chest training,

“What are the best chest exercises to build my pecs?”

This is one of the most common questions that lands in my inbox on a weekly basis, and it’s no secret that the majority of lifters out there place chest training at the very top of their list of muscle building priorities at the gym.

In this post I’m going to outline a highly effective sequence of 3 individual chest exercises that I personally recommend to maximize your overall gains in pec mass and thickness.

Rather than blindly telling you to “do these exercises for this many sets and reps”, I’m also going to give concrete reasons for why each exercise has been selected and why I recommend performing it in place of other possible alternatives.

These lifts should be executed in the exact order that they’re listed and will give you a complete, well-rounded pec workout for consistent size and strength increases.

Do keep in mind that there are a million and one ways that you could effectively train your chest, and I’m not claiming that this is the be-all-end-all by any means. Any set of exercises that allows you to place the pecs under tension and consistently add weight over time will result in significant gains in muscle size and strength.

However, this is a specific sequence that I believe will be particularly effective for most people for all of the reasons I’m about to explain…

Chest Exercise #1: Flat Or Decline Dumbbell Press

In my view, these are the two very best chest exercises to select from as they utilize the best chest training tool available (dumbbells) at the optimal angle (flat/decline) to maximize pec hypertrophy.

Either variation is fine, and I simply recommend selecting the one that you most prefer and that you use it as the primary exercise in your chest training routine.

What makes the flat/decline dumbbell press the best choice to build chest mass as effectively as possible? Let’s go over it…

First off, why a dumbbell press rather than a barbell press?

I’ve talked in detail about the barbell press vs. dumbbell press for building chest size in previous posts, but I’ll quickly summarize the main points here…

* The primary function of the pecs is horizontal adduction of the humerus (bringing your upper arm across the front of your body), and dumbbell presses offer a superior range of motion through this function since the hands and arms can be brought together rather than being locked onto a fixed bar.

* Dumbbell presses force each arm to move independently, which prevents strength imbalances and ensures consistent development across the entire chest.

* Dumbbell presses reduce the chance of shoulder injuries since you can position your hands more comfortably and press your hands in a more natural arching motion.

Secondly, why the flat/decline angle?

The pec muscle is comprised of two main portions: the upper clavicular fibers (otherwise referred to as the “upper chest”) and the lower sternocostal fibers.

While some upper chest training is definitely important (we’ll cover this in the second exercise), it’s actually the lower fibers that make up the vast majority of the pec muscle.

For that reason, you’ll want to specifically target these fibers when your strength and energy are at their peak, and a flat or decline angle places your body into the proper position for this.

To start off your pec workout, perform 3-4 sets of flat or decline dumbbell presses for 5 to 7 reps per set.

Chest Exercise #2: 30 Degree Incline Dumbbell Press

As I just mentioned, targeting the upper clavicular fibers is still important for complete chest development from top to bottom, and an incline dumbbell press is the best way to accomplish this.

You’ll be using dumbbells here for the same reasons we just talked about, and you’ll be using the 30 degree incline since this properly angles your body for direct stimulation of the upper chest.

Perform 3-4 sets of incline dumbbell presses for 5 to 7 reps per set.

Chest Exercise #3: Cable Flye (High-To-Low Angle)

To finish off your pec workout you’ll be performing a cable flye utilizing a high to low angle. Flyes isolate your pecs at a slightly different angle than presses and are a great way to round out your chest routine for complete pec development.

There are a ton of different flye exercises you can choose from, such as dumbbell flyes, cable flyes and machine flyes, but as I discussed in my previous post (The Best Chest Fly Exercise), cable flyes are definitely the superior choice.

First off, why use cables rather than dumbbells?

Simple: because of the direction that gravity is pulling the weights (straight up and down) and the path that the weights are traveling in, dumbbells only provide a high degree of tension on the pecs in the bottom half of the range of motion.

As you press the weights up past halfway the tension gradually decreases on the pecs, and at the very top of the movement there is very little to no stress on these muscles at all.

Cable flyes solve this by pulling the resistance out to the sides rather than straight up and down. As a result, you’ll be placing your pecs under significant tension both at the very bottom of the movement all the way into the fully contracted position.

Secondly, why the high-to-low angle?

