Half dumbbell bench press and half isometric dumbbell flye, the hex press is a singular high-tension chest-builder. The hex press is carried out on a flat bench with the dumbbells squeezed collectively all through the urgent movement. This function explains why one alternate title for this distinctive chest exercise is the “squeeze press.”
This train additionally goes by “Champagne press,” however the hex press isn’t only for particular events. Like Champagne, the hex press compliments absolutely anything — it’s nice for lifters coaching for a stronger press, a extra muscular chest, or more healthy shoulders.
Able to pop the cork on new chest beneficial properties? Discover every part you have to know beneath.
Hex Press
Hex Press Video Information
See the hex press in motion, demonstrated by creator Dr. Merrick Lincoln. Be aware the important thing methods, then try the Step-by-Step breakdown with extra kind suggestions.
How you can Do the Hex Press Step By Step
It could appear to be a close-grip dumbbell bench press however, whereas there are some similarities, there are essential variations that make the hex press stand out. Observe these steps for correct, environment friendly, and efficient method.
Step 1 — Set Up 5 Factors of Contact
Just like the bench press, the hex press is carried out on a flat bench. Maintain a dumbbell in every hand, arrange with 5 factors of contact for stability — the again of your head on the bench, your shoulder blades on the bench, your buttock on the bench, your proper foot touching the ground, and your left foot touching the ground. (1)
Type Tip: Recruit a “spotter,” or particular person who can help you in case you run into bother through the train. Any train involving weights passing over the physique requires a spotter. (1) A spotter is particularly necessary when studying an unfamiliar train. The spotter stands behind the bench and, if help is important, they may help by greedy your wrists to information the dumbbells. (1)
Step 2 — Set Your Shoulders and Squeeze the Dumbbells Collectively
Raise your chest towards the ceiling by arching your again and pulling your shoulder blades collectively. Keep this place all through the train. With a impartial grip (palms dealing with one another), carry the dumbbells collectively simply above your sternum and squeeze them collectively laborious.
Type Tip: In case you’re utilizing hexagonal-shaped dumbbells — the namesake tools for the hex press — guarantee flat surfaces of the dumbbells are aligned and squeezed collectively.
Step 3 — Keep Strain, Press to Lockout
Provoke the press by flexing your shoulders and lengthening your elbows. Maintain the dumbbells squeezed collectively and elbows tucked all through the motion. Don’t lower inward stress as you attain the highest, locked out, place.
Type Tip: Maintain pressure. Along with the profound contraction you’ll really feel in your chest, it is best to really feel pressure in your higher again and lats, which maintain your shoulder blades pulled collectively (retracted) and maintain your elbows tucked towards your sides.
Step 4 — Decrease with out Separating
Decrease to the middle of your chest utilizing the identical arm path because the upward motion part. Concentrate on protecting the dumbbells firmly squeezed collectively all through the reducing part, which can really feel barely unnatural at first, because the reducing part of most workout routines emphasizes a muscle stretch.
Type Tip: Take into consideration “rowing” or actively pulling the dumbbells again your chest. “Rowing” the weights again to the beginning place reinforces pressure in your higher again and eliminates the necessity to reset your arch earlier than the following repletion.
Hex Press Errors to Keep away from
Dodge these frequent errors for cleaner method and simpler hex presses.
Shedding The “Squeeze” Between Dumbbells
The stress exerted between the dumbbells is a part of the particular sauce that makes the hex press efficient — and further spicy. It promotes muscular engagement in components of the chest that may not in any other case be as lively.
On the backside place of the train, the lifter’s elbows are bent, and shoulder inside rotation drive is required to maintain the dumbbells collectively. Towards the highest place, arms are straighter, and shoulder horizontal adduction drive is required to maintain the dumbbells collectively. Though it could get tougher to maintain the squeeze on the prime and backside of the motion, agency stress between the dumbbells have to be maintained all through.
