The Best Chest Exercises for Building Muscle

The chest muscles are the anatomical component of strength. They are involved in activities such as squeezing a pair of loppers to cut a tree branch and pushing a door open to gain access. Therefore, when discussing the strength of the upper body, these are the key muscles referred to.

The chest muscles are part of the muscle mass that bodybuilders and people interested in general muscular aesthetics consider to be the most defining. Powerlifters rely on them to achieve the largest possible lift in the bench press.

However, from a purely functional aspect, these muscles are of the utmost significance because they are responsible for supporting the movement of the arms.

A low waist-to-chest ratio was evaluated as the most appealing physical trait of guys in research that looked at perceived beauty, and these studies all came to the same conclusion. It describes a person with a smaller waist and a larger chest than average.

Whether your goal is to have sculpted pecs or to play Twister with your kids on the living room floor, everyone can benefit from strengthening their chest muscles. But putting gender-specific beauty standards to the side, everyone can benefit from strengthening the chest muscles.

Chest Anatomy Guide

To get a better, more well-rounded grasp of how to train the chest, we need to start by understanding the chest's anatomy.

The chest muscles are the "push" muscles of the upper torso. It is true at the most fundamental level. While pressing your arms, you are using your chest. When you bring your arms together, you are also using your chest.

However, as I will explain in more detail below, the functional architecture of the chest is significantly more complicated than that.

• The pectoralis major muscle is responsible for most of the chest's mass. It is responsible for dragging your upper arms down from overhead and moving your arms horizontally toward the midline of your body (transverse adduction, transverse flexion) (shoulder extension, shoulder adduction). In addition, it assists with the internal rotation of the shoulder and several scapular functions (depression, downward rotation, protraction). The clavicular and sternal fibres make up the top and lower halves of the pec major, respectively. Actions that involve an inclined place greater emphasis on the top fibres, which are more likely to lag, whereas movements that involve a descent target the bottom fibres. The cable face pulls with external rotation and the shoulder dislocation exercise are two exercises that you can use to repair or prevent an overactive pec major. In addition to this, working your upper back more will be beneficial.
• Pectoralis minor is short for. The pec minor is a tiny chest muscle that extends from the ribs to the scapula. It is connected to the scapula. Its function is restricted to the movement of the scapula (depression, downward rotation, protraction). Therefore, you do not need to utilise your strength with this muscle immediately. In fact, due to its propensity to become excessively tight, you will need to stretch it to prevent or rectify scapular or postural disorders actively. I stretch my corner pec minors using a couple of different exercises (this one and this one), and then I massage the area with a lacrosse ball.

The anterior serratus is typically thought to be a part of the chest. On the other hand, this needs to be more accurate, technically speaking. However, the serratus is very significant for the aesthetics of the entire chest since it connects to the chest region on the sides of the ribs. In addition to this, it is necessary for proper scapular mobility (specifically, protraction, upward rotation and elevation).

The Benefits of Training Your Chest

Exercises that are Beneficial to Your Chest The following list of the top reasons to exercise your chest should not require much, if any, additional persuasion, but I've included it anyway:

• Add Upper Body Strength. The chest significantly impacts strength in the upper body. Shoulder presses, chin-ups, and lat pulldowns are included.
• Develop your muscle mass. The only way to achieve the desirable thick and square chest muscles necessary for beach season is to engage in intense chest training with the appropriate exercises.
• Improve Your Posture. Walkabout with your chest protruding as much as possible. Your chest, along with your back, plays a significant part in maintaining the stability of your upper body. Encouragement of correct posture comes from having a developed chest in harmony with the back. However, it is important to emphasise the significance of strong back muscles. If your chest muscles are stronger than your back muscles, you will look like a hunched-over Neanderthal! (Related to strengthening the back).

10 Best Chest Exercises for Building Muscle

Barbell Bench Press

Why it's on the list: Although it's trendy to bash the bench press these days, there's a good reason why it's one of the most popular lifts in the gym: you get a lot of bang for your buck. One of the benefits of using a normal barbell bench is that it enables you to move the greatest weight. A press with heavy dumbbells is more difficult to control than this lift, which makes it an advantage. Additionally, it should be easy to find the workout, so feel free to request one if you need it!

