How to train your chest

The engine of every press

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Anatomy

The pectoralis major is a large, fan-shaped muscle that covers the front of the chest, with an upper (clavicular) head and a lower (sternal) head. Its primary function is horizontal adduction, bringing the arms across the body, and internal rotation. It also assists in shoulder flexion. The pectoralis minor lies beneath it and tilts the scapula forward. In daily life the chest muscle is active in pushing and hugging motions; in training it drives every press and fly variation.

How to train it

Pressing angles determine emphasis: incline work biases the upper (clavicular) fibers, flat and decline work hits the lower sternal fibers more. Both compound presses (barbell, dumbbell) and isolation moves (flyes, cable crossovers) are useful: presses overload in the stretched position, flies overload at the shortened position. Eight to fifteen reps for hypertrophy; aim for two to four sets per angle, two to three sessions per week. The most common mistake: flaring the elbows 90 degrees from the torso, which stresses the shoulder joint and reduces pec activation. Tuck the elbows to about 45–75 degrees.

Coaching cues

• Arch your chest up to meet the bar, not the bar down
• Squeeze as if bending the bar into a U
• Elbows at 45-75 degrees, never flared wide
• Lower until you feel a chest stretch, not a shoulder stretch

Staple chest exercises

All chest exercises (84)

• Alternating Floor Press
• Around The Worlds
• Barbell Bench Press
• Barbell Guillotine Bench Press
• Barbell Incline Bench Press
• Behind Head Chest Stretch
• Bench Press - With Bands
• Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pullover
• Bodyweight Flyes
• Butterfly
• Cable Chest Press
• Cable Crossover
• Cable Iron Cross
• Chain Press
• Chest And Front Of Shoulder Stretch
• Chest Push (multiple response)
• Chest Push (single response)
• Chest Push from 3 point stance
• Chest Push with Run Release
• Chest Stretch on Stability Ball
• Clock Push-Up
• Cross Over - With Bands
• Decline Barbell Bench Press
• Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
• Decline Dumbbell Flyes
• Decline Push-Up
• Decline Smith Press
• Dips - Chest Version
• Drop Push
• Dumbbell Bench Press
• Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip
• Dumbbell Flyes
• Dynamic Chest Stretch
• Elbows Back
• Extended Range One-Arm Kettlebell Floor Press
• Flat Bench Cable Flyes
• Forward Drag with Press
• Front Raise And Pullover
• Hammer Grip Incline DB Bench Press
• Heavy Bag Thrust
• Incline Cable Chest Press
• Incline Cable Flye
• Incline Dumbbell Bench With Palms Facing In
• Incline Dumbbell Flyes
• Incline Dumbbell Flyes - With A Twist
• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Incline Push-Up
• Incline Push-Up Depth Jump
• Incline Push-Up Medium
• Incline Push-Up Reverse Grip
• Incline Push-Up Wide
• Isometric Chest Squeezes
• Isometric Wipers
• Leg-Over Floor Press
• Leverage Chest Press
• Leverage Decline Chest Press
• Leverage Incline Chest Press
• Low Cable Crossover
• Machine Bench Press
• Medicine Ball Chest Pass
• Neck Press
• One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
• One-Arm Flat Bench Dumbbell Flye
• One-Arm Kettlebell Floor Press
• Plyo Kettlebell Pushups
• Plyo Push-up
• Push Up to Side Plank
• Push-Up Wide
• Push-Ups With Feet Elevated
• Push-Ups With Feet On An Exercise Ball
• Pushups
• Pushups (Close and Wide Hand Positions)
• Single-Arm Cable Crossover
• Single-Arm Push-Up
• Smith Machine Bench Press
• Smith Machine Decline Press
• Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
• Standing Cable Chest Press
• Straight-Arm Dumbbell Pullover
• Suspended Push-Up
• Svend Press
• Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press
• Wide-Grip Decline Barbell Bench Press
• Wide-Grip Decline Barbell Pullover

Train it with MyoAmigo

MyoAmigo's MyoMap heatmap shows your chest volume against an evidence-based weekly band, so you can see at a glance whether you're under-training it. See also how many sets per muscle per week and the training guides.

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