Achieving a large, muscular chest is likely a key goal for your workout routine, and for good reasons. The muscles at the top of your torso are in a great position and make your t-shirts look great. The chest is likely one of the first parts of your body that other people will see when they spot you, and it's directly in front of you when you check your physique in the mirror, too. One of the muscles that guys often focus on when working out is the chest. This doesn't mean that working on the chest is a waste of time. If you want a strong and balanced physique, you need to work on your chest muscles and cannot skip them.
Every chest workout doesn't have to look the same. Many guys use Monday as a day to try to lift the heaviest weights possible on the bench press as part of International Chest Day. It is beneficial to have ambitious goals, especially if you are a powerlifter and need to do heavy bench reps as part of your sport. However, we want to let you know that chest day does not only consist of using heavy barbells.
The only way to fully train a muscle group is by doing a variety of exercises with different kinds of equipment. If you want to grow your chest muscles, you need to vary your exercises. Some exercises that will help you to build muscle and strength are: Before you begin working out, it is helpful to understand which muscle group you are targeting.
Chest training is a highlight in most lifters’ routines. One either gets to lift heavy weights on the bench or have an excellent pump with immediate, albeit temporary, results.
One's choice of exercises can have a significant impact on their results, especially when targeting the chest muscles. There are many myths about how to target different parts of the chest, and many lifters are lucky to have a well-designed program that takes these myths into account. When you rely on luck too much, it has a way of disappearing. We've listed twelve of the best chest exercises to help you build an effective chest workout routine.
Flat Barbell Bench Press
If you're reading a list of the best chest exercises and don't see the classic bench press, your instinct might be to think the list is invalid. This basic move found in almost every workout is a keystone of powerlifting and has been used by bodybuilders for many years.
The bench press is a versatile exercise that can be used to build strength and muscle size. It is a key exercise in many chest-building workouts. You can achieve different results depending on very minor changes in technique. It is therefore important to be aware of how and why you are performing an exercise to get the most out of it.
How to Do the Flat Barbell Bench Press
To do this exercise, you will need to lie down on a bench with your feet flat on the ground. Your glutes and shoulders should never come off the bench during the exercise. Maintain a slight arch in your lower back. To optimize the recruitment of your pec muscles, grab the bar with an overhand grip that is slightly wider than shoulder-width. When you grip the barbell closer to your body, you take the emphasis off of your chest muscles and put more emphasis on your triceps. (1)
Pinch your shoulder blades together while staying on the bench and keeping your elbows slightly bent. To unrack the barbell, extend your arms straight. Then, “pull” the weight from over your face to above your upper chest. Set the barbell at mid-chest level and keep your elbows at an angle between your feet and shoulders. Briefly pause in the bottom position before pressing up. When the barbell is in the locked out position, it should be positioned above your upper chest or neck.
Benefits of the Flat Barbell Bench Press
- It trains the chest through a complete range of motion, with assistance from the shoulders and triceps, making it an efficient upper body exercise.
- It’s sport-specific for competitive powerlifters and has carryover to any athletes (especially those in contact sports) who can benefit from upper body pressing power.
- You can load the barbell with a significant amount of weight relative to other chest exercises, making it suitable for very long-term progress.
Guillotine Press
The guillotine press, nicknamed the “neck press,” was popularized by bodybuilding coach Vince Gironda in the 1960s. Theflat barbell bench press is a great exercise for stress on the pecs, but this variation applies additional technique adjustments to really work those muscles.
This means that you can achieve more results with less weight by increased muscular stress. The guillotine should not be performed with heavy weight, as this would cause joint strain. The Dumbbell Flye can be a great addition to a workout routine focused on building chest muscles, however people who already have issues with their shoulders may have a difficult time performing the exercise correctly.
How to Do the Guillotine Press
To do this exercise, you will need to lie on a flat bench with your feet flat on the ground. Keep your glutes and shoulders touching the bench. Tighten your abs to press your lower back down onto the bench. To start, grab the bar with an overhand grip that is nearly as wide as possible. Using your upper body muscles, press the bar straight upwards until your arms are extended above your head.
Keeping your elbows pointed out to each side, lower the bar. This will greatly increase the amount of tension on the chest muscles. For a proper lat pulldown, keep the bar inline with your neck as you lower it down your body. Press upwards immediately after reaching maximum stretch.
Benefits of the Guillotine Press
- Targets the chest without the need for relatively excessive weight, reducing wear and tear on the joints.
- Emphasizes the chest while minimizing recruitment of the triceps and shoulders.
Barbell Pullover
The barbell pullover is one of the most basic exercises a person can do. It has been advocated by weightlifters since the late 1800s. It’s also one of the most confusing exercises. What exercise is being debated? The pullover exercise is being debated.
The pullover not only works both the chest and lats at the same time, but many reports from lifters over the decades support the pullover as a effective chest exercise. If your lats are “taking over” the exercise and you can't feel your pecs working, try doing the exercise at the end of your chest workout when the pecs are already fatigued. (4)
How to Do the Barbell Pullover
With a small barbell and an overhand grip, hold the barbell slightly closer than shoulder-width. Sit on a bench with your legs shoulder-width apart and the barbell across your thighs. Lying on the bench, use your legs to push the weight into position over your face, then straighten your arms. Plant your feet securely on the ground.