The bench press is also an exercise that does well with traditional training regimens such as 5x5 for building muscle and strength or even 10x10, often known as German Volume Training, for building pure bulk. In addition, systematic bench press regimens, such as Bench 300, can assist you in chasing a huge number if you are serious about getting stronger.

Alternate Ways to Perform the Barbell Bench Press to Build Your Chest:

• Barbell bench press (medium, wide, or close grip).
• Barbell floor press.
• Press on the bench with barbells using chains.
• Perform a bench press using a neutral grip, sometimes known as a "Swiss bar" or a multi-grip bar.
• Reverse-grip barbell bench press.
• Bench press with a barbell in a "guillotine" position.
• Presses a la maison avec des poids suspendus.
• Bench press with an inverted band.

Throughout your workout: Do hard sets of bench presses at the beginning of your chest workout, focusing on lower rep ranges such as 5-8 reps each. There are more effective exercises for high repetitions of chest work. For a more well-rounded chest workout, try switching up the width and type of your grip.

Dumbbell Bench Press

Reasons it made a list: In the weight room, one of the oldest debates is whether or not barbell pushes or dumbbell presses are better for growth. You are in luck because you can do both! However, there is little doubt that the dumbbell variety offers greater versatility over a chest workout, beginning, middle, and end.

The musculature on each side of the body must operate separately to lift dumbbells, resulting in more balanced growth in strength and size. In addition, using dumbbells allows for a greater range of motion, which some research suggests may contribute to increased muscle size. Additionally, you will have a simpler time changing your grip to include variation and a new stimulus in your chest workout.

Alternate Ways to Perform the Dumbbell Bench Press to Build Your Chest:

• Press on the bench with dumbbells.
• Bench press with dumbbells using a neutral grip.
• Bench press with a close hold on the dumbbells.
• Benchpress using one dumbbell at a time.
• Alternating dumbbell bench press.

During your training, perform flat dumbbell presses toward the beginning of your chest workout for heavy sets in lower rep ranges. At the very least, you should do this. They are especially useful for performing high reps later in a chest workout, either on a flat surface or on an incline, decline, or a combination of the three.

Here is an example of what not to do: After completing a few sets of the barbell bench press, switch to the dumbbell version and repeat the same number of sets and reps. EMG research compared the activation of muscles during flat-bench dumbbell presses and barbell presses and found no significant differences between the two types of presses. This finding provided more evidence that both exercises are very comparable to one another.

Incline Bench Press

Why it cut: Not only is the incline bench press a tried-and-true method for building the upper chest, but many lifters also find it a "primary lift" that is easier on the shoulders than flat benching. It works well with a barbell or multi-grip bar, but you can adjust your grip with dumbbells to emphasise your upper pecs, making this exercise even more effective.

A helpful hint: many benches are permanently set at an extremely acute angle, which, according to the results of an EMG study, works the front delts just as much as the chest. To concentrate solely on the upper part of the chest, select an incline of no more than 30 degrees.

Do you want to fine-tune it even more? According to the findings of the same study, pulling your grip in a little closer to your body helps to hammer the upper chest fibres substantially more.

Alternate Ways to Perform the Incline Bench Press for Chest Development:

• Press on the incline bench with a barbell (medium or close grip).
• Incline dumbbell bench press.
• Smith Press machine with an inclined bench position.
• Adjust the dumbbell bench so that your palms are facing inward.
• Pressing an incline bench with dumbbells together.

In your workout: Your major lift should consist of a few heavy sets of six to eight repetitions, and these sets should be your workout's bread and butter. Next, raise the weight to 8 and 10 as a secondary lift. In many chest workouts, the first exercises are flat-bench motions, but occasionally you should start with inclines instead, especially if you're attempting to bring up your upper chest.

Decline Press

Why it's on the list: The conventional wisdom regarding decline is that it should only be performed on the lower chest. It is the reason why it is included on the list. And while it is beneficial for that purpose, the all-time greats, such as six-time Mr Olympia Dorian Yates in his 6-Week Blood and Guts program, prefer it because it works the entire chest and enables them to lift higher weights more comfortably than the flat bench does.

