CHEST

Your chest is composed of two muscle groups: the large pectoralis major, and the smaller pectoralis minor underneath. The flat, thick pec major originates in a broad sweep along the anterior surface of the clavicle, down the sternum, and from the cartilage of the ribs. It inserts into a much smaller area, the intertubular groove at the top of the humerus (upper arm).

The narrow, triangular pec minor originates from the upper and outer surfaces of three ribs and inserts into the coracoid process, a bony protrusion next to the shoulder joint.

The pec major is responsible for a number of actions involving the humerus, such as lifting the arm from the side (adduction), from the front (flexion), or turning it in an arm-wrestling motion (internal rotation). The pec minor has one major function, which is to stabilize the scapula.

The most popular exercises to add resistance to these basic movements include the bench press, dumbbell press, dumbbell flye, cable crossover, and the push-up. But they're by no means the only options. Let's take chest training a step farther and look at more advanced techniques to shock your muscles into growth.

MUST-DO MOVEMENTS

1

 180-DEGREE TWISTING DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS

If you're like me and have suffered a torn pec while benching, you'll agree that the barbell bench press is not ideal for everyone. I also find that my shoulders take over when I'm doing the flat and incline bench, so I prefer to use the dumbbell chest press instead.

But I don't just do any chest press. I add a twist—literally—in order to utilize the benefits of a supine or reverse grip. A study performed in my home town of Toronto determined that when subjects used a supinated grip during an isometric hold of the flat bench press, it resulted in increased activity for the upper portion of the pectoralis major as compared to a regular pronated grip.1

EXECUTION

180-DEGREE TWISTING DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS

1. Lie back on a bench holding two dumbbells with a standard grip (palms forward) and arms extended over your chest.
2. Slowly lower the dumbbells to your outer chest, then press and rotate 180 degrees as you push back up to starting position. You should have a supine grip with your pinkies inward and palms facing your face at the top of the movement. Hold this peak contraction for 2 seconds before lowering into the next rep.
3. Keep your shoulders back and down during the press to maximize pec involvement and minimize delt takeover.

2

 CLOSE-GRIP WEIGHTED PUSH-UP

The push-up is a great exercise, but you have to do it a certain way in order to maximize chest activity. Try using the close-grip weighted push-up as a finishing move after you're done trashing your chest with the weights. The narrow hand position brings out the inner pecs and the added weight across the back elevates this from an everyday move to a pec destroyer.

Back in 2005, researchers at the Mayo Clinic tested 11 men and 29 women to determine the effect of three different hand positions when performing the push-up: shoulder-width, wider, and narrower. The study showed the EMG activity in the pectoralis major was greatest during push-ups with a narrow hand position.2

EXECUTION

CLOSE-GRIP WEIGHTED PUSH-UP

1. Start in a push-up position with your hands about six inches apart. Add resistance by wearing a weighted vest or have a training partner place a weight or sandbag on your back.
2. Slowly lower your chest to the ground and press back up until you fully extend your elbows.

3

 CABLE CROSSOVER 21S

Cable work is a great addition to free weights. It provides constant tension throughout the range of motion. But can it match the same level of muscle activation? Perhaps so, according to a recent study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise that investigated the EMG activity of nine common chest exercises.3 A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin found that the bent-forward cable crossover produced nearly the same pectoralis major stimulation as the barbell bench press, which was rated the highest.

The beauty of the cable crossover is that you can adjust the pulleys to any height you want, which is why I recommend cable crossover 21s. You get the benefit of high, mid-level, andlow crossovers in one triset, attacking your chest from all angles. Remember to keep the arms and body stationary so that you perform the exercise from the shoulders. This will help maximize the stretch and contraction of the chest during each rep.

EXECUTION

LOW CABLE CROSSOVER

First 7 reps (low position)

1. Starting with the cables in the lowest position, grab the handles and move into a staggered stance with one foot forward and one foot back. Lean forward slightly from the hip. This is your base position for all three movements.
2. With the handles out at your sides and an underhand grip, squeeze the cables up and in to eye level using a scooping motion. Perform 7 reps in this position.

MID CABLE CROSSOVER

Second 7 reps (middle position)

3. Move the cables to chest height, grab the handles, and get into the base position.
4. Push the handles out and in front of your chest with the palms facing each other.
5. Resist the weight as you open up in a wide arc. Pause when you feel a light stretch in your chest, then squeeze back to the center with the elbows slightly bent and locked in place. Perform 7 reps in this position.