Setting the cables high up on the stand and pressing them downward places the resistance in line with the lower sternocostal fibers where the bulk of your chest mass is located.

And since the upper chest makes up such a small portion of your overall pecs, there’s no need to directly train it any further using a flye movement if you’re already performing an incline press as part of the workout.

To finish off your pec workout, perform 3-4 sets of cable flyes at a high to low angle for 8 to 10 reps.

There are 3 main questions I usually receive in response to these recommendations, so let me quickly address them here…

“Why Are There No Barbell Presses Included?”

There’s nothing wrong with a barbell press, and it certainly is an effective chest exercise for building size and strength.

However, the truth is that there is no necessity for a barbell press in a routine that is designed for muscle hypertrophy, as it doesn’t offer you anything that a dumbbell press does not, but yet does pose several disadvantages which we discussed previously. (See previous post “Are Bench Presses Necessary” for more info)

“Why Are Wide-Grip Dips Not Included?”

Contrary to traditional bodybuilding advice, if you examine the exact mechanics behind a wide-grip dip you’ll see that it actually isn’t a great movement for maximizing chest gains.

Dips primarily involve flexion of the shoulder and extension of the elbow (rather than adduction of the humerus), meaning that they mostly hit the front of the shoulders and the triceps rather than the pecs.

They also place the shoulder joint into an awkward position and are easily the most dangerous pressing exercise you can perform at the gym.

Again, dips certainly will allow you to build your chest, and performing them doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get injured, but all things considered, the risk-reward just isn’t worth it, especially when you already have superior chest exercises in your arsenal anyway.

“What About Targeting The Inner And Outer Chest?”

There are no are exercises specifically for this purpose because it’s simply not possible to target the inner or the outer chest over any other portion of the muscle.

You can target the upper or lower chest because you’re dealing with two different sets of fibers, but you can’t target the inner or outer because when one portion of the same set of fibers fire, the entire set of fibers will fire with it.

The Perfect Pec Workout: Review

So, that’s all there is to it…

Flat Or Decline Dumbbell Press: 3-4 Sets of 5-7 Reps

Incline Dumbbell Press: 3-4 Sets of 5-7 Reps

Cable Flye (High-To-Low): 3-4 Sets Of 8-10 Reps

Again, there are an endless number of different ways you could train your pecs for mass gains, but this is particular routine utilizes the most effective chest training tools available and at the proper angles to allow for effective, balanced stimulation of the chest, and in a safe and sustainable way.

WHY AREN'T You GAINING MUSCLE RIGHT NOW

So you’re putting your time in at the gym… you’re following what you think is a proper diet… you’re taking the supplements… you’re getting your rest every night…

There’s just one problem: you’re not gaining any noticeable muscle.

Yes, there’s nothing more frustrating than committing yourself to a muscle building program and not seeing any appreciable changes to your appearance as each week passes.

But I can tell you this with certainty…

If you truly aren’t getting any return on your muscle building efforts right now, the immediate fix is likely very simple and straightforward.

Before I give you the 3 simple reasons why you aren’t gaining muscle right now, let me first clarify that achieving significant gains for an average natural trainee takes time and patience.

If you’re idea of “failing” to gain muscle is that you haven’t put 2 inches on your arms in 4 weeks, it’s time for a reality check.

This whole thing is a gradual process, and if you’re gaining somewhere around 0.5-1 pounds of relatively lean body weight per week and your lifts are going up in the gym consistently, you’re definitely on the right track and just need to give it more time.

However, if you’re truly in a place of complete stagnation and your body weight, strength and muscle measurements are not budging at all, you are guaranteed to be making at least 1 of the 3 following mistakes…

“Why Can’t I Gain Muscle?” – 3 Critical Mistakes

Mistake #1: You’re Not Training Hard Enough, Period.

Muscle growth is an adaptive response to stress. If you aren’t using up a sufficient percentage of your muscle’s available momentary resources on each individual set, your body has NO incentive to build upon its existing resources by increasing the size and strength of the muscles.

Your body has no idea that you’re standing in an air-conditioned gym lifting barbells, dumbbells and cables. All it is doing is responding to the direct physical demands placed upon it. And if it already has enough available resources to respond to those demands with relative ease, there is no need for any change to occur.

