So you want to build muscle? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
I once was a skinny guy desperate to build muscle, but I found my way. Through trial and error, and plenty of research, I found what worked for me.
Then, I became a strength coach and personal trainer to help others do the same thing! Now, building muscle is no easy task. It takes effort and a good training program in addition to proper nutrition and sleep habits.
Obviously, you can’t have a good training program without great exercises. When it comes to building muscle in your chest, there are plenty of great exercises.
Today, I'll run you through all the best chest exercises for muscle growth! On top of that, I'll even give you a full chest day workout routine you can use in the gym.
To have an effective chest day workout though, you'll need to know which muscles you're working. That way, you can make sure to pick out exercises to target each muscle throughout your workout.
Chest Muscle Anatomy
To start, it’s important to understand how your chest works. The more you understand each muscle's function, the better you can target each muscle.
That way, you’re better prepared to make the most out of every rep!
Your chest isn’t just one solid muscle. It's made up of three distinct sections, each with fibers running in different directions. That’s why hitting your chest from multiple angles is key to building a strong, well-developed upper body.
Your chest consists of these three main muscles:
Upper Chest (Clavicular Head)
These fibers start at the clavicle and angle upward toward the humerus. To add size and definition to your upper chest, focus on incline movements like incline bench presses and incline dumbbell flies.
Mid Chest (Sternal Head)
The largest section of your pecs, these fibers run horizontally from the sternum. To build a thicker, more powerful chest, exercises like flat bench presses, push-ups, and cable flys should be in your routine.
Lower Chest (Abdominal Head)
These fibers originate from the lower sternum and angle downward. To sculpt and strengthen the lower portion of your chest, incorporate decline presses, dips, and lower cable flys into your workouts.
By training all three sections, you’ll create a balanced, powerful chest.
Benefits of Chest Workouts
There are benefits to training any muscle group. Exercise in general is good for us all.
Having a good chest day workout plan is no different. Some benefits will cross over with others, but some will be specific to chest day.
Let’s talk about them.
Aesthetics
This one has some crossover with other workouts, but it’s a great benefit, nonetheless.
Your chest is a big muscle group in the front and center of your body. The size of your chest will have some level of influence on how others see you.
When you have a big muscular chest, it clearly shows you as a stronger and more athletic person. It’s a direct reflection of your hard work.
These exercises will also work your arms and shoulders, which plays into that same thing. Having an effective chest day workout each week can help you build up all these muscles. It might even help you achieve the look you've always wanted.
Strength
Beyond your appearance, chest day workouts can also help you build a ton of upper body strength!
Your lower body might have some strong muscles, but your chest is a powerhouse for your upper body. It can get pretty darn strong too!
For instance, let’s take the bench press. Pound for pound, some people can bench press over twice their body weight.
When I was still in my early lifting years, that was a goal of mine actually. My senior year in college I built up enough strength to bench press 365 pounds.
It took time to build that strength, but it was well worth it. I’ve found myself in several situations where I benefited from the upper body strength I’ve built in the gym.
For example, I’ve moved several times in the last 8 years. Carrying heavy boxes and furniture is a lot easier when you have a strong chest.
You'll never know when it’ll come in handy until you’re in a situation where you need it.
Performance
If you’re an athlete, one of the biggest things you may care about is your performance.
I certainly did back when I was still playing football. It was the main reason I began lifting weights in the first place.
Well, having a regular chest day workout can help boost your performance in a few specific areas:
• Pushing
• Throwing
• Carrying
• Swimming
Especially if you play a contact sport like football or lacrosse, these can be very helpful! Plus, having a strong chest doesn't only benefit your chest day workouts. A stronger chest can support lifting more weight in other exercises.
That can help improve your performance in other areas too. For instance, a stronger chest can help you hold up more weight in a front squat. That may help you build stronger quads, and increase explosiveness in your sport.
For example, if you're a defensive end needing to get low and push your way into the backfield, this could help a lot. Your lower body and chest will work together to push the lineman back so you can sack the quarterback.
That's just one example. There are many more where this applies.
Movement in any sport requires your muscles to work in a coordinated way. Different muscle groups must work together to help you perform at a high level.
So, strengthening your chest can not only help with performance in one area, but many.
Functional Fitness
Functional exercises support movements you do in everyday life. Having a chest day workout routine each week can be very functional.
If you were to trip and fall on the ground, you’d need your chest to push yourself up.
If you’re a server at a restaurant, you use your chest to hold every tray of food.
If you have to carry heavy boxes, your chest helps you wrap your arms around the box to hold it.
