These 7 chest exercises will give you the perfect chest!
- Reading time: 9 min.
The favourite day of the week for many men: chest day. After all, which man doesn’t want a symmetrical and well-defined chest like Arnold Schwarzenegger? Chances are, you’ve already spent hours in the gym trying to build an impressive chest. Looking for inspiration to take your workout to the next level? With these 7 chest exercises, you’ll see results in no time! Chest training isn’t just for men; are you a woman? These chest exercises are highly effective for you too! Get ready to work that chest!
What are your chest muscles made of?
Before you jump into the exercises below, it's good to know exactly what your chest muscles consist of. This way, during your next training session, you’ll not only know what to do, but also why you’re making certain movements and which muscles you’re engaging. You’ll know exactly whether you’re training the upper, lower, or inner part of your chest!
Your chest contains several muscles that form your pectoral muscles. First, you have the musculus pectoralis major, also known as the large chest muscle, and then there’s the smaller chest muscle, known as the musculus pectoralis minor. You may know them better as pecs.
The large chest muscle is a superficial muscle that consists of three parts:
- Pars clavicularis
- Pars sternocostalis
- Pars abdominalis
These three parts run from the sternum and collarbone to the upper arm bone and, in different combinations, have various functions. One of the functions of the large chest muscle is to move your arm toward your body. Another function is that the muscles help when you want to lift your arm in front of your body, and lastly, this muscle also helps when you want to rotate your shoulder towards your chest.
In addition to the large chest muscle, the small chest muscle (musculus pectoralis minor) is located at the front of your chest, lying underneath the large chest muscle. Thanks to the small chest muscle, you can pull your shoulder down and forward. It also enables medial rotation, meaning it helps you rotate your shoulder blades towards your spine.
Chest exercise 1: Push-up
The first chest exercise is one everyone is familiar with: the push-up. For this exercise, you don’t really need any additional weights. Your own body weight is more than enough. You probably already know how to do it and include it regularly in your workouts, but it simply can’t be left out of this blog. Let’s go over it again:
First of all, when performing a push-up, you work both the small and large chest muscles. To begin a push-up, lie down on the ground, then move into the starting position. This involves supporting your body weight with only your toes and hands on the ground. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart and your arms fully extended. Make sure your body forms a straight line from your heels to your head.
Next, bend your arms until you are as close to the ground as possible without actually touching it. Then, extend your arms again to return to the starting position. You can repeat this movement as many times as you wish.
While doing the push-up, ensure that your body stays as straight as possible throughout the entire exercise. Only your arms should bend, not the rest of your body. You can also do push-ups using push-up stands.