Top 10 Best Chest Exercises For Men

Men spend hours in gym trying to get a big, pumped up chest. They lift heavy weights, do lots of bench presses and as a result get a pumped chest…for a short time period. As soon as they leave the gym, the pumped chest returns to normal and all that effort that goes in lifting heavy weights seems to be wasted. The main reason for this is that most men tend to perform chest exercises without knowing what part of the chest they want to work on. They don’t usually know the technical aspect of the chest exercises they are performing. Therefore I decided to make a list of the top ten best chest exercises for men, with 1 being the best and most efficient chest exercise and so on.Here is the list of the top 10 best chest exercises for men:

10. Decline Chest Press

Decline Chest Press

Decline Chest Press is performed on a declined bench as seen in the image. It can be performed with both barbell and dumbbell. Decline Chest Press works on the lower pectoral muscles of the chest. Decline Chest Press is usually performed by advanced builders who are looking to tone and shape their chest.

9. Dumbbell Flyes

Dumbbell Flyes

This exercise is performed on flat, incline and decline bench. It is performed by dumbbells. Dumbbell Flyes  emphasize the center line area between the pecs and works the pectoral muscles of chest. It is a good chest exercise because dumbbells allow one to fully work the chest equally from both sides.

8. Chest Dips

Chest Dips

Chest Dips is the chest exercise performed on a dip bar. Chest Dips works the lower chest area. Chest Dips also work on other areas of the body like triceps and back. It is one of the most efficient exercises for both chest and triceps.

7. Push Ups

Push Ups

Push Ups is a chest exercise which is very effective. It can be performed anywhere, be it gym, home or outdoors. It works on both chest and triceps. With hands wider, it works on chest while with narrow hands, it works on triceps. It is usually performed as a warm-up exercise before the chest workout but can also be used as a finishing exercise to fully pump the chest muscle. It is recommended by all trainers as it is the base on which your strength will be built and it gives one an idea as to how much weight can one lift.

6. Butterfly Machine Fly

Butterfly Machine Fly

Butterfly Machine Fly is a great chest exercise and very effective for beginners. It works out the inner chest muscles. Butterfly Machine Fly works on pectoralis major muscles. It is very effective for both beginners and advanced builders. Butterfly Machine Fly workout is one of the best chest exercises out there.

5. Dumbbell Pull Over

Dumbell Pull Over

Dumbbell Pull Over is one of the most effective chest exercises. It works on the overall chest. One thing must be noted here that most men tend to lift heavy weights here. This chest exercise is not about weights, in fact it is about how much you can stretch. Stretching part has more emphasis in this chest exercise than weights. Dumbbell Pull Over works on overall chest and triceps as well. It is a very effective exercise and usually done as a finishing move.

4. Incline Dumbbell Press

Incline Dumbbell Press

Incline Dumbbell Press is similar to Incline Press with the only difference that here the chest exercise is performed using dumbbells. It works the upper chest. Incline Dumbbell Press is recommended because using dumbbells allow the weight to be equally lifted, which is not the case in Incline Press.

3. Dumbbell Bench Press

Dumbbell Bench Press

Dumbbell Bench Press is very similar to Bench Press, with the only difference that here we use dumbbells instead of barbell. It is a great chest exercise which helps in gaining muscle. Apart from the chest, it also works on the triceps. The benefit on Dumbbell Bench Press  is that the weight lifted with dumbbells is balanced equally on both sides.

2. Incline Barbell Bench Press

Incline Barbell Bench Press

Incline Barbell Bench Press is a chest exercise that works on the upper part of the chest muscles as well as front part of shoulders. This exercise is very effective as it helps in developing the upper and middle chest muscles. This exercise can also be performed using dumbbells, Smith Machine, or by varying the grip. This is the most effective chest exercise after Bench Press.

1. Barbell Bench Press

Barbell Bench Press

The best, the most effective and the most basic chest exercise is the Barbell Bench Press. It is the ideal chest training exercise for all builders, be it advanced or beginners. Barbell Bench Press works on the chest, triceps, deltoids and lat muscles. With wide grip, Barbell Bench Press works most on the chest muscles while a narrower grip works on the triceps. Using heavy weights with fewer number of reps is ideal for muscle gain, while lighter weights with more number of reps is ideal for strength.