Dropping Your Chest, Liberating Your Shoulder Blades, or Flaring Your Elbows
Lack of pressure within the again permits the chest to drop, shoulder blades to unfold, and higher arms to float away from the lifter’s sides. These three errors are inclined to happen collectively, they usually could make the hex press much less efficient.
In case you really feel any of those faults, reset by arching your backbone, retracting your shoulder blades (and pinning them to the bench), and tucking your elbows towards your ribcage. Now, maintain this pressure and end.
Non-Perpendicular Strain Between Dumbbells
When squeezing the dumbbells collectively, it’s important to keep up opposing forces from the left and proper arm which can be horizontally aligned and practically equal in magnitude. In any other case, dumbbells could slip or roll aside, resulting in lack of pressure, missed reps, or worse.
Get the texture of making the squeeze utilizing gentle dumbbells throughout your “work up” units and concentrate on sustaining even, regular stress all through the exercise.
How you can Progress the Hex Press
When first performing the hex press, begin with comparatively gentle dumbbells to hone method. When you’re snug with the train, a “working weight” 20 to 30% decrease than what you’d usually use for a conventional dumbbell bench press will possible be applicable. From there, lifters have a number of nice choices for progressing the hex press.
Squeeze More durable
The only strategy to progress the hex press is to use extra inward stress to the dumbbells. Growing the “squeeze” makes the train harder and boosts the coaching stimulus skilled by the chest and shoulder muscle mass.
Improve Weight
Squeezing tougher through the hex press could make nearly any weight more difficult, however this development methodology isn’t prone to stimulate triceps progress or carry over to heavy urgent as effectively as growing the load.
When you’re in a position to hit or surpass your repetition goal on the ultimate working set, it could be time to make use of heavier dumbbells. Ideally, leaping as much as the following pair of dumbbells on the rack will drop you again towards the underside of your goal repetition vary.
Improve Repetition Quantity
As you get stronger with the hex press, think about performing extra repetitions per set. For instance, in case you usually carry out eight to 12 repetitions, and also you’re persistently hitting 12 reps with extra left within the tank, change your goal to 12 to 16 repetition units. Shifting the repetition vary upward helps to make sure difficult units and ongoing muscle achieve.
Advantages of the Hex Press
The hex press biases your chest whereas requiring solely gentle to average weights and minimal shoulder extension. Altogether, the hex press could present new chest progress and a extra shoulder-friendly urgent expertise.
Strong Chest Coaching
Carried out correctly, the hex press permits maximal or near-maximal chest contraction all through each repetition — a feat not potential throughout conventional presses. Right here’s why:
Conventional workout routines are restricted by the quantity of resistance our muscle mass can overcome through the sticking level, or probably the most difficult portion of the motion. For presses, the sticking level happens towards the start of the upward motion part. (2) Throughout the the rest of the motion, your muscle mass usually are not maximally challenged. Throughout the hex press, you may guarantee your muscle mass are adequately stimulated by squeezing the weights collectively as laborious as you want.
Not feeling adequately challenged? Merely squeeze the dumbbells collectively tougher to demand extra drive from the chest. Furthermore, squeezing as you press nearly ensures thorough engagement of pectoralis main — Learn extra within the “Muscle tissue Labored” part beneath.
Reinforces Thoughts-Muscle Connection and Urgent Approach
Horizontal urgent workout routines, such because the bench press and dumbbell bench press, are a mainstay for energy coaching and physique improvement. A number of technical components are frequent throughout all bench-supported horizontal urgent workout routines, together with the necessity for shoulder blade retraction and co-contraction of muscle mass across the shoulder joints. Additionally fascinating is the feeling of muscular effort from the chest. Lifters spend months, even years, honing their kind to enhance effectivity and effectiveness.
