Blog

20 Best Chest Exercises and Workouts to Build Stronger Pecs

Check out these exercises and training tips for a bigger, better, stronger chest.

THE CHEST IS a muscle group that takes up a great deal of attention for physique-minded guys. If you pause a moment to think about why, you won't need long to figure out the appeal of chest-pumping workouts. The anatomical position of the muscle group is the answer. Your chest muscles sit at the top of your torso on the front side of your body, making it one of the first physical features anyone looking at you is likely to notice. Whether you're checking out your own reflection in the mirror or being clocked by a stranger when you walk into a party wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt, you lead with your chest. Stainless Steel Sleeve For Ppsu Press Fittings

20 Best Chest Exercises and Workouts to Build Stronger Pecs

Some exercisers that are more focused on functional fitness than aesthetic goals might downplay the importance of training to target the chest muscles—but that's a shortsighted mistake. While it's undeniable that building muscle to achieve a certain type of physique ideal can be a major driver behind chest development, the muscle group is also essential for healthy movement in its own right. That's due to the functions of the pectoral muscles, which help to move your arms.

Still, some exercisers approach chest training with a very narrow approach. The International Chest Day model, which consists of barbell bench press and little else, doesn't give you a chance for a fully diversified chest workout. There should be much more to your chest muscle workouts than stacking plates onto a barbell and pressing into infinity—that can be a recipe for major problems down the line.

But anyone who wants to train for a balanced, healthy physique will understand that you need to train smart, not like a meathead (at least not all the time). There are more exercises that you should do to target your chest muscles. Variety is a major key for for muscle adaptation, so you'll want to use different types of equipment and techniques to challenge your chest to help it grow.

You can build out a new plan using some of these exercises, which will spur muscle growth and help you to build strength. First, though, it helps to understand the muscle group before you pick up a weight.

The chest is a muscle group you might have heard referred to by one catchall name: the pectorals, a.k.a. the pecs. There are actually two muscles that make up your pecs, the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor.

The pectoralis major is larger, as the name implies, and is superior (or located above) to the pectoralis minor, is smaller and located below the pec major. The pec major is tasked with adduction of the arm (movement in toward the body) and rotation of the arm forward, along with assisting other muscles in pulling the trunk up when your arms are above your head. The pec minor helps to move your ribs and shoulders.

The serratus anterior and subclavius are also chest muscles, which rotate the scapula and anchors and depresses the clavicle, respectively.

Your chest is a fairly large muscle group, so you'd be hard-pressed to ignore it. Still, the benefits of chest training are important to keep in mind: Not only will a well-developed chest have aesthetic benefits in terms of how your shirts fit and how you'll look without one, you'll also see postural benefits (just make sure to balance out your chest day with back training, too). You'll also be stronger anytime you need to push or swing using your arms.

Make sure you don't just focus on bench press. You should also aim to use exercises that hit the other functions of your chest, like arm adduction, and allow you to emphasize the squeeze. When you do bench, however, listen to MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel and make sure that you don't flare your elbows. When you take on another common exercise, the incline press, keep your forearms perpendicular to the floor so that you can keep the focus on your upper chest muscles and avoid shoulder issues. Finally, make sure that as much as you target your chest muscles, you also train opposing muscle groups. Your back needs attention too, both for better function and a balanced physique.

You can train your chest at home or in a pinch with bodyweight moves like pushup variations, feature chest-centric movements in broader full-body workouts to spread the workload, and if you feel like you're lagging, even ramp up the volume beyond the Monday standard with multiple sessions dedicated to chest in a week.

There's a whole treasure trove full of workouts and exercises to be uncovered to blast the chest that can sculpt your pecs and push your upper body training days to the next level. Just remember, if your goal is to build chest muscle, you should aim to work using the right protocols for hypertrophy, with the most efficient rep schemes and rest periods. Likewise, you'll need to be eating right to gain muscle.

Here are some of the best chest exercises to do just that. Choose two or three to work into your routine, and for best results, rotate in new movements every 3 or 4 weeks. Just remember, there's nothing wrong with a big bench for your chest—as long as your workout doesn't start and end there

Sure, we just talked about branching out beyond the bench press. But you can't avoid the exercise if you're serious about training—or even if you just step foot into any typical strength facility in the world. The move is standard for a reason: it works. Let's break it down with dumbbells for some variety.

One of the absolute go-to chest exercises, the chest fly is all about creating tension through the movement. Your goal is not to flap your arms like a bird to take flight, like the name suggests—squeezing is the name of the game here. That means you'll probably use less weight than you might expect.

You've done pushups a million times before, and if you want a well-rounded workout, you'll keep at it until you've done them a million more times. You can't do a more basic exercise to train your chest, so make sure you're doing them properly.

No bench? No problem. Take your dumbbell press to the floor for a shoulder-safe chest pump. This is another excellent option for building up your chest with home workouts, since all you'll need are some weights and some space to spread out.

