Here you will find a listing of chest exercises to use in your chest workout. Each of the chest exercises listed should be performed with proper form to not only avoid injury, but to also allow the muscle to go through a full range of motion and get the most out of the exercise. To learn how to incorporate these chest exercises into your chest workout and set up a full workout routine and split, go here: workout routines and programs

Flat Bench Press

1. Lie flat on a bench, feet firmly on the floor. Make sure that your butt, back, shoulders, and head are firmly positioned on the bench.
2. Roll your shoulders back and down so the shoulder blades are firmly pressed against the bench and the chest is sticking up.
3. With a slightly wider than shoulder width grip and your palms facing forward, lift the bar off the rack and hold it above you with your arms straight up and extended.
4. Lower the bar down to your chest until it either touches your chest or comes within an inch or so away. Do NOT bounce the bar off your chest.
5. Press the bar straight up until arms are extended.

- This exercise can also be performed using dumbbells. Both methods are effective.
- While the bench press is primarily a chest exercise, it also recruits the use of the triceps and shoulders secondarily.

Incline Bench Press

The incline bench press is performed exactly like the flat bench press, except on an incline bench. Everything else remains the same. This chest exercise can also be performed using dumbbells instead of a barbell. Again, both methods are effective.

Decline Bench Press

Just like the incline, the decline bench press is exactly like the flat bench press, except it is performed on a decline bench. Everything else remains the same. It too can be performed using dumbbells rather than a barbell.

Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes

1. Lie flat on a bench, feet firmly on floor.
2. Make sure that your butt, back, shoulders, and head are firmly positioned on the bench.
3. Press the dumbbells straight up above you. Your elbows should be slightly bent and your palms should be facing each other. In this position the dumbbells should be touching each other (or pretty close).
4. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, slowly lower the dumbbells away from each other in an arc. Lower them until a comfortable stretch is felt in the chest area.
5. Raise them along the same arc back to the starting position. (Another way to understand this exercise is to imagine you are hugging a tree.)

- This chest exercise can also be performed on an incline bench and a decline bench.

The all around best and most popular of all the chest exercises is the bench press. Are you having trouble increasing? Is your bench press stuck? If so, go here: tips for increasing your bench press

One other thing that some people don't realize (I know because I get 100's of e-mails like this) is that chest exercises like the flat bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press and dumbbell flyes, or any other chest exercise for that matter, will only help build muscle and increase strength in your chest. Chest exercises DO NOT target any of the fat that is specifically located on your chest. If there is any fat, muscle will be built underneath this fat. You must then work on getting rid of that fat in order to see more "tone and definition" or look more "ripped and cut up" or whatever other fancy words you can think of. The ONLY way to lose fat from ANY part of the body is through either a proper diet, cardio or a combination of both.

Questions, comments or feedback? Feel free to e-mail me at:
IntenseWorkout@gmail.com

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