What Dumbbell Workouts for Chest Look Like, and Why You Should Do Them

Chest workouts are a great option for anyone who is new to resistance training and/or has a busy schedule. They can be done at the gym, at home with dumbbells, or with bodyweight exercises. Cardio should be done separately from resistance training. You can do cardio after your workout, during your rest periods, or before your workout. Your rest periods between sets should be about 2-3 minutes.

There are many ways to do a chest workout. The three most popular chest workouts each focus on a different aspect of chest development. The three main types of chest workouts.

1) Flat Bench Presses: This is the classic lift that focuses on the pectoralis major muscles and fibers. In this exercise, you lie face down on an incline bench with your head, shoulders, and upper back supported by the bench. You will then hold dumbbells or barbells at arm's length above your shoulders and slowly lower them until they touch your upper chest or just below it (depending on what variation you're doing). Some examples of flat bench presses include the standard flat bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press, and military press.

2) Incline Bench Presses: These are very similar to flat bench presses but instead involve lying face up on an incline bench with your feet firmly planted under the foot pad at the base of the machine. There are many variations of these including close-grip incline presses (using a grip that is closer than shoulder width), reverse-grip inclines (using a reverse grip with palms facing in), and inclines with a neutral grip (palms facing each other).

3) Decline Bench Presses: Like the incline bench press, this is also very similar to the flat press but instead involves lying face down on a decline bench. This exercise is great for targeting the lower fibers of the pectoralis major. Reverse-grip declines are an excellent variation of this lift.

As you can see, there are many different variations of presses that target different areas of your chest. While it's possible to do all three types in one workout, I recommend doing just two or three different variations in each chest workout – that way you'll be able to give your body adequate time to recover and grow between sessions. Also, keep in mind that certain chest exercises work better with a low rep range while others are better suited for higher reps – so focus on using different rep ranges within your workouts as well as between them.

The Best Chest Exercises You're Not Doing!

Now that we understand how to isolate and train our chest muscles for maximum growth, let's take a look at some of the top exercises you should be doing…but probably aren't.

As I mentioned earlier, the pecs are actually comprised of two separate muscles: the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor. While most chest exercises work both of these muscles, there are a few that really isolate the pectoralis minor better than others – and it's important to know which exercises are best for targeting this area.

The best way to activate your pectoralis minor is by performing a cable or banded flye variation while fully flexing your elbows (elbows pointed toward the ceiling). You can use either a straight bar or V-handle attachment on a machine, but I highly recommend using a cable setup if possible as this allows you to target your upper chest more effectively. The key is to focus on retracting (pulling) your shoulder blades together throughout the entire movement. Keep in mind that you'll only be able to perform 4-6 reps before fatigue sets in with this exercise, so keep your rest periods short and make sure you're working in a relatively high rep range (8-15) when doing cable flyes for optimal results.

Another exercise that's great for isolating your upper chest is dumbbell incline flyes performed with a slightly arched back. To do these, lie on a bench set to about a 30 degree incline and hold a pair of dumbbells with your arms extended out in front of you. Lean back slightly so that your upper back is off the bench and then bring the weights together in an arc above your chest (forming an "X"). Pause for one second at the top and then lower the weights back down to starting position while making sure to keep your elbows tucked close to your body throughout the movement.

You can also target your pectoralis minor using cable crossovers (a popular exercise used by bodybuilders). However, I recommend using a V-handle attachment for this exercise as it places more emphasis on the upper chest than traditional cable crossovers which require you to use a straight bar attachment.

To perform cable crossovers, simply attach a V-handle attachment to each side of the pulley machine and face away from it so that you're standing sideways. Then grab onto each handle with one hand and pull them across your body until they touch above or below your opposite shoulder. The key is to focus on retracting (pulling) your shoulder blades together throughout the entire–don't allow your shoulder to roll forward as you bring the handles together.

You can also perform cable crossovers with a rope attachment (instead of a V-handle) but I prefer the V-handle because it allows you to get a deeper stretch at the bottom of the movement.

So there you have it—a complete chest workout that will help build bigger, fuller pecs! If you want to put on some serious size, I recommend performing this workout 3-4 times per week for 4-6 weeks. A lot of guys who are new to weight training are intimidated by the idea of doing chest exercises every day but don't worry—you're not going to overtrain your pecs by using this routine. Just make sure that you're giving yourself enough time in between workouts for your muscles to recover and grow (at least 48 hours). And remember, if you're not seeing results with this program after 4 weeks then move onto another routine or try adjusting your diet and training splits.

