Most beginners start chest training with the same two options: the barbell bench press and standard push ups. Both can work very well, but neither is automatically the best place to start. A barbell can feel intimidating, while floor push ups may be too difficult to perform with a full range of motion and stable body position.
The good news is that your chest does not know whether an exercise looks conventional. It responds to sufficient muscular tension, challenging effort, progressive overload, and consistent training. A beginner also needs movements that are easy to learn, comfortable on the shoulders, and simple to adjust as strength improves.
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That is where a few unusual chest exercises can be useful. They may look strange at first, but they solve common beginner problems. They let you learn how to press, build confidence, and train the muscles that support strong pressing mechanics without needing a heavily loaded barbell.
The three exercises below are not gimmicks. Each has a clear purpose and can fit into a sensible beginner routine when performed with control.
Why Beginners Need More Than the Bench Press
The pectoralis major is the large chest muscle that helps bring the upper arm across the body and assists with pressing movements. During a pressing exercise, the chest works alongside the triceps and front of the shoulders. This is why chest exercises often feel like arm and shoulder exercises too.
For muscle growth, the important factors are not limited to the name of the exercise. Research shows that a wide range of resistance training loads can stimulate hypertrophy when sets are performed with enough effort. The practical takeaway is that beginners do not need to lift very heavy weights to make progress. They do need to make the target muscles work hard with good technique.
Push ups can produce similar chest and triceps muscle activation to bench press variations when the load and effort are appropriately matched. However, standard push ups place a substantial percentage of body weight through the hands. That can be too much for a new lifter, especially if they cannot keep their ribs, hips, and shoulders in a controlled position.
The exercises in this article offer useful alternatives. One teaches chest tension with light dumbbells. One gives beginners an easier way to practice the push up pattern. One improves the shoulder blade control that makes pressing feel stronger and smoother.
1. Dumbbell Squeeze Floor Press
The dumbbell squeeze floor press is sometimes called a crush press. It involves holding two dumbbells together throughout the movement and actively squeezing them into each other while pressing from the floor.
It looks odd because most people expect dumbbells to move independently. Keeping them pressed together changes the feel of the exercise completely. Instead of simply lowering and lifting the weights, you create continuous inward pressure with your hands. That inward effort matches one of the main actions of the pectoralis major: bringing the arms toward the midline of the body.
Why It Works for Beginners
The floor limits the bottom position of the press. This reduces the range of motion compared with a bench press, but it can also make the movement easier to control. Beginners who feel an uncomfortable stretch at the bottom of a regular dumbbell press may find the floor variation more comfortable.
The floor also prevents the elbows from dropping far below the torso. This can be useful while learning how to press without allowing the shoulders to roll forward excessively. It is not a replacement for training through a full range of motion forever, but it is a practical entry point.
The squeezing action encourages you to focus on chest tension rather than simply moving the dumbbells from point A to point B. Exercise selection should never be based on muscle sensation alone, because feeling a muscle work does not guarantee superior long term growth. Still, actively controlling the movement and applying force through the intended range can help a beginner learn the pattern.
How to Do It
Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Hold two light dumbbells directly over your chest so that the inner plates touch. Your palms should face each other.
Before lowering the weights, gently pull your shoulder blades toward the floor and keep your rib cage controlled. Squeeze the dumbbells together as if you are trying to crush them. Lower them slowly until the backs of your upper arms lightly touch the floor.
Pause without relaxing completely, then press the dumbbells upward. Continue squeezing them together throughout the entire repetition. Finish with the weights over your chest, not over your face.
Start with a weight that allows you to complete 8 to 15 controlled repetitions. The squeezing force makes even relatively light dumbbells feel demanding.
Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake is using dumbbells that are too heavy. When the load is excessive, you will struggle to keep the dumbbells together and the movement becomes a less stable floor press. Start lighter than you think you need.
Avoid shrugging your shoulders toward your ears. Keep the upper back stable and let the chest, triceps, and shoulders produce the pressing force. Do not slam your upper arms into the floor. A light touch is enough.
2. Hands Elevated Push Up Plus
The hands elevated push up plus is a push up performed with the hands on a stable raised surface, followed by an extra reach at the top. The word “plus” refers to the final shoulder blade movement after the elbows have straightened.