Utilise a plate-loaded hammer strength machine or a comfortable decline press machine if your gym offers either of these options. In addition to the more common double-arm press, you can also perform the press across your body while seated on the side of your body using one arm at a time. This one-sided chest exercise emphasises shoulder adduction, one of the pec major's fundamental activities.

Decline bench press variations for increased chest size and development:

• Decline barbell bench press.
• Decline dumbbell bench press.
• Refuse to press the Smith machine.
• Decline leverage press.

In your workout: Your chest training should begin with free-weight presses rather than machine presses since free-weight presses involve more effort and engage stabiliser muscles earlier in the session. Your final hard activity in your workout could be a machine-based variation before you turn to lighter pump exercises.

Machine Chest Press

Reasons it made a list: Pressing exercises using free weights on a flat bench are quite effective; however, versions involving a machine press and cable press offer certain distinctive advantages. To begin with, reducing the repetition frequency is much simpler, which applies to both the concentric and eccentric phases. In addition, stack-loaded machines are fantastic for rapidly completing drop sets.

The machine bench press engages the shoulders much less than the free-weight forms of exercise. It enables you to focus on working out your pecs.

Variations of Machine Chest Presses for Increasing Chest Size:

• Machine chest press.
• Pressing the chest with weight plates (flat, incline, decline).
• Cable chest press (seated, standing, lying).

Throughout your workout: The most effective time to perform machine exercises is near the end of your workout when you should aim for at least 8-10 repetitions and add drop sets or rest-pause sets if you can. Now is the time to find out if the pre-workout supplement you've been taking can deliver the results you were hoping for! Pump your chest muscles until they are weary, and then forcefully complete your workout.

Push-Up

Reasons it made a list: One of the most obvious benefits of push-ups is that they do not require any special equipment and may be the focal point of a chest workout performed at home. It is the case in the program Jacked at Home: Bodyweight Muscle-Building Workouts created by strength coach Paul Carter. However, they also have a high degree of adaptability, are simple to modify in terms of the range of motion and enable you to strategically target different chest sections with just a few adjustments to height or the position of your hands.

You might respond by saying, "Yeah, but they're just push-ups." There is no way that they can make you as strong as they claim to be. If you can't believe what you're reading, a comprehensive study demonstrated that push-ups and bench presses provide comparable muscle activation and overall muscular increases. It does not imply that push-ups should be the only exercise you perform, but it does suggest that you should include them in some capacity in your routine.

Push-up Variations to Help You Build Your Chest:

• Push-up.
• Push-ups with lifted feet.
• Push-ups with the hands in the air.
• Push-ups while suspended from the ceiling.
• Push-ups with a hand release.
• Push-ups while using weights.
• Push-ups using resistance bands.

Throughout your workout: In the later stages of a workout, working your way up to failure on sets of push-ups is an excellent way to exhaust yourself or add volume. Push-ups also work wonderfully as part of a compound set with dips, a mechanical drop set after flies or presses, or an antagonist chest-and-back superset with rows. In addition, primary push movements can be modified to include weighted or push-ups performed with resistance bands.

Dip

Reasons why it made a list: For good reason, dips were a consistent component of the workout routines of the great players of the golden era: This bodyweight exercise is unparalleled in its ability to stretch and strengthen the chest muscles. If you are extremely strong, you can add more weight to your dips using a dip belt. You can use a band or machine assistance if you need more strength. In addition, they are an excellent spotter-free substitute for the declining press.

On chest day, it is important to focus on doing dips that target the pecs, even if the chest is targeted in a significant way by all variations of dips. Put your feet behind you in a raised position, lean forward as much as you comfortably can, and let your elbows slightly flare out as you sink.

Different dips for different amounts of chest growth:

• Chest dip.
• Machine-assisted ring dip and machine-assisted dip.
• Banded dip Machine dip.

In your workout: If you can perform dips for many repetitions during your workout, they provide an excellent finisher to a professional-level chest day. If you cannot, you should perform them early in your workout in the usual rep ranges for gaining strength or muscle, such as 6-8 or 8-10 reps. In addition, you can get an even better pump at the end of your workout by combining dips with push-ups and performing them in a superset.