HIGH CABLE CROSSOVER

Final 7 reps (high position)

6. Move the cables just above your head, grab the handles, and move back into the base position.
7. Press the handles down and in front of your upper abdominals with palms facing inward.
8. Open your arms back and up until you feel a good stretch across the pecs, pause, and then squeeze back in and under your chest. Perform your last 7 reps in this position.

4

 KETTLEBELL FLYE

Kettlebells are harder to grip than dumbbells, which makes you work harder for each rep. Using kettlebells for chest flyes will cause your pecs to recruit more muscle fibers to fight the weight hanging below your palms. Start with kettlebells that are 10 pounds lighter than what you would use on a standard dumbbell flye.

If you find yourself bending your elbows during the lowering phase, choose a lighter weight to ensure proper form. You want this to be a full-range flye, not a half-flye, half-press.

EXECUTION

KETTLEBELL FLYE

1. Hold the kettlebells over your chest as you did in the press, but turn your palms to face each other.
2. Using a wide arc from the shoulders, lower your arms with elbows slightly bent until you feel a good stretch across the chest. Pause and contract the pecs against the extra resistance that the kettlebells provide at the bottom range.
3. Squeeze your pecs as you bring your arms back up in a wide hugging motion. Keep your shoulders back and squeeze your pecs together at the top of the motion.

5

 FORWARD-LEANING DIP

The dip is no joke. It's a tough compound exercise that makes great use of your bodyweight. However, dips are usually performed in an upright position to target the triceps. By simply adding a forward lean to this already-effective exercise, you'll stimulate more chest activity.

You can attempt to do this on your own, but if you really want to get the proper angle you'll need a training partner to help you get into the right position. You can easily make it more challenging by adding weight via chains or a belt.

A word of caution for people with any shoulder issues: Start with a small range of motion and listen to your body to determine how deep you can go. I always advise getting a full range of motion, but not at the risk of injury.

EXECUTION

FORWARD-LEANING DIP

1. Place your hands on the bars and push yourself up until your elbows are locked. Cross your legs back with your knees bent, core tight, and hamstrings and glutes braced.
2. Have your training partner hold and pull your legs back until you're in a forward leaning position, using just enough assistance to get you into the right angle. Your body should be at approximately a 30-degree angle to the ground.
3. Lower yourself until your shoulders are lower than your elbows, or you feel a good stretch across the chest. Listen to your body and don't push through shoulder pain.
4. Push yourself up by extending your elbows to 180 degrees for a full range of motion. Visualize the pec squeeze as you drive up.

Videos For Chest Training

Here's one of the best bodyweight home workouts for packing on size on your chest

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to queue for your gym’s sole bench to build an athletic upper body. In fact, bench pressing isn’t even the best way to do it. This zero-kit workout designed by strength and conditioning expert JC Santana and composed entirely of press-up variations hits the muscle fibres in your chest and arms from every direction and uses the optimal number of reps needed for growth. Better yet, you can do it at home in just a few minutes a day.

Directions

• Do this workout once or twice a week.
• Do it 48 hours away from your regular bench day or as your regular upper-body workout.
• Do all the reps of each move back to back (or with as little rest as possible), rest for two minutes, repeat, rest for two minutes and then repeat one last time.

THE WORKOUT

Rotational press-up – Reps 20

• Start in a press-up position and lower yourself to one side, twisting as you do so most of your weight is on one shoulder.
• Press up, then do the same on the other side. That’s two reps.

Shuffle press-up – Reps 20

• Get in a press-up position with one hand ahead of your shoulder and one behind. Lower yourself to the floor and press up. That’s one rep.
• At the top of the move, jump or walk your hands into the opposite position, then do the next rep. Continue alternating.

Diamond press-up – Reps 10

• For this triceps blaster, position your hands together under your chest so your index fingers and thumbs form a triangle, and lower yourself until your chest touches your hands.
• Press back up to the start.

Gorilla press-up Reps 10

• Start in a standard press-up position, lower yourself to the floor and then press up quickly, launching yourself off the floor.
• Slap your chest quickly before returning your hands to the start position.

One-leg press-up Reps 10

• Raise one leg, keeping your glutes tight, and do a press-up.
• Switch legs and repeat. That’s two reps. Now do the rest.

Five more home workout chest moves

After a few weeks of doing that workout add variety by switching out some of the moves with these ones. Even if it’s just a slight variation on the move it’s always good to hit your muscles in different ways and from different angles to ensure maximum growth. Some of the moves are performed with the use of a box, but if you don't have one at home just grab anything that will elevate your body when your arm(s) rests on it, a large thick book for example or even a pile of MF magazines.

