My best chest workout is all about coming at the chest from all kinds of angles. You'll do dips, flyes, and presses—including one of my favorites, the plate front press. You'll love this move, because it comes in late in the routine and tears apart your whole chest. But don't worry, you'll come back stronger than ever.

For each of the exercises in today's workout, shoot for 4-5 sets and 10-15 reps. Use the "pyramid" approach throughout this workout, adding weight as you progress through each exercise.



Resting 30 seconds or so between each set, you should be able to complete the workout in 45-60 minutes. Do this workout once a week, and your chest will be good to go. Okay, time to feel the burn!

Technique Keys

Incline Dumbbell Press

This goal of the first exercise, the dumbbell press, is to grow your upper pecs. Keep your feet planted firmly, and drive the weight upward with each rep. Control it on the way down, which is just as important as the upstroke. Don't bounce the bar off your pectorals at the bottom. You want your chest, not momentum, to be doing the work!

Dip

Dip

You worked the upper pecs on the first move. Now you're going to hit those pecs again, but from a slightly different angle. Position yourself so that your feet are slightly back and you're leaning forward to get the best stretch possible on these lower pecs.

The more upright your torso becomes, the more this becomes primarily a triceps exercise.

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Flat Barbell Press

Once again, pay attention to your body position and form as you do this exercise. Plant your feet, and make sure your body is set and your back is flat on the bench. For each rep, you want to get a good stretch at the bottom and a good squeeze on the top, so, don't rush it.

It's not unusual for people to injure themselves by hurrying through a bench press. And once injured, your shoulder joints might never be the same. For added safety, use those 30 seconds between sets to stretch your pectorals.

Cable Fly

Cable Fly

Speaking of stretching, the cable fly is a great way to open up the chest area. Get a good stretch on the way back and a good contraction coming forward. Position your body position with one foot in front of the other, and a slight lean forward.



When your arms reach in front of your body, squeeze your hands together, and press them forward even more to pump blood into the target muscles. At the very end of the last set, get in one extra squeeze, to push in a little bit more blood for maximum efficiency.

Cross-Body Inclined Hammer Press

For this exercise, you'll need an incline chest-press machine that allows you to move each side independently. Sit down on the seat, then turn your body to the side, so that you can use the machine with one arm at a time, pressing the handle across your body.

As you do the movement, put your opposite hand on your chest, and feel your muscles as you work. Focus on driving more with your middle chest than your upper chest.

Plate Front Press

As promised, this is the exercise that'll really get your burn going on. By now, you've hit every other part of your chest. This press puts it all together to work the entire region.

Push your arms forward as you squeeze the plates together. When you get all the way out there, you'll need to apply a lot of force to keep the plates together. Choose a number of plates that will allow you to do that for 4 or 5 sets of 10-15 reps. Burn, baby!

About the Author

Brandan Fokken

Brandan Fokken

Brandan Fokken is an IFBB pro physique athlete, sponsored athlete, published writer, speaker, international cover and fitness model, actor, coach, and anti-bullying advocate.

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