Chest Fly

Reasons why it made a list: After performing presses, are you looking for a way to focus solely on your pecs? It is time to take flight. Cables are unrivalled regarding the variety of flies that may be fished. In addition, they allow for sustained stress throughout the complete range of motion of the exercise, which is why they are an obvious choice for inclusion on the list of the ten best isolation exercises for building muscle.

Most weightlifters rely on cable cross-overs for a good cause; nevertheless, you might also succeed with a lying variation performed on an incline bench. Because they are more stable than a standing press, you can press through greater levels of exhaustion with them. And if you exercise with a partner, such as in the BodyFit program Duel: 6-Week Partner-Based Muscle-Growing Program, you can do a few droplets for real masochistic fun while building muscle!

Different types of flies have different chest sizes:

• Fly the inclined cable.
• Low-cable cross-over cable cross-over cable cross-over.
• Crossing of a single cable arm with one another.
• Dumbbell fly (flat, incline, decline).

In your workout: You should perform your flyes after your presses during your workout. You may also perform them as your first isolated move or as the last exercise in your routine. There's no reason to take things so seriously! Maintain a focus on higher-rep sets, such as 10–12 repetitions or perhaps slightly higher.

Dumbbell Pull-Over

Reasons it made a list: Since the 1980s, pull-overs have been one of the most popular exercises for building the torso bodybuilders. In workouts designed to enlarge the ribcage, weightlifters began alternating them with sets of 20 repetitions of squats as early as the 1940s and continued the practice even earlier. Although the reasoning that supported this strategy may not hold water in today's world, the move should still be incorporated into the modern chest day.

Choose the kind that involves an inclination so that you may put more tension on your chest muscles and enjoy a wider range of motion. For example, use a bench with an incline of 30–45 degrees and maintain a comfortable angle with your elbows the whole time. The further they bend and flex their wrists, the more of a triceps movement this gets.

Pull-Over Variations to Increase Chest Size

• Pull-over with an inclined straight arm Press while performing a pull-over.

Pull-overs should be saved for the end of your workout, and you should aim to complete roughly 12 reps per set. Hold the peak contraction from the previous rep for the entire five seconds at the end of each set.

Machine Fly

Why it's on the list: Most lifters will find that the machine chest fly (also known as the pec-deck) is a more effective and harder-to-mess-up alternative to dumbbell flies. It is the reason why it is included on the list. If your gym has one, getting a nice pump without balancing weights or putting your shoulders at risk is a great move. Getting a great pump is terrific if your gym doesn't have one.

But does it work? The activation of the pectoralis major is statistically similar between the machine fly and the bench press, as shown by EMG data. It indicates that the machine fly and the bench press are worthy components to include in chest day, although you will likely be working in different rep ranges for each exercise. So what's the big deal about that? You do not require a spotter when using the machine, so you can increase the intensity further and more safely, ultimately leading to complete muscle failure.

In your workout, perform a few sets of 10-15 repetitions as a pre-exhaust before moving on to your presses.

Your program should end with about ten to twelve sets of the machine fly, which should be a burnout. After that, try out different ways to ramp up the intensity of your workout, such as drop sets, partial reps, and so on. You have worked hard enough to get a protein shake after your workout, so push yourself to the limit without worrying about failing the exercise.

The Benefits of Training Your Chest

Exercises that are beneficial to your chest the following list of the top reasons to exercise your chest should not require much, if any, additional persuasion, but I've included it anyway:

• Add Upper Body Strength. The chest significantly impacts strength in the upper body. And not just on chest exercises. Shoulder presses, chin-ups, and lat pulldowns are included.
• Develop your muscle mass. The only way to achieve the desirable thick and square chest muscles necessary for beach season is to engage in intense chest training with the appropriate exercises.
• Improve Your Posture. Walkabout with your chest protruding as much as possible. Your chest, along with your back, plays a significant part in maintaining the stability of your upper body. Encouragement of correct posture comes from having a developed chest in harmony with the back. However, it is important to emphasise the significance of strong back muscles. If your chest muscles are stronger than your back muscles, you will look like a hunched-over Neanderthal! (Related to strengthening the back).

