Chest exercises in 3D

The chest: Pectoralis major (clavicular and sternal heads)

The chest is one large fan-shaped muscle on each side, the pectoralis major. Its upper (clavicular) head starts on the inner half of the collarbone; its larger lower (sternal) head starts on the breastbone and the cartilage of the upper ribs. Both converge into a tendon that twists as it inserts on the front of the upper arm bone.

What the chest does

• Brings the arm across the body (horizontal adduction) — the hugging movement of a fly
• Pushes the arm forward from the chest — every press and push-up
• Turns the arm inward (internal rotation)
• Upper fibres help raise the arm forward; lower fibres pull a raised arm down

The 9 best chest exercises

Each one is shown on the 3D figure above, position by position, with the chest lit red. Tap one to watch it.

Push-up

Beginner · Bodyweight · works chest, with help from the triceps, front shoulders, serratus anterior and abs. Typical: 3 × 8–12. Watch it in 3D

1. Place your hands on the floor slightly wider than your shoulders, fingers pointing forward.
2. Step your feet back so your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes.
3. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor, elbows angled about 45° from your sides.
4. Stop just above the floor, then push the floor away until your arms are straight.

Keep in mind: Body moves as one stiff plank; Elbows back at 45°, not flared out to the sides; Push the floor away at the top. Avoid: hips sagging or piking up; head dropping toward the floor; only going halfway down.

Incline push-up

Beginner · Bodyweight, Bench · works chest, with help from the triceps, front shoulders and serratus anterior. Typical: 3 × 8–12. Watch it in 3D

1. Put your hands on the edge of a sturdy bench, box or kitchen counter, a little wider than your shoulders.
2. Walk your feet back until your body is straight from head to heels.
3. Lower your chest to the edge, elbows angled back about 45°.
4. Push back up to straight arms.

Keep in mind: The higher the surface, the easier the push-up; Keep a straight line from head to heels; Elbows back, not out. Avoid: hips sagging; using a surface that can slide; shrugging the shoulders.

Barbell bench press

Intermediate · Barbell, Bench · works chest, with help from the triceps and front shoulders. Typical: 3 × 8–12. Watch it in 3D

1. Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and down.
3. Unrack the bar and hold it over your shoulders with straight arms.
4. Lower it slowly to your lower chest, elbows about 45–70° from your body.
5. Press the bar back up and slightly back until it is over your shoulders again.

Keep in mind: Shoulder blades pinned back and down; Forearms vertical at the bottom; Feet push into the floor. Avoid: bouncing the bar off the chest; elbows flared straight out at 90°; hips lifting off the bench.

Dumbbell bench press

Beginner · Dumbbells, Bench · works chest, with help from the triceps and front shoulders. Typical: 3 × 8–12. Watch it in 3D

1. Sit on the end of the bench with the dumbbells on your thighs, then lie back and bring them over your chest.
2. Set your shoulder blades back and down, feet flat on the floor.
3. Lower the dumbbells out and down beside your chest until you feel a stretch.
4. Press them back up until they almost touch over your chest.

Keep in mind: Wrists straight, stacked over the elbows; Lower deeper than a barbell allows; Press up and slightly in. Avoid: dropping the dumbbells too fast at the bottom; clanging them together at the top; arching the lower back off the bench.

Incline dumbbell press

Intermediate · Dumbbells, Bench · works chest and front shoulders, with help from the chest and triceps. Typical: 3 × 8–12. Watch it in 3D

1. Set a bench to about 30–45° and lie back with a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Hold the dumbbells over your upper chest, shoulder blades back and down.
3. Lower them out to the sides of your upper chest.
4. Press them back up over your collarbones.

Keep in mind: A low incline (30°) keeps the chest working; Elbows a little below the hands at the bottom; Chest up toward the dumbbells. Avoid: setting the bench so steep it becomes a shoulder press; letting the shoulders roll forward; short range of motion.

Dumbbell fly

Intermediate · Dumbbells, Bench · works chest, with help from the front shoulders and biceps. Typical: 3 × 8–12. Watch it in 3D

1. Lie on a flat bench holding the dumbbells over your chest, palms facing each other.
2. With a slight bend in your elbows, open your arms out to the sides in a wide arc.
3. Stop when you feel a good stretch across the chest, with your hands about level with the bench.
4. Bring the dumbbells back together as if hugging a big tree.

Keep in mind: Fixed, slight bend in the elbows; Move only at the shoulders; Light weight — it is a stretch, not a press. Avoid: bending the elbows more and turning it into a press; going too heavy and too deep; letting the shoulders shrug.

Cable crossover

Intermediate · Cable machine · works chest, with help from the front shoulders. Typical: 3 × 8–12. Watch it in 3D

1. Set both pulleys high and take a handle in each hand.
2. Step forward into a split stance and lean slightly forward, arms out to the sides with a slight elbow bend.
3. Pull the handles down and together in an arc until they meet in front of your hips.
4. Squeeze, then let your arms open slowly until you feel the stretch.

Keep in mind: Same slight elbow bend all the way; Hands meet low and in front; Chest stays proud. Avoid: pressing the handles instead of hugging; leaning too far forward; letting the weights slam back.

Chest dip

Advanced · Bodyweight · works chest and triceps, with help from the front shoulders and chest. Typical: 3 × 8–12. Watch it in 3D

1. Grip the parallel bars and jump or step up until your arms are straight.
2. Lean your chest slightly forward and bend your knees to keep your feet off the floor.
3. Bend your elbows and lower yourself until your shoulders are just below your elbows.
4. Press back up to straight arms.

Keep in mind: Lean forward for chest, stay upright for triceps; Shoulders down, away from the ears; Controlled depth. Avoid: dropping too deep and straining the shoulders; swinging the legs; shrugging at the bottom.

Dumbbell pullover

Intermediate · Dumbbells, Bench · works lats and chest, with help from the triceps and serratus anterior. Typical: 3 × 8–12. Watch it in 3D

1. Lie on a bench holding one dumbbell by its top end with both hands over your chest.
2. With a slight bend in your elbows, lower it back over your head in an arc.
3. Stop when you feel a big stretch along your sides, then pull it back over your chest.

Keep in mind: Fixed elbow bend; Ribs stay down; Feel the stretch in the armpits. Avoid: bending the elbows into a triceps extension; arching the lower back; dropping too deep with a heavy weight.

Exercises where the chest help

These train other muscles first, but the chest work alongside them:

• Overhead press (barbell)
• Dumbbell front raise (dumbbells)
• Pike push-up (bodyweight)
• Close-grip bench press (barbell, bench)
• Diamond push-up (bodyweight)
• Bench dip (bodyweight, bench)
• Lying dumbbell punch (dumbbells)
• Push-up plus (bodyweight)

How to train the chest

• Presses build the most chest: push-ups, bench press, dips. Add a fly to train the stretched position.
• Incline presses (30–45°) shift work toward the upper chest; dips and decline angles toward the lower chest.
• Keep the shoulder blades drawn back and down while pressing, so the chest — not the front of the shoulder — does the work.
• Lower slowly into a full but comfortable stretch; the stretched position is where the muscle grows best.

Questions

Other muscles: Front shoulders · Side shoulders · Rear shoulders · Serratus anterior · Rotator cuff · All muscles

General fitness information for healthy adults, not medical advice.