Megan Falk joined the Shape.com team in 2019 and serves as the assistant editor, primarily covering exercise tips, fitness modalities, workout trends, and more. Previously, she was Shape’s editorial assistant and covered food trends and nutrition, sustainability, health and wellness, and beauty topics, among others. Before joining the team, Megan worked as an editorial intern at DoctorOz.com. Megan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism and a minor in food studies from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Her writing has also appeared in Health, SAVEUR, her hometown’s magazine, Hour Detroit, and more. She’s currently preparing to earn her personal trainer certification through the American Council on Exercise.

Welcome to Modify This Move, the ongoing series where you'll find everything you need to amend a standard exercise to meet your goals, your body, and your mood. Each story breaks down how to perform a foundational fitness move, then offers various modifications based on your current fitness or energy level, present or prior injuries, or the muscles you want to target most. So check your ego at that door and ensure every workout meets you where you're at today.

In a single day, you might have to maneuver a heavy shopping cart through your grocery store's crowded aisles, push your kids in a stroller down the street, and shove your couch back into its proper place after your hyper dog moved it during their zoomies. The one thing these activities have in common? They all call on your upper body's ability to press heavy objects.

And that's why practicing the chest press (aka bench press) can do you some good, says Sal Nakhlawi, a certified functional strength coach and weightlifting coach in New York City. The exercise — which involves lying on the floor or a bench and pressing weight (think: a pair of dumbbells or a barbell) straight toward the ceiling — improves your pressing strength, helping to make those everyday movements easier, she explains. And despite the name, the chest press not only trains your pectorals but also your deltoids (read: shoulder muscles), triceps, and biceps, says Nakhlawi.

But you don't have to stick with the traditional chest press to score its strength-building benefits. In fact, resistance training beginners and advanced lifters looking to go back to the basics can use scaled-down chest press variations that allow them to practice proper form without making any complicated tweaks in technique. On the flip side, folks ready to amp up the challenge or reach certain fitness goals can try chest press variations that test coordination and target specific muscle groups. And if you're experiencing shoulder pain, you can opt for a chest press variation that helps you build strength without further aggravating your joint. Translation: You can and should choose a chest press variation that feels best for your body at that moment, works with your fitness level, and helps you meet whatever objective you're striving to achieve.

Ready to give the upper-body exercise a shot? Follow the instructions below to master the dumbbell chest press, and then watch as Nakhlawi demonstrates how to switch up the exercise with six different chest press variations she shared that work for all abilities and fitness goals.

A. Sit on the floor with knees bent at 45-degree angles, feet resting flat on the ground in front of butt, and hold a medium-weight dumbbell in each hand.

B. Squeeze elbows tight to ribs, then slowly lower torso down to the floor to lie face up, holding the dumbbells in front of shoulders. Open elbows to the sides so triceps form a 45-degree angle with torso, palms facing feet. Press feet flat into the floor and engage core. This is the starting position.

C. Press the dumbbells toward the ceiling, straightening arms so the dumbbells are directly over shoulders.

D. Slowly bend elbows to lower the dumbbells to chest and triceps to the floor, pausing when the dumbbells are a few inches above shoulders.

If you test out the classic chest press and find it doesn't work with your body or fitness level, don't fret. Instead of sticking with an exercise that feels too challenging or doesn't align with your goals, try swapping it with a chest press variation that gives you exactly what you want and need.

Here, you'll find chest press variations that scale the exercise up or down, including moves that target specific muscles and help correct muscle imbalances. Plus, you'll learn chest press variations that are ideal if you're dealing with shoulder issues. No matter which option you choose, continue checking in with your body as you power through your reps and try a different exercise if it doesn't feel right.

If the idea of using free weights intimidates you (there is a slight chance of dropping the dumbbells on your face, after all), consider trying a push-up before you do a chest press. The exercise allows you to train similar muscles as the chest press without heavy equipment, says Nakhlawi. Plus, you can further modify the move by performing the push-up on your knees, which makes it a bit less challenging on your upper body and core.

A. Start in a table-top position on the floor with hands directly under shoulders and knees under hips. Walk knees back until body forms a straight line from head to knees, then rest tips of toes on the floor or hover them in the air.

B. Engage core by tucking tailbone and drawing navel in toward spine. Lock in lats by drawing shoulders down and away from ears. Push elbows out so arms form a 45-degree angle to body.

C. Look down and slightly forward to keep neck neutral and engage core. Slowly bend at elbows to lower body, stopping about 3 inches above the floor.

D. Push away from the floor to return to the starting position.

In this leveled-up chest press variation, you'll simultaneously push one dumbbell up to the ceiling while lowering the other dumbbell back to your chest — just like a seesaw. The dynamic move not only puts your upper-body muscles through the wringer, but it also challenges your coordination, says Nakhlawi.

