Whether you are seeking to tone your chest or you want to develop large, strong chest muscles, pectoral exercises are necessary. Strive to perform a chest-strengthening workout at least twice weekly, allowing at least a day of rest after a workout for proper muscle recuperation. Complete two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of each chest exercise.
Flies
Chest flies strengthen the pectoralis major, the largest muscle of your chest. This chest-strengthening exercise may be performed on a pectoral-strengthening machine, often called a pec deck, or you can mimic this movement on a weight bench with a dumbbell in each hand.
Lie on your back on a flat weight bench, slightly bend your arms at the elbows and bring the dumbbells in front of your body to meet each other in an arched motion. Incline the back of the weight bench 45 degrees and perform the same movement to work your upper chest, or decline the back to target your lower pectoral muscles.
Chest Dips
On a dip bar, grasp the bar and bend slightly at the waist to target your chest muscles. If you are not using a dip assist platform to help you perform a dip movement, bend your legs at the knees to prevent your feet from touching the floor during the exercise. For further resistance, hold a dumbbell between your feet while performing this exercise.
Bench and Chest Presses
The bench press is a classic chest-strengthening exercise that targets the pectoralis major. This exercise may be performed with a barbell or with a dumbbell in each hand. While the traditional bench press is performed on a flat weight bench, chest presses may be performed with the back of the bench at a different angle. Incline the bench to work your upper chest, or decline the bench to target your lower chest. Like the bench press, you can use a barbell or two dumbbells for the chest press.
Pushups
Pushups strengthen your chest muscles as well as your triceps. Beginners may need to perform this exercise on their knees. However, to make this exercise more difficult to build stronger pectoral muscles, place the tops of your feet on the edge of a chair or weight bench to incline your body, putting more resistance on your upper body.
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