There are many times in your life when you use your chest muscles and don’t think about it. Building up a strong chest with a chest workout routine can make a big difference in your quality of life.
It just makes life easier in a lot of ways we don’t think about. As we age, this can be an especially important benefit!
That’s enough on the benefits of chest day workouts though. It’s time to dive into the exercises themselves!
Best Chest Day Exercises
Ready to dive into the 7 best chest day workouts that can take your chest day to the next level?
Let’s start with the king of chest day workouts: the barbell bench press.
Barbell Bench Press
When it comes to chest exercises, the pushing movement is our strongest movement. The barbell bench press targets exactly that and allows you to really load up some heavy weight.
It targets your pec major and minor muscles, your anterior deltoids, and your triceps.
There are many variations you can do to change the exercise up a bit as well. You can do it on an incline or decline bench to emphasize the upper and lower chest.
You can also do this exercise with dumbbells to challenge the stabilizing muscles a bit more.
How to Do the Barbell Bench Press
1. Setup — To perform the barbell bench press, start by lying flat on a bench with your chest out and shoulders pulled back. Pull your feet back toward your hips with the balls of your feet planted on the ground.
2. Grip — Position your body so your eyes are directly under the barbell. Grip the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Make sure your wrists are aligned with your forearms for optimal support.
3. Start — Begin by unracking the bar and holding it over your chest to get into the starting position. It’s always good to have a spotter that can help you lift the bar off the rack for your first rep.
4. Lower — Allow your elbows to bend at a 45-degree angle from the body as you lower the bar to your lower chest.
5. Press — When the bar touches your chest, use your chest and triceps to press the bar back to the starting position.
6. Squeeze — Squeeze your chest muscles at the top for a second, then repeat for reps.
Reverse Grip Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
This is a variation of the bench press that heavily targets your upper chest. Using a reverse grip actually forces your upper chest to do more work.
Rather than your elbows flaring out 45 degrees from your body, they stay much closer to your sides. That simple change targets the muscle fibers in your upper chest more.
Plus, doing it on an incline bench even further emphasizes your upper chest muscles.
How to Do the Reverse Grip Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
1. Setup — Set up a bench with a 45-degree incline and adjust the seat to a comfortable and stable position.
2. Dumbbell Position — Grab a pair of dumbbells and rest them on your knees as you sit on the bench. Lean back and use your knees to help get the dumbbells into position just outside your chest. Make sure your chest is out and your shoulders are pulled back.
3. Press — Turn your hands until your palms are facing you, with your elbows close to your sides. Use your chest and triceps to press the dumbbells straight up over your chest. Be sure to keep your hands facing the same direction the entire rep.
4. Squeeze & Lower — Squeeze your chest at the top, and then slowly lower back down.
5. Repeat — Repeat for reps.
Arnold Press
This is another great exercise for your chest and shoulders. It gets its name from one of the most iconic bodybuilders of all time: Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Similar to a shoulder press, but with a twist … literally.
Your hands will turn on your way up and down during the press. This not only activates your chest but also your entire deltoid and triceps.
How to Do the Arnold Press
1. Steup — Set up a bench to a 90-degree upright position. Sit holding some dumbbells and resting them on your knees.
2. Start — Use your knees to help bring the dumbbells up next to your shoulders. Hold them with your palms facing behind you. This is the starting position.
3. Press & Rotate — Start pressing the weight up. As you do, allow your elbows to flare out to your sides and simultaneously turn your palms away from you. It should be one fluid motion happening at the same time as the weights move up.
4. Squeeze — Pause for a second at the top, and squeeze your shoulder and tricep muscles.
5. Lower & Rotate — Bring the dumbbells back down to return to the starting position. As the weight comes down, pull your elbows in front of you and turn your palms to face behind you. Again, this should all be one fluid motion as you bring the dumbbells back to your shoulders.
6. Repeat — Squeeze your chest for a second, then repeat for reps.
Cable Chest Fly
This is a widely used exercise, and has plenty of advantages being on a cable machine. Cable machines provide constant tension no matter the angle.
While free weights only give resistance vertically (working against gravity), cables are different. Whether you pull the cable up, down, at an angle, or horizontally, it provides the same tension.
That makes it perfect for this exercise! It will mostly target your pecs, but your serratus anterior will get some work as well.
How to do the Cable Chest Fly
1. Setup — Set 2 adjacent cable pulleys to their highest setting with handles attached.
2. Stance — Grab a handle with each hand while centered and facing away from the cables. Take a step forward with 1 foot to lift the weights off the stack slightly, and maintain a split stance. Your arms should be open wide.
