Are you one of the many people wanting a bigger, stronger, better set of pecs? Well-developed chest muscles are a hallmark of weightlifters who’ve spent many hours at the gym, training hard. They’re also a sign of someone who’s been training smart. Whether you’re doing bodyweight exercises like pushups or bench-pressing hundreds of pounds, make sure your chest workouts are giving you the results you’re after. Read this blog to learn more about the best chest workouts to do at our Thornton gym.

What Chest Muscles Should I Focus on at the Gym?

Before you can give all your chest muscles an effective workout, it’s helpful to know what muscles make up the chest. Here is a quick explanation.

The Pectoralis Major

The pectoralis major is the big chunk of muscle on the upper torso that everyone knows as “the chest.” Anatomically speaking, the pec major is one muscle that has two heads — the clavicular head (the upper chest) and the sternocostal head (the rest of the chest). The majority of exercises will work both heads. The sternocostal head is responsible for most chest movement and is activated in all pressing exercises. The clavicular head is in the upper chest and is recruited with exercises that are done at a 30- or 45-degree incline.

The Pectoralis Minor

The pec minor is underneath the pec major and attaches to the shoulder blade (scapula) to assist with scapular movement. The pec minor is involved in almost every chest exercise but is most active when the shoulder blades move forward, such as when you do pushups or a chest press. Since it’s small in size and located underneath the pec major, the pec minor is not especially visible but does have an important job in maintaining joint health and function.

The Serratus Anterior

The serratus anterior is a cluster of muscles that almost look like fingers along the side of your ribs, residing slightly below the chest and right above the obliques. Like the pec minor, the serratus anterior also attaches to the shoulder blade and plays a role in its movement, health, and stability. The serratus is involved during chest pressing exercises, especially when the shoulder blades are “flexing” forward in the lockout position.

The Best Bodyweight Gym Workout for Your Chest

To begin our discussion of the best chest workouts, let’s start with exercises that don’t require any equipment — bodyweight exercises. Don’t let bodyweight exercises fool you! Even though you might think they’re easy because there’s no extra weights to lift, bodyweight training can push you toward your fitness goals if you perform them correctly.

The most effective bodyweight workout for your chest is one of the fitness world’s iconic exercises — pushups. A great way to apply this straightforward exercise to your workout routine is to commit to doing 100 pushups per session, no matter how long it takes you. You can break up your 100 pushups into as many sets as necessary for completion. Make sure to time yourself on how long it takes to do all 100 to set a benchmark. Then, 3-5 days later, do 100 pushups again, but try to beat your previous time. Repeat this process as you focus on reducing the amount of time it takes you to do 100 pushups during each session.

The most important factor of this workout is, no matter what, make sure you use the best form possible. Yes, that means you need to do 100 perfect-form pushups. Each pushup should have your chest nearly touching the floor (or as close as possible, depending on your shoulder mobility) at the bottom, and your arms locked at the top.

Here are more details on how to perform perfect pushups:

1. Get down on all fours, placing your hands slightly wider than your shoulders and your feet a few inches apart.
2. Straighten your arms and legs to put yourself in a high plank position. Your upper body should be held up by your hands, and your lower body should be held up by your toes.
3. Bend at the elbows to lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.
4. Keep your elbows at about a 45-degree angle from your body, somewhere in between sticking straight out to the sides and being tucked in, touching your body.
5. Keep your body in a straight line. Don’t push your hips up so that you’re in a downward dog position.
6. Pause at the bottom, and then push yourself back up.
7. Repeat for as many reps as desired.

The Best Dumbbell Gym Workouts for Your Chest

By using an adjustable bench and a couple dumbbells at the gym, you can get a serious chest workout. Here are some dumbbell exercises that you can perform once or twice per week to build your chest strength and muscle.

Single-Arm Flat Dumbbell Press

With a single-arm flat dumbbell press, you only need one dumbbell and a flat bench. And, since you’ll only be using one arm at a time, you’ll get bonus core activation to balance yourself on the bench.

1. Lie down with your back against a flat bench.
2. Hold one dumbbell with a palm facing up grip.
3. Place your free hand on your hip or wherever it’s comfortable.
4. With the dumbbell extended above your chest, tighten your core, and bend your elbow to lower the dumbbell toward your chest.
5. Press the dumbbell back to the starting position.
6. When your arm is extended up, bring your elbow pit toward the middle of your body to activate more of the muscles in your chest.
7. Complete all the reps with one arm, and then switch arms and repeat.

It’s recommended that you do 3 sets of 6-8 reps per side, with a 45-second rest in between sets.

