Alternative to dumbbell bench press?
 

Hey,

I'm 20, 150lbs, trying to bulk up.

My gym only has dumbbells up to 30kgs. I need a higher weight for my bench press but they don't have any. Are there any alternative compound exercises to target the same muscle groups? I would use a barbell but I don't have a spotter. Do I really need a spotter? I don't know if I'd be able to give it my all without feeling safe.

Cheers!

You shouldn't be training to failure every set. You're the only person that can answer that question.

There is no one around the gym that you can just ask to spot you for your set where you're unsure if you can lift it? There shouldn't be that many sets where you fail.

IW

Why not throw in some dips before your bench press so that you can really go flat out and not worry about getting stuck.

I like the other poster's advice on dips--try using your own body weight with dips and push-ups. You will need a spotter to do barbell bench press. But I honestly think bench press is a little overrated (yes, some will consider that blasphemy). Work on dips, push-ups and military press for now since you have no spotter.

hey i beg to differ... i bench to failure on every set, and ive got massive strength gains... its all in the desire to succeed and how much you want it...

Maybe you need to look for another gym?

Do you have a smith machine to do bench presses on? That way you can sort of self-spot.