So buckle down, and get serious.

Every single set should be a fully focused effort, and those last few reps should be downright uncomfortable and tough to perform. If they aren’t, you’re just not training hard enough.

My recommendation is to perform every set within the 5-12 rep range, and to continue the set at least 1-2 reps short of concentric muscular failure. Concentric failure is the point in the set where you cannot complete an additional rep using proper form despite a 100% all-out effort.

This level of intensity will be sufficient to stimulate hypertrophy to an optimal level.

Mistake #2: You’re Ignoring The Law Of Progressive Overload

Putting forth a good hard effort in the gym is the foundational first step, but it’s only half of the equation.

That’s because in order to see continual, ongoing gains in muscle size over time, you must be continually progressing in the amount of weight you lift and/or number of reps performed on all of your major exercises.

This is known as the “law of progressive overload”, and it is absolutely central to your entire training program.

If you’re bench pressing 150 pounds today, and are still using the same weight 8 weeks from now, your body will again have no incentive to adapt further, and your muscle gains will stagnate.

Solution: keep a training logbook, and for every workout that you perform, write down the exercises utilized, weight lifted and number of reps executed.

Then, center the entire focus of your workout program around “beating the logbook” by either adding extra weight to the bar on the following workout (usually 5-10 pounds for big compound lifts and 2.5-5 pounds for smaller isolation lifts) or squeezing out a few extra reps with the same weight (while staying in that 5-12 rep range).

You’ll be amazed at how quickly this adds up over just a few months.

This simple combination of training 1-2 reps short of concentric failure on every exercise and progressing in weight/reps every single week is a sure-fire, 100% guaranteed recipe for ongoing muscle growth.

If you aren’t seeing measurable progress right now, one or both of these factors is off.

Mistake #3: You’re Not Eating Enough.

Assuming you are training with sufficient intensity, and you are focusing on getting stronger in the gym each week, the solution to your muscle building plateau is even simpler…

You’re overall calorie intake is too low.

I’ve talked about this a million time before, but if you aren’t creating a consistent “calorie surplus” every day by consuming more calories than you burn, you are NOT going to gain any appreciable amount of muscle.

Your body already has energy demands in place in order to sustain your current body weight, and it must be provided with the extra fuel necessary in order to build new muscle tissue.

If your overall body weight isn’t budging, you can be guaranteed of the fact that you’re simply not eating enough.

Why Can’t I Gain Muscle?” – Wrap Up

I’m certainly not claiming that these 3 points are the be-all-end-all of building lean muscle, but they do make up the foundation of the entire process and are by far the most important principles to be aware of.

Yes, there are many other things you can do to optimize your gains, but if you just employ these 3 strategies consistently, you WILL gain muscle on an ongoing basis. It would be physically impossible not to.

And on the flipside, if one or more of these elements is not in place, it will be physically impossible for you TO gain muscle, or at least to gain any significant amount over time.

If you found this information helpful, here's what to do next...

abs tips

Balancing your bodybuilding program with your career, friends, family and other hobbies/pursuits is hard work enough... the last thing you need on top of this is to waste valuable energy on redundant, ineffective nutritional techniques that do nothing but make your life more complicated.

Proper bodybuilding nutrition is actually fairly straightforward, and you really don't need to employ anything anything fancy or overly complex in order for your results to be maximized

Ignore the endless "bro science" out there and ignore the so-called "gurus" who offer up their "advanced strategies" with no real scientific backing behind them.

Let's keep things efficient, straight to the point and dispel 6 common nutritional myths that continue to circulate in the bodybuilding community.

Avoiding these 6 myths will make your life a heck of a lot easier, will make your diet far easier to follow, and will still yield the same muscle building and fat burning results that you're after...

Bodybuilding Nutrition Myth #1

You must consume a meal every 2-3 hours throughout the day in order to maximize muscle growth and fat loss.

The idea behind the "eat every 2-3 hours" rule is that these frequent feedings (usually around 6 per day) will keep the body in an anabolic state and keep your fat burning metabolism elevated by keeping you out of "starvation mode".

The reality?

Digestion and absorption is an incredibly gradual process, and most standard sized meals will keep your body in a net anabolic state for around 5-7 hours.

