How to Get Heavy Dumbbells Into Position for the Press

To get heavy dumbbells into position, let your legs do the lifting. Sit on the end of the bench with the dumbbells standing on your thighs near your knees, brace, then roll back and drive your knees up so the bells ride to your chest as you lie down. For a seated press, kick one knee up at a time to pop each bell to your shoulder. Set your shoulder blades before the first rep, and give your upper back a pad that holds, so the kick-up does not scoot you down the bench.

How do you kick up dumbbells for a flat bench press?

Take the dumbbells to the bench and sit on the end of it. Then:

• Stand the bells on your thighs. Rest each dumbbell on its end, on the lower part of your thigh near the knee, palms facing each other.
• Get tight. Take a breath, brace your midsection and squeeze the handles.
• Roll back and kick. Lie back in one motion and drive your knees up toward your chest as you go. Your knees push the bells up, so they arrive at your chest instead of somewhere over your face.
• Plant your feet. Put your feet back on the floor, pull your shoulder blades back and down, and settle your upper back into the pad.
• Press to the start. Press the bells up over your chest and take a breath before the first rep.

Most lifters kick both knees together; with very heavy bells, some lead with one side a split second early. If you press with an arch, set it now, before the first rep: here is how to arch on the bench press.

How do you get dumbbells into position for an incline press?

Same kick, different angle. Sit on the seat with the bells on your thighs, then roll back onto the incline pad as your knees drive up. Because the back pad is angled, the bells land closer to your shoulders, which is where an incline press starts.

Two details help. If your bench has an adjustable seat, raise it a notch so your hips stay put as you lean back. Then set your upper back high on the pad before the first rep, because on an incline your body tends to drift toward the seat with every rep.

“Incline dumbbell press was a wrestling match with the pad. Upper back stayed set. I could actually control the bells at the bottom.”

How do you get heavy dumbbells into position for a shoulder press?

For a seated press you stay upright, so you kick one bell at a time.

• Sit on an upright bench with your back against the pad and the bells on end on your thighs.
• Drive one knee up and use it to pop that dumbbell to your shoulder, then catch it with your elbow under the handle.
• Repeat on the other side, then press your back into the pad before the first rep.

Keep your hips back in the seat as you kick. On a slick seat, each kick nudges your hips forward, and by the first rep you are pressing from a lean. It is the same push that slides your hips forward on a seated shoulder press machine, and the same fix applies: set your position and give the seat some grip. For the press itself, here is how to stay seated on the seated overhead press.

How do you get out of a heavy set with control?

Plan the exit before the first rep. On a flat or incline press, finish your last rep, bring the bells down to your chest, tuck your knees up and let the weight help you roll back to sitting, with the dumbbells landing on your thighs. It is the kick-up in reverse.

If you cannot roll up, lower the bells toward the floor at your sides with bent arms, as low as you can before you let go, and check how your gym feels about dropping them. On a seated press, bring the bells back to your shoulders, then down to your thighs one side at a time.

For your heaviest sets, a spotter makes the setup easier. The usual way is for the spotter to hand you one bell at a time once you are lying down with your feet set, or to help at your wrists as you kick up. Agree on the plan before the set: who lifts which bell, and the word you will use when you need help.

Why do you slide down the bench when you kick the dumbbells up?

The kick-up moves a lot of weight fast. As you roll back, your body and the bells travel together, and your back meets the pad while it is still moving. On smooth vinyl nothing stops that travel, so you scoot down the bench, your shoulder blades land half set and you press from wherever you ended up.

Two things keep you in place. First, a set position: feet planted, shoulder blades back and down, upper back pressed into the pad before the first rep. It is the same setup that stops you sliding on the barbell bench press. Second, a pad that holds that position. A double-sided grip mat between your back and the bench grips both, so the kick lands you in the same spot every set.

“Kicking dumbbells up used to scoot me an inch down the bench. Not anymore. Shoulders stayed packed and I could focus on the press instead of chasing the pad.”

Can one mat cover flat, incline and seated presses?

Yes. A thin grip mat moves with you when you change the angle or move to the next station. Lay it where your upper back meets the pad on a flat bench, move it up the back pad when you raise it to an incline, or put it on the seat for a seated press.

“Moved it from flat to incline without thinking. No straps to fight, no slipping on either angle.”

PR Grip has HexaTrac grip on both faces that holds through pressure rather than adhesive, so it leaves no residue on the bench. It works on vinyl, leather and padded surfaces and rolls into a gym bag between sessions. Here is what to look for in a non slip bench press mat.

“Flat bench, incline, machine fly pad. Three pressing stations, one mat. I am not fighting vinyl anywhere on push day anymore.”

See the PR Grip mat

Frequently asked questions