3. Lean — Lean forward to a comfortable angle of 45 degrees or less until you feel a good stretch in your chest. This is the starting position.
4. Pull — Engage your pecs to pull your hands together in front of your chest. Think about pulling your elbows together to engage your chest properly. Make sure you maintain a slight bend in your elbows throughout the entire movement.
5. Squeeze — Squeeze your chest for a second at the bottom, then slowly return to the starting position.
6. Repeat — Repeat for reps while switching which foot is forward midway through your set.
Chest Dips
Chest dips are a great exercise to target your chest with nothing but your body weight! It also works your triceps.
You do need a set of parallel or angled bars to hold yourself up, but otherwise, it’s all body weight. I recommend doing this exercise slowly and controlled.
It does put your shoulders in a tight spot at the end of your range of motion, so you don’t want to use momentum here. Be smart, and be careful.
Only add weight with a weight belt or vest once you’ve built up enough strength that your body weight feels easy.
How to do Chest Dips
1. Grip & Initial Lift — Grip a pair of stable parallel bars with one hand on each bar. Your hands should be around shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
2. Starting Position — Lift yourself up so that your feet are off the ground and your hands are the only things supporting you. Bend your knees so there is no chance of your feet touching the ground during the exercise. This is the starting position.
3. Controlled Descent — Allow your elbows to bend while leaning forward slightly to drop your chest between your hands. Keep lowering your chest until you’ve reached a comfortable end range of motion. Your upper arms will be about parallel with the floor at this point.
4. Powerful Ascent — Engage your chest and triceps to press yourself back up until your elbows are locked out back at the starting position.
5. Repeat — Repeat for reps.
Svend Press
This is an exercise that truly doesn’t look like it would do much, but you’ll feel the burn. Trust me!
All you need for this one is 2 small weight plates of maybe 5-10 pounds each. There’s no reason to bring your ego into this one by picking heavy weight.
10-pound plates are perfect for me. This exercise isn’t about how heavy you can go, but about how hard you’re squeezing your chest.
How to do the Svend Press
1. Plate Setup — Grab one weight plate in each hand and sandwich them together at your chest while keeping your hands and fingers flat. Your elbows will flare out to your sides as you press the plates together. This is the starting position.
2. Controlled Extension — Squeeze the plates together as you slowly extend your arms out in front of your chest as far as you can.
3. Peak Contraction — When your arms are fully extended, squeeze your chest muscles for a second.
4. Controlled Return — From here, slowly return the plates to the starting position at your chest.
5. Repeat — Repeat this for reps.
Weighted/Banded Push-ups
Using weights or bands in a push-up takes this exercise to a whole new level. It’s great for developing your chest and triceps and is harder than it looks.
If the weight or bands make the push-up too difficult, then just do good old-fashioned push-ups with your body weight. You can always work up to adding the resistance.
Because a banded push-up is more complex to explain, that’s what I’ll go through here.
How to Do Weighted/Banded Push-Ups
1. Band Setup — For banded push-ups, you’ll need a large looped resistance band. Hold it out with both hands and turn one side of it 180 degrees so that it looks like a figure 8 or infinity symbol. Put one arm in each loop behind you to wear it like a backpack.
2. Hand Grip — With each hand, grab the resistance band like you’re grabbing your backpack straps.
3. Plank Position — From there, drop to the floor and get into a high plank/push-up position with your hips in line with your shoulders and feet. Part of the resistance band should be beneath each hand. This is the starting position
4. Lower Chest — To begin, allow your elbows to bend as you lower your chest toward the floor. Keep going until your chest barely touches the floor.
5. Push Up — Keep your core engaged as you use your chest and triceps to push yourself back up to the starting position. As you push up, the resistance band will stretch and add more resistance.
6. Squeeze & Repeat — Squeeze your chest for a second at the top, and repeat for reps.
If you don’t have a resistance band, you can do weighted push-ups. You do the exact same push-up, but here’s the difference.
Instead of having a resistance band wrapped around your back, you’ll have to put a weight plate on your upper back. It helps to have someone else put it on there, but if you’re alone you can also fill a backpack with weight and put that on.
Regardless of which one you choose, you’ll get a great workout for sure!
Try Out The Best Chest Day Workout For Muscle Growth
Ready for a full workout? Give this one a go!
