Your chest, or pectoral, muscles are made up of two parts: the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor. The pectoralis major lies on top of your rib cage and the pectoralis minor is located under the major. The pecs are one of the most noticeable body parts, and there are some exercises that will help you gain chest muscle so that everyone will notice.
Bench Press Exercises
Press exercises like the bench press and versions of it are excellent ways to build up your chest. The standard bench press works the mid chest, while the incline works the upper chest and the decline press works the lower chest. All press exercises can be performed with barbells, dumbbells or on certain weight machines.
Dumbbell or Machine Flyes
Flyes can be performed with dumbbells or using a flye machine, and they can be performed at different angle settings just like inclines or declines in the bench press. Because of the opening and closing motion, flyes work the inner and outer chest muscles more than most chest exercises.
Standard Dips
Dips can be performed on a dip machine or on any parallel surface from which you can keep your legs off the floor. It is important to note that for standard dips to benefit the chest, your feet do not rest on anything like they do for triceps-style dips.
Pullovers
The pullover can be performed with barbells or dumbbells. Pullovers stretch the rib cage and really focus on the upper and lower muscles in the chest. Because pullovers are performed with bent arms, the chest does most of the work and the arms are largely not a part of the movement.
Push-ups
Standard push-ups are good chest-building exercises which you can perform at any point, regardless of equipment. Push-ups are compound exercises that hit many body parts, but the chest is the main muscle worked.
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