My Top 3 Chest Exercises

If I could only do 3 chest exercises for the rest of my life, I’d unquestionably chose pushups, flat barbell bench press, and weighted dips. These movements have stood the test of time while being the most impactful in my training. I’ll explain why, starting with the pushups.

This single exercise is responsible for much of my chest development. Before I began lifting, I was what you might call a “calisthenics athlete”, where bodyweight training was solely performed. During this time, I was a pushup fanatic, mostly doing them every day with excruciating volume. It was a high frequency, high volume system and even though I peaked out at a small 143lbs, my pecs looked good. In fact, when I started lifting one of the first areas to blow up was the chest. I credit that to the pushups, since it provided me with excellent base strength and acted as a form of nucleus overload. With time, I would eventually learn how powerful this exercise truly was. I realized that pushups alone could maintain my chest size, and that technique tweaks would provide an immense challenge despite being a strong bench presser. I also came to know many calisthenics athletes and ex-cons who acquired magnificent chests through just doing pushups. The bottom line is that pushup mastery results in watermelon pecs, so treat them seriously. Everyone should be doing them, no matter how strong. After all, they’re safe, effective, and can be done anywhere. They can be used as a primary mass builder, or done as simple accessory work.

My second favorite exercise is the flat barbell bench press, preferably done with a pause. This classic horizontal press allows one to move extreme weights while effectively building pectoral strength and size. I prefer it over dumbbells since there’s less of a stabilization aspect, while having greater loading potential. I’ve also found pausing to be superior in building the pecs, as they must re-explode off an almost dead stop. Those who struggle with the touch and go can typically benefit from pausing. Coincidentally, most natural powerlifters with strong bench presses tend to have exceptional chests. If you’ve ever been to a bench meet, you’ll know what I mean. This is to be expected, just like the arm wrestler who has nice forearms…the strong bencher will have nice pecs. Get your bench press to the 315-405lb mark and see what happens. This should be your main builder, period. For example, in 2018 I became a “bench specialist” and my pecs got even bigger despite being an advanced lifter. This situation is not unusual, you can expect similar results, so stop wasting your time with inferior exercises. Treat this exercise like the competition lift that it is.

My final exercise is the weighted dip, which might be the best one on this list. The only reason it’s not #1 is due to the higher injury risk that it poses. Besides that, weighted dips are brutally effective. They provide an immense weighted stretch on the pecs, have high loading potential, and yield incredible carryover to all forms of calisthenics and heavy lifting! It’s the jack of all trades press that has legendary success rates. So what we’re dealing with is a high risk, high reward exercise. And as long as you don’t get snapped up, you’ll make the best gains of your life. Think about the chest you’d have if you could rep 180-225lbs! The great news is that this is an achievable goal, and most calisthenics athletes who hit these numbers have next level chest development, arguably on the same level as many natural bodybuilders. Some would even say you can hit your pressing “genetic limit” with this exercise, which speaks volumes on its effectiveness.

So those are the 3 exercises that I always go back to, because they really work. I want to know from you now, what’s your top three? Let me know, and I’ll talk to you next time.