Best Chest Exercises

[jJjburton]

What is your best chest exercise?

Best Overall
Best upper chest
Best mass

 

[LocalRoller]

What is your best chest exercise?

Best Overall
Best upper chest
Best mass

1) genetics
2) genetics
3) more genetics

Seriously though, if someone has healthy shoulders I would say:

Flat bench (overall development and mass)
- Pause works great to keep shoulders healthy

Incline dumbbell flies (upper chest)
-Really stretch your chest as much as you can during the fly like you are hugging a tree.

Incline machine press
-Focusing on the squeeze and going to failure

This is all I do for chest. Just those 3

 

[Biggerarms22]

What is your best chest exercise?

Best Overall
Best upper chest
Best mass

Cable flys, Incline barbell/Dumbbell bench, and just regular pushups. I'm not a fan of flat bench, for me personally I can't activate my chest nearly as well as I can in other exercises.

 

[LocalRoller]

Cable flys, Incline barbell/Dumbbell bench, and just regular pushups. I'm not a fan of flat bench, for me personally I can't activate my chest nearly as well as I can in other exercises.

I’ve noticed this with a lot of my friends. Even with perfect form and an arch they still can’t feel there chest when benching. I came to the conclusion that bone structure has a lot to do with how someone activates certain muscle groups. What works for me may not work for someone else due to different body structures. I can feel my chest being activated and even feel my chest getting pumped with blood and being squeezed when benching just the bar. I can bench 315 for 2 so the fact that I get a pump benching just the bar tells me bone structure has a lot to do with it.

 

[jJjburton]

I’ve noticed this with a lot of my friends. Even with perfect form and an arch they still can’t feel there chest when benching. I came to the conclusion that bone structure has a lot to do with how someone activates certain muscle groups. What works for me may not work for someone else due to different body structures. I can feel my chest being activated and even feel my chest getting pumped with blood and being squeezed when benching just the bar. I can bench 315 for 2 so the fact that I get a pump benching just the bar tells me bone structure has a lot to do with it.

I actually think they just dont know how to do it. It takes a lot of skill to be able to properly activate a muscle, especially on more advances lifts. Hence why machines work for everyone, they make it easy to activate the muscle.

 

[bob357sig]

If someone would have asked me this 20 years ago I would have said barbell flat and incline press and fuck anything else lol. Now that I’m 50 and my joints suck I do a lot more dumbell and cable work.
after a few sets of pec deck warmup I hit about 5 sets of dumbell incline press, pyramiding up in weight and down in reps but staying in the 5 to 10 rep range.
Hammer strength incline machine for a few more sets to failure
Cable crossover fly’s “crab style “ always pumps my pecs up like mad
I like to finish with good old pushups, couple sets of about 15 to 20.
I still like to see what I can press every now and then but I usually pay the price for it in my delts for a week or two after that.

 

[bob357sig]

If someone would have asked me this 20 years ago I would have said barbell flat and incline press and fuck anything else lol. Now that I’m 50 and my joints suck I do a lot more dumbell and cable work.
after a few sets of pec deck warmup I hit about 5 sets of dumbell incline press, pyramiding up in weight and down in reps but staying in the 5 to 10 rep range.
Hammer strength incline machine for a few more sets to failure
Cable crossover fly’s “crab style “ always pumps my pecs up like mad
I like to finish with good old pushups, couple sets of about 15 to 20.
I still like to see what I can press every now and then but I usually pay the price for it in my delts for a week or two after that “ unless I’m blasting Deca lol”

 

[bob357sig]

Sorry about the double post, I was trying to edit first post but this new format got me all fucked up.

 

[jJjburton]

I have always felt my chest most with one arm machine presses.
Cable flyes really get a good activations too.

just starting with barbell benching and i see dramatic changes. Compared to
When i used to never do them.

 

[canadian mutant]

Cable flies after bench massively underrated

 

[jJjburton]

I forgot landmine presses are great for upper chest.

 

[jJjburton]

Cable flies after bench massively underrated

Supersetted?

or

doing a bench of 3 sets then cable flys for 3 sets?

