You could perform hundreds of exercises for your chest, but you do not want to over work your chest muscles which is why we created a list of the 10 best chest exercises.
Remember, you need to vary your workouts and use different exercises every few weeks.
Performing these exercises properly will help you increase your bench press and muscle growth.
Top 10 Best Chest Exercises
Above is a list of the best chest exercises, mixing them up and adding different exercises to your chest workouts will make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your workouts.
1) Barbell Bench Press
The barbell bench press is the usual go-to chest exercise. Almost everyone has done the bench press before, it is a great overall chest exercise which quickly builds muscle and strength.
It is the backbone of most chest workouts.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Lie down on a bench face-up.
Put your hands about shoulder-width apart on the barbell.
Breathe in as you lower the bar towards your chest.
Exhale as you push the bar back up, push forcefully on the bar maintaining a fast but smooth movement.
Remember not to go too heavy, aim for between 8 and 15 reps, and always have a spotter with you when doing the barbell press.
2) Dumbbell Chest Press
The dumbbell chest press is another one of the best chest exercises, it is a great alternative and addition to the barbell bench press.
Like the barbell press, it is great for building overall pectoral muscle and strength. The unique advantage of the dumbbell press is its ability to help remove chest muscle size imbalances.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Grab a pair of dumbbells.
Sit on a bench with the dumbbells on your knees.
Slowly lie face-up on the bench and bring the dumbbells up in front of your shoulders with a straight arm.
Breathe in as you lower the dumbbells toward your chest.
Exhale as you push the dumbbells back up, push the dumbbells with power but not too hard.
3) Push Ups
Like the exercises above, push ups are a very common starting point for chest exercises. Most people start by doing the push up for a reason, it is easy to do and has great results.
An advantage of the push up is it causes natural progressive overload, as you get heavier from increased muscle growth, you have to lift more weight.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Get on all fours on a soft floor such as rubber or foam mats.
Put your hands and arms straight underneath your shoulders.
Slowly bring your elbows back and allow your body to slowly com towards the floor.
Hold that position for 2-5 seconds.
Push yourself back up to the starting position.
You can master the push up by using variations of the push up, such as decline push ups.
Another useful product some people use in their workouts is the push up board (you can see my review of the push up board), it can help improve their workouts and provide different variations.
4) Cable Flys
The cable chest fly is very different from the exercises listed above. It has a very different way of causing the muscle to grow, it allows eccentric stretching and proper eccentric training improves muscle growth.
Cable chest flies are a very useful addition to your chest workout.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Set up the cable machine for chest flys, have the handles around head height.
Select an appropriate weight, grab the handles and move your body forward so your arms are creating tension on the cables.
Slowly bring the handles in an "arc" motion towards the centre of your chest at arms length in front of you.
Hold it there for around 2-5 seconds.
Slowly let your arms come back to the starting position, while maintaining a resistance over about 5-10 seconds.
The most effective way to perform the chest fly is slowly and with control.
5) Machine Flys
The machine chest fly is very similar to the cable chest fly, except it uses a machine instead.
Machine chest flies are also a great choice of chest exercise as they allow you focus all of your strength on just the chest muscle.
They have the same benefits of the cable chest flies and are best done using light weight with very slow reps.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Properly set up the chest fly machine for your height, ensure the handles are at or below shoulder height.
It is best to select a lighter weight and go for higher reps which are longer and slower.
Like the cable fly, slowly bring the handles in an "arc" motion towards the centre of your chest at arms length in front of you.
Hold it there for around 2-5 seconds.
Slowly let your arms come back to the starting position, while maintaining a resistance over about 5-10 seconds.
The best way to perform a machine chest fly is slowly and with control.
6) Decline Bench Press
The decline bench press is a great alternative to the standard bench press.
Doing a decline bench press helps to target specifically the lower pectoral muscles, providing a focus on the lower portion of the chest.
If you are using a non-safety rack without catching bars, make sure to have a spotter with you at all times while performing this exercise.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Set up a bench to be at around a negative 15-30° angle below a bench press rack.
Pick an appropriate weight on the barbell for your strength, don't go too heavy.
Lie face-up on the bench, pick your grip and unrack the barbell.
