What is the best chest exercise? For a bodybuilder, it is vital to have strength and power in the chest. Definition and muscle mass is everything in this area. Everybody wants to look good topless, and that means avoiding the hollow chest of the skinny freak or the flabby man boobs of the guy who has the weight but not the strength.
When looking at chest exercise routines, most guys focus on the pecs. That is fine but it is important not to neglect other muscle groups. The body is like a car in that every part has to be in good working order. It is important to see the body as a whole. Every muscle relies on other muscles to support it. Developing one muscle group in isolation is never the best idea.
Equally, when you are building the chest, do not forget to include exercises that will strengthen the back. The back is vital to your overall fitness. A strong back will support you through your fitness program while a weak back will be easily injured, possibly forcing you to quit. And remember that even if you cannot see your back, other people can!
So having said that, let’s look at some examples of actual chest exercises.
For the pecs of course you want the bench press. Using the flat bench press, change your grip so that you are not always doing the same moves. A wide grip will work the lower pecs, while a close grip will focus on the inner chest, followed by the triceps and upper chest later in the move.
Do not limit yourself to the flat bench press, however. Stir things up a little by working on a seated chest press at the gym. On this machine you will extend the arms without ever locking the elbows.
Be careful with bench presses that you do not use excessive weight. You should not be trying for bigger weights, but trying for better form. Never move on to a higher weight until you can handle the current weight easily with perfect form. Taking more weight is something that everybody would like to say they can do, but it only leads to injuries. Resist the temptation.
Incline flies are another great chest exercise for the pecs. Lie on a bench which is inclined anything up to a 45 degree slope. Hold dumbbells at your sides with elbows bent. Raise the weights up toward the ceiling, extending the arms and letting the weights come closer together at the top, but without touching. Coming back down, try not to drop the elbows too far but keep them around the level of your body.
All types of rows are great for strengthening the back muscles while you work on chest definition. Upright rows mainly work the traps, while seated and bent over rows focus more on the lats. The traps are the upper back muscles that help to support the shoulders and add definition to the upper chest.
The lats are at the side, behind the ribs. Tight lats will give you a pinched, defined waist, making your chest look bigger. So to show off your chest to the best advantage, exercises that strengthen the traps and lats are just as important as any chest exercise.
