We’re here to pump…you up with the best chest exercises for men. Indeed, no one argues with powerful pectorals and we’re not about to start. With these chest workouts at your disposal, your chest muscles will be larger than life and harder than a board in no time at all. That said, please remember not to overdo it on the weights, even if you’re performing chest workouts for mass. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say, and you should take those words to heart (literally, in this case).

On the flip side of that coin, don’t bench press yourself to burliness without mixing things up a little. It’s all about finding and using the right tools for the job, especially when the “job” in this case is your body. Speaking of your body, what are your chest muscles, anyway? We answer that question before diving into the 10 best chest exercises for men.

Barbell Bench Press :

If you don't have access to a specialized bench press rack, a standard flat bench can be used. You can also do bench presses with dumbbells or a barbell. Whichever you choose, be sure to select the appropriate weight for you.

Lie on the bench, under the rack that holds the bar. Your eyes should be roughly aligned with the front of the barbell rack uprights. Your butt, shoulders, and head are flat on the bench with a neutral spine. Your feet are flat on the floor and relatively wide apart.

Grasp the bar just outside shoulder-width and arch your back so there’s space between your lower back and the bench.

Pull the bar out of the rack and lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45° to your sides.

When the bar touches your body, drive your feet hard into the floor and press the bar back up.

Landmine Press :

Place a barbell in a landmine holder. If your gym doesn’t have a landmine attachment, you can still do the landmine press. Just set up a barbell on a sturdy base, we’ve found that placing the bar in a corner works just as well. If you’re concerned about damaging the wall, wrap the end of the barbell in a gym towel. Then load the top side of the bar and you’re good to go!

Wedge the end of the barbell into a corner of the room (to avoid damage to the walls, you may have to wrap a towel around it).

Load the opposite end with weight and grasp it toward the end of the barbell sleeve with your right hand.

Stagger your stance so your left leg is in front. Press the bar straight overhead.

Floor Press :

The floor press is similar to the bench press — except you’re lying on the floor. The floor shortens the range of motion so there is less shoulder external rotation. This makes it the perfect pressing exercise for those with sore shoulders. With the bench press, you get lower body drive, but not with the floor press as you’re entirely relying on the pressing power of your chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Due to this shortened ROM, the floor press places more emphasis on the triceps and less on the chest. If your triceps are holding you back, this will help. The move is performed with your leg straight or with your feet on the floor. Both are correct, it comes down to a matter of personal preference,

Lie on the floor with a dumbbell in each hand.

Your palms should face each other and your triceps (but not your elbows) should rest on the floor.

Explosively press the dumbbells up.

Lower them until only your triceps touch the floor.

Pause for a moment, then begin the next rep. Increase the weight gradually for each set.

Prone Flyes :

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and get into a pushup position on the floor with palms facing each other.

Spread your arms apart as in a normal dumbbell flye and lower your body until you feel a stretch in your chest, then squeeze the dumbbells and bring your hands back to the pushup position.

Keep your abs and glutes braced and your back flat throughout. If you’re using plate-loaded dumbbells, you may be able to roll the weight plates on the floor during the flye.

Otherwise, you can place a towel under each dumbbell to facilitate sliding. If this is too difficult, perform the exercise on your knees.

Pushup :

The abdominal muscles used to hold the body rigid during the push-up are the rectus abdominis and the internal and external obliques.2 As the push-up involves multiple joints, it is a compound exercise.

The upper body muscles that come into play in the push-up are the deltoids of the shoulders, the pectoral muscles of the chest, the triceps, and biceps of the upper arm, the gluteal or hip muscles, and the erector spine of the back.

Get into a pushup position with hands under your shoulders.

Your entire body should be straight and your core braced.

Lower your body, keeping your elbows tucked near your torso and your head neutral, until your chest almost touches the floor.

Fire your chest and triceps and raise your body to the pushup position.

Also Read - How to Lose Belly Fat in 1 Week | Tips to Lose Belly Fat

Plyo Pushup :

Plyometric (plyo) pushups are an advanced exercise that works your chest, triceps, abs, and shoulders. This type of pushup adds a “jumping” element to the exercise to make it more challenging and explosive.

Plyo pushups can help burn fat and build muscle. Many athletes perform them to help improve their athletic performance by building strength, endurance, and speed.

Plyo pushups aren’t recommended for beginners or anyone just starting out with a fitness training program. This exercise is best suited for individuals with well-developed upper-body strength.

Perform pushups but explode upward on each rep so your hands leave the floor and you can clap before landing.

When you land, go immediately into the next rep. Stop the set as soon as your movement slows down, even if it’s before six reps are completed.

Band-Resisted Flye :

Attach a band to a sturdy object at shoulder height and repeat with another adjacent to it.

Alternatively, tie two bands together and anchor them at the same point behind you.

Hold the opposite ends of the bands in each hand and step forward so that your arms are drawn back 90 degrees to your sides and you feel a stretch in your pecs.

Keeping your elbows slightly bent, bring your hands together in front of your chest as if you were giving someone a bear hug.

Also Read - Top 10 Body Workouts for Girls - Total Body Workout

Decline Pushup :

A decline push-up is an advanced variation of the basic push-up, in which you increase the difficulty significantly by placing your feet higher than your hands. Add this exercise to your upper body strength training routine when you're ready for a greater challenge.

Start with hands on the floor and slightly wide, on top of feet or shins resting on a physioball.

Engage core and lower body to stabilize, and perform pushups more slowly.

One-arm Flye Pushup :

The one-hand push-up is an advanced bodyweight exercise designed to build upper-body strength, core strength, and stability. Also known as one-arm push-ups, this exercise is ideal if you’re looking to target your core muscles, arms, shoulders, and chest muscles.

Single-arm push-ups may rely on one arm to elevate your body, but when practiced with proper form, they create whole-body tension to protect your spine and help you complete the range of motion. Before practicing one-armed push-ups, practice push-up progressions to build the upper-body strength necessary for completing this advanced exercise. Push-up variations such as archer push-ups and diamond push-ups can help you build the requisite strength.

Get into the pushup position with one hand on a slider.

Lower your body while sliding the hand on the slider out to the side, as if performing a flye. Keep most of your weight on the non-slider arm.

Go as low as you safely can, then push up and draw your arm back in.

Best Chest Workouts for Building Muscle