Written by Kyle Ustach | BScEcon
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM
FACT CHECKED
When's the last time someone asked you how much you squat or lat pulldown? Likely never, but you've probably been asked several times, "How much do you bench press?" Let's face it - the barbell flat bench press is the king for chest exercises and building upper-body muscle mass. Monday is known as "International Chest Day" because the barbell bench press is the most common exercise and center point of a chest workout.
While the bench press is one of the best chest exercises for muscle growth, other chest exercises should be used to maximize chest hypertrophy. In this article, we will show you the best chest exercises, including two sample chest workouts, to help you take your chest workouts to the next level.
Table of Contents
- 5 Best Barbell Chest Exercises
- Bonus Chest Exercises
- Anatomy Of The Chest
- Programming Tips
- Sample Chest Workout Routine
- Other Chest Exercises
5 Best Barbell Chest Exercises
Below are the best barbell exercises you should include on chest day to increase muscle mass.
1. Barbell Bench Press
The flat bench press is the holy grail and should be the cornerstone of any chest workout. The bench press is a compound exercise, as it works multiple muscles in the upper body. The standard bench press primarily targets the pectoralis major. It also works:
- Triceps brachii: Any "push" movement, like a chest press, activates the triceps to help extend the elbow joint. You can feel the triceps muscle activation at the top of the press as the arms are locked. Close-grip bench presses focus directly on the triceps.
- Anterior deltoids: The front part of the shoulder is used during the pressing motion.
- Serratus anterior: The serratus anterior is a muscle on the side of the chest that helps stabilize the shoulder blades during the bench press.
Instructions:
- Lay down with your back flat on the bench and feet flat on the ground, roughly shoulder width apart. Your eyes should be directly under the bar.
- Grab the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your shoulder blades pulled back and planted on the bench as you lift the bar off the rack. Hold the bar above your chest with your arms fully extended. This is the starting position.
- Breathe in and lower the bar in a controlled manner until it gently touches your chest or just above. Keep your elbows at a 90-degree angle, and avoid bending your wrists. Do not bounce the bar off your chest, which creates momentum and can cause injury.
- Focus on using your chest muscles to push the bar upward to return to the starting position, locking out your arms. Exhale your breath as you're pushing up.
- Repeat for reps.
For those training for competitive sports or lifting heavy weights, it's acceptable to have a slight bend in your back when lifting, but be sure to avoid over-arching the back.
2. Barbell Incline Bench Press
The barbell incline bench press is a variation of the standard bench designed to target the upper chest specifically. Incline bench presses also work the anterior deltoids, triceps brachii, and serratus anterior. The upper pecs are arguably the most important to building a complete chest muscle and increasing chest size because they help the chest pop out more.
Instructions:
- Adjust the bench to a 30-degree angle to maximize upper chest activation.¹
- Lay down on the bench with your feet flat on the ground and a slight lower back arch. Your eyes should be directly under the barbell.
- Grab the bar with an overhand grip, with your hands a little more than shoulder-width apart. Lift the bar off the rack, holding the weight directly above your chest with extended arms, but don’t lock out your elbows.
- Slowly lower the bar down until it gently grazes your chest or just above your chest. Be sure not to bounce the bar off your chest. Breathe in and keep your core tight as you lower the weight.
- With your shoulder blades squeezed against the bench, use your upper chest muscles to push the weight upward, returning to the starting position with your arms fully extended above your chest. Exhale as you lift upward.
- Repeat for reps.
3. Decline Bench Press
The decline bench press is arguably the third most important chest press after the flat and incline bench. The lower portion of the chest is much smaller than the middle and upper chest, but it's still important to train it. The decline bench press primarily targets the pectoralis major, but it focuses on the lower portion of the chest. Like the other chest press exercises, the decline bench press uses the triceps, anterior deltoids, and serratus anterior.
Instructions:
- Lie on the decline bench, or adjust the bench to -15°or -30°. Make sure your feet are safely planted under the support bars. Your eyes should be directly under the bar. Your head and upper body should be below your hips.
- Grab the bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your shoulder blades pulled back on the bench for stability.
- Lift the bar off the rack, extending the weight above your lower chest with your arms.
- Slowly lower the bar until it reaches your lower chest or just above. Keep your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Breathe in and keep your core tight as you lower the bar.
- Press the barbell upward using your lower chest muscles until your arms are fully extended without locking your elbows.
- Repeat for reps.
Your decline bench set should be performed after a flat or incline press because the decline is the easiest. The decline bench is easier because it has a shorter range of motion, places more stress on the lower chest rather than the shoulders, and puts the body in a better leverage position.
4. Reverse Grip Bench Press
The reverse grip bench press is identical to the regular bench press, except the grip is reversed into a supinated grip, and your elbows are at a different angle. Although it's a minor tweak of the original, it targets the chest in different areas. Compared to the regular bench, the reverse grip bench has a few key differences:
- The reverse grip bench press targets the upper and inner chest more significantly than the traditional bench.
- The regular bench mainly works the lateral head of the triceps, whereas the reverse grip emphasizes the long head of the triceps.
