Top 7 Chest Exercises For Hypertrophy

Updated: Jul 31

Chest days are something we all look forward to. Usually, the chest exercises are coupled together with triceps in the form of a 'push day'. We all want to find a way to get a bigger chest and to bench more, however there are about 200 chest exercises and everyone recommends different reps and recoveries. So, use this article as a guide to find your new bench PB and a way to stop having to buy tops which are too small for you just to look bigger.

Rep ranges for chest exercises

Firstly, to find the ideal rep ranges for yourself you need to identify what your goals are. Do you want size (hypertrophy), strength or muscular endurance?

Use the table below as a guide for what reps, sets and recovery you need based on your goals.

	Strength	Hypertrophy	Muscular Endurance
Reps	1-7	8-12	12+
Sets	1-2	1-2	1-2
Recovery	2-5 minutes	1-2 minutes	<90 seconds

It is important to note that these are guidelines which change based on what exercise you are doing. For bigger exercises like squats you need closer to the higher ranges of recovery. For slower movements you need to be in the lower range of the reps, for example to develop strength the set should take less than 13 seconds, so if a rep takes you 2 seconds you can do it 6 times.

Different parts of the chest

The different parts of the chest include;

Pectoralis major (upper chest and also biggest chest muscle)
Pectoralis minor (middle of chest)
Subclavius (upper chest)
Serratus anterior muscle (lower chest)

Different chest exercises will impact different parts of the chest and the bench press works mainly the upper chest but it actually works all parts of the chest, mainly why it is considered one of the most important exercises.

Also, if your goal is just to improve your bench press, it should not just be chest exercises you should focus on as triceps and deltoids also help with bench press. Other muscles work eccentrically such as biceps and the back muscles in the downward part of the bench press.

Top 7 Chest exercises

It is worth noting that for this guide I have stayed away from recommending machine exercise. Although, machine exercises such as machine chest press are great for isolating a muscle which can help with hypertrophy they cause a lot of injuries as the movements are not natural. They also do not develop the stabiliser muscles which help develop overall strength and in my opinion give you a much better and defined look with the additional benefit functional strength.

For exercises done with a barbell, dumbbells would also work and actually help prevent the development of muscle imbalances.

1. Bench Press

Why its on the list

No surprise really, if you bothered to read me ramble on throughout this blog you will understand why this is the kind of chest exercises. Won't bother saying more than I need to here but it gets your WHOLE chest in one exercise.

2. Decline Bench Press

Why its on the list

Decline has more of an emphasis on your lower chest and requires less stability from your shoulders so if you have bad shoulders then this can be a good exercise for you to develop your chest. The reason I decided to put decline ahead of incline is that decline allows you to lift heavier due to it being a shorter movement and decline trains more just the chest and does not require as much from shoulders.

3. Incline Bench Press

Why its on the list

Now, this nearly got that number 2 spot and if this list was listing best push day exercises it would be better than decline. This is due to the fact that it also trains your shoulders as your shoulders stabilise the weight and also the triceps get trained better as the movement is longer than decline.

4. Chest Fly

This exercise can be also performed with cables.

Why its on the list

Dumbbell flys are amazing for isolating the pectorals after doing some press movements such as the first 3 exercises. Definitely, a staple workout that needs to be in all of your push days.

5. Dips

For dips, it is important to lean more forward in order to allow this to be a proper chest exercise, if not you will be working your triceps more. You can start with dips assisted on a machine, when you are stronger you can do them unassisted and then with weight attached to you.

Why its on the list

This exercise is great because it gets your chest stretched out into a position which allows more muscle activation.

6. Dumbbell Pull over

This exercise is best done towards the end of the chest part of your workout.

Why its on the list

This exercise is great for pec activation, it trains the shoulders without putting too much strain on them. But, most importantly it agree with the 'KneesOverToesGuy's philosophy of strength through length where you strengthen a muscle through the full range of movement.

7. Push up

Check out this cool video demonstrating 22 different push up variations.

Why its on the list

Push ups many think to be too easy to add into their chest day routines, but with the amount of variations available, you can train parts of your chest which could otherwise be neglected. This will help your bench press PB creep up without a doubt.