Luckily, the hex press might help lifters to construct energy, method, and a mind-muscle connection that may reinforce correct efficiency of different horizontal presses. Throughout the hex press, squeezing the dumbbells collectively creates the sensation of peak pectoralis main contraction all through the urgent motion. This sensation of “flexing the pecs” might help to reinforce the mind-muscle connection, which can be conducive to better beneficial properties. (3)
Squeezing the dumbbells collectively additionally encourages better involvement of your rhomboids and center trapezius, as they have to counteract forces from pectoralis main, subscapularis, serratus anterior, and different muscle mass on the entrance of the torso. Rhomboids and center traps are the muscle mass primarily chargeable for sustaining retraction of the shoulder blades. Elevated demand through the hex press could encourage lifters to create a tighter setup for bench-supported horizontal urgent.
Shoulder-Pleasant Urgent
People with sure shoulder issues, akin to shoulder instability, could not tolerate conventional urgent. (4)(5) People who current with apprehension and ache within the entrance of the shoulder when the arm is introduced out and prolonged behind the physique could have a selected kind of instability referred to as anterior instability. (4)(6) This downside is frequent amongst lifters. One small examine reported over two-thirds of leisure resistance trainees confirmed indicators and signs of anterior instability. (6)
In contrast to the fundamental dumbbell bench press or barbell bench press, the hex press limits shoulder extension on the backside of the motion. Your arms can’t journey behind your physique, as a result of the dumbbells usually are not allowed to clear the chest. This function could also be higher tolerated by lifters with practical anterior instability.
As a result of each model of shoulder ache is completely different, these struggling with shoulder points ought to search a professional sports activities drugs supplier — and the hex press is perhaps value discussing, as it could current a chance to coach round or prepare by way of sure shoulder points with the suitable steerage.
Muscle tissue Labored by the Hex Press
As a neutral-grip urgent motion, the hex press trains the muscle mass that flex your shoulders and prolong your elbows. Squeezing the dumbbells collectively additionally trains the muscle mass of shoulder horizontal adduction (i.e. these educated throughout a chest flye) and the muscle mass of shoulder inside rotation. Listed below are the main gamers.
Pectoralis Main
You’ll really feel the hex press most profoundly in pectoralis main, the most important, most superficial muscle mass of your chest. The pectoralis main has two main components — the clavicular head, or higher chest, and the sternocostal head, which composes the center to decrease a part of the chest. Every half contributes to varied shoulder actions and the hex press covers nearly all bases for coaching your pectoralis main.
Shoulder flexion is resisted through the urgent motion of the hex press. The clavicular head of pectoralis main is educated throughout resisted shoulder flexion. (7) Shoulder horizontal adduction is educated by squeezing the dumbbells collectively towards the highest of the hex press.
Each heads of the pectoralis main are educated throughout shoulder horizontal adduction, together with a handful of various muscle mass. (7)(8) Shoulder inside rotation is educated when the dumbbells are squeezed collectively towards the underside of the hex press. Once more, each heads are educated throughout inside rotation train, albeit the sternocostal head is probably going biased. (9)
Anterior Deltoid
The deltoid is the “cap” of muscle surrounding the entrance, again, and aspect of your shoulder. It’s divided into three practical components, every with completely different actions — anterior, center, and posterior. The anterior deltoid, or entrance delts, flex the shoulder and help with squeezing the dumbbells collectively through the hex press. (7) Whereas typical urgent workout routines hit this a part of the delt, the additional squeeze of the hex press makes this train simpler for anterior deltoid improvement.
Triceps Brachii
The hex press trains your triceps brachii, the three-headed muscle on the bottom of your arms. Along with filling your sleeves, the triceps brachii helps enhance your bench press numbers by enhancing lockout energy. For an incredible triceps pump, strive three or 4 units of hex press with light-to-moderate weight dumbbells for high-repetition units with 60 seconds relaxation between every set.
Rotator Cuff
Though conventional urgent largely trains muscle mass on the entrance of your chest and shoulders, the motion additionally prompts necessary muscle mass situated deep behind the shoulders— the posterior rotator cuff. (10) The posterior rotator cuff serves a stabilizing perform through the press.
By actively squeezing the dumbbells collectively, significantly through the backside half of the hex press, the deep muscle on the entrance of the shoulder, or anterior rotator cuff, is engaged. Therefore, the hex press seems to be uniquely suited to coach each the posterior and anterior rotator cuff muscle mass.
