A compound exercise involves more than one muscle and joint being worked simultaneously. What makes these exercises special is that they lead to fast gains in size and strength. When you perform compound chest exercises you not only target the large pectoral muscles, but you also work the deltoids and triceps. The delts surround the shoulders and the triceps sit on the back of the upper arms.
Bench Press
The bench press is performed from a face-up position on a weight bench. You have the option of using a weighted barbell or set of dumbbells to do this exercise. To use the barbell, grasp it with your hands wider than shoulder width apart, push it off the supports and hold it directly above your body with your arms fully extended. Slowly lower the bar down to your chest and push it back up in a steady motion.
Being that the pecs are large muscles, it is a good idea to add incline and decline bench presses to your workouts. The incline press places more emphasis on the upper chest and the decline press shifts the emphasis to the lower chest. Both exercises are still compound because you utilize your elbow and shoulder joints.
Dips
Dips work the chest with the weight of the body. You need a dip machine with parallel bars to do these. Start with your feet on the lower supports and hands grasping the bars. Carefully lift one foot off the supports at a time and hold your body in the air with your arms fully extended. To counter your balance, bend your knees and cross your legs behind your body. Perform the exercise by leaning forward slightly and bending your elbows to lower your body. Once your upper arms are parallel to the floor, push yourself back up and repeat.
Pushups
In similar fashion to dips, pushups are body weight compound exercises. Start out in a face-down position on the floor with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart and feet together behind you. Steadily push yourself up by fully extending your arms and raise your hips to form a straight back. You will need to contract your abs at this point. Keep your abs tight as you bend your elbows and lower your chest close to the floor. Push yourself back up and repeat. To target your upper chest, perform pushups in a reclined position with your feet elevated on a bench. To target your lower chest, place your hands on the bench and feet on the floor.
Cable Chest Press
The cable chest press is a variation on the bench press. This exercise is performed between the weight stacks of a cable machine from a standing position. Before starting, fasten single handles to high settings on the pulleys and stand in between the weight stacks with your feet staggered. Grasp a handle in each hand and push them down in front of your body so your arms are fully extended and fists are close together. Keeping your body still, slowly bend your elbows and let the handles move up toward your chest. Once your elbows bend to 90 degrees, hold for a second. Steadily push the handles back down to the starting point, squeeze your pecs forcefully and repeat.
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