Chest Workout: The Best Chest Exercises

Two well chosen presses, trained hard and made heavier over time, build most of the size and strength you are after. This page covers the two presses to build around, the other chest moves worth adding, a ready chest workout for the gym, a version for home and how often to train. Tap any exercise to see it from every angle.

Your chest is mainly one muscle, the pectoralis major. It has an upper part that attaches to the collarbone and a larger lower part that attaches to the breastbone. Both parts work in every press. The angle shifts the focus a little: an incline bench puts more work on the upper chest, a flat bench trains the middle and lower chest, and dips lean toward the lower chest. The front delts and triceps help in every pressing move.

Start heavy with the bench press while you are fresh, then move to the incline press for the upper chest. The rope pushdown at the end trains the triceps, which help in every press. If you want more chest work, add 2 sets of flyes or dips. Stop each set with one or two good reps left, and add weight when you hit the top of the range on every set.

Three more moves are worth knowing. Push ups train the chest with body weight and work anywhere. Raise your feet or add a pause to make them harder. Dips on parallel bars train the lower chest and triceps hard. Lean your torso forward and go only as deep as your shoulders feel good. Flyes, with dumbbells or cables, stretch the chest with a lighter weight and work well as the last exercise of a session.

With a pair of dumbbells you can train your chest well at home. If you have a bench, start with the dumbbell chest press: lie on the bench and press both dumbbells up over your chest. If the bench inclines, add the incline dumbbell press for the upper chest. No bench? Push ups are the best home chest move. Raise your feet or add a pause at the bottom to make them harder. Add reps or weight each week.

• Dumbbell chest press on a bench: 3 sets of 8 to 12
• Incline dumbbell press, if your bench inclines: 3 sets of 8 to 12
• Dumbbell fly on a bench: 2 sets of 12 to 15
• Push ups: 2 sets close to failure

Training chest two times a week works well for most people. Aim for about 10 to 20 hard sets per week, split across those days. A beginner can grow well on the lower end. Most people do best with two or three chest exercises per session, not five or six. If you train chest on a push day, your shoulders and triceps already get work, so keep their extra sets modest.

Two times a week suits most people. Leave at least one rest day between chest sessions.

Two or three. One heavy press, one press at a different angle, and a fly or dip if you have time.

About 10 to 20 hard sets. Beginners can start around 10 and add sets once progress slows.

Push ups in a few versions: regular, feet raised for the upper chest and slow reps with a pause at the bottom. Add dips between two sturdy chairs if your shoulders feel good.

Incline. A bench set to about 30 degrees puts more work on the upper chest. Flat pressing still trains it too, so most people do both.