Introduction
If you’re looking to build your chest muscles, there are plenty of ways to do it. You could lift weights, or follow some home workout routines. Or you could just read this handy guide and do what we tell you!
We all want a bigger chest, but some of us are looking for specific things in our chest workouts. Are you trying to get bigger pecs? More defined? Stronger? If any of these apply to you, read on for my best tips for building a bigger chest in 2023.
1. Prioritize bench press
The bench press is the best chest exercise for building muscle. It’s a compound lift, meaning it works multiple muscle groups at once; in this case, your triceps and shoulders as well as your pecs. Additionally, the bench press allows you to progress easily because you can add weight to it over time with more repetitions or higher weights.
While it’s possible to build impressive pecs with other exercises such as dips and flyes (and those are definitely worth doing), they won’t allow you to lift as much weight or add volume like the bench press will—and they also require stricter form than most people have when they start out lifting weights!
How much volume depends on your training frequency—how often you train a certain muscle group per week or month (for example: 1x/week = one set per week). For most people starting out with strength training who want bigger pecs without adding too much bulk or fat, 2x/week is sufficient for almost everyone.
How to do the bench press:
Lie on the bench with your feet flat on the floor, toes pointed forward. Your head should be at a slight angle to avoid putting pressure on your neck. Grab the bar with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lift it off its rack and hold it straight over your chest with arms locked out.
Lower the weight to your chest by bending your elbows until they touch or almost touch. Push back up to the starting position and repeat for a set of 10-15 repetitions (reps) per set.
For beginners, it’s important not to lower the weight too quickly or forcefully. This can cause injury, especially if you haven’t warmed up properly!
2. Add more volume to your chest workouts
A chest workout is only as good as its volume—the number of sets and reps you do. The more sets and reps you do, the more muscle fibers you’ll recruit and the more size you’ll build. To add more volume to your chest workouts, try these strategies:
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Do multiple exercises in one workout: For example, perform a set of incline dumbbell bench presses, rest briefly, then do another set of incline dumbbell flyes before moving on to another exercise (e.g., reverse-grip cable crossovers).
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Add isolation exercises to your training: Isolation movements are great for targeting specific muscles while also allowing them to recover from compound movements that involve multiple joints at once (e.g., squats). Two examples of chest isolation exercises include flyes with a dumbbell or cable cross-overs using an underhand grip attached at 90 degrees from your body with both arms extended forward parallel to each other like airplane wings in front of your torso as if about to take off into flight!
Go heavy or go home: The best way to increase the amount of weight you lift is through progressive overload. This means increasing the amount of weight you lift each week over time.
To do this, try adding 5 pounds to your bench press max every week until you’re no longer able to add weight.
If you’re a beginner, start with a weight that’s about 50% of your one-rep max (the most weight you have ever lifted in one repetition). For example, if your bench press max is 200 pounds, then start with 100 pounds.
If you’re a beginner, start with a weight that’s about 50% of your one-rep max (the most weight you have ever lifted in one repetition). For example, if your bench press max is 200 pounds, then start with 100 pounds. If you’re an advanced lifter and want to increase muscle mass, try adding 5 pounds every other week until you can no longer add weight.
3. Add isometrics to your chest training
Isometric exercises are a powerful way to build muscle size and strength. You’re probably familiar with concentric and eccentric motions, where you pull a weight up or down, but isometrics are another type of exercise that works your muscles in different ways. An example of an isometric exercise would be holding your arm straight out—the effort required to keep your arm extended against gravity is what builds the muscle strength.
Isometric exercises can be done at home or in the gym with dumbbells or resistance bands. To do them at home, you can use one heavy item: like a heavy bag filled with sand or books, or even a sturdy branch from outside (if it’s big enough). Another option is to use inexpensive resistance bands (like these ones from Amazon), which come in varying levels of intensity so you can choose how much weight you want for each set. If you have access to weights at the gym, there are many example workouts online that show how effective this kind of training can be!
Isometric exercises are one of the most effective ways to build muscle size and strength. You’re probably familiar with concentric and eccentric motions, where you pull a weight up or down, but isometrics are another type of exercise that works your muscles in different ways. An example of an isometric exercise would be holding your arm straight out—the effort required to keep your arm extended against gravity is what builds the muscle strength. Isometric exercises can be done at home or in the gym with dumbbells or resistance bands. To do them at home, you can use one heavy item: like a heavy bag filled with sand or books, or even a sturdy branch from outside (if it’s big enough). Another option is
4. Tweak your reps and sets for strength
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Increase the number of reps you do per set. The first thing to do is increase the number of reps you do per set. This will help you build up strength, which will give your chest muscles a better foundation for growth.
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Increase the number of sets you do per exercise. A good rule of thumb is to increase your weight by 5% every time an exercise becomes easier (you can’t complete all sets with perfect form), and then work on adding another set when this happens again—though not too many more, or else it’ll get out of hand!
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Increase the weight lifted: If that doesn’t seem like enough intensity for you, try increasing how much weight/resistance (i) you lift; (ii) use during each rep; or (iii) put onto your barbell/dumbbells before each rep [e.,g., “putting more plates on”]. Doing so should help give those pesky pectoral muscles a run for their money!
Try different exercises: If all else fails, try doing some variation of the same exercise. For example, instead of doing bench presses regularly (which work your chest muscles), try incline barbell bench presses or dumbbell flys instead.
This will help you target different parts of your chest muscles and work them with different amounts of intensity.
5. Test your strength frequently
Test your strength frequently. You should test your strength every 2-4 weeks, or as often as possible. A good muscle test should be challenging, but not so difficult that you can’t complete it. It’s also important to note that what might be challenging for one person will not be challenging for another due to differences in body composition and genetics.
After each workout (or day of rest), take a moment to record the weight lifted during your last set of any given exercise performed during that session. This will allow you track progress over time by looking at how much more weight you can lift from one workout session until the next one!
Recording data is an easy way to stay motivated and see results over time; however, don’t forget about other factors such as diet and sleep habits which are equally important when trying to improve performance!
The best way to track your progress and stay motivated is by setting goals. It’s important to set realistic goals that are specific, measurable and timed. For example, if your goal is to increase muscle mass as fast as possible (hypertrophy), then you might want to create a timeline based on how long it takes your body to adapt from one workout until the next one. This will allow for better planning of workouts and prevent overtraining or injury.
If you want to build a bigger chest, these tips can help you get there.
To build a bigger chest, you need to incorporate progressive overload. This means doing more weight or reps over time. A good way to do this is by increasing the volume of your training by adding more sets and/or exercises.
An example of this could be adding an extra set for one exercise per workout week, or adding a different exercise that targets the same muscle group from which you’re already working out (for example: incline dumbbell presses instead of incline barbell presses).
Another option is to increase the frequency of your training sessions—this can be done by performing two workouts per week instead of just one!
Conclusion
The best way to build a bigger chest is to focus on the basics. You should do the bench press, add volume to your workouts, and tweak your sets and reps for strength gains. If you follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to getting that big chest you want in no time!
