hips. It works the chest, lats and serratus through a long range of motion and is done with light weights.
How to Perform
- Lie face up on a flat bench with your head on the bench and your feet flat on the floor.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms so the dumbbells sit just above your hips.
- Brace your core and keep a slight bend in your elbows for the whole set.
- Raise the dumbbells together over your chest, keeping your arms almost straight.
- Continue the arc and lower the dumbbells behind your head until your arms are roughly in line with your body.
- Spread your arms and sweep the dumbbells out to the sides in a wide arc at about bench height, then down to your hips.
- Repeat the circle in the same direction for every rep.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Secondary Muscles:
Tips
- Use light dumbbells. With straight arms the lever is long, so even a small weight loads the shoulders heavily.
- Feel the stretch across your chest and lats when the dumbbells are behind your head and out to the sides.
- Keep the sideways part of the arc wide, with the dumbbells far from your body, all the way down to your hips.
- Keep your head on the bench and look at the ceiling instead of following the dumbbells with your eyes.
- Breathe in as the dumbbells travel up and behind your head, and breathe out as you sweep them out to the sides and down.
Common Mistakes
- Swinging the dumbbells with momentum instead of moving them under control
- Bending the elbows a lot, which shortens the lever and turns the circle into a press
- Arching the lower back or lifting the hips off the bench when the dumbbells are behind the head
- Forcing the dumbbells further behind the head than your shoulders allow, which causes pain or pinching in the shoulder
- Shrugging the shoulders up toward the ears
- Letting the wrists bend back under the weight of the dumbbells
- Moving the arms unevenly, so one dumbbell leads the other
Recommended Exercises
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