The Best Chest Exercises page lists great chest exercises. The Best Chest Exercises page also links to other beneficial articles on the topic.
What are the Best Chest Exercises? Sure, that’s open to debate, but the exercises listed here will alway be a major part of the conversation. In other words, you can’t go wrong with these exercises! Let’s find out what they are!
Chest Muscles Are Among The Largest In Your Upper Body
That is why it is better to perform more sets of exercises with these muscles than with the smaller muscle groups. Do 7 to 10 sets of chest exercises per workout, although true beginners should start with one set. By the way, 10 sets doesn’t mean you’re using the same exercise. You should do 3 or 4 different exercises. Also, remember to begin your routine with 3 easy warm-up sets.
3 Parts To a Great Chest Routine
There are 3 parts to an overall good chest workout.
Flat
One exercise needs to be a size builder; a compound movement where you use as much weight as you can and still do 6-10 controlled reps. The best exercise for this is flat bench presses with a bar or dumbbells. I don’t think you can go wrong either way as long as you’re watching your form.
Incline
Second, every chest routine needs an exercise for the upper chest. Incline flies, incline dumbbell press or incline barbell press all work well.
Crossover
Finally, to carve out the valley between your pecs, no chest routine would be complete without some sort of crossover movement. Experienced bodybuilders who already have a good base of mass can go into cable movements. For the rest of us who are still building a base of muscle, flat dumbbell flyes work best here.
How Many Reps?
The general rule for the number of repetitions is 8 to 12. However, if you want to find out what your max bench press is (one of the oldest bodybuilding traditions), you need to press the maximum amount of weight you can for a single rep. If you’re going for your 1RM, do a few warm-up sets and gradually increase the weight each set.
Bench Press
For the barbell bench press, lie on your back on a flat bench, feet flat on the floor either side. Grip barbell with hands a little more than shoulder width apart. Hold the barbell above your upper chest, arms straight. Bending your elbows, slowly lower the barbell towards your chest without touching it. Push the barbell straight up over your chest, straighten your arms and lock your elbows. Slowly lower the barbell and repeat. Use a spotter to hold the barbell for you at the start and end of this exercise.
For the dumbbell bench press, start seated on a bench with the weights resting up and down on your quads. Lay back and swing the weights back to the point where the corners of each dumbbell are just touching your outer pecs. Push the weight up, bringing them slightly closer together at the top of the movement. Lower the weight back down slowly; two seconds on the way down for every second on the way up. Repeat.
Comments
You may want to try alternating between the barbell and dumbbells to get the best of both worlds. If you have symmetry problems then use the barbell. The bar will keep your hands the same distance apart and force your arms to go through exactly the same motion. By keeping the bar straight, you will distribute the load more evenly and allow the weaker side to catch up.
Incline Bench Press
For barbell press, lie back on an incline bench set at about 40 degrees, with your back and head on the incline, feet flat on the floor. Grip barbell with hands a little more than shoulder width apart. Hold the barbell above your upper chest, arms straight. Bending your elbows, slowly lower the barbell towards your upper chest just enough to make light contact. Push the barbell straight up over your chest; straighten your arms and lock your elbows. Slowly lower the barbell and repeat. Use a spotter to hold the barbell for you at the start and end of this exercise.
For dumbbells, lie squarely on an incline bench set at about 40 degrees. The dumbbells should be no wider than shoulder width. Grasp the dumbbells with an overhand grip. Keep your feet flat on the floor and your back straight. Now for the motion, press slowly upwards toward the ceiling, just until your arms lock out, Pause, and then lower the dumbbells until they reach chest height. Repeat movement.
Comments
This is the best chest exercise to do for upper pec mass.
Decline Bench Press
Lie back on a decline bench. Grip the barbell with your hands a little more than shoulder width apart. Hold the barbell above your lower chest, arms straight. Bending your elbows, slowly lower the barbell towards your lower chest, about level with the lower limit of your pectorals. Push the barbell straight up, slowly lower and repeat, keeping your head and back flat on the bench. Use a spotter to hold the barbell for you at the start and end of this exercise.
