Every guy who sets foot in a gym wants a full, round, thick chest. Unfortunately, many of us fall way short of that mark, with puny pecs that refuse to grow. Others get a decent amount of chest development but then stagnate.

Whatever chest training category you fall into, you will never make progress unless you’re armed with an arsenal of effective chest training moves.

That’s where we come in.

We’ve rounded up the definitive list of chest exercises / workouts you need to be integrating into your weekly gym routine if you want any chance of developing a chest that turns heads. Whether you’re struggling with stubborn pecs that refuse to grow or just need to break through a plateau, these moves will help you build the full, thick chest you’ve always wanted.

What The Experts Say

We asked Ben Lucas, Founder of Flow Atheltic and DMARGE’s resident PT, why training your chest is so darned important:

• There’s no doubt that building up your chest through exercise is a popular physical goal that many men strive for. However, having strong chest muscles goes well beyond that…
• Strong chest muscles are great for posture. They help keep your shoulders pulled back and your spine in alignment.
• Strong chest muscles are also essential for those who pursue athletic pursuits. Sports like basketball, tennis, football, and boxing will all be much easier if you have a stronger chest.
• Working this muscle group can also improve your metabolism, your confidence, and your mental health. 

What Are The Chest Muscles?

Your chest, or pectoral muscles, consist of a broad, fan-like muscle group that spans the upper third of your torso. These muscle fibers are divided into three sections, each categorized by where they originate. However, all of these fibers converge on the humerus, or the bone of the upper arm.

Positioned between the collarbone (clavicles) and the lower portion of the front ribs, the pectoral muscles’ fibers guide the best chest exercises. Effective chest exercises will move the arm in alignment with the muscle fibers, back toward their origin points on the sternum, clavicles, or ribs.

The primary role of the pectorals is to bring your arms forward and toward the center of your body—exactly what a well-designed chest workout should aim to achieve.

What Are The Main Movements Of The Chest Muscles?

Personal trainer Luke Andrew tells DMARGE, “Functionally speaking, your chest has 3 main movements and if we choose to include these into our training, we can get a deeper contraction and better activation. Try these movements with your right hand and place your left hand on your right chest and see if you can feel these contractions.”

• Flexion of the Arm – bring your right arm from your side up so it parallels with the ground.
• Medial Rotation of the Arm – with your arm up, try rotating your arm inwards/medially so your palm goes from facing inside to facing the ground.
• Abduction of the Arm – Now try to bring your arm across your body as if you were performing a cable crossover movement

“You should be able to feel an increase in tension in your chest and hence by sneaking in these functional movements even in small amounts, we’ll be able to get better chest recruitment and make your workouts more functional.”

WATCH: All The Best Chest Exercises In One Video

Our Favourite Chest Workouts

Beginner Chest Workout

Intermediate Chest Workout

Advanced Chest Workout

Best Upper Chest Exercises

1. Incline Bench Press

How to perform:

1. Place a loaded bar on an incline barbell bench press station, then lie on the bench. Plant your feet firmly and grab the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width overhand grip.
2. Unrack the bar and bring over your mid chest.
3. Lower the bar under control to your clavicle.
4. Push back to the start position.

Sets: 3 to 5 with 8 to 10 reps per set
Tempo: 2 seconds pushing up, 2-3 seconds bringing back to starting position.

2. High Cable Fly

How to perform:

1. Set the pulleys on a cable crossover machine to their highest position. Stand between the cables and grab the handles with an overhand grip and step forward. In the starting position, your arms should be outstretched at your sides.
2. Make sure you have a leading foot forward, brace your core and then pull the weight down and across your body, squeezing your chest at the end of the movement.
3. With control, slowly release your arms back to the starting position and repeat.

Sets: 4 to 5 sets with 10 to 12 reps per set
Tempo: Fast, 1 second push out, 2 second return

3. Kneeling Two Arm Landmine Press

How to perform:

1. You’ll need to make sure your gym has the right equipment for a landmine press. You’ll need a barbell for starters, and a plate on the floor that can accept one end of the bar. You can attempt them with the bar pushed into a corner, but be careful it doesn’t slip.
2. Kneel down on one knee, keeping your upper body nice and tall with a neutral spine. Your shoulders and hips should be stacked on top of each other in alignment with the knee that is on the ground.
3. Place both hands on the end of the barbell, push upwards so the bar is over your head, bracing your core and squeezing your chest together. Not only does the landmine press torch your pecs, it also does wonders for your shoulders and triceps too.

