The Best Chest Workouts For Men To Build Size And Definition

If you’ve ever been to a gym, or hung out with a group of gym bros, you’d know that they’re all staring at each other’s chests. I’m not suggesting anything homoerotic here – it's just that a man’s pectoral muscles usually tend to drive other men wild. They’re always in an unspoken competition – who's got the biggest ones – and you thought women had it tough.

From definition to size, a man’s chest is his biggest Achilles Heel. It’s a sure shot thing to enter a gym and find a man at it. So are you though, if you’re going to be honest with yourself. As is every other man who takes his fitness seriously. Because nothing else better suggests a well-defined physique than a well-built chest. The arms will hide underneath a shirt (unless you’re into really tight ones, in which case, please don’t!), and abs won’t be visible without taking it off. But your chest – now that’s walking into rooms before you do, and you’ve got to make it big.

And if big is what you’re aiming for, it’s not supposed to do a ‘big’ issue. Just follow the below mentioned exercises. There’s no way better to build a chest that you’re proud of!

Chest Workouts For Men

Yes, before you even begin to wonder, these exercises target all areas – upper, middle and lower pectorals. You'll never have to do anything else. Truly. Absolutely!

Barbell Bench Press

Everyone loves a good bench press, right? It’s a great workout for both your mid and lower chest. A basic that always stands the test of time.

How to do it: Your feet should be flat and back slightly arched on the bench as you lower the bar slowly. Do 4 sets of 6-8 reps and work your way from there.

Incline Bench Press

This one’s an inclined version of your regular bench press and it’s great with both barbell and dumbbells. And it’s excellent at targeting your upper chest muscles, and who doesn’t love that, right?

How to do it: Keep your bench at a 30 to 45 degrees incline, depending on your body size, and lower the bar or weights. 3 sets of 8-10 reps should be a good start.

Dumbbell Chest Press

If you’re a truly workout person, you’d know that somehow dumbbells hit the spot (literally) better than a barbell ever could. Don’t shoot the messenger!

How to do it: Quite like it’s barbell version, keep your back and feet in check, while lowering the dumbbells. 4 sets of 6-8 reps will do the trick.

Chest Dips

The dip is a personal favourite, here at the Esquire India HQ, and when done right, truly works like magic. Especially for your lower chest area.

How to do it: Do it exactly how you’d do a tricep dip, just lean forward so that you’re working your chest area instead. Start with 3 sets of as many reps as you can and build from there.

Cable Crossover

Size is great but you also need some definition, right? To show off all your hard work, of course. And this exercise does precisely that.

How to do it: Keep your palms facing forward as your draw the cables forward. And don’t forget to squeeze your chest at the movement’s peak. Do 3 sets with at least 12-15 reps.

Incline Dumbbell Fly

It’s a wonderful stretch for your shoulders while also working well for your upper chest area.

How to do it: Shoulder blades should be contracted to avoid injury and arms at an angle. Lock the dumbbells at the top and slowly bring them down. Don’t go too deep to avoid straining your shoulders. 3 sets with 6-8 reps are a good place to start.

Push-Up

When all else fails, it’s time to bring out this oldie but goodie! Besides, it can be adapted wonderfully well – do it on an incline to specifically target your lower chest area and decline to hit the upper chest.

How to do it: Get on all fours keeping the arms shoulder width apart. Go low without locking your elbows, and ensure you aren’t lowering just the chest area but your entire body instead. You don’t want to disrupt your body’s one straight line formation at any point during the push-up. Start with 3 sets of 10-15 each and build from there.