Single arm bench presses allow you to work both sides of your body equally. Often, your stronger arm takes up the slack when you perform the exercise with a barbell or a machine. Performing a single arm bench press while balancing on a therapy ball, or stability ball, adds more difficulty to this standard strengthening exercise. Integrating rotation helps you target different muscle fibers.
Standard Version
Lie with your shoulders on your stability ball. Your feet should be hip-width apart and flat on the floor, directly under your knees. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your palms facing each other. Extend one dumbbell up toward the ceiling. As you push the dumbbell up, turn your arm so that the palm of your hand points in the direction of your feet. Lower the dumbbell to the starting position. While lowering the first dumbbell, lift the other one. Continue alternating sides until you reach the desired number of repetitions. Alternately, you can work each side separately. If you want to address a strength imbalance, you can perform additional repetitions with your weaker side.
Tips
Positioning yourself on the ball can be tricky. Start by sitting upright on the ball. Then, slowly walk your feet out, allowing your buttocks to slide down and off the ball. Even if you are physically fit, this exercise can present a coordination challenge. Before trying the exercise while holding a dumbbell, go through the motions with no weight to ensure that you can maintain your balance on the ball. When you first add weight, use a light one until you become familiar with the mechanics of the exercise.
Variations
The standard version of this exercise is quite difficult. Novice exercisers can work up to the level of difficulty by performing the same movements with both arms simultaneously. This version requires less strength from your core muscles to stay balanced on the ball. Once the standard version becomes relatively easy, you can add repetitions or increase the weight of your dumbbells to make the exercise more difficult. You also can move your feet closer together. This makes balancing more difficult and will tax the muscles of your core even more.
Muscles Strengthened
Balancing on the therapy ball recruits your stability muscles, particularly the rectus abdominis as well as the internal and external obliques. If you focus on pulling your belly button in toward your spine, you also will recruit your transverse abdominis. The single arm bench press targets primarily the middle fibers of your pectoralis muscle, while the rotation aspect works the pectoralis fibers that attach to the collar bone. This exercise also strengthens your anterior deltoids and triceps.
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