Having a defined chest is the goal of many bodybuilders, so get to know the 15 best exercises for the chest workout it’s so important. To achieve the physique you dream of, It is necessary to work the chest in different ways, taking into account a series of variables, which will result in the desired muscle definition. Check out the exercise videos and training suggestions in this report..
— The chest is considered a large muscle group and requires different stimuli, whether through loads, sets, repetitions, joint range, training method or other variables — points out personal trainer Lincoln Cavalcante.
He is responsible for suggesting the 15 exercises below, but remember that There needs to be an assessment of the best exercise for each person, considering particular aspects, such as joint limitations, injuries, level of trainability and motor coordination. Professional support is essential.
Lincoln also highlights that, although there is a wide variety of exercises focused on hypertrophy for each muscle group, performing many different exercises for a single group can generate excessive overload.
That’s why, The most recommended is to carry out training with 5 to 8 exercises per sessionwith execution divided between 3 to 5 series with 10 to 20 repetitions each.
— Thinking about a practitioner focusing on hypertrophy, an interesting strategy is to always change exercises every ten sessions, at most, to create some small variations. Combined exercises such as bi-set or tri-set, which are two or three exercises combined without rest, and the use of drop-set, which are blocks of repetitions without rest, reducing the weight with each block, are also good strategies — he advises the personal.
He also considers that isometrics is an interesting variation. This technique consists of contracting a muscle without movement of the joint, and can be used at the end of each series depending on the level of the practitioner.
As a final tip, Lincoln highlights that muscle explosion work, the result of quickly executing each repetition of an exercise in the concentric phase of the movement, also helps to vary the stimulus to lead to the desired result.
15 best chest exercises
1. Flat bar bench press
Chest workout – flat bar bench press
2. Front flyer on the machine
Chest workout – front flyer on the machine
Chest training – support on the floor
4. Incline machine bench press
Chest workout – machine incline bench press
5. Loose bar incline bench press
Chest workout – incline bench press
6. Dumbbell straight crucifix
Chest workout – straight dumbbell fly
7. Incline dumbbell press
Chest workout – incline dumbbell fly
8. Bench press with elastic band
Chest workout – bench press with elastic band
9. Crucifix declined with elastic
Chest workout – declined crucifix with elastic
10. Dumbbell bench press
Chest workout – dumbbell bench press
11. Dumbbell decline bench press
Chest workout – dumbbell decline bench press
12. Horizontal adduction with pilates ring
Chest workout – horizontal adduction with Pilates ring
13. Decline bench press on the smith machine
Chest training – decline bench press on the smith machine
14. Straight crucifix on the crossover low pulley
Chest workout – straight crucifix on crossover low pulley
15. Inclined crucifix on the crossover low pulley
Chest workout – inclined crucifix on crossover low pulley
To help strengthen the chest, Lincoln prepared a training suggestion that works the chest in both areas, smaller and larger, and is excellent for those looking for hypertrophy.
The training has an intermediate level of difficulty and should be performed once or twice a week. The personal recommends that the first and second exercises (crucifix with dumbbells and bench press with a loose bar), as well as the fourth and fifth (support on the floor and horizontal adduction with a Pilates ring), be performed in conjunction, or that is, without rest breaks.
Check out the personal trainer’s step-by-step instructions for each exercise:
Chest Workout – Intermediate Level
Reps | Series | Rest time | |
Dumbbell Crucifix | 10 | 4 | Without rest (conjugated) |
Bench press with loose bar | 10 | 4 | Without rest (conjugated) |
Front fly with elastic | 20 | 4 | 90 to 120 seconds |
Support on the ground | 10 | 4 | Without rest (conjugated) |
Horizontal adduction with pilates ring | 20 | 4 | Without rest (conjugated) |
Crucifix declined with elastic | 20 | 4 | 90 to 120 seconds |
Lincoln Cavalcante (@lincolncavalcante) is a personal trainer, founder of Neuro Performance EMS and creator of the TOP10Rounds method, with 15 years of experience in the Fitness and Wellness market, in addition to being known for training celebrities.