Below are the best chest exercises to build a bigger chest for any level of lifter. we recommend training chest 2-3 times a week max, with each session lasting 4-8 total sets (no more than 20 sets per week for most people).
For best results, start training these movements in the full range of motion and track your progress. More training volume does not always equate to more muscle growth.
The best bulking chest exercises are
- Flat Barbell Bench Press
The flat barbell bench press is an iconic chest exercise done for strength and muscle growth. This movement is great for developing the chest and triceps. It is important to set your upper back, maintain some arch and retract your scapulae to anchor the shoulders and expose the chest.
- Incline Barbell Bench Press
The incline barbell bench press is a great movement to increase upper pec muscle growth and add diversity to your chest training program.
- Floor Press
the floor press is a great way to progress a beginner or lifter rehabbing their shoulders or pecs into fuller ranges of motion bench pressing
The floor press can be done with a barbell or dumbbells and is a great way to progress a beginner or lifter rehabbing their shoulders or pecs into fuller ranges of motion bench pressing.
- Dumbbell Bench Press (Incline or Flat)
The dumbbell bench press is a barbell alternative that can be done to address unilateral strength differences and even increase the range of motion of the bench press.
- Dumbbell Flye (Flat or Incline)
the dumbbell fly is an isolation chest exercise that can be done from a flat or incline bench position
This can be a tricky exercise to master, as many lifters fail to place the stress on the chest muscles and more on the shoulder joints.
- Dips
dips are a great chest and triceps exercise that can be trained for heavy, medium, and light rep ranges
These are great for developing the lower regions of the chest, and can often be supersets with isolation exercises like flyes to further increase the muscle-building effects.
- Deficit Push-Ups
Deficit push-ups, like push-ups, are great chest exercises, however by doing them on a deficit you increase the range of motion and can increase muscle damage and growth.
Like dips, these are a great way to progress from bodyweight movements into harder variations or pair them with other chest exercises in supersets to further muscle growth.
