Chest exercises

Almost everyone who searches for chest exercises is really asking one of two things: why isn't my chest growing, or, more specifically, how do I hit the upper chest, since it never seems to respond the same way. The upper-chest question has a concrete answer: bench angle decides which part of the chest actually gets the stimulus — flat work and the bench press hit the middle and lower chest, while the incline shifts the load up toward the collarbone. The growth question comes down to a different pattern: bench press, flat press and the incline dumbbell press all push in a straight horizontal line, while the dumbbell fly and the dumbbell pullover swing the arm through an arc with the elbow held nearly still. That stillness in the elbow is what keeps the fly a fly instead of a press: the moment it starts bending and extending, the shoulder is the one doing the pushing, not the pec. The choice between the two isn't about preference: pressing moves noticeably more weight because the shoulder and triceps join in, while the arc isolates the pectoral, capping the load but keeping the tension locked onto the muscle. Dips add a third variable on top — torso lean: leaning forward trains the chest through a longer range than any press reaches, while staying upright turns the same movement into a triceps exercise instead.

Exercises

  1. 1. Overhead press

    shoulders · barbell

    The prime mover is the front delt, which starts and carries the press through the whole range.

  2. 2. Incline dumbbell press

    chest · dumbbells

    The prime mover is the clavicular head of the pec major, the upper chest right under the collarbone, which activates harder at this angle than in any other press variation, because the fiber's pulling angle lines up more directly with the direction of the push.

  3. 3. Bench press

    chest · barbell

    The prime mover is the pec major, mainly its sternal head, the middle and lower portion of the chest, which does the most work through the flat bar path.

  4. 4. Dumbbell bench press

    chest · dumbbells

    The prime mover is the pec major, with more of the work landing on the sternal head, the middle and lower chest, because the flat angle lines the muscle fiber up with the direction of the horizontal press.

  5. 5. Dumbbell fly

    chest · dumbbells

    The prime mover is the pec major, across its whole length, because horizontal shoulder adduction, pulling the arm from the side toward the center of the body in an arc, is exactly the action the pec does best with the least help from other muscles.

  6. 6. Dumbbell pullover

    chest and lats · dumbbell

    The pec major and the lat share the lead role, and the split between them depends on elbow angle and the exact arm path, not fixed the way it is in most exercises.

  7. 7. Dips

    chest and triceps · parallel bars

    How the work splits between chest and triceps depends almost entirely on torso angle, and that's what sets dips apart from nearly any other pushing exercise.

  8. 8. Chest press machine

    chest · machine

    The prime mover is the pec major, mainly its sternal head, once the seat is set so the handles come out at chest height.

Workouts with these exercises

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Frequently asked questions

How do I train the upper chest?

With an incline bench: the incline dumbbell press loads a bit more of the chest near the collarbone, which the flat press works less. The chest routine has an incline press in both sessions.

Bench press with a barbell or dumbbells?

The barbell lets you move more weight; dumbbells give you more range at the bottom and make each side press on its own. Both work: the chest routine uses the barbell in session A and dumbbells in session B.

How many times a week should I train chest?

Twice a week works for most people. The chest routine has two sessions, A and B: done in the same week, they train your chest twice. Push pull legs trains it on push day, so twice a week if you run it on six days.

Are dips for chest or triceps?

Both, depending on your torso: leaning forward puts more work on the chest, especially if you go deep; staying upright puts more on the triceps.

Other muscles

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