Chest workout: 5 exercises, sets and reps for every level

A good chest workout needs three things: a heavy press for strength, an incline press for the upper chest, and a fly or dip to work the muscle through a long stretch. Everything else is detail. Here's a session you can run once or twice a week.

The workout

1. Bench press: 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8
2. Incline dumbbell press: 3 sets of 8 to 12
3. Cable fly or pec deck: 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 15
4. Dip: 2 sets of as many as you can with good form, leaving one or two in the tank
5. Push-up: 1 set to finish, stopping a rep or two short of failure

• Barbell bench pressChest
• Incline dumbbell pressChest, Front delts
• Cable flyChest
• Pec deck flyChest
• DipChest, Triceps
• Push-upChest

How often and how much

About 10 to 20 hard sets a week for the chest, over two sessions, works well for most people. The workout above is around 11 sets, so do it twice a week, or once alongside pressing on another day. Presses for the shoulders and triceps also train the chest a little.

Tips for a better chest workout

• Pull your shoulder blades back and down on presses. It protects the shoulders and puts more of the work on the chest.
• Let the dumbbells and cables stretch the chest, under control, rather than cutting the range short.
• Add weight with double progression: hit the top of the rep range on every set, then go up. See progressive overload.

Chest workout at home

With dumbbells and a bench: dumbbell bench press, incline press and dumbbell fly. With nothing: push-ups with your feet raised for the upper chest, slow tempo push-ups, and dips between two sturdy chairs. See no-equipment strength workout.

• Dumbbell bench pressChest
• Dumbbell flyChest
• Push-upChest