Comments
Decline bench press works mostly your lower pecs. This exercise is not necessary for a complete chest routine. Most bodybuilders have a much harder time developing the upper pecs compared to the lower pecs. This exercise is good to use as a substitute for incline or flat presses just to add some variety. Variety is good up to a point, but don’t fall for the “keep the muscles guessing” stuff. Variety is more for you than it is for your muscles.
Dumbbell Flyes
Lie back on a bench grasping two dumbbells, arms straight above your shoulders, palms facing inwards. Keep your head and back flat on the bench. Keep your arms straight but your elbows unlocked. Slowly lower dumbbells in an arc out and down to either side, stretching your chest muscles. Slowly lift dumbbells in the same arc, returning to the starting position and repeat. Release weights by sitting up and positioning on top of knees before putting them down. This ensures no injury will take place.
Comments
Dumbbell flyes will mostly work your outer pecs. I always include a crossing movement in my chest routine, I feel as though it provides the largest pump for my chest.
Dips
Really, the only thing to remember about dips is that you need to go all the way down to see the full benefit of the exercise. If you’re getting sets of 10-12 reps without straining too hard then you need to add some resistance. Do this by either attaching a plate to your belt with a cord of some sort or by simply cradling a dumbbell between your legs. Or, try a Seated Dip Machine if your gym has one.
To increase the role the pecs play in this movement, point your elbows outward. Keeping them tucked in and pointed back forces your triceps to bear the brunt of the load. While that’s not necessarily bad, you’re working your chest, not your triceps.
Comments
This exercise works particularly outer pecs, with a strong emphasis on triceps. Don’t become so fixated on reps that you whip them out super-fast. No quick drops or bouncing back up. Keep the motion slow, especially on the negative portion of the rep.
Cable Crossovers
Stand in the center of a cable rack. Make sure both D-handles are connected to the upper cable pulleys. Always keep one leg in front of the other. Keep your arms slightly bent, this helps contract the chest muscles when you bring the cables to the middle of your chest. Bend your elbows slightly and lean forward at about a 60 degree angle. Pull your hands across your body so that they meet in front of you. For an even greater squeeze, cross one hand under the other and alternate which hand goes on top each rep. Take them back to the starting position, and repeat.
Comments
This exercise particularly works the inner pecs. If you have already built massive pectorals and you’re concentrating on developing the striations, then by all means experiment with this movement.
Bent Arm Dumbbell Pullovers
Lie on your back on a flat bench, feet flat on the floor either side, and your head at the end. Grasp a dumbbell with both hands. Keep your elbows slightly bent and kept in. Lift the dumbbell up over your head in a semi-circle and slowly lower towards the floor as far as comfortable. Keeping your head down, back flat and elbows in, lift the dumbbell back over your head in the same semicircular path.
Mistakes to Avoid When Pumping Your Pecs |
Always remember that safety is more important than lifting heavy weights. In addition to lifting the proper amount of weight, take the following precautions when working your chest:
Don’t Lock Your Elbows
In other words, don’t straighten your arms to the point that your elbows snap. This puts too much pressure on the elbows and can lead to tendonitis or inflammation of the elbow joint itself. When you straighten your arms, keep your elbows slightly relaxed.
Don’t Arch Your Back
.In an effort to hoist more poundage, some people arch their backs so severely that there’s enough room to drive a Range Rover through. Sooner or later, this position causes a back injury. Plus, you’re doing nothing to strengthen your chest muscles. Instead, you’re over-straining your lower back.
Don’t Stretch Too Far
When you lie on your back and perform the Bench Press, you may be tempted to lower the bar all the way to your chest. Similarly, when you perform a Push-up, you may want to lower your body all the way to the floor. Don’t. Instead, follow the instructions we provide for these and similar chest exercises.
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