Did you know that performing chest exercises as a part of your fitness routine can not only help you become stronger, but it can also improve posture, upper body strength, and reduce the risk of injury?
Chest exercises are an essential part of any fitness routine and by incorporating them into your workout, they can help you reach your fitness goals. Before attempting any of these exercises, or other exercises as a part of your workout routine, always consult a physician or your health care provider to determine if it is safe for you to implement.
Here is our list of the top 5 chest exercises to implement with your fitness routine.
Barbell Bench Press
When you think of chest exercises, you probably think of the barbell bench press because it has been around for generations and is the go-to chest exercise for most.
The barbell bench press works three muscle areas of your upper body: Chest, triceps, and shoulders. Since this exercise is a multi-joint exercise, it can help to build overall upper body strength.
The proper form when performing the barbell bench press is as follows (this is for educational purposes only):
- Lie down on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor and your back flat on the bench.
- Grasp the bar with your hand slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and lift the bar from the rack. (Anytime you perform a weight bearing exercise we suggest having a spotter to help with the lift and to watch you during your lift.)
- Lower the bar towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked, and then press it back up to the starting position.
- Repeat the process for the desired number of repetitions.
This is a great chest exercise to add to any fitness routine.
Dumbbell Flys
If you are looking for an exercise that will isolate and target the chest muscles, look no further than the dumbbell fly. The fly can potentially help to increase chest muscle size and definition.
Here is how to perform the dumbbell fly: (this is for educational purposes only):
- Lie down on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor, your back flat on the bench, and with a dumbbell in each hand.
- With your arms extended above your chest, slowly lower the dumbbells out to the sides until your arms are in line with your shoulders. (Anytime you perform a weight bearing exercise we suggest having a spotter to help with the lift and to watch you during your lift.)
- Bring the weights back up to the starting position above your chest.
- Repeat the process for the desired number of repetitions.
Implementing the dumbbell fly is a great chest isolation exercise to add to your workout.
Push-Ups
A great alternative exercise for building upper body strength that does not involve lifting weights is a classic body-weight exercise, the push-up. The push-up is similar to the barbell bench press as it targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders.
To perform the push-up: (this is for educational purposes only):
- Start in an upper plank position with your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, your knees off the ground, and feet together or slightly apart.
- Lower yourself towards the ground, keeping your elbows tucked into the body, until your chest touches the ground.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position.
- Repeat the process for the desired number of repetitions.
The push-up is a great way to increase upper body strength without the use of weights.
Dumbbell Pullover
The dumbbell pullover is another great chest exercise to incorporate into your routine. It is a great way to improve posture as it targets the chest, lats, and triceps.
To perform the dumbbell pullover: (this is for educational purposes only):
- Lie down on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor, your back flat on the bench, and with one dumbbell in your hands.
- Hold the weight above your chest with your arms extended and slowly lower the weight behind your head, keeping your arms straight. (Anytime you perform a weight bearing exercise we suggest having a spotter to help with the lift and to watch you during your lift.)
- Bring the weight back up to the starting position.
- Repeat the process for the desired number of repetitions.
Making the dumbbell pullover a part of your workout is a great way to increase the size of your chest.
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
A variation of the traditional bench press that allows you to focus more on the lower portion of your chest is the decline dumbbell bench press.
To perform the decline dumbbell bench press: (this is for educational purposes only):
- Lie down on a decline bench with one dumbbell in each hand.
- Lower the dumbbells towards your chest, keeping your elbows tucked, and then press them back up to the starting position. (Anytime you perform a weight bearing exercise we suggest having a spotter to help with the lift and to watch you during your lift.)
- Repeat the process for the desired number of repetitions.
This is a great exercise for those looking to add more definition to their chest and increase upper body strength.
Optimizing Your Gains
There are many chest exercises and variations that you can implement into your fitness routine that will help optimize strength and muscle development. The five we mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg.
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