Clapping Push Up

Clapping push ups should not be attempted by beginners, but they are a valuable tool for someone who wants to take their fitness regime further. To successfully complete a clapping push up you must push off the floor with greater force, enabling you to get your hands up to clap and then back down quickly. A useful piece of advice is the initially try this on a softer surface just in case it goes wrong and you faceplant on a hard floor!

Weighted Push Up

Weighted push ups are also for those who want to integrate changes to their chest workout routine once they have experience. Adding more weight simply makes the push up more difficult, making your muscles work harder and increasing chest gains.

Barbell

Barbell Bench Press

From newcomers to gym junkies, you’ll struggle to find someone that doesn’t have this exercise as part of their workout routine. A simple exercise that only requires a barbell and some weights, why not try it yourself? Lie on the bench with the barbell across your chest and push up and down in a fluid motion. Form is important here, so don’t ‘row’ with your arms. If you keep them steady and strong then your chest muscles will reap the benefits.

Low-Incline Barbell Bench Press

A simple adaptation of the barbell bench press, raising your bench really makes the exercise more difficult and intense. It may be difficult to get the hang of this adjustment at the start, but the results are well worthwhile.

Dumbbell

Flat Bench Dumbbell Press

An effective way of isolating chest muscles during a workout is by using dumbbells rather than a barbell. Controlling the motion and ensuring that the weights stay straight is much harder when free weights are in both hands. Once you nail this technique your chest will really increase in size and strength.

180 Degree Twisting Dumbbell Press

Slightly changing your technique when doing a traditional dumbbell press can greatly increase the intensity on your chest muscles. A simple way of doing this is by introducing a 180 degree turn when you are lifting and dropping the dumbbells. Changing up your technique will work different muscles in your chest.

Reverse Grip Dumbbell Press

Another way of targeting different areas of your chest is to reverse your grip instead of doing a traditional dumbbell press. This exercise greatly increases chest muscle, especially in the upper region of your chest. Using this exercise in conjunction with other dumbbell presses will result in a much more uniform chest shape.

Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly

If you’re sick of dumbbell presses, then you can also try a dumbbell fly. This method works not only your chest, but your arms too. Opening your chest out in this way only works if you use your chest muscles throughout the exercise. Try not to use your arm muscles too much though, otherwise you won’t see results in your chest.

Pulleys

High Pulley Cable Crossover

Using pulleys can be a great way of working your chest muscles. The high pulley technique requires you to pull down across your body from above. Not only is this a great chest workout, but it also aids muscle growth across your back and shoulders.

Low Pulley Cable Crossover

A simple alternative is to the high pulley cable crossover is the low pulley cable crossover. This helps to target different areas of your chest which the high pulley crossover does not. Even though you can do this exercise with one hand, it’s more worthwhile doing it with two hands so that your whole chest gets a proper workout simultaneously.

 

Machines

Seated Machine Chest Press

Machines can be a valuable tool in your gym routine, especially if you’re sick of free weights! The seated machine chest press can be used as an alternative to the dumbbell or barbell chest press described earlier. When doing this exercise on a machine you don’t have to worry about dropping the weights on yourself or the floor like with free weights. This means that you can really stack the weight on and push yourself to the limit.

Pec Dec Machine

Like the name suggests, the pec dec machine targets your pectoral muscles. These are the primary chest muscles, so it’s well worth giving this machine a try if you want real chest gains. This machine is great for beginners as the machine does a lot of the work for you. All you have to do is set the weight and you can have a simple yet challenging exercise.

Dips

Dips are one of the more traditional methods of improving chest strength. That being said, they are one of the hardest exercises on this list to master. It takes a large amount of upper body strength to be able to successfully dip. By changing the angle of the dip by moving your hands forward and backwards along the bars, you can target not only your chest, but also other muscles in your upper torso. A great exercise for building overall body strength, this is one that is mot for beginners.

This list of 15 exercises for developing your chest muscles can be easily integrated into your workout routine. If you apply a large number of these into your routine, you should begin to feel results quickly. A gym is not always necessary for improving chest strength, as using your own bodyweight can be just as effective as using machines and weights. Even those without a gym membership can develop their chest muscles for free.

Sources

Mh.co.za – The 15 Best Exercises To Build Your Chest
Mensjournal – The 30 Best Chest Exercises of All Time