The 20 Best Chest Exercises To Add To Your Upper-Body Workouts, According To A Trainer
Your posture will thank you.
It can be easy to default to biceps, triceps, and shoulder exercises on upper body workout days. I know I'm guilty of it. But you're missing an important muscle group: the chest. Working the chest (or pectoral muscles) is an important part of a holistic strength-training routine.
"Many women tend to neglect the muscle group, emphasizing lower-body movements and forgetting that the chest and back require the same attention," explains Elise Young, CPT, CFSC, of Elise's Bodyshop. It's not just about lifting the chest, either. There are many additional benefits of strong pecs.
Not only will your posture improve from working the chest, but these exercises will also make daily functions a lot easier (like carrying groceries, dragging furniture up a six-floor walk-up, or participating in a pushup contest). Plus, they can also strengthen your muscles to the point of preventing neck and back injuries. And who doesn’t want that?
Meet the experts:
Elise Young, CPT, CFSC, is a certified personal trainer and founder of Elise's Bodyshop.
Mike Simone, CPT, is the founder of humanfitproject.
Taylor Rae Almonte-Roman, CPT, is a New York City-based boxing coach and former founding trainer of Fiture.
Another fun fact: The best chest exercises work more than just your chest. The moves that involve pushing also recruit your shoulders, core, back, and triceps. "I always hear, 'what can I do for triceps?' and although there are specific triceps exercises, the best way to work the triceps is going to be through compound pushing motions such as chest presses and pushups," says Young.
Read on to learn about the muscles that make up the chest, tips for starting chest exercises, and how to do the most effective chest exercises for a strong upper bod.
The Chest Muscles, Explained
The chest is made up of the pec major, pec minor, and serratus anterior. Here, Young breaks them down.
- Pectoralis major: The largest of the chest muscles, this fan-shaped muscle spans across your chest. It is responsible for flexion, adduction, and internal rotation of the humerus (arm at the glenohumeral joint, a.k.a. the shoulder).
- Pectoralis minor: Smaller and with a more triangular shape, this muscle serves many functions, such as moving the ribs and shoulder blades.
- Serratus anterior: More laterally located within the chest wall, this muscle is responsible for scapular protraction (translation: pushing away from your body).
Pro Tips For Strengthening Your Chest
- Retract your scapula. Essentially, you want to think about pulling your shoulder blades down and back. "Retracting your scapula requires full recruitment of your chest muscles for the specific pushing movement," Young explains.
- Pair chest moves with lower-body pulling moves. “I prefer to work in full-body strength-based training so I balance my training with lower-body push (think squats, lunges) paired with upper-body pull (think rows) and lower-body pull (think deadlifts, bridges) with upper-body push,” says Young. “When we think of upper-body push we are focusing on pushing away from the body."
- Start with a barbell. It may sound counterintuitive but Young suggests doing chest presses with a bar (sans any added weight!), rather than dumbbells, when you’re first starting out. “It is often challenging to maintain control with dumbbells so you can focus on using a bar to create that control,” she explains.
- Don’t do pushups on your knees. “I highly suggest elevating your upper body on a bench, couch, or chair before dropping to your knees,” Young says. “When we drop to our knees on an exercise such as pushups, we are losing our full core function and therefore it becomes more difficult to progress the exercise. Pushups require a ton of core control, so the more we can practice the same motion, even from an elevated surface, the quicker we will get stronger.”
- Consider tempo training. Once you master a particular chest exercise, consider switching up your tempo, or how long it takes you to execute the three components of the movement, says Mike Simone, CPT, founder of Human Fit Project: There is the concentric, or “upward,” phase of the movement, like popping back up to plank from a push-up. Next, there is the eccentric (or “lowering phase), as well as the isometric, when you’re holding a move in peak contraction.
The 20 Best Chest Exercises
Time: 20–25 minutes | Equipment: dumbbells, mat | Good for: chest, arms, upper body
Instructions: Choose 5 to 8 moves below. After a quick dynamic warm-up, perform 10 to 12 reps of each (or as many reps as possible in 50 seconds), rest for 15 seconds, then continue to the next exercise. Once you've completed each exercise once, rest for 1 minute, then repeat the entire circuit twice more for a total of three rounds. Consider alternating chest moves with lower-body pulling moves like deadlifts for a total-body workout.
Bear Plank Shoulder Tap
Why it rocks: In addition to working your chest, this move fires up your core in a major way.
How to:
- Start on all fours with knees elevated a few inches off of floor.
- Keep back flat and shoulders and hips level while lifting left hand up off mat and bending at elbow to tap right shoulder with it.
- Replace left hand, then repeat on the opposite side. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: Keep abs engaged by pulling your belly button toward spine to prevent shoulders and hips from moving throughout the exercise.
Hand-Release Pushup
Why it rocks: Hand-release pushups work all of your major muscles (triceps included, of course) and can help you boost your pushup range of motion, since they force you to practice powering up off the floor.
