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. Doing a chest workout 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 chest workout plays a vital role in helping you perform your daily routine tasks such as lifting any heavy objects or doing some high 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 5 Chest Workouts For a Stellar Chest
1.) Barbell Bench Press
The barbell bench press is one of the best 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.
Steps To Perform
- Lie flat on your back on a standard Olympic weight bench.
- With your feet flat on the floor and your glutes tight to the bench, back and head on the bench at all times.
- Unrack the bar from the bench and lower it to your chest.
- Pressing your feet to the floor while maintaining a flat position on the bench.
- Use both arms to drive the bar straight up.
2.) Dumbbell Bench Press
The dumbbell bench press is one of the best chest workouts that you can try to strengthen your chest. While being 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.
Steps To Perform
- Lie flat on your back on a bench while lying in a position that keeps your feet flat on the floor.
- With a dumbbell in each hand rest the weight gently on your shoulders and then force them up and away from the body.
- Repeat the procedure at your convenience.
3.) Explosive Push-ups
Explosive push-ups are one of the best 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.
Steps To Perform
- To begin, get down on your hands and knees. Extend your feet back and hold your position with your toes.
- Place both hands approximately shoulder width apart, and begin by flexing your arms so that your chest lowers to the floor.
- With as much power as you can muster, push against the floor hard enough to pop your hands off of the ground.
- You can increase the challenge by trying to jump your hands up to elevated boxes, or by clapping between each jump.
4.) Incline Bench Press
Incline Bench Press is one of the best 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 (pectorals, deltoids and triceps.) The incline of the bench press, however, places a great deal more of the workload onto the upper chest.
Steps To Perform
- To perform, use a press bench that can be raised to an incline position.
- Unrack the weight and lower the barbell until it touches your upper chest.
- Press the weight back up into the starting position with arms fully extended and repeat.
- Keep your elbows tucked in to maintain a 45-degree angle to your flanks.
- If you allow your arms/elbows to deviate outward you’ll be placing excessive strain on your shoulder joints.
5.) Decline Bench Press
Decline Bench Press is one of the best chest workouts that you can try to strengthen your chest. This exercise is very similar to the standard bench press. It works the same muscle groups (pectorals, deltoids and triceps). The decline of the bench press however puts a great deal of emphasis on the lower chest muscles.
Steps To Perform
- To perform, use an adjustable press bench and move the seat into a decline.
- Unrack the weight and lower the barbell until it touches your lower chest and upper abdominal region.
- You will need to keep your elbows turned into your body so that your arms are at a 45-degree angle to your flanks.
- If you allow your elbows to drift outward, you’ll be placing excessive stress on the shoulder joints.
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.