Sets: 3 to 4 sets with 10 to 12 reps per set
Tempo: Consistent controlled tempo, 1 to 2 seconds up, 1 to 2 seconds down

Best Lower Chest Exercises

4. Low Cable Fly

How to perform this chest exercise:

1. Set the handles on a cable cross-over machine at the lowest setting. Grab one handle in each hand with palms facing forward, and put a leading leg forward.
2. Push your chest out and lock your shoulders down. Bring your arms up, keeping your elbows as close to your body as possible. Aim to bring your hands as close to each other as possible, and you want to finish at around mid-chest height, so you squeeze the pecs.
3. Return your hands to the starting position, inhaling as you do. When you repeat the exercise, exhale as you bring your arms up.

Sets: 4 to 5 sets with 10 to 12 reps per set
Tempo: Slow, 3 seconds push out, 3 seconds return

5. Close Grip Barbell Bench Press

How to perform this chest exercise:

1. Load the bar on a bench press station and lie on the bench with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Grasp the bar with a slightly closer than shoulder-width overhand grip.
2. Unrack the bar and bring it over your mid-chest.
3. Lower the bar under control to touch your chest, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
4. Push back to the start position.

Sets: 3 to 5 sets with 8 to 10 reps per set
Tempo: 2 second push up, 2 second return

6. Neutral One-Arm Cable Fly

How to perform this chest exercise:

1. Set the cable pulley to around chest height and stand alongside it it to take up the slack of the cable. Hold the grip attachment in one hand in a neutral grip.
2. Starting with your arm at around a 30-degree around, pull the handle grip across your body until your arm reaches 90-degrees. Aim to keep your arm straight throughout the duration of the movement and move it slowly so as to maximise the time under tension delivered to the pec major muscles.
3. Once you reach a 90-degree angle, hold and squeeze your chest, before slowly returning the cable to the starting position.

Sets: 4 sets with 8 to 10 reps per arm, per set
Tempo: 3 seconds pull, 3 seconds return.

7. Decline Bench Press

How to perform this chest exercise:

1. Load a bar onto a decline bench press station and then lie on the bench. Your body should be at a 30-degree decline. Grab the bar with a slightly higher than shoulder-width overhand grip.
2. Unrack the bar and lower the bar to your clavicle.
3. Press back to the starting position.

Next, push the bar back up to the starting position. You don’t necessarily need to lock out your arms, as having a slight bend will maintain tension on the lower chest muscles. If you do lock out your arms, make sure to squeeze your pecs at the top of the movement. Exhale during the push-up.

Repeat for the desired number of reps and sets. If your goal is to increase strength, perform low reps with higher weight, but for size, perform higher reps with lower weight.

Sets: 4 sets with 5 to 12 reps per set, depending on your goal.
Tempo: 3 seconds down, 1 second up.

Best Chest Exercises For Mass

8. Chest Dip

How to perform:

1. Go to the dip station and grab the bar to hoist yourself into the air. Make sure your arms are straight with your palms facing inwards.
2. Slowly lower until your elbows are at right angles.
3. Drive yourself back up to the start position. Make sure you tuck in your core so your body stays tight.

Sets: 3 to 4 sets at maximum reps until failure
Tempo: 2 to 3 seconds lowering down, fast 1 second push up

9. Barbell Bench Press

How to perform:

1. Load a barbell onto a bench press station. Grab the barbell with an overhand grip, ensuring your wrists remain straight and your hands are set wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your shoulders locked down and bring your feet close to the bench to help give you extra stability and driving force.
2. Lift the bar off the rack and breathe in as you lower it down to your chest so that it is in line with your nipples.
3. Forcing your body and feet into the floor, breathe out and push the bar up. Squeeze your chest when you reach the top of the movement, with your elbows locked out.

Sets: 3 to 5 sets with 8 to 10 reps per set
Tempo: 2 second push up, quick 1 second return

Best Dumbbell Chest Exercises

10. Dumbbell Bench Press

How to perform:

1. Grab a pair of dumbbell and lie face down on a flat bench with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Lifr arms directly above your chest so the dumbbell ends are touching.
2. Lower the weights to bring your elbows down to form a 90-degree angle with your torso.
3. Press back to the start position.

Sets: 3 to 5 sets with 10 to 15 reps per set
Tempo: 2 to 3 seconds push up, 2 second return

11. Dumbbell Flys

How to perform: 

1. Lie down flat on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and a pair of dumbbells in hand. Bring the dumbbells above your chest with your elbows slightly bent.
2. Pivot from the shoulder joint to bring your arms out and down in an arcing motion until your elbows are in line with your torso.
3. Reverse the movement to return to the start position.