How to:
- Start on hands and knees with shoulders over wrists and hips extended so knees, hips, and shoulders are aligned. (Level up by starting in a high plank position.)
- Keep core tight, bend elbows, and lower body all the way down on to the floor. (Elbows should point 45 degrees away from sides.)
- At the bottom, lift hands a few inches into the air.
- Replace hands, then press back up to start. That's 1 rep. Complete 8 to 10 reps.
Glute Bridge Press
Why it rocks: Not only does this move work your chest and upper body, it also fires up your posterior chain, working your glutes, hamstrings, and core.
How to:
- Start lying on back with knees bent and feet hip-distance apart and about 6 inches away from butt.
- Press right arm into floor at side and hold a dumbbell in left out to the side like a field goal, with elbow forming a 90-degree angle and a dumbbell in each hand.
- Lift hips toward ceiling, keeping core engaged.
- Hold this glute bridge position and press the weight to ceiling until left arm is extended.
- Bend left elbow and lower left arm until tricep nearly touches the ground. That's 1 rep. Complete all reps, then switch sides and repeat.
Pro tip: Be sure to press up in one fluid motion and don't forget to squeeze those glutes at the top of that bridge.
Modified Pushup
Why it rocks: The pushup is an all-around power move, working your chest, back, core, glutes, triceps, and biceps at once. Maintain your form and it's a fast-track to stronger tris.
How to:
- Start in a high plank position with shoulders over wrists. (Option to modify and rest knees on mat, if needed.)
- Keep core tight, bend elbows, and lower body until arms form 90-degree angles. (Elbows should point 45 degrees away from sides.)
- Press back to start position. That’s 1 rep. Complete 8 to 10 reps.
Pushup To Renegade Row
Why it rocks: This exercise combines the benefits of a plank, pushup, and dumbbell row, meaning it targets your core, chest, shoulders, and upper back.
How to:
- Place two dumbbells on the floor shoulder width apart. Assume a plank position with feet wider than shoulder-distance apart. (Option to modify on knees as shown.)
- Grasp the dumbbells so hands are elevated off the floor, maintaining a neutral wrist position.
- Bend elbows and slowly lower body toward the floor in one piece.
- Push back up to start.
- Drive left arm through the dumbbell into the floor, stiffen entire body, and row the right dumbbell up and to the side of rib cage—elbow should be pointed up and back.
- Keep body stable and lower the dumbbell back to the floor.
- Drive right arm through the dumbbell into the floor, stiffen entire body, and row the left dumbbell up and to the side of rib cage—elbow should be pointed up and back. That’s 1 rep.
Eccentric Pushup
Why it rocks: This variation is a great way to level up strength to achieve full pushups. As a bonus, you get additional time under tension while lowering down.
How to:
- Start in a high plank position, with shoulders over wrists, core tight, and legs straight and engaged.
- Maintaining a straight line from head to heels, bend elbows to lower body toward floor slowly. (Aim for a count of five.)
- Press back to knees and reset in a high plank. That’s 1 rep.
Plank Get-Up
Why it rocks: In addition to working your core and chest, this one has some sneaky tricep action as well.
How to:
- Start in a high plank (option to have knees down as shown) and parallel, wrists under shoulders.
- Lower right forearm to rest on mat.
- Then, lower left forearm to rest on mat to come into a forearm plank.
- Pick up right forearm and press through palm to extend arm straight.
- Then, repeat with left to come into a high plank, keeping hips as level as possible throughout. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: Focus on not rocking your hips, and have your hand refill the spot where your elbow was as you come low to high.
Incline Pushup
Why it rocks: If full pushups aren't quite working for ya yet, this modification will help you build up that strength.
How to:
- Start in a high plank position with hands elevated on a sturdy surface like a workout bench or coffee table. Shoulders should be stacked over wrists, core tight, legs straight and engaged.
- Maintain a straight line from head to heels and bend elbows to lower body toward surface in one piece.
- Press back to start. That’s 1 rep.
Pro tip: Elbows should point out at 45 degrees away from ribs during pushup.
Dumbbell Floor Press
Why it rocks: This exercise challenges your chest as well as the upper back, too.
How to:
- Lie on back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, about a foot from seat. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with backs of upper arms resting on floor.
- From here, press dumbbells up by extending arms straight.
- Then, with control, bend at elbows to lower weights down until triceps touch the floor. That's 1 rep.
Standing Cactus Arms
Why it rocks: While the Arnold press is typically more shoulder-dominant, this variation of the move puts greater emphasis on the chest.
How to:
- Start standing with feet under hips and holding a pair of dumbbells.
- Bend elbows to 90 degrees and bring them in front of body in line with shoulders, palms facing midline.
- Keep this shape and height while bringing arms wide out to sides.
- Reverse movement to bring elbows back in front of face. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: Squeeze chest muscles as you bring elbows together.
Alternating Dumbbell Floor Press
Why it rocks: Alternating floor presses give your arms a little more rest than pressing both sides together so you can push extra weight. They also hit your core a little harder.