 

[canadian mutant]

Supersetted?

or

doing a bench of 3 sets then cable flys for 3 sets?

both are solid
I always finish every chest workout with the cable flies. Call it “the shredder”
Gives the biggest pump IMO of anything in the gym . Such a satisfying movement

 

[jJjburton]

both are solid
I always finish every chest workout with the cable flies. Call it “the shredder”
Gives the biggest pump IMO of anything in the gym . Such a satisfying movement

Do you do upper flys and lower flys?

 

[EazyE]

My go to routine as follows:

1. Hammer incline press
2. Barbell incline press
3. Seated cable cross

Now that I am getting up in age and have had a bad shoulder too, I kick off with a machine, then use a controlled barbell movement not letting the bar down too far (lower to about 3” from chest), and then finish with cable cross movement. I don’t use dumbbells any more due to inherent dangers with balancing them and getting into place when using heavy bells. I spent a lot of time doing rehab work for my shoulder so also no flat bench presses any more either. Nowadays it’s about safe, controlled, high intensity exercises. To note I don’t do any direct overhead presses anymore either. I train chest and delts same day, so barbell inclines for chest keep my front delts up and double as a secondary shoulder pressing exercise. Delt work consists of a number of lateral- type movements. It’s about training smart these days....and I can’t argue with my results.

 

[canadian mutant]

Do you do upper flys and lower flys?

Yes sir I adjust the heights as I go for each chest area

 

[MisterSuperGod]

then use a controlled barbell movement not letting the bar down too far (lower to about 3” from chest)

i've had to do the same. Bringing the bar down to touch the chest has my front delts screaming at me after a few sets.

i've found that stopping short of touching the chest not only spares me from nasty delt pain, but the chest stays more engaged throughout the movement, where as before it felt as if i lost that engagement when going deep into the stretch.

 

[jJjburton]

My go to routine as follows:

1. Hammer incline press
2. Barbell incline press
3. Seated cable cross

Now that I am getting up in age and have had a bad shoulder too, I kick off with a machine, then use a controlled barbell movement not letting the bar down too far (lower to about 3” from chest), and then finish with cable cross movement. I don’t use dumbbells any more due to inherent dangers with balancing them and getting into place when using heavy bells. I spent a lot of time doing rehab work for my shoulder so also no flat bench presses any more either. Nowadays it’s about safe, controlled, high intensity exercises. To note I don’t do any direct overhead presses anymore either. I train chest and delts same day, so barbell inclines for chest keep my front delts up and double as a secondary shoulder pressing exercise. Delt work consists of a number of lateral- type movements. It’s about training smart these days....and I can’t argue with my results.

Do you do seated cable cross on an incline bench?

 

[EazyE]

Do you do seated cable cross on an incline bench?

Not regularly but I have just to switch things up. I like any exercise where you can brace yourself against a bench. It allows you to generate significant force and apply it directly to target muscle groups. As an aside, you can never do too much incline upper chest work.

 

[Megadick3000]

I’ve noticed this with a lot of my friends. Even with perfect form and an arch they still can’t feel there chest when benching. I came to the conclusion that bone structure has a lot to do with how someone activates certain muscle groups. What works for me may not work for someone else due to different body structures. I can feel my chest being activated and even feel my chest getting pumped with blood and being squeezed when benching just the bar. I can bench 315 for 2 so the fact that I get a pump benching just the bar tells me bone structure has a lot to do with it.

This was me. For ages i did traditional bench pressing and alls it did was build my front delts and triceps. I tried inclines and declines too but same result. Tried pre exhuasting the aforementiined muscle groups but that just led to benching less weight.

Then i discivered what i personally think is the best chest exercise bar none (thats right dips im looking at you). Its the guillotine press AKA neck press.

As soon as i started doing these my chest began exploding, incredible pumps, and it builds the entire chest including the hard to hit upper chest along the collar bond. This exercise changed everything for me for chest development.

Highly recommend you suggest this to your friends. Put the ego asude as you wont be able to lift as much as a regular bench press but who cares the results are incredible.

My chest routine is supersetted with my tricep routine and generally looks like this:

Guillotine press + dips
Pushups + close grip bench press
Pec dec flyes + tricep pushdowns


Thats it, dont need some complex shit just add more sets if youve got the gas.