Chest exercises.

The chest responds to pressing under tension and to stretched-position work. The best chest sessions usually combine one heavy compound press, one variant at a different angle, and one isolation movement that stretches the muscle hard at the bottom. Here are fifteen of the most useful options.

• Barbell Bench Press. The flat-bench king. Heavy, loadable, the foundation of most chest programs.
• Dumbbell Bench Press. Wider range of motion than the bar, each arm working independently.
• Incline Bench Press. Shifts emphasis to the upper chest. Bar or dumbbells, 30-45 degree incline.
• Decline Bench Press. Lower chest emphasis. Less common, but useful for full development.
• Dumbbell Flye. Isolation movement that loads the chest in a deep stretch.
• Cable Flye. Constant tension throughout the movement. Adjustable angle from high, mid, or low pulley.
• Push-Up. Bodyweight pressing. Scales up with deficits, weights, or pause work.
• Dumbbell Pullover. Stretches the chest and lats simultaneously. An old-school movement worth bringing back.
• Machine Chest Press. Stable, repeatable, easy to push close to failure safely.
• Hammer Strength Chest Press. Plate-loaded press, each arm independent, fixed path.
• Pec Deck. Isolation flye on a machine. Easy to load progressively, easy to push hard.
• Dips (Chest Emphasis). Lean forward to bias the chest over the triceps. Loadable with a belt.
• Floor Press. Bench press without the bottom range. Triceps and lockout emphasis.
• Svend Press. Plate squeeze press. Light load, heavy contraction.
• Cable Crossover. Standing isolation across the body. Versatile angle, smooth resistance curve.