Great Chest Exercises For Men

With summer approaching, most of us, whether men or women, want to make sure we are in great shape and ready to hit the beach, pool, or local waterpark.  I decided to write this article regarding great chest exercises for men, because as my experience as a personal trainer has shown me, one of the areas men want to improve the most is the chest area.  I think it’s safe to say that most women by and large are not shooting for the same goals in terms of size, strength, or appearance when it comes to the chest muscles.  Over the years I have had a lot of experience in seeing what works and does not work to achieve the desired look so many guys are looking for.  

 

What Your Working

Before we begin our discussion of some great chest exercises for men, let’s clarify what muscles we will be working.  When we speak of the chest muscles, we are speaking primarily of the pectoralis major and the pectoralis clavicular head.  Various chest exercises will pull in additional muscle groups as well to help facilitate movement.  The additional muscles pulled in will be the coracobrachialis, anterior deltoid, and serratus anterior.  When chest exercises are done properly, the major emphasis will stay on the pectoral muscles, and the above mentioned muscles will play a lesser role. 

 

Warm-Up

Before beginning your chest routine, it is a good idea to do a warm-up.  If you have the time, a general warm-up, such as walking at a moderate pace on the treadmill is good.  When it comes to warming up the muscles to be worked, in this case the pectoral muscles, a site-specific warm-up is appropriate.  To do a site specific warm-up, you want to go to the machine or free weight exercise you are going to perform, and proceed with a few sets of very light weight and higher repetitions.  The warm-up provides for increased blood flow, and consequently increased oxygen to the muscles that you are going to be working.  This not only helps prevent injury, but it will help you to get a better lift as well.  For example, a lifter who decides he wants to begin his chest workout on the flat bench may begin with two sets only using the 45 pound Olympic bar.  60 seconds or so in between warm up sets is appropriate.  After this, the lifter may proceed to gradually increase his weights each set until reaching the upper end of his workout goal.  For example, after his two initial warm-up sets, the lifter may lift 95 pounds on his next set, then 135 on the next set, and then 185 on the next set, and so on.  There are numerous variations for increasing and decreasing weight.  Suffice to say, you want to make sure you perform an adequate warm-up whereby the muscles you are going to work are prepared for the load about to be placed on them.

 

Sets, Reps, And Rest Periods

As I’ve mentioned before in previous articles, if you are looking to add size, you need to be hitting your workouts hard with reps in the 8 to 12 range.  This is the ideal range for muscle hypertrophy.  A sixty to ninety second rest period in between sets is appropriate for those looking to add on size.  Having said that, do not discount high reps entirely.  For example, if you can incorporate a few sets of pushups into a your chest routine, doing say fifty reps per set, you may find this helps propel your chest routine to new heights.  Fast twitch muscle fiber is that which provides more bulk and size, but pulling in a few sets of high rep exercises can help to give you a more defined look as well.  The best chest exercises for men, and the way they are done, will not only provide for size, but also will help give a well defined look. 

 

Single-Joint Exercises

When we speak of single-joint chest exercises, we are speaking primarily of pectoral flyes.  As the name implies, only one joint is moving here, in this case the shoulder.  The pectoral fly movement can be done on a machine, with cables, with dumbbells, or with bands.  The movement consists of the arms extended out to the sides, and then pulling them in front of you.  The movement creates a great stretch in the muscle fibers when the arms are at their widest.  When doing flyes with dumbbells, a spotter should be used.  Caution should be used in going very heavy with dumbbell pectoral flyes as doing so can result in a pectoral tear. When this happens, the pectoral tendon that attaches to the humerus bone tears and can only be repaired through surgery.  The risk is higher for this when doing flyes with dumbbells vs. machines.  As an anecdotal note, extremely heavy bench press also increases the risk of a pectoral tear. 

 

Multi-Joint Exercises

When we speak of multi-joint chest exercises, we are referring to exercises that engage movement at both the shoulders and elbows.  Bench Press, Machine chest press, and pushups are good examples of multi-joint chest exercises.  Multi-joint exercises in general tend to pull in more muscle groups.  They are a great way to put on some mass in the pectoral region while simultaneously working some of the other smaller muscle groups as well.

 

Flat Bench Press, Decline Bench Press, and Incline Bench Press

As mentioned earlier the pectoral muscles can be looked at in terms of the pectoralis major (the main part of the muscle), and the clavicular pectoralis (or smaller area of the chest).  As the name implies, the clavicular pectoralis surrounds the area near the clavicle bones.  There is less muscle in this area and as such when exercises are used that focus on this area, a person will generally be able to move less weight than with an exercise that incorporates the larger pectoralis major.  The incline press is one of the best chest exercises for men because it helps to tie in the area where the chest meets the clavicle bones.  Without working the upper part of the chest via exercises such as the incline press, you may get the appearance of having a well defined lower chest, but lacking in the upper area.  If you have large anterior shoulder development, it will look even more awkward as the entire surrounding area is developed while the upper chest area is not.  I have seen this in heavy lifters before, where their front delts and lower chest are well developed, but their upper chest, the clavicular pectoralis, is underdeveloped.  It creates an awkward and sunken look.

 

The flat bench and decline bench tend to focus more on the pectoralis major.  The decline bench press in particular places most of the load on the larger and lower part of the pectoral muscles while minimizing strain on the front deltoids due to the angle at which you lift the weight.  Some individuals will increase the decline of the bench, in effect getting the reverse degree of incline to the incline press.  In any case, for most individuals, a well rounded approach of utilizing all three angles of incline, flat, and decline, will help the lifter have a more well rounded and balanced chest routine. 