Alternating shuffle-press up

Get yourself into the classic press-up position. Move your left hand to the right until both hands are next to each other. Then, slide your right hand further right until your hands are back in the original position (shoulder-width apart). At this point perform a press-up and then repeat the move in the opposite direction. This is one rep.

Cross-over box press up

Perform a one-arm press-up with your right hand on a box (or any other raised platform). From the starting position lift your left hand to beside your right, then move your right hand down to the floor keeping your hands roughly shoulder-width apart. Perform a press-up. That counts as one rep.

Dynamic box press-up

Place both hands on a box in the diamond press-up position (outlined above). Lower your body and press as explosively as you can off the box, so your hands are able to land on the floor with the box placed between them. Immediately lower your body and press explosively up so that your hands land straight back on the box in the position that you started in. That counts as one rep. Watch your chin though, people have been known to catch theirs on the box mid rep, not pretty.

One arm press-up

Quite self-explanatory this one. Perform a press up with your left hand on the floor and your right hand supported on the box. Switch over arms and then repeat. Remember that counts as one rep, not two.

Hands-on-box diamond press-up

Once again, fairly straightforward. Perform a diamond press-up but this time keep both hands planted on the box.

Workout Details

Getting in a good strength building chest workout at home can be a challenge especially if you don't have any equipment.  This routine solves that problem with a selection of push ups that can easily get you sore the next day.

Though this video can be used as a standalone routine, it is best to use this as part of a larger program that targets other areas of the body.  We suggest coupling it with some kind of cardio beforehand as well as targeting the upper back and biceps (the muscles that oppose the ones used in this workout) to create a well rounded routine.

Also this video just covers one set of each of these exercises and if done with the hardest version you can handle then you can easily get your chest sore the next day but doing this routine twice through in a single day with a few hours break in between is best if you want to use it for mass/strength building.  You will also want to focus on the "negative" of each repetition if you are wanting to increase size.  For these versions of a push up the negative portion of the repetition is the drop down towards the ground. If you focus on a slow controlled drop even if you can't push yourself up it will increase the effectiveness of the push up and allow you to build more strength and size.

Below is a more in-depth description of each push up variation and how to get the most out of each.

Workout Structure:
30 Seconds per set with 30 seconds in between each to rest. No equipment is needed other than an optional exercise mat.

1. Single Leg Push Up: This should be your most challenging push up so be sure to push yourself to get the most out of each repetition. Start on your hands and toes with your feet spread to shoulder width or wider and lift one foot so that it is hovering off of the ground, then complete each repetition as you would a traditional push up. The wider you set your feet the harder the push up will be as it will shift more weight to one arm.  You can actually get the to point where you are using just one hand for 100% of the load. Switch which foot is up and repeat for the same amount of time and/or repetitions.
2. Wide Push Up: Done exactly like a traditional push up but with your hands set as wide as is comfortable and you can control.  We suggest hands 2 to 4 inches outside the width of your elbows when arms are straight out from your sides. This version puts more strain on your chest muscles so drop to your knees if your form starts to slide.
3. Staggered Hand Push Up: Place one hand by your waist/hip with your fingers facing towards your feet keeping that elbow tucked to your ribs.  The other hand should be next to your face with your fingers pointing towards your nose and that elbow pointing up and away from the direction of your fingers. Try to keep your shoulders and hips as flat to the ground as you can. This not only targets your chest in a unique way but also puts extra torque on your core muscles forcing them to do more work to keep your body inline.
4. Narrow/Tricep Push Up: Place both hands under your chest with your elbows tucked to your sides, fingers pointing up towards your face. Then push through your hands to a full plank position. This version focuses more on your triceps and lower chest so be careful as your triceps will most likely be exhausted by this point. Do a full version and just focus on the "negative" (from a full extension dropping towards the ground) or switch to a half version off of your knees. Just be sure to keep your back flat and hips inline with your chest and legs.
5. Side Push Up:  Lay on your side and place the arm closest to the ground around your waist and the other arm in front of your chest with your hand flat on the ground with your fingers pointing up inline with your body. Press into your hand hinging at your hip lifting your shoulders up off of the ground. If you are particularly strong then come up on to your hands and knees rather than your hip and if you are Superman then come up on to your feet (I have never seen the this last version done, by the way).

Though this routine is not necessarily a heavy hitter for calories, 64 on the low end and 113 on the high end, it will continue to burn calories long after you are done due to the afterburn effect of strength training. Though not as high as after a HIIT routine it can still add up to a substantial extra burn not to mention that strength training and mass building (relatively) permanently increase your metabolism in the long run.