chest exercises

chest workout routines:

Choose a chest workout exercise that you wish to perform, and fully labeled directions shall be provided on the following page:


Machine Chest Press

This is a good, basic chest exercise that is ideal for building basic upper-body strength, especially in the front of the shoulders and triceps muscle in the upper arm.
1 Adjust the seat height so the handles are in line with your mid-chest area.

2 Keeping your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in line, push forward, extending your arms and keeping your back straight against the seat.

3 Do not snap your arms out - instead, keep a slight bend in your elbow when your arms are at their full extension.

4 Return to the start position, keeping the movement under control and maintaining the alignment of your wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Aim to feel a slight stretch in the chest area when returning back.

Machine Chest Flye


This is a good finishing exercise that can also be used to isolate the chest muscles. It works within a fixed range of motion so there is little chance that any errors will creep in or any injury occur.
1 Adjust the seat height so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Depress the foot level (if necessary) and grasp the handholds, pushing your forearms into the pads.

2 Keeping your back straight, sit tall and brace your shoulders and chest, and keeping the movement under control bring your arms together in front of your chest until the pads meet.

3 Hold for a second, contracting your chest, and then return to the start position, with the movement under complete control, and repeat for the desired number of reps.

Cable Crossover

This is a very good exercise for helping to shape the chest, and is also a good way to finish off a chest workout. You can work different areas of your chest by varying the tilt of your upper body.
1 Stand with your feet slightly wider than a shoulder-width apart with your back facing the cable machine. Select a light weight, grasp the handles, and then bend at the waist, keeping your arms out to the side of your body with your elbows slightly bent.

2 Inhale, keep your abdominals tight, then bring in your arms, making them meet in front of your chest. Make sure that your wrists, elbows, and shoulders are traveling in the same line until your hands meet in the middle.

3 Hold for a second and squeeze your chest. Then, keeping the movement under control, ease your arms back to the start - stretch your chest, making sure that your shoulders are relaxed and your back is straight.

Dumbbell Flye


This exercise isolates the chest and can also help with flexibility. However, it should not be used with heavy weights or undertaken by beginners, because of the stress that it places on the shoulder girdle.

1 Grasp a light-to-moderate pair of dumbbells, then lie back with your arms extended up over your upper chest. Your elbows should be slightly bent and your arms facing each other.

2 Inhale, then slowly lower your arms out to the sides of your torso in a semi-circle - keep the movement under control with your elbows still slightly bent - until there is a full, comfortable stretch in the area of your chest and shoulders around the level of shoulder-height.

3 Hold the stretch for a second before bringing the dumbbells back in to meet at the top of the movement - exhale as you return to the starting position.

Variations:
- try using inclining and declining benches to work different areas of your chest
Precautions:
- make sure that your lower back does not become over-extended or arch to compensate for suing too much weight
- keep your shoulders relaxed and in contact with the bench - do not round your shoulders off at any point


Dumbbell Pull-Over


This exercise develops the entire chest and also works the triceps muscles and back muscles. It is a good linking exercise between a chest workout and a back workout.

1 Lie on a flat bench with your head supported and your feet either in contract with the floor or a raised platform. Hold a dumbbell with both hands, encircling it with your palms against the underside of the top set of plates. Raise the dumbbell up in front of your chest, with your elbows slightly bent.

2 Inhale and lower the dumbbell back past your head and back to the limit of your range of motion, keeping your elbows slightly bent at all times. Hold the stretch for a second before exhaling and returning the dumbbell back up to the starting position.

3 Repeat for the number of repetitions desired, maintaining correct posture.

Decline Close-Grip Bench Press


This exercise targets primarily the triceps, but includes some lower chest muscles.

1 While lying on a declined bench, grab the bar using an overhand grip, but hold them closer together than the normal shoulder-width apart.

2 Lift it off the uprights and hold it over your lower chest at arm's length.

3 Slowly lower the bar to your chest, while keeping your elbows as close to your sides as possible. Pause, then push the bar up until your arms are straight.