Watch Chelsea Handler Put a Twist On a Standard Single-Arm Chest Press

Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Handler

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If you think regular chest presses are tough, just wait until you see the latest exercise Chelsea Handler showed off on social media. Her trainer, Ben Bruno, shared a video of the comedian's recent workout session on Instagram, focusing on a one arm/one leg dumbbell press. (Related: Chelsea Handler Made This Impressive Core Exercise Look Easy)

In the clip, Handler rests her upper back on a bench with her right foot on the ground and right knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Her left leg is lifted off the floor with her left knee bent at a 90-degree angle. She holds her left hand straight up while holding a dumbbell in her right hand at chest level with a neutral grip, pressing it directly overhead for a single-arm chest press. All the while, she keeps her torso flat and hips lifted.

Handler hits ten reps on the right side — breaking her previous personal record of eight reps, according to Bruno's post — before immediately moving to the left side. "Let's see what happens on this left side," she says in the clip as she puts the weight in her left hand and alternates the placement of her feet as well. Sure enough, she gets ten reps on the left side, too. (Related: Why You Aren't Able to Lift As Much on Your Left Side, and How to Fix It)

"I love this exercise, and this is really strong," wrote Bruno in his Instagram caption, noting in text shown over the clip that Handler is using a 30-pound dumbbell.

"I use [this exercise] with both my male and female clients," wrote Bruno in text appearing over the video. "Once people get the hang of it, they can use just about the same weight as they'd use for regular one-arm dumbbell press, plus you get some extra work for the glutes and core," he added.

Still, a standard dumbbell chest press is a classic exercise to have up your sleeve. "The bench press uses your shoulders, triceps, forearms, lats, pecs, traps, rhomboids, and pretty much every muscle in your upper body," Lisa Niren, head instructor for running app Studio, previously told Shape. (Related: The Best Chest Workout for Women)

Pair that with the strength required to stabilize the body while in Handler's precarious position with only her upper back on the bench, and you've got a full-body exercise. This move calls on core and glute strength in addition to the chest and arm work required to press the dumbbell, as Bruno mentioned in the post.

Not to mention, it's a unilateral (aka one-sided) move, which provides tons of benefits too. "Yes, [unilateral training] can build a more symmetrical body, but it can also help prevent injury, give you the extra strength you need to bust through a plateau, and improve stability and mid-section strength," Alena Luciani, M.S., C.S.C.S., a certified strength and conditioning coach and founder of Training2xl, previously told Shape.

If chest presses have gotten too easy or feel boring to you, try this celebrity trainer-approved variation next time you hit the gym.