Best Chest Workout for Mass: Sets, Reps, and Gear

Most gym-goers, especially beginners, think about the best chest workouts for definition. There are actually a variety of workouts that you can combine and basic exercises that you can perform in order to build mass and definition to your pectorals. The chest has actually two parts, which are the upper and the lower pectoral muscles. The upper part or the clavicular portion is attached to the clavicle or the collarbone and to the several areas of the ribs. The sternal or lower part is attached to the ribs and to the lower part of the sternum.

There are several functions of the chest aside from aesthetics. It assists while pitching a ball underhand, opening a cap off the bottle, swimming the classical crawl stroke, and when executing parallel bar dips. Having a great and well-defined chest is an asset both for aesthetic reasons and for functional reasons in sports. Definition for the chest requires a wide variety of exercises in order to target the upper and lower part of the chest, the inner part, and the outer portion which defines the chest and the ribcage as well. All of these particular areas, when well developed, make up the quality of a great chest.

How Do You Train the Chest for Mass and Definition?

Train the chest with a mix of flat, incline, and decline pressing for strength and mass, plus dumbbell flyes for definition, using 4 to 5 sets of 8 to 10 reps for presses and 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps for flyes.

There are two types of exercises that you can perform for the best chest workouts for definition: presses and flyes. Presses, for example, are the bench presses performed with a barbell and weight plates or with dumbbells. Flyes, on the other hand, are typically performed with dumbbells and target the inner part of the chest.

Targeting the chest with presses promotes strength and mass. It is important to include the three basic types of barbell presses in your program: the flat bench press, the incline bench press, and the decline bench press. These target the middle portion of the chest, the upper area, and the lower part respectively. Since the angle varies with each type of press, the emphasis on different areas of the chest changes accordingly.

Great chest development does not revolve around the bench press alone. You can also perform flyes, dips, and pullovers in your program. When training for definition, it is wise to include different exercises that target the different areas of the chest.

Home Gym Machines That Train the Chest

If you are training at home without a bench and barbell, a multi-station home gym with a dedicated chest press or pec deck station can cover the same movement pattern. Here is how the two machines in our catalog with a confirmed chest-training station compare:

Both are listed in the Home Gym Systems collection. Other multi-station machines in that collection, including the Body-Solid EXM3000LPS and the Body-Solid G9S, add a leg press station, but their listed specs do not call out a dedicated chest or pec station, so they are left off this comparison.

One example workout is provided below:

Flat Bench Press Warm-Up (start with a warm-up set of 12 to 15 reps at moderate weight for two sets).

• Flat Bench Press: 8 to 10 reps for 4 to 5 sets
• Incline Bench Press: 8 to 10 reps for 4 to 5 sets
• Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 12 to 15 reps for 3 sets
• Flat Dumbbell Flyes: 12 to 15 reps for 3 sets
• Parallel Bar Dips: as many as you can for 3 sets

The example above targets the middle chest with the flat bench press. The flat bench provides both definition and mass to the middle chest. You can also emphasize the inner chest on this exercise with a close, shoulder-width grip, or the outer middle pecs with a wider-than-shoulder grip.

The incline bench targets the upper portion of the chest and also builds mass and strength. You may need to decrease your loading when performing this exercise, since the weight travels further compared to the flat bench press.

Flyes, in both the incline and flat positions, target the inner chest running along the middle portion. Flyes help develop the striated muscle detail across the pecs that stands out in a well-defined chest.

How Do You Do a Chest Fly Correctly?

Lie back on a bench, lower dumbbells out to your sides in a wide arc until you feel a stretch across your chest, then bring them back up along the same arc while squeezing your chest at the top.

1. Start by lying on a bench while holding dumbbells at arm's length above you with your palms facing each other. Lower the weights out and wide to your sides as far as you can until you feel the stretch in your chest muscles. Keep your palms facing each other throughout the movement, and maintain a slight bend in the elbow to decrease stress on your shoulders.
2. Lift the dumbbells back up in a wide arc, as if you are giving somebody a big hug. Do not press the weight straight back up; follow the same wide arc you used on the way down.
3. As you reach the starting position, contract your pectoral muscles as hard as you can for the extra flex and stress that builds definition.

Are Dips Better Than Decline Press for Lower Chest?

Not necessarily. Both dips and the decline press effectively target the lower chest; dips add more triceps involvement and use your own bodyweight, while the decline press lets you load and progress weight more precisely.

The dip is an overall chest exercise with more emphasis on the lower area of the muscle. With the dip, you get a chest exercise similar to the decline barbell press, but using your own body weight instead, through a full range of motion.

How to perform the dip

1. Start by holding yourself at arm's length above the bars of the dip station.
2. Lower yourself slowly to as low and as far as you can. From the bottom, push your body back up, and at the top position, contract your pectorals further and squeeze your chest for more stress and definition. The more you lean forward, the more emphasis there is on the chest, so it helps to cross your legs behind your glutes to shift the weight forward.

The workouts above are among the best chest workouts for definition, since they use the most basic exercises and promote compound moves such as the bench press. You may also substitute the barbell presses with dumbbell presses at varying angles to promote individual arm strength. When performing these exercises for the first time, it is essential to hire a trainer or ask for assistance, since you will be using heavy weights and need to watch your form to avoid injury. Rest periods are also necessary, with a day or two in between sessions.