Our chest is very important and it’s one of the second most shown-off muscle groups after the bicep. For this reason, whether you are a weight lifter, strongman, athlete, or just into physical fitness, a chest workout routine that trains the chest is going to become a priority at some point. Opting for effective chest workouts increases chest mass and thus improves the overall performance of several other muscle groups, mostly in the arms.
Chest Exercises are considered to be one of the important workouts that can be performed by any individual. Our chest is a large muscle group, gets tougher for many individuals to develop their chest muscles. A proper and effective chest workout plays a vital role in helping you perform your daily routine tasks such as lifting heavy objects or doing some highly strenuous activity.
Anatomy of Human Chest
The chest of our body is divided into different parts consisting of the upper, middle and lower chest. Whenever we are working on your chest, we are actually pumping our pectoral muscles. The pectoral muscle is the large fan-shaped muscle that is located on the front of the chest. It originates from both the sternum (breast bone) and the clavicle and is inserted into the humerus. This muscle is responsible for flexing and extending the humerus, as well as adducting and medially rotating. The pectoral muscles can be seen covering most of your front upper chest.
Pectoral muscles are also supported by various muscles that are smaller in size. These muscles are present in the upper chest, starting from the shoulder and going up to the breastbone. The arm movements and the shoulders are controlled by these pectoral muscles. Hence, the upper chest workouts are being created to work alongside the shoulder as well as your deltoids.
Beginners who are planning to do exercises for the first time can seek the help of a trainer who has enough experience to assist and guide them with adopting the correct method to increase their weight. Firstly, it is always advised to go for a warm-up session, wherein, you may start with some jogging or do some stretching of your arms for a few minutes, including stretching your chest.
Benefits of Chest Workout
- Builds Body and strength mass – Besides being a great workout option for the upper body, a chest workout is effective in strengthening and building muscles of your upper as well as lower body. Dumbbell press exercise for the chest, especially the overhead dumbbell press, is often highly recommended for building and strengthening muscles.
- Offers Effective Cardio – Overhead press exercise proves to be effective yet again as a great cardio exercise. It works wonders for your lungs and heart. Besides, it also burns those stubborn calories that you actually don’t need.
- Strengthening muscles – Exercises for the chest not only strengthen the muscles of your chest but strengthen and tone the muscles of your upper back. This is because these exercises are also effective for building biceps, triceps and deltoids.
- Engages abdominal muscles – Performing a chest workout offers a complete workout for adnominal muscles. This is especially true for chest fly exercises, performed while balancing the upper back on a stability ball. This not only challenges core muscles but also works out the pecs and synergist muscles. However, you have to take care to keep your body parallel to the floor to prevent injuring yourself or exerting unnecessary pressure.
- Allows shoulders strengthening – Your shoulders also get strengthens while performing a chest workout. Exercises for the chest, when performed regularly and in the right way, train the deltoids and introduces a healthy balance of muscles. This, in turn, safeguards your shoulders from injuries.
Top 10 Chest Exercises for Men
1.) Barbell Bench Press
The barbell bench press is one of the best effective chest workouts that you can try to strengthen your chest. This bench press has been the standard for increasing strength and size in the chest by experts around the globe. It is possible to perform the bench press in a few variations, to get the maximum output for your chest.
2.) Dumbbell Bench Press
The dumbbell bench press is one of the best effective chest workouts that you can try to strengthen your chest. While similar to the first chest exercise, the dumbbell bench press more accurately follows the intended function of the pectoral muscle. Instead of driving the weight straight up, it allows you to bring it in towards the midline of the body. It is also easier to maintain an even level of strength with the dumbbell bench press because the free weights that you are holding aren’t connected in any way.
3.) Explosive Push-ups
Explosive push-ups are one of the best effective chest workouts that you can try to strengthen your chest. The standard bench press will only get a person so far when trying to attain more muscle mass in the chest. To supplement normal weightlifting, it is important to incorporate more rapid motions into any chest program. This is difficult to do safely with weights, so smart bodybuilders turn over and put their noses to the floor for some push-ups that will create the most powerful resistance through explosive movements.
4.) Incline Bench Press
Incline Bench Press is one of the best effective chest workouts that you can try to strengthen your chest. This top chest exercise is extremely similar to the standard bench press, as it works the same primary muscle groups i.e. pectorals, deltoids and triceps. The incline of the bench press, however, places a great deal more of the workload onto the upper chest.
5.) Decline Bench Press
Decline Bench Press is one of the best effective chest workouts that you can try to strengthen your chest. This exercise is very similar to the standard bench press. It works for the same muscle groups i.e. pectorals, deltoids and triceps. The decline of the bench press however puts a great deal of emphasis on the lower chest muscles.
6.) Suspended Push-Up
Suspended Push-Up is one of the best effective chest workouts. To perform this workout you will need a TRX strap, which put your hands and body in an unstable suspension. Keeping your feet shoulder-width apart, grab the handles, extend your arms in front of your chest, and put your body at an angle of 45-90 degrees to the floor. Tighten your core as you lower yourself toward the floor, stopping when your hands are just outside your shoulders. Bring yourself back and do it again. Your elbows and head should remain in a neutral position throughout.
7.) Close-Grip Bench Press
Close-Grip Bench Press is one of the best effective chest workouts. While standard bench presses are as common as they are effective, some experts suggest that a close-grip bench press is better for your shoulders. The actions are more or less the same with one main exception, your hands and arms are closer toward the middle of the bar, though still just outside of shoulder-width. From there, you raise, lower, hold, raise, lower, and thus you get the drift.
8.) Dips
Dips are one of the best effective chest workouts. It is a sign of progress when you are implementing a mighty dip routine into your chest workout regime. When ready, head over to the dip machine or parallel bars, standing dead centre between both bars. Put one hand on each bar and lift yourself off the floor, leaning forward until your chest is at a slight downward angle. Next, bend your arms and lower yourself while maintaining the lean, before lifting yourself back to the starting position. Not only are you working your pectoralis major, but you’re also strengthening your triceps and shoulder muscles.
9.) Seated Pec Deck Machine
Seated Pec Deck Machine is one of the best effective chest workouts that never fails to generate results. Sit at the pec deck machine with your elbows at 90 degrees, your forearms on the vertical pads, and your hands on the handles in an overhand grip. Maintaining the 90-degree angle of your elbows, pull the handles backwards until you feel the stretch in your chest. Return to the starting position and repeat. Don’t rely on momentum from your hands when performing this exercise, as the energy should be coming from your chest and forearms.
10.) Plate Press-Out
Plate Press-Out is one of the best effective chest workouts. Start this exercise by picking up a plate that weighs between 10 and 45 pounds. Keeping your feet hip-width apart, grip the plate using both hands and put your arms in front of your chest. With your back and arms straight and your core tight, squeeze your shoulders to draw the plate closer to your chest. When it’s as close as it will go, extend it back out again. Repeat. After 10-15 reps of horizontal plate press-outs, you can mix things up by performing the same exercise in an overhead fashion.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
