Breast Exercises

Most men prefer to build up the chest muscles effectively, while women put more focus on body tightening. 

In strength exercises for the chest, you train the entire large pectoral muscle. Here, the large pectoral muscle can be divided into three parts -the upper, middle, and lower pectoral muscle. With certain exercises, you can specifically strengthen individual muscles. 

Upper chest 

The upper chest are muscle fibers of the pectoralis major. To get a particularly wide and visible chest, the upper chest should not be forgotten in your training. The upper part of the chest ensures that you can lift your arm.

Upper Chest Exercises

Easy push-ups for beginners

The simplest version of push-ups is performed on your knees. They are particularly suitable for beginners and are colloquially referred to as women's push-ups. This variant is often used to slowly approach the classic push-ups.

Incline Dumbbell Fly

The fitness exercise is performed on an incline bench at an angle of between 45 and 60 degrees. The flies on the incline bench train the upper fibers of your chest muscles. The reason for this is the inclined posture. This exercise for building up the chest muscles can be found in many training plans.

Negative push-ups

The negative push-up is a fitness exercise for the chest that is ideal for beginners in strength training. Despite the simple execution, the negative push-up is very effective. The focus of this fitness exercise is the training of the upper part of the chest muscles and triceps. For beginners, negative push-ups can be a bit too difficult. With your feet elevated, however, the negative push-up is a very effective exercise variation for home training.

Incline Bench (Barbell) Press

The incline bench press with the barbell is a fitness exercise that primarily trains your large pectoral muscle and triceps. It is a particularly effective exercise for the upper chest muscles. Body position and movement execution are easy to understand. As a result, even beginners can use this exercise to build muscle.

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Another exercise variation is the incline bench press with dumbbells. Instead of the barbell, you grab two dumbbells to train your chest muscles effectively. With incline dumbbell bench presses, you also train your large chest muscle and triceps. The anterior serratus (musculus serratus anterior) and anterior part of the deltoid benefit supportively from the incline bench press with dumbbells. Since not every gym has an incline bench with a barbell, the incline dumbbell press is the real classic among fitness exercises for the upper chest.

Cable Fly from bottom to top

Cable pull or the cable tower can be found in most fitness studios. With the cable fly from the bottom to the top, you effectively train your upper chest muscles. The isolation exercise is ideal for all strength athletes who want to add variety to their everyday training with the cable pull. You primarily train your large pectoral muscle in the collarbone area. Supporting muscles are the entire pectoral muscle and the deltoid muscle. With a firm stance, a neutral grip, and correct breathing, you can use the full potential of this exercise.

Medium chest

The middle part of the chest is in the center of the pectoralis major. This is the largest area in the large pectoral muscle. The middle part of the chest is automatically trained with most exercises. Some exercises specifically target the middle part.

Medium chest exercises

Wide push-ups with a focus on the chest

The wider the hands are apart when doing push-ups, the greater the stimulus on the chest. Because of this, the wide push-ups primarily target the chest and involve less of the triceps, as is the case with other push-up variants.

Standing Cable Pullovers

Standing

 cable pull-ups are a popular fitness exercise to train the large back muscle, the latissimus, in addition to the large chest muscle. The so-called sweaters on the cable pull are rarely considered in the training plan. All you need is a cable pull to start training. Many athletes compensate with the free stand on the cable pull with other muscle groups, which reduces the training effect. Consequently, you should only use the overlays on the cable pull while standing if you have mastered the movement sequence and can thus effectively strengthen your latissimus.

Flat Bench (Barbell) Press

The bench press with the barbell on the flat bench is one of the most popular basic exercises in the gym. If you want to effectively build and enlarge your chest muscles, you should use the barbell bench press. By the way, basic exercises can do a lot more than just strain your chest muscles. You also train your triceps and the front part of the deltoid muscles. Incidentally, this exercise is one of the three disciplines in powerlifting.

The barbell bench press on the flat bench is therefore equally suitable for beginners, advanced users, and professionals. With the classic variant, you particularly stimulate the middle area of ​​the chest muscles, while slight variations claim other target muscles.

Flat Dumbbell Flys

The flat bench is your ideal partner for training the middle chest. A stable body position is particularly important for correct execution. Dumbbell flys are an effective yet challenging fitness exercise for training your chest.

Beginners should only learn the dumbbell fly with the support of an experienced athlete, otherwise, there is a risk of injury. If you avoid common mistakes such as overly straightening or bending your arms, nothing stands in the way of efficient middle chest training.

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press

Many athletes rely on the classic version with the barbell when training the chest muscles. An alternative is the dumbbell bench press on the flat bench. Compared to the classic bench press, you take two dumbbells to train the middle chest. On the flat bench, you can train your chest muscles in isolation and benefit from the greater freedom of movement with dumbbells. While it's not always easy to put down a barbell alone, the dumbbell is different.

The dumbbell bench press on the flat bench is suitable for beginners and advanced users who carry out their training alone. With the right inventory, you can easily complete the exercise at home. At the same time, it is a gentle exercise variant that protects your shoulders and elbows.

Cable Crossover / Classic Cable Fly 

Depending on the version, you can train different muscle groups with the Cable Flys. However, the focus of the cable crossover isolation exercise here is on the middle chest. In combination with the basic exercises, you can maximize your muscle building. In addition, the cable crossovers are a simple fitness exercise that is suitable for beginners and advanced users. Make sure that you adjust the cable pull correctly and carry out the movement moderately.

Lower chest

Finally, we have the lower chest, which should not be missing in your training. Even tho it is of importance, it is forgotten by many athletes. The lower chest, together with the middle part, makes up about 80 percent of your chest muscles.

Lower chest exercises

Negative dumbbell bench press

The negative bench press with the dumbbells is done on the incline bench. However, you use two dumbbells instead of the barbell. This exercise targets the lower muscle fibers of the pectoralis major. This offers you the advantage of being more flexible when moving. On the other hand, you need to find the balance to properly raise and lower the dumbbells.

Negative barbell bench press

The negative bench press with a barbell is a great fitness exercise to work your lower pectoral muscles. In addition to the lower fibers of the large pectoral muscle, your triceps and the front part of the deltoid muscles support you in the execution.

This fitness exercise is suitable for all athletes who have a negative bench at their disposal. With the negative position, you strain the entire pectoral muscle but increase the lower fibers. When exercising with the barbell, it is helpful to have a training partner who can take the barbell from you and give it to you.

Negative dumbbell flys

Negative KH flies are a fitness exercise to work the lower chest. If you pay attention to the negative form, you primarily stimulate the lower muscle fibers of your pectoralis major. Body position and execution of the movement do not pose a great challenge for the athletes so anyone can perform negative flys. Still, you probably rarely see this exercise when you look around the gym. On the one hand, not every gym has a negative bench that you need for this exercise. On the other hand, it is not always easy for those who train alone to get the dumbbells into the starting position.

Chest press for the lower chest

The chest press is one of the most popular workout equipment in the gym. Beginners, advanced and professional athletes use the chest press equally. Different muscles can be trained with this fitness device. In addition to the upper chest muscles and the triceps, you can also focus on the lower part of the chest muscles. With the straight chest press or a variant that is slightly downwards, you train the chest with a focus on the lower fibers. Since there is a chest press in every gym, athletes can easily try this exercise and add variety to their everyday training.

Reference Brust Übungen für ein effektives Brusttraining | modusX

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