How to Activate Your Chest Muscles

In addition to working different parts of your chest (like your upper chest), changing the rep ranges you use, adjusting your lifting tempo (the speed at which you lower and raise the weights), and warming up before your go-to chest workout are all important aspects of chest training. Warming up is also important. Because 45 per cent of people have been injured while working out at a gym, loosening up your body by practising mobility and stretching will make lifting much simpler and your exercises significantly safer.

Most people agree that dynamic warm-ups are the most effective method for warming up before an exercise. Your muscles will be lengthened and prepared to perform under greater loads if you complete a warm-up that mimics the activity you're about to undertake. This warm-up will consist of movements with a progressive range of motion that resemble the exercise you're going to do.

What's the Best Chest Training Strategy for You?

Choosing a training program that caters to your current level of expertise is essential if you want to see significant improvements in your performance. Unfortunately, many beginners skip the fundamentals and go straight to the more difficult exercises. On the other hand, weight lifters who have reached an intermediate or advanced level frequently complain that they are stuck in a rut because they have not made any further development. Both groups will need help to achieve their objectives.

Therefore, be truthful about your experience and training at the right level, and revel in the fruits of your labour! To get you started, I have detailed some exercise options below that are appropriate for varying levels of experience.

Beginner Chest Training Strategy

If you are starting, improving your technique is the most important thing to work on. Strength can be improved across the board by honing one's technique on a handful of chest exercises that have been properly chosen. Imagine that you are preparing the groundwork for achieving the results you want. Quality should take precedence over quantity.

The following is a list of my suggestions for the top chest exercises that beginner trainers should incorporate into their routines:

• Exercises such as the Barbell Bench Press, Dips, or Push-Ups

Including chest exercises as part of a regimen that works out the entire body is the most efficient approach to performing an excellent beginner chest workout. You will be able to get the most out of the weight-lifting regimen you select right now if you try to perfect your exercise technique for lifting weights. Most importantly, it will maximise the long-term consequences of your efforts to increase your strength and size and your capacity to avoid unpleasant shoulder (or other types of) problems.

Intermediate & Advanced Chest Training Strategy

Suppose you consider yourself an intermediate or advanced lifter. In that case, it is safe to assume that you have mastered the technique for at least the major chest exercises and a variety of other fundamental weight-lifting exercises. If this is not the case, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you are still a beginner!

You can perform whatever chest exercises you see fit in your own time. However, make sure you perform at least one or two "heavy" compound exercises to act as a foundation. The barbell bench press, dumbbell incline press, and weighted dips are some of my favourite foundational complex chest workouts.

The three basic workout templates below provide alternative frameworks for working out your chest if you are an intermediate or advanced learner. These templates are provided for your convenience. All have the potential to provide tremendous outcomes, but much depends on your particular objectives, requirements, capabilities, and timetable:

• Upper-Lower Split Routine for the Whole Body.
• Full-Body Workout Routine.
• Split Routine for the Legs, Shoulders, and Pushes Body. 
• Part Split Routine (such as the Max OT Program).

What to Eat for a Bigger Chest

As any fitness fanatic will tell you, working out is only one component of a healthy lifestyle. You will want to ensure you're getting enough food and water to get the most out of your efforts to construct a bigger chest. Even if you have been going to the gym regularly and systematically, changing your diet to include a greater amount of protein will help you develop a healthier and more well-rounded body. Don't believe us? According to a study recently published in the scientific journal Nutrients, "protein intake was proven to induce extra gains in lean body mass beyond those obtained with resistance training alone."

The current dietary guidelines recommend consuming 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram your body weighs daily. However, to gain muscle, you must consume approximately 1.6 to 2.0 grams of protein for every kilo of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 80 kilograms, you should consume 128 to 160 grams of protein daily.

Don't forget about carbohydrates, either; if you focus on eating them before and after your workouts (like having a bagel for breakfast and a banana with your post-workout protein shake, for example), you'll have enough fuel to work out for longer, lift more weight, and push yourself harder, all while preventing your glycogen stores from running out and forcing you to crawl into the shower. Again, our guide to whey protein, vegan protein, and protein bars will be of assistance to you if you need help consuming an adequate amount of protein. Similarly, if you want to create a bigger chest, consider preparing meals and learning to count macros. These will help you improve your nutrition. Bon appétit.