What’s the Difference Between a Chest Workout and a Chest Exercise?

Chest exercises are defined as compound movements that work the entire pectoral anatomy. Examples of chest exercises are bench presses, overhead presses, presses, triceps extensions, overhead squats, overhead lunges, etc. A chest workout, on the other hand, is a program that incorporates resistance training, cardio, and other conditioning exercises. These types of routines can be used by people of all fitness levels.

How to Do a Chest Workout?

When choosing a chest routine, you need to first figure out your goals. Once you know what you’re trying to accomplish, you can pick a program that best matches your needs. Here’s what you need to do. Pick 2-3 compound exercises. For example, you can choose 2-3 bench press variations and 2-3 overhead press variations. You can also choose 2-3 cable crossover push-ups and 2-3 chest-supported rows. Pick 2-3 isolation exercises. For example, you can choose 2-3 pec flies and 2-3 flat dumbbell presses. Pick 2-3 circuit exercises. For example, you can choose 2-3 AB circuit circuits and 2-3 1-minute intervals. Pick a rest period length. For example, you can choose a 30-second rest period or a 4-minute rest period. Pick a cardio routine. For example, you can choose 30 minutes of HIIT or 30 minutes of low-intensity steady-state cardio. Pick a diet. For example, you can choose a calorie level and macronutrient breakdown suitable for your goals.

The 4-Day Diet Plan to Build Muscle and Burn Fat

For your diet, we recommend a high-protein, low-carb, and high-fat consumption pattern. Protein should account for at least 20-25% of your caloric intake, with the remaining calories coming from fats. For your macronutrient breakdown, aim for:

3 Favorite Exercises for Chest

3-Week Challenge Program to Build Muscle and Burn Fat Week 1: Chest Workout 1 This workout is the first in your 4-week challenge program and it’s designed to jump-start your transformation. It’s a high volume squat session that consists of 5 sets of 4-6 reps with 75-85% of your 1RM. You’re also doing 2 sets of 3 reps at 50% of your 1RM. This is followed by a circuit that involves 8-10 reps at 50% of your 1RM and a set of 12-15 reps at 50% of your 1RM. Week 2: Rest This is a week of rest in the middle of your 4-week challenge program. You can do cardio or relax and do some light activities like grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc. Week 3: Chest Workout 2 In this workout, you’re doing 2 sets of 3 reps at 50% of your 1RM and 1 set of 12-15 reps at 50% of your 1RM. This is followed by a circuit that involves 8-10 reps at 50% of your 1RM and a set of 12-15 reps at 50% of your 1RM. Week 4: Rest This is a week of rest in the middle of your challenge program. You can do cardio or relax and do some light activities like grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc.

4-Week Challenge Program to Build Muscle and Burn Fat

Week 1: Chest Workout 1 This workout is the first in your 4-week challenge program and it’s designed to jump-start your transformation. It’s a high volume squat session that consists of 5 sets of 4-6 reps with 75-85% of your 1RM. You’re also doing 2 sets of 3 reps at 50% of your 1RM. This is followed by a circuit that involves 8-10 reps at 50% of your 1RM and a set of 12-15 reps at 50% of your 1RM. Week 2: Chest Workout 2 In this workout, you’re doing 2 sets of 3 reps at 50% of your 1RM and 1 set of 12-15 reps at 50% of your 1RM. This is followed by a circuit that involves 8-10 reps at 50% of your 1RM and a set of 12-15 reps at 50% of your 1RM. Week 3: Chest Workout 3 This workout is the last in your 4-week challenge program and it’s designed to bring your chest to new levels. You’re doing 3 sets of 3 reps at 75% of your 1RM. This is followed by a circuit that involves 8-10 reps at 75% of your 1RM and a set of 12-15 reps at 75% of your 1RM. Week 4: Rest This is a week of rest in the middle of your challenge program. You can do cardio or relax and do some light activities like grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc.

3-Week Skill Up Program to Maximize Gains

This 4-week program is a progression to your challenge program. It's designed to help you reach new levels of strength and muscle gains. You'll perform 6 lifts, 3 times per week, each for 3 sets with 2 or 3 reps. The first week of the skill up program is a deload week, so you'll only do 1 set of each movement. This is to allow your muscles to recover from the increased volume you did in the challenge program. The second week, you'll do 3 sets of each movement for 3 reps each. The third week, you'll do 3 sets of 3 reps for 3 different movements. The fourth week is a deload week, so you'll only do 1 set of each movement. This is to allow your muscles to recover from the increased volume you did in the challenge program.