Not only that, but there is quite a bit of research directly examining the effects of meal frequency on basal metabolic rate, with frequent feedings showing no marked improvements. (In fact, some studies actually show less frequent feedings to be superior)

If you want to maximize muscle growth and/or fat loss, just focus on meeting your total protein/carbohydrate/fat requirements over the course of the day as a whole. Lay it out in a way that fits your schedule and that falls best into your natural pattern of hunger.

You'll get the same results, and without the headache that comes with obsessing about getting a meal in every few hours.

Bodybuilding Nutrition Myth #2

You must consume a whey protein shake immediately following your workout to prevent muscle catabolism and kick-start the recovery process.

Once again, digestion/absorption is a very gradual process, and as long as you consumed a meal of some kind within a few hours of beginning your workout, those same nutrients are still being broken down and utilized even after your session is over.

Slamming a protein shake within 36.7 seconds of your last rep certainly isn't going to hurt, but it isn't mandatory either. If you want to wait an hour or two, it's not going to make any noticeable difference to your results.


Bodybuilding Nutrition Myth #3


You must avoid consuming carbohydrates in the evening in order to prevent excess fat storage.

Every day, your body expends a certain number of calories (calories are just a measurement of energy) to fuel natural bodily processes (such as breathing, digestion and circulation) plus all of your additional activities.

In order to lose body fat, you have to create a “calorie deficit” by taking in fewer calories than you burn. This stimulates the body to tap into its excess fat stores to obtain a source of fuel.

As long as that calorie deficit is consistently in place, the specific timing of your carbohydrate consumption will NOT make any difference in the overall picture.

Fat loss and fat gain is not an "on/off" switch. Both processes are happening simultaneously.


Whether you burn more fat earlier in the day and store more later on, or store more fat earlier in the day and burn more later on, the net result is still going to be the same as long as your total calorie intake remains constant.


Bodybuilding Nutrition Myth #4


You must avoid eating before bed in order to prevent excess fat storage.

The basic logic here is the exact same as the previous myth.

Fat loss/fat gain is determined by your overall net energy balance. As long as your total calorie intake remains constant, it makes no difference whether you burn/store more fat earlier in the day or burn/store more fat later in the day. The net result will be the same regardless of nutrient timing. It is a basic matter of energy consumed versus energy burned.


As long as you're tracking your total protein/carb/fat intake accurately each day, you can eat whenever you feel like it without worry.

Bodybuilding Nutrition Myth #5


Stick to slow-absorbing carbohydrates on the low end of the glycemic index.

The glycemic index (GI) is a chart that ranks carbohydrates from 0 to 100 based on how quickly or slowly they raise blood sugar levels in a 2-hour period after they are consumed. The idea is that consuming carbs on the low end of the scale will provide you with a "steady stream" of sugars rather than a quick spike, which prevents excess fat storage.

Here are the two main problems (among many) as it relates to the GI...

* GI rankings are based on the glycemic effects of specific foods that are consumed isolated and in a fasted state. Aside from first thing in the morning, you’ll never be consuming your carbohydrates in a fasted state.

* A typical bodybuilding nutrition plan always combines carbohydrates with fats and proteins. Consume your carbohydrates as part of a complete meal and the glycemic response can be dramatically altered.


As long as the majority of your carbohydrate intake is coming from minimally refined, higher fiber sources, the glycemic index rankings are essentially useless.

Bodybuilding Nutrition Myth #6


You must "eat clean" 24/7 if you really want to get into impressive shape.

Your body cannot recognize individual food items as separate entities. It does not say "that's a chicken breast, that's an apple and that's a cup of rice". It only sees the complete diet as a whole - the total protein, carbs, fats and micronutrients that you consume each day.

As long as the majority (around 80-90%) of your diet is being derived from "clean" food sources (lean/high quality protein, minimally refined/high fiber carbs and healthy fats) and your vitamin/mineral/other micronutrient needs are being met, slipping in some "cheat foods" to fill in the remaining 10-20% is not going to make any difference to your results.


What it WILL do, however, is make your overall life more enjoyable while yielding the same results as the next guy who is eating nothing but chicken, broccoli and brown rice 24 hours a day.