Guide to the best chest exercises
- By Tony Schwartz
- Published 09/9/2009
- Health
- Unrated
Guide to the best chest exercises
A massive, dense, cut chest is high on the list of most body builders, both professional}} and amateur. Unfortunately, there is so much bad information out there when it comes to properly training the pectorals}} that chests like I just described are becoming rare these days.
The big key to building the chest you need is to choose exercises that maximally stimulate the pectoral motor units. The first movement that springs to mind for most people when they think of pec exercises is the bench press. But the bench press is not a great chest builder unless you happen to have the optimal leverage for it. On top of that, most people do the bench press incorrectly. If you are combining bad leverages and bad technique it is no surprise why you feel the bench more in your front deltoids and triceps than in your chest!
Let's take a look at 3 of my favorite chest building exercises. It is important to keep in mind that if these are done with bad technique you are short-changing your muscle gains and may be setting yourself up for injury. To prevent this from occurring make sure to get some technique tips from an expert so that you can build the chest you want without getting hurt.
Standing Cable Crossovers
Even though variations of the bench press are good, to really focus on the pecs you need to work on the flying motion. This can be done with many different exercises, but I really like standing cable crossovers here because of the constant tension the pulley gives you throughout the entire exercise. The k
ey is to concentrate on a good stretch at the start and continuing to keep constant tension on the pecs throughout the whole set. This is a great finishing movement to any chest workout.
Paused Bench Press
I know I just finished saying that the barbell bench press is not the best chest building exercise, but there are particular variations that do hit the chest rather well, provided you perform them properly. The paused barbell bench press is one such variation. By pausing the bar on the chest for one to 10 seconds before pressing it back to lockout you kill the stretch reflex and lose any stored energy you created while lowering the weight. This makes pressing the weight back up much harder, but it will also require your pecs to generate a massive amount of force in order to press the bar from your chest back to the starting point.
45-degree Incline DB Bench Press
One of the common complaints of lifters is not just their overall chest size, but their upper chest mass especially. Incline exercises are a great solution to this because they emphasize the clavicular portion of the pecs, which gives the appearance of a more full chest, without giving you man boobs. The use of dumbbells is a good idea here as they will allow you to get a deeper stretch in the bottom of the movement. This deep stretch stimulates a lot of underused motor units in the upper chest which can spur new muscle growth.
Keep in mind that while these exercises are great for building powerful pecs, they must be done with the proper technique in order to get the most benefit.
See video and get tips on pec deck flys and more of the best chest building exercises
The big key to building the chest you need is to choose exercises that maximally stimulate the pectoral motor units. The first movement that springs to mind for most people when they think of pec exercises is the bench press. But the bench press is not a great chest builder unless you happen to have the optimal leverage for it. On top of that, most people do the bench press incorrectly. If you are combining bad leverages and bad technique it is no surprise why you feel the bench more in your front deltoids and triceps than in your chest!
Let's take a look at 3 of my favorite chest building exercises. It is important to keep in mind that if these are done with bad technique you are short-changing your muscle gains and may be setting yourself up for injury. To prevent this from occurring make sure to get some technique tips from an expert so that you can build the chest you want without getting hurt.
Standing Cable Crossovers
Even though variations of the bench press are good, to really focus on the pecs you need to work on the flying motion. This can be done with many different exercises, but I really like standing cable crossovers here because of the constant tension the pulley gives you throughout the entire exercise. The k
Paused Bench Press
I know I just finished saying that the barbell bench press is not the best chest building exercise, but there are particular variations that do hit the chest rather well, provided you perform them properly. The paused barbell bench press is one such variation. By pausing the bar on the chest for one to 10 seconds before pressing it back to lockout you kill the stretch reflex and lose any stored energy you created while lowering the weight. This makes pressing the weight back up much harder, but it will also require your pecs to generate a massive amount of force in order to press the bar from your chest back to the starting point.
45-degree Incline DB Bench Press
One of the common complaints of lifters is not just their overall chest size, but their upper chest mass especially. Incline exercises are a great solution to this because they emphasize the clavicular portion of the pecs, which gives the appearance of a more full chest, without giving you man boobs. The use of dumbbells is a good idea here as they will allow you to get a deeper stretch in the bottom of the movement. This deep stretch stimulates a lot of underused motor units in the upper chest which can spur new muscle growth.
Keep in mind that while these exercises are great for building powerful pecs, they must be done with the proper technique in order to get the most benefit.
See video and get tips on pec deck flys and more of the best chest building exercises
Tony Schwartz
Tony Schwartz created the Athletic Muscle System based on extensive research into strength training programs as well as his own work with collegiate and professional athletes. Tony is the Director of Training for Momentum Athletics. He has a B.Sc. in Exercise Science from Indiana University, where he was a research assistant in the areas of biomechanics and exercise physiology. He has authored, edited, and contributed to many books and articles in the field of exercise science.
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