For a great warmup before a chest workout or a killer burnout to finish one, try out the band chest fly. The move isn't much different than its big brother, the cable fly (more on that below) or the dumbbell fly, but the use of exercise bands makes it more accessible, and potentially another exercise you can do at home. "This exercise can be an extremely effective single or double arm exercise increasing hypertrophy and muscular endurance (providing that pump) without putting the amount of stress on the shoulder joints that a chest fly with a dumbbell would," says athlete performance and development specialist Curtis Shannon, C.S.C.S.

"I like programming it as an accessory, warmup/priming, filler, or finisher lift. It can also be programmed with a global lower and upper body pull exercise, such as a deadlift or bent over row. Or simply use it as a “beach day” workout exercise that focuses on high volume for that “pump”."

Take the bench fly, then add an idea from the floor press to hit your chest muscles in a shoulder-safe manner. You'll also challenge your glutes and abs too, since you'll be challenged to hold a difficult position.

If you've ever stepped foot in a commercial gym, you've probably encountered this machine. Contrary to what you might have heard, machines can be great for your gains—it allows you to push your limits and train to fatigue without needing a spot—so learning the proper form is well-worth your time.

Level up your basic pushup by leveling up. By adding a deficit, you'll ramp up the difficulty and increase your range of motion, which will lead to more strength and muscle gains than the standard version of the pushup.

Take a knee for some chest gains. The half-kneeling chest press also gives you the opportunity to hone your core while you're off-balance, offering even more benefits and making the exercise more realistic. "In the real world, we don't get to work symmetrically. We're kind of off balance a little bit," said Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. "This puts you in an off-balance position."

This is an upper body push exercise that targets the pectoralis major (upper chest), clavicular, costal and sternal head, along with the anterior deltoids, triceps, biceps and serratus anterior.

"This is a great exercise to implement into your program, giving your upper body push routine some variety," Shannon says. "The mechanical load and position on the incline bench press provides a greater challenge than the flat or decline bench. This will essentially allow you to get a greater adaptational response with less weight than with the flat benchpress. I personally feel more muscle in the chest and less stress in the shoulder joint when I perform this exercise, in comparison to the flat bench."

Shannon recommends programming this as either a primary or accessory lift. The prescription all depends on the load, intensity and volume.

You can lift more weight with a barbell than with dumbbells because they’re more stable. That’s why barbell presses generally build more raw strength in your chest. But this variation puts more focus on your triceps, so you'll get the added bonus of extra work for the biggest muscles in your arms, too.

When it comes to working their pecs, most guys just press. Adding the fly to your routine gives your pecs and front deltoids a new stimulus.

Target your lower chest and get some extra oblique work with this exercise that you can take on even if you don't have access to a cable machine. This fly variation is just as effective using a resistance band anchored to a rack or some other sturdy point as it is with a cable machine. Use this as a chest day finishing move.

This explosive pushup nails the fast-twitch muscles in your chest, priming them for growth, said English. The movement also gives you another, more powerful option for at-home chest development.

The archer pushup is a super-tough bodyweight exercise variation that gives you a unilateral challenge, but the most notable part of this move is the positioning. By elevating your feet on a bench, you'll put the focus on the upper chest, giving you a novel way to target that part of the muscle group without any extra gear.

This minimal-gear exercise takes focus if you want to make the most of the move. The key is to create as much tension as possible to get the ultimate squeeze. Better yet, this type of sustained, focused contraction will help you target the inner part of the chest, which is often neglected by other pressing-style exercises.

This exercise hits your chest like any awesome bench variation. But what makes it particularly special is that the other side of your body, specifically your core, has to lock down so the dumbbell doesn’t pull you off the bench, says Dan John, legendary strength coach.

The end result: The exercise sculpts your chest—and abs—to a greater degree.

Start moving like a superhero and pile up time under tension to give your muscles an even greater challenge. You'll also work your hip mobility as an added bonus.

Most chest presses stress your shoulders. This exercise nails your chest while improving your shoulder mobility. Your shoulder blade moves with you as you press, putting less strain on the joint, said Eric Cressey, co-owner of Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson, MA. And because your core has to lock down to prevent your torso from bending back or twisting, it also rocks your abs.

This pressing variation flips your chest day upside down, challenging your stability and torching your core. You'll need a cable machine or a pair of resistance bands set on high anchor points.

Brett Williams, a senior editor at Men's Health, is a NASM-CPT certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.

Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., is the fitness director of Men's Health and a certified trainer with more than 10 years of training experience. He's logged training time with NFL athletes and track athletes and his current training regimen includes weight training, HIIT conditioning, and yoga. Before joining Men's Health in 2017, he served as a sports columnist and tech columnist for the New York Daily News.  

The Beginner's Guide to Weight Training

12 Rowing Workouts That Burn Fat and Build Muscle

How to Do a Perfect Pushup

The 2024 New Year's Fitness Center

How to Prevent Back Pain When You Deadlift

How to Do a Back Squat the Right Way

How to Do Perfect Planks

15 Bodyweight Exercises to Build Your Back

How to Use the Ab Wheel the Right Way

10 Muscle-Building Fundamentals You Need to Learn

The 20 Best Leg Exercises of All Time

30 Resistance Band Moves You Can Do at Home

A Part of Hearst Digital Media

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

20 Best Chest Exercises and Workouts to Build Stronger Pecs

Multi-Layer Pipe Fittings ©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.