Keep your glutes on the bench. The weight should be lowered towards the head, descending in a nearly straight line with the bench, if your shoulder mobility allows. Stop very briefly while you are in the extended position, then go back to the original position. Keep your elbows slightly bent throughout the exercise and don't bend them deliberately to lower the weight.
Benefits of the Barbell Pullover
- Targets the chest, lats, and shoulder muscles.
- Emphasizes the chest with limited triceps recruitment.
- The pullover is an effective stretch for the lats, as well as the shoulders, and can improve shoulder mobility over time.
Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
If you're looking to bulk up your chest muscle, you'll likely incorporate a variety of angles to target both the upper and lower chest. We will go into more detail about the different parts of the chest muscle later on.
Inclined chest exercises will target the upper pecs. A lower angle is better than a higher angle because it will help to engage your chest more and your shoulders less. Dumbbells provide a deeper stretch and a greater range of motion than a barbell does when the weight is locked out.
How to Do the Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Place an adjustable bench at a low incline, or place two bumper plates under one end of a flat bench. Pick up a pair of dumbbells and sit on the bench. Let the weights rest on your legs. Place your back against the bench and extend your arms straight up, holding the weights.
Rotate your wrists outwards so your hands are angled slightly towards your feet. Do not point your palms or thumbs towards each other. Maintain this hand position throughout each rep. Slowly lower the weights down to your chest, making sure to keep control of them the entire time. Once you reach a stretched position, keep the weights close to your chest. Raise the weights by pressing upwards and bring them close together in the top position.
Benefits of the Low Incline Dumbbell Press
- The incline angle optimizes upper chest recruitment without excessive shoulder activation.
- Exercise variety (incorporating angles and different implements) has been shown to improve training results. (6)
- Dumbbells allow more freedom for the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joint compared to a barbell, making the exercise less stressful to the joints.
Decline Dumbbell Press
There is a belief that decline bench press variations emphasize the “lower pecs” more than other variations because of the position of the arms. The lower pecs are only a small part of the large pectoral muscle.
A decline angle has been shown to activate the chest comparably to the flat bench press, while recruiting less shoulder muscle, making decline pressing an excellent option for lifters with shoulder pain (7). Using dumbbells instead of a barbell also allows a greater range of motion which can translate to a greater muscle-building stimulus.
Band Chest Fly
The band chest fly is a great warmup before a chest workout or a killer burnout to finish one. The main difference between this move and the cable fly or dumbbell fly is that the exercise bands make it more accessible and something you can potentially do at home. You can do this exercise with one arm or two, and it's a great way to build muscle and improve your endurance. It's not as hard on your shoulder joints as a chest fly with dumbbells.
“I like programming it as an accessory, warmup/priming, filler, or finisher lift. It can also be programmed with a global lower and upper body pull exercise, such as a deadlift or bent over row. Or simply use it as a “beach day” workout exercise that focuses on high volume for that “pump”.”
Attach two bands to a stable base, such as a power rack or tower. Wrap the bands around your palms, holding each end in a different hand. Place one foot in front of the other in a staggered stance in the middle of the station. Your arms should be outstretched but slightly bent. Bend forward from your hips, not your waist, and keep your back straight.
Bring your hands together without changing the bend in your arms. Slowly reverse the movement, keeping the bands controlled.
T-Bench Glute Bridge Fly
To target your chest muscles in a shoulder-safe way, mix the bench fly with an idea from the floor press. This exercise will also work your glutes and abs by making you hold a difficult position.
Sit on the edge of a weight bench that is horizontal, and have a set of dumbbells on your lap. Push the weights away from you, arch your back so that your shoulder blades touch the bench, and then lift the weights straight up. Before beginning the exercise, “set” your shoulders by driving them into the bench. To maintain the bridge shape, squeeze your glutes and abs and keep your feet planted on the ground.
Reach your arms out to the sides, then lower your elbows down to the bench, so that they form a T shape. Slowly lower yourself during the eccentric part of the movement, taking 3 to 4 seconds. Then, squeeze your chest muscles to fly the weights back up.
What Are Your Chest Muscles
The chest is made up of two muscle groups which are collectively known as the pectorals, or the pecs. The pectoralis major and minor are the two muscles that make up the chest.
The pectoralis major is the larger muscle, as the name implies, and is located above the pectoralis minor. The pectoralis minor is smaller and located below the pectoralis major. The primary role of the pec major muscle is to cause the arm to move in toward the body (adduction) and to rotate the arm forward. It also assists other muscles in raising the trunk when the arms are positioned above the head. The pec minor works alongside the pec major to help move your ribs and shoulders.
There are also several chest muscles, including the serratus anterior and subclavius. The serratus anterior rotates the scapula, while the subclavius anchors and depresses the clavicle.
How to Train Your Chest Muscles
You can improve your chest muscles at home or with bodyweight moves like pushups, by incorporating chest-centric movements into full-body workouts, or by increasing the volume beyond the Monday standard with multiple sessions dedicated to chest in a week.
There are many different types of workouts and exercises that can help improve the appearance of your chest. These can help to improve your upper body strength and definition. Remember that if you want to build chest muscle, you should use the most effective methods for muscle growth, with the best rep schemes and rest periods. If you want to gain muscle, you will need to eat the right foods.
Here are some of the best exercises to develop your chest muscles. For best results, choose two or three new movements to work into your routine every 3 or 4 weeks. There's nothing wrong with working on your chest muscles using a bench – as long as you don't only focus on that muscle group during your workout.