Chest Training Tips

• During the negative portion of the exercise, pull the weight down. (Both pushing and flying movements can benefit from this advice.) Although it may seem paradoxical, contracting the muscles in your upper back as you lower, the weight leads your chest to engage more than it would if you had kept your back relaxed throughout the movement.
• Your torso should be pushed into the bench, facing away from the weight. (This piece of advice pertains to actions that involve pressing.) Imagine that the bar is not moving and that you are actively working on getting your body away from it. You are performing an inverted version of a push-up while pressing against the bar. This mental strategy enables you to lift greater weights and engage the pecs more intensively, regardless of why.
• To transfer the weight, you should concentrate on moving your upper arm. (Both pushing and flying movements can benefit from this advice.) Imagine that you can support the weight with just your elbows. When you think about it this way, rather than just shifting the weight from point A to point B, you concentrate on moving your upper arms across your body toward your midline. It contrasts with moving the weight from point B to point A. Consequently, you fully activate all of the chest muscles and do the exercise with improved technique.
• Increase the force you apply to the handle by applying more pressure. (This piece of advice pertains to actions that involve pressing.) The tighter you squeeze your hands, the more weight you can lift. When you clench your fists tightly, you can exert a significantly greater force on your pectoral and arm muscles than when you partially tighten your fists. Don't believe me? Try it out by striking your most muscular pose with your hands open first, then try again with your fists clinched as hard as possible. The two things couldn't be more different.
• Hold the dumbbells so that your pinky is slightly higher than your thumb. (This piece of advice applies to exercises involving the dumbbell press.) Bringing the pinkies closer together puts additional strain on the pecs. In addition, it makes it much simpler to bring your arms up to your chest and bring them together as you near the peak of the repetition. The distinction is not huge, but it is clear to see.
• Use dumbbells for muscle and barbells for strength. Please don't take what I say in such a literal sense; this is a general guideline. Dumbbell exercises are generally considered superior for mass building because they allow for greater isolation of the chest muscles. For instance, you can bring your arms together in front of your chest and move them up, then hold the dumbbells with your pinkies pointing slightly upward (see previous tip). You don't have to perform separate exercises for your left and right sides when you use barbells. Instead, you channel every ounce of your strength into moving a single object. Because the bar restricts your grip and the range of motion in your arms, you are compelled to engage your triceps and shoulders more. The end consequence is an increased amount of output power.
• Do more exercises to strengthen your upper back. A classic example of a "mirror muscle" is the chest. People train it because it's visible and a good muscle to show off because of its size and strength. Unfortunately, due to this, people tend to overwork it compared to the opposing muscles in the upper back. When you combine this with the fact that most people have tight pecs and shoulders and stretched-out back muscles due to excessive slouching, you have a significant imbalance in the muscles in your body. The larger the imbalance, the more severely your posture will be affected and the greater the likelihood that you will get an injury. To counteract this, I recommend performing more pull exercises for the upper body than push activities for the upper body. As a result, training my chest and shoulders takes roughly twice as much as training my upper back.
• Do external rotation exercises. Internal rotation is a component of every single chest training activity. Internal rotation is involved in the movement of most of the upper body, including the back. Therefore, it is recommended that the majority of people participate in some exercises that include external rotation or that aid in it in some other way. Your favourites may include band pull-apart varieties with lying external rotations, cable face pulls with external rotations, and cable face pulls with lying external rotations.

Conclusion

Working out the chest muscles can only improve your quality of life, regardless of whether your objective is to build a more defined chest or a more powerful upper body to help you hoist your children into the air. These workouts and a diet high in protein increase these muscles' size and strength.

Warming up properly with a movement that places less stress on the body, such as the incline push, can better prepare your body for lifting bigger loads and reduce the likelihood that you will sustain an injury. Maintain a consistent approach, and modify the burden to feel manageable. Finally, have fun with the process; before you know it, your planks will be longer and your presses more powerful.