It’s not easy to build muscles, and one of the most challenging areas to target in the chest. On top of all that, when working on your upper body, you want your training to include a variety of exercises. to sculpt a balanced body, maximizes benefits, and minimizes obstacles to working out, such as injuries, plateaus, and boredom.
Most people find it more difficult to build their upper chest than their lower chest. As a result, I normally recommend incline presses to target the upper chest. Weighted dips incline push-up, and decline bench, on the other hand, should help if you’re one of the few people who has a dominant upper chest and a weak lower chest. In any case, you should provide some flat bench as well.
When strengthening your chest, the major muscles you want to focus on are your pecs. The pectoral area is placed on the anterior chest wall. It has four muscles that exert force on the upper limb: the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, serratus anterior, and subclavius. This is why you shouldn’t do only one sort of exercise to grow your chest muscles — you’ll only be targeting one portion of the entire muscle.
So, how can you ensure that you’re hitting each part? To help you build a bigger chest, we’ve included our favorite exercises for hitting each section of your pecs.
Upper Chest Exercises
Using incline bench presses is the best way to hit this area. Set your bench between 30 and 45 degrees to target the top of your chest.
Incline Bench Press
It is a variation of the classic Bench Press in which the bench is inclined at about a 45-degree angle from the horizontal position. Compared to the flat bench, the inclined bench targets your upper chest and shoulders more.
Set your bench at a 30-45° angle. Lie back on the bench and place your hands on the bar, just wider than shoulder-width apart, palms facing up. Lift the bar off the rack and press it up until your arms are fully extended and your hands are above your shoulders. Slowly lower the bar to your chest, then press it back up. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Dumbbell Incline Fly
The incline dumbbell fly is an isolated strength exercise that targets the upper chest muscle. Including the incline dumbbell fly not only helps grow a better chest but has also been proved to have numerous other benefits, which include open up your chest muscles. Chest openers may help relieve upper back pain, increase range of motion
Lie down on an incline bench (at a 30 to 45-degree angle) with a dumbbell in each hand. Begin with your arms extended squarely above you, then gradually drop them out to the side while maintaining a slight bend in the elbow. Reverse the action by raising your arms above your head, and then repeat the process. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
The incline dumbbell bench press is a well-known upper-body exercise that targets the upper pecs. Because you’re working with dumbbells, the incline dumbbell press can be used to identify and correct muscular imbalances. Allow your weaker side to lead the way, and it will quickly catch up to your strong side.
Lie back on an incline bench and place a dumbbell in each hand atop your thighs. Next, lift the dumbbells one at a time, using your thighs to help drive them up, so that you can hold them shoulder-width apart. Press them straight up until your arms are fully extended, pause for a second, then lower under control. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Low Cable Fly
The low cable fly is an exercise that primarily targets the chest but also, to a lesser extent, the biceps, forearms, and shoulders.
Set the cable machine handles to the lowest setting. Grasp a handle in each hand and take a few steps forward until the cable is taught. With your elbows slightly bent and palms facing in and up, pull the handles together in the center of your chest. Pause for a second, squeezing your pecs, then lower your arms under control. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Decline Push-Up
In this variation your feet are elevated on the bench, forcing you to push a greater percentage of your body weight. As a result, you put a lot of pressure on your upper chest muscles, which causes more mechanical tension.
You engage more of your upper chest and front shoulders when you do pushups in this position.
Lie face down on the floor with your hands about 33 inches apart and your torso held up at arm’s length. Place your feet on a chair or a bench. As you inhale, lower yourself until your chest is practically touching the floor. Exhale and press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Lower Chest Exercises
Start by rejecting the “one pec exercise is enough” approach when it comes to putting up a workout to build lower chest muscle. Aside from adding particular lower-pec exercises, you may also vary your routine and increase its intensity by incorporating techniques such as drop sets, rest-pause sets, or even negative reps.
Decline Machine Press
Exercises such as the decline machine presswork the lower portion of the pectoral muscles and are preferred by many since they provide more stability for beginners who are just starting with the exercise.
