Lie on a flat bench and move a dumbbell in each hand through a controlled circular arc from your hips up and over your head, emphasizing horizontal adduction to work the chest.
How to do the Around the World#
- Lie supine on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand and palms facing upward, holding a slight bend in your elbows and the weights near your thighs.
- Keep your upper arms roughly parallel to the floor and maintain a steady range of motion throughout the set.
- Exhale and guide the dumbbells in a smooth semicircular path up and over your chest toward the top of your head.
- Briefly control the position at the top, then inhale and reverse the same circular path to return the weights to your starting position.
- Repeat for the prescribed reps while keeping the movement slow and controlled and the elbow bend constant.
Muscles worked#
- Primary: Chest (Pectoralis Major)
- Secondary: Front delts (Anterior Deltoid), Side delts (Lateral Deltoid), Upper back (Rhomboids & Middle Trapezius)
Common mistakes#
- Locking the elbows instead of keeping a slight bend.
- Using momentum to swing the weights rather than moving deliberately.
- Letting the arms drop below parallel and stressing the shoulder joint.
- Shrugging the shoulders and recruiting the traps instead of focusing on the chest.
