Chest

There are two different muscles in the chest, pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor.

In order to properly target them, the chest should be trained as if it’s broken into 3 parts. Depending on the angle in which you execute the exercise, you are targeting the upper, middle or lower chest regions. Do the following workouts with suitable weights, for 8-12 reps and 3 sets. Remember that the chest area is sensitive: perfect form is the most important. Over-training with too much volume, frequency, or intensity is a big no no!

* Do these workouts twice a week and be careful not to overtrain if you are also doing arm or back workouts, because they also target your chest.

Upper chest: These exercises should be done on a 30-45 degree incline bench

• Incline barbell bench press

• Incline dumbbell bench press

• Incline dumbbell fly

Middle chest: These exercises should be done on a flat bench 

• Flat barbell bench press

• Flat dumbbell bench press

• Flat dumbbell flyes

Lower chest: These exercises should be done on a 30-45 degree decline bench 

• Decline barbell bench press

• Decline dumbbell bench press

• Decline dumbbell fly

And, a great addition to the exercises above…

Cable Crossovers- They are particularly great for people with a tendency to over-develop their arms before their chest

Just do 8-12 reps for 1-3 sets (listen to your body, see what works best for you). Choose a weight that allows you do do 8-12 reps, with the last 3 being hard.

In addition, setting the pulleys to the highest position targets he lower region of the chests while the lowest position will target the upper regions of the chest. Placing the pulleys at shoulder height, so that your arms are parallel to the floor will target the middle regions of the chest.

They are a great way to finish your workout for extra muscle-connection, or you can pre-exhaust your chest muscles before doing barbell and dumbbell presses.

FAQ

Can I train my chest at home with dumbbells and no benches?

Yes but of course, you are not going to directly target the different sections as you would with using different incline benches. You can always find an alternative around the house, but please keep safe! You may also not have access to as much weights at home, but you wouldn’t need so much as a beginner!