How you can Program the Hex Press
The hex press may be programmed in a wide range of methods on push day, throughout a selected chest workout, or throughout a full physique exercise. Hex presses can construct muscle and energy. As well as, they prime your chest and shoulders for heavy work and work properly for intensification methods.
As a Low-to-Reasonable Weight, Excessive-Repetition Chest Builder
Whether or not coaching for constructing muscle (i.e. “hypertrophy”) or energy, excessive effort units — these carried as much as or close to muscular failure — are efficient even comparatively with gentle weight. (11)(12)(13)
Choose light-to-moderate weight dumbbells (e.g. 40 to 70% of what you’d use for the standard dumbbell bench press). Then, take every working set to inside two or three repetitions of failure. Two to 4 units of eight or extra repetitions will promote energy and dimension, offered units are carried out with excessive ranges of effort.
As a Light-weight Activation Train
Do you or somebody you realize endure from the shortcoming to really feel the chest working throughout presses? Don’t despair. The hex press is perhaps the repair.
Merely carry out one to 3 gentle units of hex presses earlier than your major press of the day (i.e. earlier than the bench press, incline press, and many others.). Concentrate on the “squeeze” through the hex press. Then, like an overfilled shaker bottle, the mind-muscle connection to your pecs will spill over to your major urgent motion.
Maximally squeezing the dumbbells collectively throughout a set of hex urgent could enhance energy output throughout a subsequent set of presses by way of a phenomenon referred to as post-activation potentiation. (14) This impact could also be particularly interesting for athletes and lifters coaching to be extra athletic.
As A part of a Large Set
An enormous set is an intensification method consisting of 4 or extra workout routines in collection with out relaxation between. Like supersets, the workout routines used big units can goal non-competing muscle teams or equivalent muscle mass.
When all 4 workout routines within the big set goal the identical muscle mass, they’ve been proven to provide related hypertrophy to supersets and conventional units that used 90 second relaxation intervals. (15) However right here’s the kicker — big units take much less time than supersets and conventional units.
The hex press requires easy tools, minimal setup, and compliments many various big set configurations. Right here’s a pattern big set:
- Dumbbell Bench Press — 3-4 x 12
- Dumbbell Pullover — 3-4 x 12
- Dumbbell Flye — 3-4 x 12
- Hex Press — 3-4 x 12
Take no relaxation between particular person workout routines. Swap dumbbells if mandatory and instantly start the following elevate. Relaxation 60-90 seconds between big units.
Hex Press Variations
On the lookout for different efficient and shoulder-friendly methods to coach the chest? Relying in your preferences and obtainable tools, you may select one of many following variations:
Single-Arm Dumbbell Ground Press
The dumbbell ground press is usually a nice train for studying and coaching horizontal urgent actions. In comparison with the fundamental dumbbell bench press, the ground press limits shoulder extension, because the higher arms will probably be stopped by the bottom. The shoulder extension vary of movement of the ground press is much like the hex press, that means it’s prone to reduce stress on the entrance of the shoulder, as mentioned within the Advantages part, above.
One main disadvantage of the dumbbell ground press, nonetheless, is that it’s often restricted to gentle dumbbells on account of tough setup. Performing the ground press one arm at a time (“unilaterally”) helps to attenuate this downside.
Carry out the single-arm dumbbell ground press mendacity in your again, both along with your toes flat on the ground or your legs prolonged out in entrance of you. Start the press with a single dumbbell held in conjunction with your chest and your higher arm resting on the ground. Maintain your shoulder blades pinned to the ground as you drive the dumbbell towards the ceiling and decrease with management.
Incline Hex Press
Restricted analysis suggests the incline bench press could present better beneficial properties in higher chest, or clavicular head pectoralis main, muscle thickness in comparison with the flat bench press. (8)(16)
Though we have to be cautious extrapolating these findings to the hex press, lifters wishing to construct their higher chest may think about the incline model of the train. The incline hex press is carried out identical to the hex press, besides an incline bench or adjustable bench set to roughly 45-degrees is used.
