Last but not least... your favorite CHEST workout

[Shelby]

Exercises, sets, reps, frequency... and do you pair it with other bodyparts like shoulders, triceps, or biceps? Some pair it with back too. What's your preference, what's worked best for you?

Give it up, knuckleheads.

 

[LATS]

ok.. i preface this with what i loved to do years ago compared to having shot shoulders now lol..

i used to love wide grip dips.. so much so that i had special dip bars made.. but my favorites used to be: wide grip dips 1-2 work sets 6 to 10 reps.. hammer iso wide chest press 1-2 sets 6 10 reps.. dumbell press (on 10 drgree incline) 1-2 sets 5-7 reps.. this was done about once every 4-5 days..

now that i am am crippled: incline db press (about 10 degree) 1-2 work sets 9-12 reps.. hammer decline press - 1-2 sets 8 to 12 reps.. machine dips 1-2 sets (hands reversed to flair out elbows) 10-12 reps.. this is done with delts (db upright rows in wide position for 3-4 sets..) once a week..

 

[packing_it_on]

Flat/incline/decline barbell Bench press
Flat/incline dumbell Fly
Dips

Between 5-6 sets, 8 reps, heavy as I can manage.

Biceps/Triceps are the only things I would never train same day as chest. Just a personal thing.

 

[Dionysusedge]

Decline Smith - 2 sets 7-9 reps.
Hammer Incline - 2 sets 8/12
Wide Grip Dips - 2 sets of 10.

I work chest with Back/Biceps/Calves

Chest is hit twice a week.

 

[musicmann89]

decline bench press!

 

[swole79]

dips 3-4 sets
incline flys 2-3 sets to prexehaust and pump upper pecs
incline BB press 3-4 sets
db flys or pec dec 3-4 sets
bb bench press 3-4
db pullovers 2 sets x 15-20
stretch.

 

[jp2007]

Train chest every Thursday.

Incline bench 3 working sets
Decline bench 3 working sets
Pec deck fly 3 working sets
Dips 2 working sets
Cable fly 2 working sets

 

[Meathamer]

Flat/incline/decline press.... 20 reps on warmup
2-3 work sets adding weight and lowering the reps

dip machine and fly machine ..... Same as above

I like to do chest with shoulders or tris but always start with chest first!!

 

[Tyrone]

I don't know...I used to do it all in the same training session one after another, meaning flat, incline, and then decline all bb.(that was h.s. though and I wasn't bb'ing, just training and playing soccer)

I like them all but have neglected too much decline...part of the reason was becuase of the available spotter at the time(I can be a bit of a loner or people just don't like to approach me lol)

Other than that, I like to go heavy on bb and as heavy as I can on an incline bench with a spotter.

After that, I like to stretch it and hit some fly's(varying the type) still pretty heavy.

After that, some dips or a plain tricep isoloation movements...sometimes close grip bench, sometimes rope push downs...

 

[sexyboy]

hammer stregth decline 1-2 sets 10-15 reps
incline smith 1-2 sets 10-15 reps
pec dec 1-2 sets 10-15 reps
cable cross over 1-2 sets 1--15 reps

2-3 working sets with tris.

i never got my chest to respond so well given its my weakest body part i have big delts and triceps espcially. I can say the biggiest difference in years past to present is the decline number one wich i wasnt doing before. And second is going lighter i noticed the heavier i go the more my triceps take over so 10-15 and even 20 has given me better results.

SB

 

[CHAPS]

Chest/back/shoulders/triceps:

10 degree incline db press: 2 sets 6-10 reps
Peck deck (done unilaterally): 20 rep wm
One arm dumbbell rows: 2 sets 8-10 reps
Standing dumbbell shoulder press: 1 set 11-15 rp
Wide grip Chins: 1 set 15-20 rp
Reverse grip dumbbell press: 1 set 11-15 rp

 

[chris250]

Well it depends on the gym im at...but I like this routine ...

Hammer incline press - 2-3 warm up sets 1-2 working sets/ 6-8 reps, 10-12 reps

DB incline flys (different angle then the press) - 1-2 warm ups, 1-2 working sets/ 10-12 reps

Dips (bodyweight) - 1-2 working sets, to failure, 10-15 reps to failure

 

[zaven]

I like most all chest exercises except anything incline....rep range is never below 10 and usually around 13-16.....I train chest 2x a week (Mon/Thurs) with two exercises. A pressing movement with 3-4 sets, followed by a either crossover fly variation or db fly for 2-3 sets......I rotate through about 6 pressing exercises before I start back over with the first one.

I used to have a terrible problem getting my chest to grow until I started doing everything backwards (for the most part) from what all the articles, etc say. I started listening to my body and trained my chest accordingly.

 

[UGAthlete]

Decline BB
Heavy Dips

~3 working sets each.. some type of fly (high rep) if I feel like I didn't get it in the sweet spot well enough.

Used to do this with shoulders and tris:

Lateral raises/upright row/Glass raises and then (my fav) ez-bar skullcrushers or heavy dips.

BTW - the heavy Decline BB is BY FAR the best thing that my chest has responded to. And my upper chest has not lagged behind in development. I think that's more of a anterior deltoid thing people see rather than chest. If you build a huge chest from declines or whatever, it's going to fill out at the top as well. The rest, I believe, is just genetics. As long as you're hitting your shoulders (which is mostly what incline hits anyway; unless you arch so much it's like you're doing flat bench), you will look the same, except with bigger chest.

 

[myosaurus]

I like going DB, BB, then machine. theory: going from less stable to more stable. ex. incline db press, flat bb bench, hammer decline. I feel I can isolate chest more on succeding exercises without losing too much strength. split: day 1 chest/tris, day 2 off, day 3 back, day 4 off, day 5 dets/bis, day 6 legs, day 7 off.

 

[aussiebulldog]

Decline smith press.
one set RP. with an incline smith widow .

 

[ironone1]

I have had shoulder surgery on both shoulders so I don't do certain chest exercises; namely declines and incline benches. I do a few warm up sets for flat benches starting out with just the bar for 30 or 40 reps. Then 135 for 10-12 reps, 185 for 8 reps, 225 for 8 reps, 245 for 6-8 reps, 265 for 6 reps (2-3 sets) then 275-280 for 6 reps (2 sets). Then I finish up with a set of 225 for 10 reps or to failure sometimes if I have a spotter. I know it sounds like overkill but I only do chest once a week.

I use the machines for the rest of my workout. Hammer flys for 4 sets of 15, assisted dips 4 sets of 15, then finish with Nautilus inclines for 4 sets of 12-15 reps. Sometimes I might do some tris with it but usually that's enough for the workout besides 30-40 minutes of cardio. Pretty easy routine that I'm used to. I always feel good with a week's worth of rest and don't get injured like this being well rested.

 

[dalvare1]

Incline Barbell
Decline Hammer
Pec Deck

This has been working great for me. 3 Working Sets on the Presses at 6-12 Reps, and 2 Working Sets on the Pec Deck for 10-12 Reps. I rotate the second and third exercise each week between decline hammer and pec deck.

 

[Ehren]

I have long arms, so I do a pre-exhaust with flyes first.

Heavy Machine Flyes, 3 "sets" rest-pause with a slow negative (its one set really)

Then jump over to either Incline or Decline Dumbell press. I alternate the incline or decline every other workout.

 

[bigphudu]

nice