Look better in and out of your clothes by doing chest exercises that really work.
Here you will find a listing of chest exercises to use in your chest workout. Each of the chest exercises listed should be performed with proper form to not only avoid injury, but to also allow the muscle to go through a full range of motion and get the most out of the exercise.
Flat Bench Press
1. Lie flat on a bench, feet firmly on the floor. Make sure that your butt, back, shoulders, and head are firmly positioned on the bench.
2. Roll your shoulders back and down so the shoulder blades are firmly pressed against the bench and the chest is sticking up.
3. With a slightly wider than shoulder width grip and your palms facing forward, lift the bar off the rack and hold it above you with your arms straight up and extended.
4. Lower the bar down to your chest until it either touches your chest or comes within an inch or so away. Do NOT bounce the bar off your chest.
5. Press the bar straight up until arms are extended.
– This exercise can also be performed using dumbbells. Both methods are effective.
– While the bench press is primarily a chest exercise, it also recruits the use of the triceps and shoulders secondarily.
Incline Bench Press
The incline bench press is performed exactly like the flat bench press, except on an incline bench.
Everything else remains the same. This chest exercise can also be performed using dumbbells instead of a barbell. Again, both methods are effective.
Decline Bench Press
Just like the incline, the decline bench press is exactly like the flat bench press, except it is performed on a decline bench. Everything else remains the same. It too can be performed using dumbbells rather than a barbell.
Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes
1. Lie flat on a bench, feet firmly on the floor.
2. Make sure that your butt, back, shoulders, and head are firmly positioned on the bench.
3. Press the dumbbells straight up above you. Your elbows should be slightly bent and your palms should be facing each other. In this position the dumbbells should be touching each other (or pretty close).
4. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, slowly lower the dumbbells away from each other in an arc. Lower them until a comfortable stretch is felt in the chest area.
5. Raise them along the same arc back to the starting position. (Another way to understand this exercise is to imagine you are hugging a tree.)
– This chest exercise can also be performed on an incline bench and a decline bench.