A. Sit on the floor with knees bent at 45-degree angles, feet resting flat on the ground in front of butt, and hold a medium-weight dumbbell in each hand.

B. Squeeze elbows tight to ribs, then slowly lower torso down to the floor to lie face up, holding the dumbbells in front of shoulders. Open elbows to the sides so triceps form a 45-degree angle with torso, palms facing feet. Press feet flat into the floor and engage core. This is the starting position.

C. Press the right dumbbell toward the ceiling, straightening right arm so the dumbbell is directly over right shoulder.

D. Slowly bend right elbow to lower the dumbbell to chest and triceps to the floor, pausing when the dumbbell is a few inches above shoulder. Simultaneously, press the left dumbbell toward the ceiling, straightening left arm so the dumbbell is directly over left shoulder.

Looking to strengthen the muscles in your upper chest? Try an incline chest press variation, which targets your upper pectorals more so than a traditional bench press, says Nakhlawi.

A. Sit on a bench positioned at 45-degree angle, with feet resting flat on the ground, and hold a medium-weight dumbbell in each hand, resting the weights<<resting what?>> on thighs.

B. Squeeze elbows tight to ribs, then slowly lower torso to the bench's backrest, holding the dumbbells in front of shoulders. Open elbows to the sides so triceps form a 45-degree angle with torso, palms facing feet. Press feet flat into the floor and engage core. This is the starting position.

C. Press the dumbbells toward the ceiling, straightening arms so the dumbbells are directly over shoulders.

D. Slowly bend elbows to lower the dumbbells to chest and triceps to the floor, pausing when the dumbbells are a few inches above shoulders.

To build strength and muscle in the lower pectoral muscles, practice the decline chest press variation, says Nakhlawi. You'll perform the same movement pattern as the traditional bench press, but you'll do so while holding a glute bridge. You can do this on an adjustable workout bench tilted at a -15-degree angle, or without one, you can mimic the decline by coming into a glute bridge hold. This latter option has the bonus of recruiting your glutes while you work your chest.

A. Sit on the floor with knees bent at 45-degree angles, feet resting flat on the ground in front of butt, and hold a medium-weight dumbbell in each hand.

B. Squeeze elbows tight to ribs, then slowly lower torso down to the floor to lie face up, holding the dumbbells in front of shoulders. Open elbows to the sides so triceps form a 45-degree angle with torso, palms facing feet. Press feet flat into the floor and engage core.

C. Keeping core engaged and tailbone tucked, exhale and slowly push through both heels to lift hips off the floor. Lift hips up as high as possible without allowing the lower back to arch. This is the starting position.

C. Press the dumbbells toward the ceiling, straightening arms so the dumbbells are directly over shoulders.

D. Slowly bend elbows to lower the dumbbells to chest and triceps to the floor, pausing when the dumbbells are a few inches above shoulders.

If the traditional chest press exacerbates any shoulder aches or pains you're dealing currently with, opt for a hammer press. In this chest press variation, your palms will face toward one another rather than toward your feet, says Nakhlawi. In turn, the weights place less stress on your shoulder joints, she explains. (Love the hammer press? You'll also want to give the hammer curl a shot.)

A. Sit on the floor with knees bent at 45-degree angles, feet resting flat on the ground in front of butt, and hold a medium-weight dumbbell in each hand.

B. Squeeze elbows tight to ribs, then slowly lower torso down to the floor to lie face up, holding the dumbbells in front of shoulders with palms facing toward one another. Press feet flat into the floor and engage core. This is the starting position.

C. Press the dumbbells toward the ceiling, straightening arms so the dumbbells are directly over shoulders.

D. Slowly bend elbows to lower the dumbbells to chest and triceps to the floor, pausing when the dumbbells are a few inches above shoulders.

It's natural for one side of your body to be stronger than the other, but serious imbalances can lead to compensated movement patterns and, in turn, an increased risk of injury, according to the American Council on Exercise. The good news: A single-arm chest press can help your muscles stay balanced, as you're able to focus on training and strengthening one side of your body at a time, says Nakhlawi.

A. Sit on the floor with knees bent at 45-degree angles, feet resting flat on the ground in front of butt, and hold a medium-weight dumbbell in left hand.

B. Squeeze elbows tight to ribs, then slowly lower torso down to the floor to lie face up, holding the dumbbell in front of left shoulder. Open left elbow to the side so triceps form a 45-degree angle with torso, left palm facing feet. Extend right arm down at side and place palm flat on the floor. Press feet flat into the floor and engage core. This is the starting position.

C. Press the dumbbell toward the ceiling, straightening left arm so the dumbbell is directly over left shoulder.

D. Slowly bend left elbow to lower the dumbbell to chest and triceps to the floor, pausing when the dumbbell is a few inches above left shoulder.

Photography and art: Jenna Brillhart Model and fitness expert: Sal Nakhlawi Wardrobe: SET Active

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