- The reversed grip activates the biceps and forearms significantly more than the regular bench.
- The reverse grip puts more pressure on the anterior deltoids, which can be difficult for people with bad shoulders.
Instructions:
- Lay on the bench in the normal position, with your eyes directly under the bar.
- Grab the barbell with a supinated grip so your palms face you. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Keep your feet planted on the ground. Lay flat on the bench, but a slight natural curve is fine.
- Lift the bar off the rack and hold it in front of your chest with extended arms.
- Inhale as you slowly lower the bar until it grazes your chest lightly or just above it. Keep your elbows tucked along your body at a 45-degree angle.
- Press the bar upwards to return to the starting position, exhaling as you reach the top.
- Repeat for reps.
The reverse bench press is much more difficult than the regular bench press, so start with a lighter weight. This is a much less natural movement, so be sure to go slow and use a spotter if you're using heavy weights.
5. Smith Machine Floor Press:
The Smith Machine can be a great tool for specific exercises or for people who aren't uncomfortable or experienced with the motion. One of these exercises is the Smith Machine floor press, a variation of a bench press performed lying on the floor. Doing the bench press while on the floor adds stability to the back and limits the range of motion to minimize the stress on the shoulders. It slightly works the triceps more than a regular bench because the body is restricted from generating chest momentum.
Instructions:
- Rack the Smith Machine and set the bar towards the bottom of the rack so you can reach it while lying on the ground.
- Lay on the floor and set your body slightly above a normal bench press so your eyes are just above the bar rather than in line.
- Lift the bar upwards along the Smith Machine rails with your arms fully extended.
- Slowly lower the bar until your elbows lightly touch the ground. Throughout the lift, keep your forearms perpendicular to the ground.
- Press the weight upwards to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for reps.
The Smith Machine floor press is a great alternative for people returning from an injury or someone with shoulder problems because of the shorter pressing motion. Touching the ground makes sure you don't cheat on any reps. It also helps build lockout strength as your body presses the weight from a locked position.
Bonus Dumbbell Exercises:
1. Dumbbell Bench Press
The dumbbell bench press is a twist on the classic exercise, simply swapping the bar for dumbbells. It is a great alternative for people who struggle with the regular bench due to shoulder or elbow pain. Dumbbell bench presses also give users a greater range of motion because they can get a far greater stretch, whereas the barbell limits range of motion. Due to this, many people believe that the dumbbell bench press isolates the chest muscle better, whereas barbell presses are more of a compound exercise.
Instructions:
- Sit on a flat bench, holding one dumbbell (of equal weight) in each hand, resting on each thigh.
- With your feet planted firmly on the ground, slowly lay backward and bring the dumbbells to your shoulder blades, palms facing upward.
- Try to keep your back flat against the bench, but a slight natural arch is fine as long as it's not excessive.
- Slowly press the dumbbells up using your chest muscles rather than the upper arms. Keep your wrists straight and exhale as you press.
-
Fully extend your arms above your chest, returning to the starting position.
- To hit the inner chest, press the dumbbells up and inward, bringing them together at the top of the lift. Make sure you don't bang the weights together and focus on squeezing the inner chest muscles at the top.
- Repeat for reps.
Using dumbbells adds versatility that a barbell doesn't have, like increased range of motion and changing the grip, arm angle, or lift motion. Using dumbbells helps avoid muscle imbalances. They also activate stabilizer muscles that barbells don't require.
2. Dumbbell Fly
The dumbbell chest fly is one of the best isolation exercises for sculpting different parts of the chest. The dumbbell chest fly is very different from any chest presses, which are multi-joint, compound exercises. The chest fly primarily targets one muscle group (pec major) and only involves the movement of the shoulder joint. The anterior deltoids and serratus anterior stabilizer muscles are secondary muscles.
Instructions:
- Lay on a bench with one dumbbell in each hand. Keep your shoulder blades pulled back on the bench and feet flat for stability.
- Holding the dumbbells, extend your arms into the air with a slight elbow bend. Hold the weights using a neutral grip so your palms face each other.
- Slowly lower the weights to your side, with your arms slightly bent, until your arms are in line with your chest, or slightly below if possible.
- Focus on feeling the muscle fibers stretch as far as possible without hurting your shoulder joints.
- Squeeze the chest muscles and focus on the contraction as you slowly raise the dumbbells together, returning to the starting position.
- Repeat for reps, usually in the 10-15 range.
Make sure you don't use heavy weights for the chest fly because it places you at risk of injury. Use a lighter weight and focus on feeling the chest muscle contraction rather than using arm and grip muscles to lift the weights.
Anatomy Of The Chest
The pectoral muscle (chest) is a muscle group in the upper body that connects the chest to the shoulder and upper arm bone. Your pectoral muscles are responsible for moving your arms and any pushing movement, like opening a door. The pectoral muscle is divided into two groups: the major and minor.
Pectoralis Major
The pec major is a fan-shaped muscle comprising the middle and upper chest. The pectoralis major is made of three heads:
- Clavicular head: This is the upper portion of the chest, responsible for flexion and adduction of the shoulder.