Begin by adjusting the machine, then lie down on the bench and place your feet in the pads. Tuck your elbows in at a 45-degree angle and grab the bar with a 1.5x shoulder-width grip. Slowly push the bar upwards until your arms are fully extended and you feel a stretch in your chest muscles. Hold this position for a few seconds, then return to your starting position. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Decline Bench Press
The decline bench press is an effective exercise for building the muscles in your lower pectoral. The bench is positioned to 15 to 30 degrees on a decline, which activates the lower chest muscles as you push weights away from your body
Lie down on a bench and grasp the bar with your palms facing forward, arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Take the barbell from the rack, and place it over your shoulders. Lower the barbell slowly until it touches your mid-chest, pause a few seconds, then lift the barbell to starting position as you exhaling. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Decline Dumbbell Press
The decline angle used in this exercise is beneficial for athletes looking to bulk up the lower part of their chest. The decline dumbbell bench press targets also the shoulders, triceps, and core in a roundabout way.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip, shoulder-width apart. Lie back on a decline bench, and take a deep breath, then press the dumbbells upward until they are directly overhead and your arms are fully extended. Lower the weights slowly and comfortably as far as possible. Contract the chest and push the dumbbells back up to the starting position. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Incline Push-Ups
Exercises such as pushups, which engage the entire upper body and back, are excellent multi-purpose exercises that can be done anywhere. If you perform pushups at an incline, you’ll put more focus on the lower chest area. It is an excellent exercise for beginners, anyone doing upper body rehab, or elders who are trying to exercise and get healthy.
Place your hands on the bench’s edge, slightly wider than shoulder-width. Bend your elbows and lower your chest to the edge of the bench, while maintaining a straight posture throughout the movement. Push your body away from the bench until your elbows are extended. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Cable Cross-Over
The cable cross-over is an isolation exercise that uses a cable stack to strengthen the muscles of the pecs. Because it’s done with movable pulleys, you may target different sections of your chest by adjusting the pulleys’ levels.
Place the handles at the ends of the pulleys and stand in the center of the machine, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your torso slightly forward while keeping your spine neutral and your back straight. Pull both handles down while keeping your core engaged. Pause a few seconds and squeeze your chest muscles. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Chest Dips
In addition to targeting your lower chest, the dip engages your shoulders, triceps, and abs. By changing your body’s inclination, you can put more pressure on your chest or triceps. despite their simplicity, chest dips are a highly effective exercise. With a little effort and dedication, you can start adding weight to your dips and bulk up your chest!
Hold your arms outstretched above the bars. Lower yourself slowly while breathing in, with your torso leaning forward until you feel a mild stretch in the chest. Return your body to the starting position, and squeeze your chest for a second at the top of the movement. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Middle Chest Exercises
Perhaps the easiest area to target on your chest is your middle pecs. This is primarily because it requires you to lift at a 90-degree angle to your body. The middle chest exercises listed below are used in nearly all chest workouts.
Flat Bench Press
Barbell flat bench press is one of the most popular exercises in the gym. It’s a must-do if you want to bulk up your chest muscles and get stronger. The triceps brachii and pectoralis major are the primary muscles targeted in a bench press, with the traps, back, and anterior deltoids as secondary muscles.
Lie flat on a flat bench with your feet firmly on the ground. Take a deep breath, lift the bar from the rack and hold it above your chest as this will be your starting position. Breathe in and lower the bar down until it touches your middle chest. Hold this position briefly, and push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Dumbbell Bench Press
Muscle imbalances are a fact of life for practically everyone. We are going to be dominant on one side of the body, whether we are righties or lefties. If you use a barbell, you can hide these imbalances by compensating with your strong side to compensate for the weak side. As a result of employing dumbbells, you can isolate and identify unilateral chest and shoulder weaknesses.
Lie back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, your palms should be facing your feet. Lift the weights above your chest by extending your elbows until your arms are fully extended. Breathe in and lower the weights down until it touches your middle chest. Hold this position briefly, and push the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out. Repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.
Flat Bench Crossover Flys
The flat bench cable fly, like the cable crossover, uses the fly motion to target your chest muscles, but the difference is that this exercise allows you to lay flat on a bench and support your back.
Place a bench between two cable machines, then grab a handle in each hand and lie flat on your back gradually until you are fully rested on the bench. Slowly raise the handles above your chest, squeezing your chest muscles and holding for a count. Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps and sets.