The 4 best exercises for chest for your workout plan

Below, you can find four basic chest exercises you should definitely incorporate in your daily workout plan.

Barbell bench press

Lie on your back and make sure that it touches the bench properly. If needed, lift your feet on the bench or put them on a step. When your core is activated, open your arms shoulder-width apart. First, pull the barbell close to your chest. Then, push the barbell up, trying not to stretch your elbows too much. This exercise usually is good as first one in your workout plan to warm up and get your chest pumped.

Caution:
a. It is very important that you keep your wrists straight during the exercise.
b. Inhale during the first step of the exercise and exhale during the second step.

Dumbbell incline bench press (60° angle)

Next step in your workout plan is the use of dumbbells. As in the previous exercise, make sure that your back touches the bench. The main difference is that you are now going to use dumbbells in order to isolate the two sides of the chest muscle. Pay special attention when isolating the pectoral muscle and try to use the deltoid muscle as little as possible.

Incline dumbbell flies

For this exercise, put your body in the same position as in the previous two exercises. The main difference during the execution of this exercise is that you are now going to extend your arms out to the sides instead of pressing them above your chest. During the extension, your arms should be opened to the width of your chest. During the final step of the exercise, connect the two dumbbells above your chest. Keep your wrists straight, inhale during the first step and exhale during the second one.

Caution:
Make sure that your arms are not completely straight, but keep them slightly bent. Try to be as steady and slow as possible.

Push ups

Push ups are probably the best and most thorough exercise for the upper part of the body and they should be part of any workout plan. One of the main advantages of push ups is that you can choose from many variations, which gives you the opportunity to benefit no matter what your fitness level is. Keep your arms open, a little bit more than shoulder width apart. Make sure that your legs are straight and are touching each other. Pull your chest close to the ground and stop just before touchdown. Push your body up until your arms are fully extended. It is important that you keep your body in a straight line and that your face looks down and to the front. The execution should be steady, while always keeping the pelvis straight.

What are you doing to make sure your chest muscles are in shape? Do you have another cool exercise we did not list? Let us know in the comments below! And if you are looking for another great workout plan, try out these awesome exercises for the flat and trained stomach you always dreamed about.

Spiros Anastasiou
Personal Trainer & Gym Instructor
Holmes Place Greece