Neutral-Grip Incline Dumbbell Press

For this dumbbell chest exercise, get two dumbbells and set your bench at an incline angle.

1. Recline on the bench and hold one dumbbell in each hand above you using a neutral grip (your palms facing each other).
2. The neutral grip creates a little less stress on your shoulders and puts a little more stress on your chest muscles.
3. Start with the dumbbells on each side of your body.
4. Push both dumbbells straight up at the same time.
5. Make sure to press them straight up, and not outward/inward as if you’re doing a fly exercise.
6. Lower the dumbbells back down to your body.
7. You should feel this exercise all in your chest and triceps, not in your shoulders.

You should do 4 sets of this exercise, with 10-12 reps in each set. Rest 60 seconds in between sets.

Flat Dumbbell Press with Pause

True to its name, this exercise involves performing a classic flat dumbbell bench press — but pausing at the bottom position of each rep for two seconds. These isometric pauses boost your bench press strength.

1. Lie down with your back against a flat bench. It’s okay to have a natural arch in your lower back.
2. Throughout this exercise, concentrate on keeping your shoulder blades squeezed together, even as you’re lifting the barbells.
3. Hold the barbells on either side of your body.
4. Press both barbells straight up.
5. Don’t let your shoulders roll too far forward and avoid locking your elbows by keeping them slightly bent.
6. Take about 3-4 seconds to slowly lower both barbells back to your sides. Keep a 90-degree bend in your elbows. Avoid flaring your elbows out or dipping them too close to your body.
7. Pause at the bottom of the lift for two seconds. Then press up again.

Perform 3 sets of this exercise, with 8-10 reps in each set. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Other Exercises for Your Chest Day at the Gym

While many lifters are known to dread leg day or abs day, chest workouts are a gym favorite. In addition to the exercises we’ve already discussed in this blog, here are a few others that will make your chest day the best day. You can even combine your chest day with shoulders, triceps, biceps, and upper back to make it an upper body building bonanza.

Chest Dips

Dips are an effective upper-body exercise that can be performed using you own body weight. With slight variations in form, your dips can focus on working your triceps or chest. To focus on your lower chest fibers, do chest dips:

1. Begin at the top position on a set of dip bars.
2. Focus on your chest by leaning your upper body forward (not upright) as you bend your elbows and lower your body as far as your mobility allows.
3. Pause briefly and then press back up.

Do 3 sets of 8-12 chest dips, resting 60 seconds between sets.

Pec-Deck with One-and-a-Half Reps

The pec-dec one-and-a-half rep in the stretch position is a great way to finish off your chest workout.

1. On a pec-deck machine, set the seat so that your hands are gripping the handles below shoulder height and in-line with your mid-chest.
2. Perform the “one-and-a-half” technique by starting with a full stretch of your arms.
3. Then, bring your arms together to raise the weight to a full contraction.
4. Go back to a full stretch of your arms.
5. Pull your arms in halfway, raising the weight halfway.
6. Extend your arms again to lower the weight all the way down.
7. That’s counted as one full rep.

For this exercise, do 4 sets of 8-10 reps per set.

Flat Barbell Bench Press

The flat barbell bench press is one of the big three power lifts. It’s a valuable bang-for-your-buck exercise that primarily targets your chest, triceps, and the front of your shoulders. Make sure to choose an appropriate weight and have a spotter handy in case your chest muscles are fatigued from previous exercises.

1. To get started, lie down on your back on a flat bench with your feet planted firmly into the floor.
2. With a just wider than shoulder-width grip on the bar, lift the bar off the rack and hold it with straight arms and wrists over your chest.
3. Squeeze your shoulders back and down before lowering the weight.
4. Slowly lower the bar to just above your sternum by bending your elbows and pulling them down to chest level.
5. Contract your chest, push your head and back into the bench, and push the bar back to the top of the lift, always ensuring the barbell is in direct alignment with your elbows. That’s one rep.

The goal with this exercise is to do 4 sets of 8-12 reps per set. Rest for 90 seconds in between sets.

Challenge Your Chest Muscles at AFAC Gym

The team at AFAC gym understands that chest training is a high priority for many of our members, so we are here to support you with strength training equipment and personal training to help you achieve the chest results you’re after. Please speak to a member of our team whenever you have questions about the top chest exercises to give you a strong and functional upper body.

To learn all about AFAC gym and our full range of strength training equipment, cardio equipment, and classes, please don’t hesitate to stop by or give us a call. We’ll be happy to show you why we’re the best gym in Thornton, Colorado. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.