If you need to work your way up to this workout ... You can always take out a few sets.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 8-12 |
| Arnold Press | 4 | 8-12 |
| Chest Dips | 4 | 8-12 |
| Weighted/Banded Push-ups | 3 | 12-15 |
| Cable Chest Fly | 3 | 8-12 |
| Svend Press | 3 | 12-15 |
Hard and Heavy Chest Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Barbell Bench Press | 5 | 12, 10, 8, 6, 12 |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| Chest Dips | 4 | To Failure |
| Cable Chest Fly | 3 | 8-12 |
| Close-Grip Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Svend Press | 3 | 12-15 |
Pump Chest Workout (Hypertrophy-Focused)
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 4 | 8-12 |
| Arnold Press | 4 | 10-12 |
| Chest Dips | 4 | To Failure |
| Weighted/Banded Push-ups | 4 | 8-12 |
| Decline Cable Chest Fly | 3 | 8-12 |
| Svend Press | 3 | 12-15 |
Best Practices for Improving Your Chest Workouts
Building muscle and strength isn't just about working hard. It's also about working smart. To get the most out of your chest day workout routine, consider some of these best practices...
Emphasize Eccentric Activation and Squeeze
The eccentric portion of every exercise is something to focus on. This is where your muscles are lengthening. In a bench press, for example, this is as you are lowering the bar toward your chest. Lengthening your muscles while still contracting creates more tissue damage. It sounds bad, but it can help a ton with muscle growth (1).
Pushing the weight back up is the concentric portion of the exercise. Doing this portion quickly can help build explosiveness and power. Also, slower movement in the eccentric phase with faster movement in the concentric phase is best for muscle growth (2).
Squeezing your muscles hard at the top of the concentric phase creates a lot of mechanical tension. Mechanical tension is an important factor in signaling muscle growth adaptations (3).
Use a Full Range of Motion
Too many lifters don’t go through a full range of motion as they exercise. Think about only going halfway down on a bench press, for example. Studies show that full range of motion training leads to better strength and muscle gains (4).
So, make sure you aren't cutting corners here! Take the weight through its full range of motion to get the best results.
Utilize Progressive Overload
Progressive overload is increasing the stress on your muscles over time. This could be increasing reps or sets, decreasing rest, etc.
If your muscles are challenged more over time, they have to respond by adapting. When they adapt, they grow bigger and stronger. If you don’t follow this principle, your workouts become easy for your body.
Your muscles will only grow if you force them to. The only way to do that is to challenge them more over time.
Synergistic Training: Maximize Your Chest Workouts
While this is more up to your personal preference, this may be a super useful tip for you. When you train your chest, you're not only working your pecs. Your triceps and shoulders are also prevalent in a lot of these movements!
That's why pairing these muscle groups in a single workout can make a lot of sense. This can maximize workout efficiency and pre-fatigue these other muscle groups before doing exercises more specific for them.
Sample Workout Pairings
• Chest & Triceps: Bench Press, Dips, Skull Crushers
• Chest & Shoulders: Incline Dumbbell Press, Lateral Raises, Arnold Press
• Push Day (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps): Flat Bench Press, Shoulder Press, Tricep Dips
By structuring your workouts like this, you can train smarter. Get the most out of every rep and build real strength where it counts!
Level Up Your Chest Day Workout with 1st Phorm
Chest day workouts are a favorite of many. I have to include myself in that because I’ve always looked forward to it each week.
I used to be a very scrawny kid, and my chest was the first muscle group I was able to build up. It gave me a lot of confidence, so I completely understand why so many people strive for a bigger chest.
There is something I found out the hard way though, and it's this ... Your workouts aren't even half the battle when it comes to building muscle. In fact, a lot goes into muscle growth that many people overlook.
For one, you need to eat a calorie surplus and get a lot of protein. Your muscles are mostly made of protein, so if you don’t eat enough of it you’ll have a very hard time building muscle. It also takes energy to build muscle, so eating extra calories is a must.
You also need plenty of quality sleep, water, and nutrients. All of this put together is a recipe for success.
Just like baking a cake, if you don’t have enough of the right ingredients, it won’t turn out right. Everything needs to line up correctly to see optimal results, and this is why so many people struggle.
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References:
(1) Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Hypertrophic Effects of Concentric vs. Eccentric Muscle Actions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2017;31(9):2599-2608.
(2) Wilk M, et al. The Influence of Movement Tempo During Resistance Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy Responses: A Review. Sports Medicine. 2021;51(8):1629-1650.
(3) Warneke K, et al. Physiology of Stretch-Mediated Hypertrophy and Strength Increases: A Narrative Review. Sports Medicine. 2023;53(11):2055-2075.
(4) Pallarés JG, et al. Effects of Range of Motion on Resistance Training Adaptations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2021;31(10):1866-1881.