At first it can look like an unnecessary add on. In reality, it combines a scalable chest press with work for the serratus anterior, a muscle that helps the shoulder blades move smoothly around the rib cage.
Why It Works for Beginners
An elevated push up reduces the amount of body weight you have to press compared with a floor push up. The higher the surface, the easier the movement generally becomes. This makes it an excellent way to practice a push up pattern before moving to lower surfaces and eventually the floor.
The extra reach at the top trains shoulder blade protraction. In simple terms, after you press your body away from the bench, box, or countertop, you push a little farther by allowing the shoulder blades to move forward around the rib cage. Research on push up plus variations consistently shows high serratus anterior activity, particularly when the exercise is performed with controlled shoulder blade movement.
That matters because the shoulder blades are not supposed to stay frozen during pressing. They should move in a coordinated way. Learning this control can make push ups feel more stable and may help beginners avoid the common habit of letting the upper back collapse between the shoulders.
The chest still contributes strongly during the pressing portion. The serratus anterior becomes more active during the added reach, so this is best understood as a chest and shoulder blade control exercise rather than an isolated pec builder.
How to Do It
Place your hands on a stable bench, box, bar in a rack, or sturdy countertop. The higher the surface, the easier the exercise will be. Walk your feet back until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
Lower your chest toward the surface by bending your elbows. Keep your elbows angled comfortably away from your torso rather than flared directly to the sides. Maintain a firm trunk and avoid letting your hips sag.
Press back to the starting position. Once your elbows are straight, gently push the surface away again so your upper back rises slightly and your shoulder blades move forward. Hold this position briefly, then begin the next repetition.
Aim for 8 to 15 repetitions with smooth control. When you can comfortably perform several sets at the top of that range, use a slightly lower surface.
Common Mistakes
Do not turn the final reach into a rounded lower back. Your body should stay long and braced. The movement comes from the shoulder blades, not from thrusting the hips forward or tucking the pelvis excessively.
Do not force your chest all the way to the surface if your shoulders lose position. Use a range of motion you can control, then gradually increase it as your strength and confidence improve.
3. The Dumbbell Pullover With Bent Arms
The dumbbell pullover has been around for decades, but it is often misunderstood. Some people treat it as a back exercise, while others use it as a chest movement. The truth is that it involves multiple muscles, including the chest, lats, triceps, and muscles that stabilize the shoulders and torso.
For beginners, the bent arm version is usually the better choice. Keeping a soft bend in the elbows gives you more control than locking the arms straight and can reduce the temptation to use excessive weight.
Why It Works for Beginners
A pullover trains the upper body in a different position from a standard press. The weight moves from above the chest toward a position behind the head, which challenges the chest and lats while the arms move overhead. This can help beginners become familiar with controlled shoulder movement and upper body bracing.
The pectoralis major can contribute to bringing the arm back toward the body from an overhead position. However, the pullover should not be treated as a pure chest isolation exercise. It is a hybrid upper body movement, and that is exactly why it can be valuable. It trains coordination across the chest, back, and trunk rather than asking a beginner to isolate one muscle perfectly.
Biomechanical research indicates that exercise technique, joint angle, and the resistance profile of a movement all affect the muscular demands of pressing and pulling exercises. The pullover gives beginners a way to load a long overhead position lightly and progressively, provided that it is performed within a comfortable range.
How to Do It
Lie across a bench with your upper back supported, or lie lengthwise on a flat bench if you want more stability. For most beginners, lying lengthwise is the easier option. Hold one dumbbell with both hands above your chest. Keep a slight bend in your elbows.
Brace your abdomen and lower the dumbbell slowly behind your head. Stop when you feel a comfortable stretch through the chest, upper back, or lats. You do not need to chase an extreme range of motion.
Pull the dumbbell back over your chest using a smooth, controlled arc. Keep your rib cage from flaring dramatically. If your lower back arches hard as the weight moves overhead, reduce the range of motion or choose a lighter dumbbell.
Use 10 to 15 repetitions. The aim is control and a comfortable stretch, not maximal loading.