How to:
- Start lying on back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with elbows out about 45 degrees from sides.
- Keep lower back pressed into floor, press weights straight up over chest, and extend arms.
- Bend left elbow to lower weight down until back of upper left arm returns to floor.
- Reverse the movement to press left weight back up to meet right.
- Repeat with right arm. That's 1 rep. Complete 8 to 10 reps.
Close Grip Chest Press
Why it rocks: This chest press variation switches up your grip so you can really focus on squeezing your pecs throughout every rep.
How to:
- Lie on back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing each other.
- Keeping dumbbells together, press weights up over chest until arms are straight.
- Then, with control, reverse motion and slowly lower to return to start. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: Keep lower back pressed into floor throughout movement.
Hip Bridge With Chest Fly
Why it rocks: This exercise hones in on the chest muscles and works the posterior chain. Maintaining a contraction in your core while you work your arms will help strengthen your abs, too.
How to:
- Lie on back with knees bent and feet placed flat on the ground.
- Hold dumbbells in each hand lifted above chest.
- Lift hips toward ceiling, keeping core engaged.
- Hold this glute bridge position (knees, hips and shoulders in a straight line), and lower arms to the sides of body, parallel with shoulders, until hands are about six inches off the ground.
- Slowly reverse the arm movement and return to start. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: Maintain a slight bend in your elbows.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press
Why it rocks: You get similar benefits that you would with the regular floor press but by working one arm at a time, you help to ID and correct any muscular imbalances.
How to:
- Lie on back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in right hand with elbow bent at 90 degrees, upper arm resting on ground, and palm facing away from you.
- Push weight straight toward the ceiling until arm is extended.
- Slowly bend arm and lower it to the side until tricep touches the ground. Reverse the movement and return to start.
- That's 1 rep. Complete all reps, then repeat on the other side.
Tabletop Chest Press
Why it rocks: “This one is all about having your core turned on and more involved in the movement,” Simone says.
How to:
- Lie on back with knees bent and feet lifted so your legs form a 90-degree angle. (Option to keep feet planted on the ground as a modification.)
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend arms upward, palms facing toward feet.
- Slowly bend arms and lower them to sides, parallel with shoulders, until your nearly touch the ground.
- Slowly reverse the movement and return to start. That's 1 rep.
Pro tip: “Make it harder by extending your legs straight out while keeping your low back firm to the floor,” Simone challenges.
Pop Pushup
Why it rocks: Simone says that this variation targets your core stability and serratus, which can support your neck and upper back, a bit more.
How to:
- Place hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor in a modified high-plank position; your body should form a straight line from head to heels.
- Keeping core tight, bend elbows to lower body toward the floor.
- Press back to start.
- At the top, jump hands closer together. (Option to walk hands in and out as a modification.)
- Keeping core tight, bend elbows to lower body toward the floor.
- Press back to start. That’s 1 rep.
Pro tip: “You should have impeccable form with a regular pushup before attempting the wider variation,” Simone says.
Plank To T-Raise
How to:
- Start in a plank position with feet wider than hips.
- Slowly bend elbows to lower chest toward the mat, keeping hips, knees, and spine aligned.
- Press through hands to raise up to full plank. (Modify by skipping the pushup.)
- Keep toes in place but lower heels down to the right until they reach the mat while rotating torso to face left side of mat and lifting left arm into the air in line with shoulder.
- Return to start and repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep. Complete 10 reps.
Elevated Pushup
Why it rocks: “It’s good to build strength in awkward positions, such as by elevating one of your hands,” Simone says. “Your core is going to work a little harder, too.”
How to:
- Start in a high-plank position with one hand on top of a yoga block or elevated surface. (Note: You can drop to your knees for a modified version.)
- Engage your core, keep your legs straight, and hips level.
- Slowly lower yourself toward the ground bracing your core. Stop when your elbows get to 90 degrees.
- Push hard into the ground to lift your body back up in one long line. That’s 1 rep.
Pro tip: Simone says to start with a modest incline before working your way up.
Half Turkish Get-Up
How to:
- Start lying face up with right leg straight on mat, left leg bent, foot flat on floor, right arm out at side on floor at 45-degree angle, and left arm holding kettlebell above shoulder with tricep on floor and elbow at a 45-degree angle from body.
- Raise the weight up above chest, keeping gaze on it, until arm is straight but not locked at the elbow.
- Push into right forearm to begin lifting torso up from mat.
- Rise onto right palm to sit up tall.
- Reverse entire movement to return to start. That's 1 rep.
- Complete all reps, then switch sides and repeat.
Crossbody Biceps Curl
Why it rocks: This curl variation engages the chest muscles along with the biceps for an effective upper body burn.
How to:
- Start kneeling with knees under hips, holding a dumbbell in each hand. (Or, stand with feet shoulder-width apart.) Palms should be resting against the front of your thighs.
- Keeping elbow glued to your side, raise right dumbbell toward left shoulder.
- Lower back to start.
- Repeat on the other side. That's 1 rep.
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