Top 10 Best Exercises for Your Chest
Whether you're a male wanting to pump up your pecs or a female looking to add a little extra size to your bust, chest exercises are an effective way to reach your goals.
You can choose between bodyweight exercises or lifting weights (dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, etc.) to achieve great results. The major factor depends on your goals. If you want to add size and muscle mass, you'll need to perform a different set of exercises than if you're trying to increase power or strength. It's important to note that larger muscles don't always equate to stronger muscles.
The chest region consists of various muscles and muscle attachments, so it's crucial to work as many muscles as possible in a variety of ways. Incorporating variety into your routine is the key to maintaining progress and maximizing gains.
Below are some of the best workouts you can do to increase both the size and strength of your chest muscles.
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Push-ups
While you may think doing push-ups is boring and antiquated, try doing them correctly instead of the way you've probably been doing them. Keep your elbows touching your ribs/sides the entire way. Once you can do 100 straight like that, start making them uneven and work up to a one-armed push-up. I'm not talking about the wide-legged Rocky style, but a true, feet-together, elbow-touching-your-side one-armed push-up.
You can do them anywhere, eliminating the excuse that you can't get to a gym. American football great Herschel Walker built his body through push-ups alone. If you can knock out 500-1,000 a day and incorporate a solid diet, your chest and arms will grow significantly.
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Dumbbell Press
Everyone knows the bench press, but try using dumbbells instead. You'll work on evening out your chest while maintaining better form without compromising your back.
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Dumbbell Flyes
There are mixed opinions on this exercise because there are technically safer ways to work the side attachments of your pectorals. However, for the sake of popularity and ease, give these a try. Just don't go so low that you feel a stretch in your shoulders.
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Decline Barbell Press
Get your legs higher than your head, and do your bench press this way to target the lower part of your pectoral muscles.
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Incline Barbell Press
This is not a military press, which focuses on your shoulders. Instead, lift your upper body just slightly more than flat to work your upper chest. As with all barbell exercises, do not let your elbows flare. Keep them brushing against your sides as long as possible.
This exercise builds the upper chest. It's a great compound movement, and what more is there to say? Anyone who understands bodybuilding terminology will understand this.
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Dips
Similar to the decline press, this exercise works your chest from the bottom up. Do a regular dip, but lean forward so your body is at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. Add a dumbbell between your knees or feet for extra difficulty.
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Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pullover
Lie flat on a bench with both hands on a dumbbell above your chest (as if you've bench pressed it). Slowly lower the weight over and then behind your head toward the floor, bending your arms at the elbows to a 90-degree angle. Once you've lowered it as far as is comfortable, raise the weight back over your chest and finish with straight arms.
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Drop Push-ups
This exercise is like push-ups, except that you'll be moving explosively from different heights. Do a push-up on a pair of blocks or something about a foot tall. At the top of the push-up, drop to floor level and do another push-up. This one will be explosive, as you need to push yourself back up to the blocks. It's both explosive and tiring.
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Weighted Throws
Grab a weight, a medicine ball, or even a tree branch, and find a soft place to throw it out in front of you as far as possible. Sprint up to it, pick it up, and then throw it again. Your motion should resemble a basketball player passing a ball with two hands. The heavier the object, the better.
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Weighted Push-ups
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Decline Push-ups
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Pec Deck
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Bench Press
Should be number one. No brainer.
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Isometric Wipers
Get low into the bottom of a push-up, placing your hands wider than usual. Staying low, move your upper body over your right hand (without moving your feet or hands), then slowly slide over to your left hand. Repeat until your muscles are burning.
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Cable Crossover