Move Over Arnold: The Best Chest Exercises



Posted: Wednesday, September 09, 2009

by Tony Schwartz

A powerful, hard, muscular chest is right up there on the list of most bodybuilders, both pro}} and amateur.  Unfortunately, there is so much poor info out there when it comes to properly working the pecs}} that chests like I just described are becoming rare these days.

The first key to building the chest you want is to choose movements that maximally stimulate the pectoral motor units.  The first exercise that comes to mind for most lifters when they think of chest exercises is the barbell bench press.  But the bench press is not a great pec builder unless you happen to have the optimal leverage for it.  On top of that, most people perform the bench press incorrectly.  If you are combining poor leverages and poor technique it's no wonder you feel the bench more in your shoulders and triceps than in your chest!

I am going to show you three of the best chest exercises.  It is important to keep in mind that if these are done with poor technique you are short-changing your muscle gains and may be setting yourself up for injury.  To prevent this from occurring make sure to get some technique tips from an expert so that you can build the pecs you want without getting hurt.

Flat Paused Bench Presses
I know I just finished saying that the flat bench press is not the best chest building exercise, however there are particular variations that work the chest well, assuming you perform them properly.  The paused bench press is one possible variation.  By pausing the bar at the chest for one to 5 seconds before pressing it back to lockout you kill the stretch reflex and lose any stored elastic energy you created while lowering the weight.  This makes pressing the weight back up much harder, but it will also require your pecs to produce a massive amount of force in order to launch the bar from your chest back to lockout.

Inclined Dumbbell Bench Presses
One of the most common complaints of lifters is not just their overall chest size, but their upper chest size in particular. Incline movements are a great solution to this because they target the clavicular portion of the pecs, which gives the appearance of a higher chest, without giving you droopy pecs.  The use of dumbbells is a good addition here as they will allow you to get a deeper stretch in the bottom of the movement.  This deep stretch stimulates a lot of underused muscle fibers in the upper pectorals which can cause new muscle growth.

Cable Crossovers
Even though different versions of the bench press are good, to really isolate on the pecs you need to work on the flying motion.  This can be done with a variety of exercises, but I really like the standing cable crossover here because of the consistent tension the cable gives you throughout the complete exercise.  The key is to concentrate on a good stretch at the beginning and continuing to keep constant tension on the pecs throughout the entire movement.  This is a fantastic ending movement to any chest training session.

Keep in mind that while these exercises are fantastic for building a muscular chest, they must be done with the correct technique in order to get the most benefit.

See video and get tips on flat dumbbell flyes and other exercises in the free body building exercises technique guide
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