Common Mistakes
The most common error is turning the exercise into a lower back stretch. Keep the rib cage controlled and avoid allowing the hips to drop. A stable torso gives the shoulders and upper body a better platform from which to move.
Do not use a heavy dumbbell just because both hands are holding it. The pullover places the weight far from the shoulder joint at the bottom position, which can make a moderate load feel much heavier. Progress slowly and stop if you experience sharp shoulder pain.
How to Use These Exercises in a Beginner Chest Workout
You do not need to perform all three exercises in every session. Two chest focused movements per workout are often enough for a beginner, particularly when combined with other upper body training.
A simple approach is to start with hands elevated push ups plus because they teach whole body pressing control. Follow them with dumbbell squeeze floor presses to add direct chest focused work. Finish with light dumbbell pullovers if your shoulders tolerate the movement comfortably.
Train your chest two or three times per week, leaving at least a day between hard sessions. Beginners often make faster progress by practicing movements regularly rather than destroying one muscle group in a single workout.
Start with two or three sets per exercise and leave a few repetitions in reserve. For example, if you think you could complete 15 repetitions with good technique, stop around 12 or 13. As you improve, add repetitions, lower the height of the elevated push up surface, increase dumbbell load gradually, or add another set.
Progressive overload is important, but it does not have to mean adding weight every week. Better control, greater range of motion, more repetitions with the same load, and cleaner technique are all meaningful forms of progress.
The Bottom Line
Weird exercises are only useful when they solve a real training problem. The dumbbell squeeze floor press helps beginners learn to create chest tension with manageable weights. The hands elevated push up plus builds a scalable pressing pattern while improving shoulder blade control. The bent arm dumbbell pullover introduces a controlled overhead movement that challenges the chest, lats, and trunk together.
None of these movements needs to replace the bench press or standard push ups permanently. They can make those traditional exercises easier to learn by building strength, coordination, and confidence first. Use a controlled range of motion, choose loads you can manage, and make small improvements over time. That is how beginner chest training becomes effective.
Key Takeaways
| Exercise | Main beginner benefit | Recommended starting approach |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell squeeze floor press | Builds chest focused pressing tension with a stable and limited bottom position | Use light dumbbells for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions |
| Hands elevated push up plus | Scales the push up while training shoulder blade control | Use a high stable surface for 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 repetitions |
| Bent arm dumbbell pullover | Trains controlled overhead upper body movement with chest and back involvement | Use a light dumbbell for 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions |
| Progression | Makes training more challenging without rushing load increases | Add repetitions, improve control, lower the push up surface, or increase load gradually |
References
- Calatayud, J., Borreani, S., Colado, J.C., Martin, F., Rogers, M.E., Behm, D.G. and Andersen, L.L. (2015) ‘Muscle activation during the bench press and push up at comparable levels of muscle activity’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(1), pp. 246 to 249.
- Lasevicius, T., Ugrinowitsch, C., Schoenfeld, B.J., Roschel, H., Tavares, L.D., De Souza, E.O. and Tricoli, V. (2018) ‘Effects of different intensities of resistance training with equated volume load on muscle strength and hypertrophy’, European Journal of Sport Science, 18(6), pp. 772 to 780.
- Park, K.M., Cynn, H.S., Kwon, O.Y., Yi, C.H., Yoon, T.L. and Lee, J.H. (2014) ‘Comparison of pectoralis major and serratus anterior muscle activities during different push up plus exercises in subjects with and without scapular winging’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(9), pp. 2546 to 2551.
- Schoenfeld, B.J., Grgic, J., Ogborn, D. and Krieger, J.W. (2017) ‘Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low versus high load resistance training: A systematic review and meta analysis’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(12), pp. 3508 to 3523.
- Suprak, D.N., Dawes, J. and Stephenson, M.D. (2011) ‘The effect of position on the percentage of body mass supported during traditional and modified push up variants’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25(2), pp. 497 to 503.
- Youdas, J.W., Budach, B.D., Ellerbusch, J.V., Stucky, C.M., Wait, K.R. and Hollman, J.H. (2008) ‘Comparison of muscle activation levels during standard push up and perfect push up exercises’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(3), pp. 832 to 839.