Slowly lower the weight to your chest, over around 3-6 seconds.
Powerfully (with control) push the barbell back up.
Repeat this for as many times as you wish.
7) Incline Bench Press
Like the decline bench press, the incline bench press specifically targets a different area of the pectoral muscles.
This exercise targets the upper chest and shoulder muscles. It is a great addition or alternative to the standard bench press.
Remember to have a spotter with you at all times when performing this exercise on a non-safety rack.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Set up a bench to be at around a positive 15-30° angle below a bench press rack.
Pick the appropriate weight on the barbell for your strength, don't go too heavy.
Lie face-up on the bench, pick your grip and unrack the barbell.
Just like the other bench press variations, slowly lower the weight to your chest, over around 3-6 seconds.
Powerfully (but with control) push the barbell back up toward the ceiling.
Repeat this exercise for as many reps as you wish.
8) Dips
Dips are usually used as a tricep exercise; however, they can be used with great success as a lower chest exercise.
They are similar to how the decline bench press works, they target the lower pectoral muscles.
Leaning slightly forward can help shift the muscular activation onto the lower chest more so than the triceps. This exercise can also be done using a tricep push down or dip machine.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
If you are using a push down or dip machine, set it up correctly for your height and pick the appropriate weight. Otherwise, find a dip bar and select the correct grip.
Lean slightly forward so more focus is shifted onto the lower chest than the triceps.
Push down towards the ground, lifting your body upwards.
Slowly allow yourself to come back down, maintaining resistance and activation on the lower chest muscles.
9) Dumbbell Squeeze Press
The dumbbell squeeze press is a similar concept to the bench press but instead of keeping the weight over your shoulders, you squeeze two dumbbells together in the centre.
It helps to further activate the pectoral muscles and grow your chest. For some people, it works better doing this exercise with a slight incline.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Set up a bench at around a 15-30° angle, grab a pair of dumbbells of your desired weight.
Sit back on the bench, slowly come back and keep the dumbbells out in front of you above your shoulders.
Move the dumbbells together in the centre and squeeze them.
Once you're ready, slowly lower the dumbbells towards your chest over around 3-6 seconds.
Once at the bottom, hold for 2-5 seconds while squeezing the dumbbells together.
Then push them back up while actively squeezing them with the chest muscles.
10) Dumbbell Flys
The dumbbell chest fly is another great eccentric stretch exercise. It is a great addition to a chest workout and will really enhance muscle growth when used correctly.
However, this exercise is more prone to causing injury if it's done incorrectly.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Set up a bench that is completely flat.
Grab a pair of dumbbells of your desired weight.
Lie back on the bench and put the dumbbells straight out in front of your shoulders.
Slightly rotate your pinky outwards so your hands are at a slight angle and keep a slightly bend in your elbows.
Slowly lower your arms until you feel a stretch in your chest, don't deviate from your form to go lower, keep your arms at the same length and keep the same elbow bend.
Hold it at the stretched position for 2-5 seconds.
Slowly bring your arms back up to the starting position and repeat this process for your desired number of repetitions.
Is Exercise Variation Needed?
When you consistently do the same workout over a period of time, your muscles get used to that activity.
By switching up your workout every few weeks, your muscles won't have a chance to adapt.
The more you repeat the same action, the less successful it will be, to a point - you should keep a base exercise or two in your workout such as the bench press.
If you switch up your workouts, you'll help keep your muscles growing.
So is exercise variation needed for muscle growth? Yes, to a point.
Conclusion
Varying your workouts with this list of the best chest exercises will help to improve the effectiveness of your chest workout.
Exercise variation is useful in order to break through plateaus and keep muscle growth happening.
Selecting exercises with unique benefits, such as the cable chest fly and the dips also help introduce new stimulus to keep muscle growth heightened.
So there you have it, out top 10 list of best chest exercises.
Written by Billy White
Billy White is a qualified Kinesiologist and Personal Trainer. He is an aspiring bodybuilder, fitness enthusiast, and health and fitness researcher.
He has multiple years of experience within the fitness, bodybuilding and health space. He is committed to providing the highest-quality information.
Further Reading
The information provided in this article is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a physician or other competent professional before following advice or taking any supplement. See our terms and conditions.