- Sternal head: The sternal head is the bottom part of the pectoralis major and is important for adduction and medial rotation of the arms.
- Abdominal head (costal head): The abdominal head is the lowest part of the lower chest, starting at the abdominal muscles.
The primary purpose of the pectoralis major is to flex, extend, stabilize, and rotate the chest muscles to the humerus. It also provides stability to the shoulder joint, the scapula (shoulder blade), and the chest.
Pectoralis Minor
The pectoralis minor is a small, triangular-shaped muscle below the pectoralis major. It starts from the third, fourth, and fifth rib and inserts into the coracoid process of the scapula. In addition to supporting the scapula, it plays a major role in downward rotational movements and protraction of the scapula (shoulder blades).
Programming Tips
1. Use Different Angles
The chest has several parts, so it's important to use different angles to have a complete chest. One study compared the bench press at five different angles (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60°) to see how the angle affects different parts of the chest muscles (upper, middle, and lower), triceps, and anterior deltoids. An electromyograph (EMG) measures the muscles' electrical activity levels, indicating muscle strength and contractions. The results showed the highest EMG levels for the upper chest at 30°, while both middle chest and lower chest at 0°, or the flat bench. Anterior deltoids (front shoulder) showed the highest levels at 60°, while the triceps had similar EMG levels across all five angles.² Based on this study, you should set your bench at a 30° angle to maximize upper chest activation. You should avoid going beyond a 45° angle to keep the focus on the upper chest rather than the shoulder muscles. Use a flat bench for the middle portion of the chest and decline angles to hit the lower chest.
2. Presses First
Studies have shown that doing a large muscle group first and progressing to smaller muscle groups results in the greatest anabolic response.³ So, if you are doing another muscle group with the chest, like the triceps, you should do the larger muscle group (chest) first. You should always do a compound exercise, like the bench press, first while your muscles have the most energy. This way, you will be able to lift the most weight on the more important lifts.
3. Save Machines For Last
After your barbell exercises, isolation exercises and machine lifts should be done towards the end of the workout. The machine press should be performed in addition to barbell presses, not as a substitute. The cable machine is arguably the best "machine" for chest isolation because it has great versatility. You can use a cable machine to do chest presses and cable crossovers by using a variety of grips and angles. This applies to bodyweight exercises also, like push-ups. Many people like to end a workout with a burn-out set to failure using a bodyweight exercise.
Sample Chest Workout Routine
We combined all of the best exercises to create two sample chest workout routines: a lean-muscle builder for those going for the aesthetic look and a mass-builder for those looking to add strength and size.
Lean Muscle Chest Workout
- Barbell bench press: 3 sets x 8-12 reps*
- Dumbbell incline bench press: 3 sets x 8-12 reps*
- High Cable Crossover: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
- Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 3 sets x 12-15 reps
- Push-ups: 2 sets x 15+/to failure
Heavy Mass Builder Chest Workout
- Flat bench press: 3 sets x 5-8 reps*
- Decline bench press: 3 sets x 5-8 reps*
- Barbell incline bench press: 3 sets x 5-8 reps*
- Flat bench dumbbell flyes: 3 sets x 10 reps
- Chest dips: 3 sets x 10 reps
*For each of the bench presses, rest 90-180 seconds; 60-90 seconds rest on isolation exercises.
Other Chest Exercises
Other great chest exercises include:
- Cable machine crossover/fly
- Low cable crossover for upper chest
- High cable cross for lower chest
- Pec Dec Machine
- Machine chest press
- Dumbbell floor press
- Svend press
You can also do bodyweight chest exercises such as push-ups and chest dips.
- A regular push-up targets the middle and lower pecs.
- Elevated/incline push-ups target the lower chest muscle fibers.
- Decline push-ups target the upper chest muscle fibers.
- The wider out you place your hands, the greater emphasis on the chest and less on the arms and shoulders. Try to place your hands roughly double shoulder width.
- To get the chest muscles engaged with dips, simply lean your torso slightly forward during set-up versus an upright position to focus on the triceps.
Outro
When it comes to chest training, the bench press and its variations should be the staple of your routine. The best chest exercises for muscle growth are the barbell bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press, dumbbell bench press, and the dumbbell fly. Upper chest exercises include incline presses, incline flyes, and low cable crossovers. Decline presses, decline flyes, and high cable crossovers work the lower chest. Don't be afraid to try different angles or grip positions to target different parts of the chest. For more information, check out our article, Bench Press Grip Guide.
References
- Rodríguez-Ridao, David, et al. “Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 19, 8 Oct. 2020, p. 7339, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197339.
- Rodríguez-Ridao, David, et al. “Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, no. 19, 8 Oct. 2020, p. 7339, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197339.
- Sheikholeslami-Vatani, Dariush, et al. "Comparison of the Effects of Resistance Exercise Orders on Number of Repetitions, Serum IGF-1, Testosterone and Cortisol Levels in Normal-Weight and Obese Men." Asian Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 7, no. 1, 1 Mar. 2016, https://doi.org/10.5812/asjsm.30503.
Kyle Ustach
Author