Sets: 4 sets with 8 to 10 reps per set
Tempo: 3 seconds down, 3 seconds up

12. Close Grip Dumbbell Chest Press

How to perform:

1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip (palms facing inwards), lie flat on a bench, keeping the dumbbells close to the centre of your chest.
2. With your shoulders pinched together, push the dumbbells into each other and press them up above you until your arms lock out. When pressing up, use as much explosive power as you can. When you reach the top of the movement, make sure you squeeze your pecs for a second or two.
3. Slowly bring the dumbbells back down towards your chest, still ensuring you’re pushing the weights into each other as you do so. Lower them down until they touch your chest, and repeat.

Sets: 4 sets with 8 to 10 reps per set
Tempo: 1 second up, 3 seconds down

Best Home Chest Exercises

13. Push-Ups

How to perform:

1. Get yourself into a position on the floor with your arms straight and you’re on your toes. Tuck in your pelvis so that your core is braced, keeping your back straight at the same time.
2. Lower your chest to the ground, keeping your elbows close to your body. It’s ok if they flare out a little bit, but you don’t want to end up with them being at right angles to your upper body.
3. Inhale as you lower yourself, and exhale as you push up to your starting position, when your arms are straight.

Sets: 3 to 4 sets with maximum reps to failure
Tempo: As long as they’re performed with the right form, you can set your own tempo. A consistent 1 second down, 1 second up is a good place to start.

Other Chest Exercises

14. Gymnastics Rings Push-Ups

How to Perform This Chest Exercise:

1. Arrange a pair of gymnastics rings in such a way that they are hanging about a foot from the floor. Grip the rings with your arms in a straight position and take a plank position. Make sure you grip the rings shoulder-width apart. 
2. Lower your body towards the floor while squeezing the rings hard and keep going until you feel your pecs stretching considerably.
3. Quickly press back up. If you want to boost the resistance even more, elevate your feet. 

Sets: 3-5 sets with 5-12 reps per set
Tempo: 5 to 6 seconds down, quick 1-second return

15. Cable Iron Cross

How to Perform This Chest Exercise:

1. At the cable machine, set the handles at both ends and make sure they’re at the highest level. Then, take a staggered stance right in the center, and grab both handles.
2. While slightly bending your elbows and keeping the spine in a neutral position, begin to lean forward with your torso. Make sure the core stays tight. 
3. Pull the handles down and across your body. When finishing the movement, squeeze the chest muscles. 

Sets: 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps each
Tempo: 3-4 seconds of stretching, 1-second return

16. Guillotine Press

How to Perform This Chest Exercise:

1. Load a barbell onto a flat bench press station and lie on the bench.
2. Grip the barbell with both arms outside of your shoulder width, then un-rack the bar.
3. Lower the barbell slowly to your upper chest/neck area and keep your elbows around 90 degrees to the body.
4. Press back to the start position.

How to Perform This Chest Exercise:

1. Take the traditional push-up position. Then, lower yourself toward your floor.
2. Drive your right knee to the right elbow.
3. Press back up and bring your leg back to its initial position. 
4. Repeat with the left leg.

Sets: 3 sets with 10-15 reps each
Tempo: 2 seconds for the push-up, 1-second return

18. Pause Push-Up

How to Perform This Chest Exercise:

1. Prepare for the exercise as you would for a traditional push-up. Then, lower down while keeping your arms around 46 degrees out from the torso.
2. Stop while your chest is just above the ground, and stay like that for 3 to 5 seconds.
3. Push up until lockout. 

Sets: 2 sets with 12-15 reps each
Tempo: 3-5 seconds

19. Stair Push-Up

How to Perform This Chest Exercise:

1. Go to a set of stairs that you can easily press against for the exercise. Then, make sure you walk your hands closer than shoulder-width. Stay on your toes while keeping your body straight.
2. Lower your chest toward the stairs.
3. Push yourself back up and repeat the movement. 

Sets: 3 sets of 10-15 reps each
Tempo: 2 seconds for lowering the chest, 1-second return

20. Medicine Ball Pushup “Drop ‘n’ Pop”

How to Perform This Chest Exercise:

1. Get a medicine ball and put both your hands on it. Then, get into a pushup position.
2. Release the ball and spread your hands out to shoulder width on your floor.
3. Once you feel the ball touching your chest, quickly push yourself up, making your hands come off the floor and on the ball once again. 

Sets: 3 sets with 10-15 reps
Tempo: 3-second push up, 1-2-second return

Wrap Up

The 20 exercises we’ve explored in this article have provided you with a powerful toolbox of chest building movements. We suggest that you try them all out to identify the handful that you most feel through the pecs. Combine them into a workout of no more than 16 sets total. Use a rep range of between 6 and 20 reps to hit all of your pectoral muscle fibers.

Train your chest twice per week, striving to progressively increase the weight lifted and you will be well on your way to building a strong, full, and impressive chest.