The chest takes up a large surface area on the front of the body. For that reason, it is categorized as one of the major muscle groups. When it comes to building a chest, the steps are not very complicated, but you do need discipline. The exercises involved can be done with dumbbells, barbells and benches.
Step 1
Perform exercises that target the upper, middle and lower chest. Working one particular area over and over will build only that area. Each workout should include exercises that target each of the sections. Perform flat bench presses for the middle of your chest, incline bench presses for your upper chest and decline bench presses for your lower chest. All of these exercises are also compound, which means they recruit a maximum amount of muscle fibers.
Step 2
Lift dumbbells to work your inner chest. Developing the inner chest can help give you that defined look. Perform exercises such as incline flies, flat-bench flies and decline flies to work this area. You can also use a cable-cross machine to do these exercises. Simply adjust the height of the handles to emphasize each region of your chest.
Step 3
Lift a light weight at the start of each set, then lift as heavy as possible. Aim for four or five sets of each exercise. Select a weight that is light enough that you can do 12 to 15 reps on your first set, then choose a weight that's heavy enough that you can do only eight to 12 reps for your remaining sets. Have a spotter on hand to ensure you can reach the required rep range.
Step 4
Execute each exercise with proper form. Whenever you do an exercise, always keep tension on your chest muscles. Do not fully lock out your elbows, do not bounce the weights and do not use momentum. Keep your core tight, and perform every exercise with a slow and controlled motion.
Step 5
Rest your chest muscles appropriately. No matter how tempting it may be to work your chest every day, this can compromise your recoveries and put you at risk for muscle injury. Take at least two days off in between workouts.
Step 6
Lift weights to build your back muscles. Repeatedly working your chest muscles can lead to weak back muscles and postural distortions. Perform exercises such as lateral pull-downs, bent-over rows, pull-overs and back extensions to prevent this from happening.
Things You'll Need
- Barbell
- Flat bench
- Incline bench
- Decline bench
- Dumbbells
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