 

Dumbbell Presses

Dumbbell presses function pretty much in the same way that the flat, incline, and decline bench press do.  The main difference is that you can get a deeper range of motion and thereby an additional  stretch in the chest muscles as you hit the bottom of the range of motion.  Dumbbell presses are a great way to add in the extra inch or so of range, challenging your muscles beyond what they are ordinarily accustomed to with the standard bench press.  Because each arm is independently holding a dumbbell vs. a bar, a greater degree of control is required. 

 

Back To Basics

Working out in a gym environment can lead a person to overlook some of the most basic and beneficial exercises.  I’m speaking of those movements that involve moving your own body mass against gravity.  In this case I want to focus on a basic pushup.  Some may find it surprising that my single favorite chest exercise is the good old fashion pushup.  Since working as a personal trainer and having thousands of training sessions under my belt, I have come to realize there is something about moving your own body mass against gravity that a machine or free weight exercise simply cannot replicate.  The basic pushup will pull in the pectoralis major and help you achieve the look you are striving for. 

 

Pushups can be done virtually anywhere, require no equipment, and utilize several muscle groups in addition to the chest muscles.  I personally prefer using dumbbells or small handles that are sold in most sporting goods stores to do my pushups.  This allows you to go deeper with your pushups and get an additional stretch similar to what you would experience with a dumbbell press.  For those who lack the upper body strength, modified pushups may be performed by allowing the knees to be placed on the floor.  Using a pillow, towel, or similar padding will help avoid any undesirable knee pain.  It’s typically best to try and go deep on your pushups. 

 

Over the years, I have seen so many guys go a few inches down and think they are doing great work with their pushups.  While this will make it easier and allow the person to get a higher number of repetitions out, they will lack the benefit of a deep range of motion associated with going all the way down.  If you’re just starting out, don’t feel bad about doing modified pushups.  Keep track of your progress and try to push yourself each additional workout to get one or two more reps out.  Finally, if you want to simulate the effect of a decline press but with a pushup motion, set up a bar up off the ground and do you pushups off of the bar.  You can do this on a squat rack or Smith Machine.  For those who are stronger, they may want to pre-fatigue the muscles first before doing this.  Because it pulls in multiple muscle groups, and can be done anywhere at no financial cost, pushups are definitely one of the best chest exercises for men.

 

Combining Different Exercises

Usually when a person engages in their workout routine, you will typically see them do one exercise, rest a minute or so, and then do the exercise again.  Sometimes people will work opposing muscle groups and go back and forth (superseting).  There is absolutely nothing wrong with either of these methods.  I want to give you another option to consider.  The next time you do a chest workout, try going back and forth between different exercises.  For example, one intense workout option is to do a set of good, deep pushups using the handles I spoke of earlier, and then about a minute later do a set of machine flyes.  In this case you do a multi-joint exercise pulling in multiple muscle groups, and then a single joint isolation exercise where you focus solely on the pectoralis muscles.  I have found that combining pushups with my other free weight or machine chest exercises, with minimal rest in between, gives me an added level of intensity to my workouts that I have seldom experienced otherwise.  Again, there is something truly exhausting about moving your own mass against gravity and going to failure. 

 

Working With Restrictions/Working With Injuries  

In speaking about great chest exercises for men, I want to speak briefly about injuries.  Specifically, I want to focus on the shoulders for a moment.  Shoulder injuries are common.  In fact if you play sports or lift weights long enough chances are you are going to have a shoulder injury.  Hand positioning can help a lot when it comes to shoulder injuries.  In the training world, we as trainers are taught there are three main hand positions when it comes to a lift.  The names are pronated, supinated, and neutral.  Don’t worry too much about the names.  For now, all you need to know is that a grip where your palms are facing in toward your sides often helps to alleviate shoulder discomfort and pain as opposed to a grip where your palms face down or in toward your legs.  You should always consult your doctor if you are having significant shoulder pain.  Also consider talking to a good experienced personal trainer who can show you some modifications, assuming you are cleared from your doctor to do so. 

 

Final Thoughts

I have to conclude this article with some very basic but important principles I want you to take away.  If you have a high bodyfat level any discussion of chest exercises for men becomes irrelevant.  Once you reach a high enough bodyfat percentage, the fat will begin to store everywhere.  Yes, it will begin to accumulate around the chest, and yes it will hide in large part all the hard work you have done.  Nobody looks at a guy with 30% bodyfat and remarks on how great his pecs look, even if he has great pectoral development.  If you want to have a great looking chest, you have to be able to see those muscles, and that means lower bodyfat. 

 

Finally, remember the old adage, “the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary”.  If you want great looking chest development you are going to have to work hard.  Drop sets, heavy sets, high rep sets and everything in between to hit every single bit of fast and slow twitch muscle fiber is necessary.  If you find your motivation waning, get muscle magazines that show top bodybuilders, or watch videos of top competitors.  Do whatever will keep you motivated and moving forward.  Don’t quit, and when it’s all said and done you will have achieved that perfect chest development.  If you don't know what your doing, find a good certified personal trainer to help you.  Doing so can help keep you safe and maximize results.  Finally, make sure to consult with your doctor prior to engaging in any workout program.  Your doctor can advise you as to any restrictions or precautions you should take in regards to your workouts based on your own personal background.  Thanks for reading and good luck in your workouts.