Your chest muscles, also known as the pectoralis muscles, are an integral part of your body. They are essential for proper pushing and lifting movements, and you can sculpt them through weight-bearing exercises such as weight lifting.
The secret to stronger chest muscles is to lift weights that challenge your muscles and stay consistent with a workout plan that involves pushing movements. The most common and most effective workouts for stronger chest muscles include:
- Dumbbell Chest Press
- Decline Push-ups
- Dumbbell Flyes
- Svend Press
Dumbbell Chest Press
The dumbbell chest press is a simple yet effective dumbbell exercise that helps build chest muscles. The dumbbell chest press works every muscle in your chest and is a simple movement to learn. Choose dumbbells appropriate for where your muscles are currently at in the training process, and work your way up to heavier weights.
To complete the dumbbell chest press, start by laying on your back on the floor, or preferably on a workout bench, and hold the dumbbells with your palms facing up. Keep your elbows parallel to each other and the ground, and then slowly extend your arms, lifting the weight above your body. Press the dumbbells together at the top of the movement, then gradually decline to the starting position.
Decline Push Ups
Another powerful move that builds chest muscles is the decline push-up. A decline push-up will work all the muscles in your chest and your core. Improving your core strength while working your chest muscles is crucial if you want to excel at performing chest exercises.
You can use a workout bench for a decline push-up, but if you don’t have one, you can use a chair, your bed, or any other piece of furniture that will lift your feet off the ground a few inches.
First, place your feet on the bench or any prop you use to gain elevation and place your hands shoulder-width apart. Then slowly bend your elbows, making them into a 45-degree angle with your body. Pause when your face is almost touching the ground, then lift yourself back into starting position.
Dumbbell Flyes
If you’re looking for more dumbbell exercises to help you grow your chest muscles, dumbbell flyes are another excellent exercise to include in your program. Dumbbell flyes are great because you can do them at home with a simple set of dumbbells, yet the movement is super effective.
To complete a dumbbell flye, lay on your workout bench with your four points of contact (feet, butt, back, and head) in place. Then, with your palms facing up, stretch your arms out as wide as they can, bending slightly at the elbows.
When your arms are parallel with the ground, you can choose to either go lower for a more effective workout or, if that’s too challenging, stop there and then lift your arms back up, touching the dumbbells together at the top of the movement. Repeat this exercise with a weight that allows you to do at least 8-10 reps.
Svend Press
Finally, when trying to grow your chest muscles, the Svend press is another excellent exercise you can do from home with a weight plate or a dumbbell. The Svend press is a unique exercise that adds the extra challenge of stability to the movement. Since you’re standing rather than laying on a bench for support, you are utilizing your stability muscles which will help build a solid base for properly growing your chest muscles.
If you’re using a weight plate to complete the exercise, you will start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and the plate between your hands. Your hands must be in an open-palm position, pressing together to hold the weight in place.
Next, lift your elbows, so they are parallel to the ground, and then slowly extend them until your arms are outstretched in front of your body. Hold that position for about three seconds, then slowly bring the weight back into your body.
If you are sticking to strictly dumbbell exercises, you can do this exercise using a dumbbell in place of the weight plate. If this is the case, you simply choose a dumbbell that is the proper weight for your current fitness level and press your palms into the top of the weight, keeping it from dropping on the ground using the pressing motion of your hands.
Get the Chest Muscles You’ve Always Dreamed of
You can achieve stronger chest muscles and core exercises at home or at the local gym. Following these four chest exercises, increasing the weight when necessary, incorporating a cardio routine, and overall health eating can improve your health and fitness, giving you the chest muscles you’ve always dreamed of and the strength you’ve always wanted from a simple workout plan.