Hex Press to Flye Press Combo
A possible shortcoming of the hex press is the shortcoming to show the chest to coaching at lengthy muscle lengths (e.g. “beneath stretch”). Enter the flye press. The normal flye press entails urgent to lockout after which permitting the dumbbells to unfold aside in a “flye-like” movement through the downward motion part, thereby coaching pectoralis main at lengthy muscle lengths through the eccentric (reducing part).
For the hex press to flye press combo, get the advantages of the “squeeze” by performing the upward motion part like a hex press and reducing the weights like a flye. Be sure you use lighter dumbbells than typical for this motion, because the eccentric flye is extraordinarily difficult.
Medication Ball Push-up
Whereas this closing variation isn’t a dumbbell press in any respect, push-up variations are criminally underrated. They are often completed practically anyplace. Higher but, push-ups enhance energy and muscle mass equally to the bench press. (17)
Performing push-ups along with your arms on both aspect of a drugs ball requires isometric horizontal adduction of the shoulders much like the hex press, whereas coaching by way of an analogous urgent vary of movement. Strive the medication ball squeeze push-up as a hex press different when dumbbells are scarce, while you need to change-up within the really feel of your chest coaching, or when conventional push-ups turn into too simple.
FAQs
In bodybuilding communicate, the “interior chest” refers back to the fibers of pectoralis main that connect to the sternum. Particularly, these excited by constructing their interior chest are possible most involved with the proximal or most central parts of these fibers.
Anybody who performs the hex press correctly will inform you they really feel a powerful contraction of this portion of the pectoralis main. Though no research have instantly examined the hex press, not to mention measured its long-term results on chest muscle thickness, there’s a case to be made for its use as an inner-chest builder.
Slim-grip urgent tends to point out decrease muscular exercise of the sternal a part of pectoralis main in comparison with conventional or wide-grip urgent. (18) Though the arm path of the hex press resembles a narrow-grip or close-grip press, hex urgent entails the extra activity of protecting the dumbbells squeezed collectively.
Subsequently, it’s protected to imagine the “squeeze” enhances sternal pectoralis main contraction, a feat lifters could also be unable to perform through the conventional bench press. (19)
Though metallic or rubber hexagonal-shaped dumbbells are frequent, many gyms have spherical or “professional fashion” dumbbells. The hex press can be carried out with spherical dumbbells, as demonstrated within the video at first of the article.
Nonetheless, it is tougher. Spherical dumbbells demand extra exact utility of inward stress to keep away from motion between the dumbbells.
That’s an choice. Each workout routines prepare pectoralis main, anterior deltoid, and firm. However pec flyes are a single-joint train and fail to hit the triceps brachii, which does obtain a coaching stimulus through the hex press.
Machine pec flyes and cable crossovers will also be extra taxing on the shoulders, particularly amongst lifters with practical anterior instability from a earlier harm or cumulative trauma. This pathology is mentioned intimately within the Advantages part.
The radius of the dumbbells provides the impact of a board press, which limits urgent vary of movement. Particularly, shoulder extension is restricted. People with sure shoulder accidents, akin to practical anterior instability, could not tolerate loaded shoulder extension. Therefore, the hex press could also be an appropriate choice.
Diving deeper, practical anterior instability is regarded as associated to decreased exercise of subscapularis — a muscle of the rotator cuff. (4) Squeezing the dumbbells collectively on the backside of the hex press elicits robust contraction of the subscapularis. This function may enhance tolerance to train or assist deal with subscapularis insufficiency.
Usually, hex urgent tends to be higher tolerated than pec flyes and conventional bench press variations by these with banged up shoulders. Once more, go see a professional sports activities drugs practitioner in case you’re coping with a shoulder harm.
