Most exercises that build up the muscles of the chest -- or the pectoralis major -- involve weight training or resistance training. Bulking up the chest is best done at the gym, where you'll have access to weight benches, barbells, dumbbells, parallel bars and other equipment. Before engaging in exercise, stretch and drink plenty of water.
Bench Presses
The bench press is perhaps the most prominent of all chest muscle-building exercises. Lie on the bench with your legs spread apart and the soles of your feet on the floor. Grip the barbell with your palms facing outward and thumbs on the outside -- use a wide grip to hone in on your pecs. During the press, your glutes, shoulders and head should remain on the bench as your chest and lower back raise up off the surface. Lower the bar slowly and smoothly to make contact with your chest. Now use your chest to drive the bar back to the rack. Start with a comfortable amount of weight and add weight gradually over time. Change up to a middle grip to build triceps and shoulders along with your pecs. Try incline presses, decline presses and close-grip presses for additional challenge.
Push-Ups
Standard push-ups build the pectoral muscles without the need of equipment; as a body weight exercise, all you'll need is yourself. With your body in a straight line, support your torso with your palms and your lower body with your toes. Make sure your hands are about 2 to 3 inches outside of your shoulder width -- a wider position such as this helps targets the chest. With your elbows pointed outward and your spine remaining level, lower yourself until your chest or chin contacts the ground. Raise your body back up, hold for a count and repeat. For an intense muscle-building workout, try explosive push-ups by using two objects at least one inch thick, such as books or weight plates. At the beginning of each push-up, your hands rest on the ground; at the end of the rep, mount your hands on the objects. Add weight -- such as a weighted vests -- to the push-up for increased resistance, which results in increased muscle-building.
Dips
Perform dips using the parallel bars at the gym. With your arms almost straight, grip the bars with your palms facing inward. Lower your body as close to the ground as you are comfortable with. Keeping your body steady, slowly lift yourself back almost all the way up to your starting position and repeat. Focus on keeping your pectorals tight throughout the motion. When you become adept at lifting your body weight, try the exercise with a weighted belt for even more chest-building resistance.
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