Construct a Magnum Chest with the Champagne Press
The hex press is carried out by aggressively squeezing dumbbells collectively all through a neutral-grip dumbbell bench press. The squeeze engages better parts of your pecs, which can result in accelerated chest beneficial properties. The hex press additionally reinforces necessary components of urgent method, spares sore shoulders from loaded hyperextension, and creates co-contraction conducive to joint stability. Savor the squeeze and have a good time the hex press.
References
- Haff, G. G., & Triplett, N. T. (Eds.). (2015). Necessities of Power Coaching and Conditioning 4th ed. Human Kinetics. Champagne, IL, USA. 351-408.
- Kompf, J., & Arandjelović, O. (2017). The sticking level within the bench press, the squat, and the deadlift: Similarities and variations, and their significance for analysis and follow. Sports activities Medication, 47, 631-640.
- Schoenfeld, B. J., et al. (2018). Differential results of attentional focus methods throughout long-term resistance coaching. European Journal of Sport Science, 18(5), 705-712.
- Moroder, P., et al. (2020). Traits of practical shoulder instability. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgical procedure, 29(1), 68-78.
- Kolber, M. J., et al. (2010). Shoulder accidents attributed to resistance coaching: a quick evaluation. The Journal of Power & Conditioning Analysis, 24(6), 1696-1704.
- Kolber, M. J., Corrao, M., & Hanney, W. J. (2013). Traits of anterior shoulder instability and hyperlaxity within the weight-training inhabitants. The Journal of Power & Conditioning Analysis, 27(5), 1333-1339.
- Ackland, D. C., et al. (2008). Second arms of the muscle mass crossing the anatomical shoulder. Journal of Anatomy, 213(4), 383-390.
- dos Santos Albarello, et al. (2022). Non-uniform excitation of pectoralis main induced by modifications in bench press inclination results in uneven variations within the cross-sectional space measured by panoramic ultrasonography. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 67, 102722
- Ackland, D. C., & Pandy, M. G. (2011). Second arms of the shoulder muscle mass throughout axial rotation. Journal of Orthopaedic Analysis, 29(5), 658-667.
- Wattanaprakornkul, D., et al. (2011). Path-specific recruitment of rotator cuff muscle mass throughout bench press and row. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 21(6), 1041-1049.
- Schoenfeld, B., et al. (2021). Resistance coaching suggestions to maximise muscle hypertrophy in an athletic inhabitants: Place stand of the IUSCA. Worldwide Journal of Power and Conditioning, 1(1), 1-30.
- Lasevicius, T., et al. (2018). Results of various intensities of resistance coaching with equated quantity load on muscle energy and hypertrophy. European Journal of Sport Science, 18(6), 772-780
- Weakley, J., et al. (2023). Physiological Responses and Variations to Decrease Load Resistance Coaching: Implications for Well being and Efficiency. Sports activities Medication-Open, 9(1), 1-10.
- Esformes, J. I., et al. (2011). Impact of several types of conditioning contraction on higher physique postactivation potentiation. The Journal of Power & Conditioning Analysis, 25(1), 143-148.
- Demirtaş, B., et al. (2022). The impact of three completely different units methodology utilized in resistance coaching on hypertrophy and maximal energy modifications. Bodily Training of College students, 26(6), 270-279.
- Chaves, S. F., et al. (2020). Results of horizontal and incline bench press on neuromuscular variations in untrained younger males. Worldwide Journal of Train Science, 13(6), 859.
- Kikuchi, N., & Nakazato, Okay. (2017). Low-load bench press and push-up induce related muscle hypertrophy and energy achieve. Journal of Train Science & Health, 15(1), 37-42.
- López-Vivancos, A., et al. (2023). Electromyographic Exercise of the Pectoralis Main Muscle throughout Conventional Bench Press and Different Variants of Pectoral Workout routines: A Systematic Evaluation and Meta-Evaluation. Utilized Sciences, 13(8), 5203.
- Paoli, A., et al. (2019). Thoughts-muscle connection: results of verbal directions on muscle exercise throughout bench press train. European Journal of Translational Myology, 29(2).
Featured Picture: MDV Edwards / Shutterstock
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