Incline Barbell Chest Press
Take position on a bench inclined to around 30-45 degrees. Any higher than this will take the focus off your chest and place it onto your shoulders.
Place your feet flat on the floor, take a medium-width grip on the bar, retract your shoulder blades and arch your back slightly. Un-rack the bar so that your are at full arm extension above your chest and settle yourself. This is the starting position.
From this starting position, lower the bar over 1-2 seconds as you breathe in. The bar should just touch your upper sternum at the bottom of the movement but without bouncing off the chest.
Raise the bar over 1-2 seconds, squeezing the chest as you breathe out and return to the starting position.
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Take position lying on a bench inclined to around 30-45 degrees. Any higher than this will take the focus off your chest and place it onto your shoulders.
Place your feet flat on the floor and the dumbbells upright onto the thigh muscle just above your knee cap. This means the palms are facing each other.
One at a time, use the thighs to clean the dumbbell up to the starting position at the sides of shoulders. (This practice is imperative to get right with lighter weights to allow you to lift heavier weights once you get stronger). Rotate your wrists so that your palms face forward, retract your shoulder blades and arch your back slightly. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by raising the dumbbells over 1-2 seconds as you breathe out, pushing from your chest.
Hold the arms extended for a second then slowly return to the starting position over 2 seconds as you breathe in, feeling the stretch through your chest and stopping the movement when the dumbbells are adjacent to your shoulders.
At the completion of your set, hold the dumbbells outstretched at the top of the movement and rotate the wrists back so that they face each other. Lower them first to the thighs before you take them to the ground for the safest dismount.
Incline Smith Machine Chest Press
Take position in the Smith Machine on a bench inclined to around 30-45 degrees. Any higher than this will take the focus off your chest and place it onto your shoulders.
Place your feet flat on the floor, take a medium width grip on the bar, retract your shoulder blades and arch your back slightly. Unhook the bar so that you are at full arm extension above your chest and settle yourself. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by lowering the bar over 1-2 seconds as you breathe in. The bar should just touch your upper sternum at the bottom of the movement but without bouncing off the chest.
Raise the bar over 1-2 seconds as you breathe out and return to the starting position.
Flat Barbell Chest Press
Take position on a flat bench with your feet flat on the floor. Take a medium width grip on the bar, retract your shoulder blades and arch your back slightly. Un-rack the bar so that you are at full arm extension above your chest and settle yourself. This is the starting position.
To commence the moevment, lower the bar over 1-2 seconds as you breathe in. The bar should just touch your chest around nipple line at the bottom of the movement but without bouncing off the chest.
Raise the bar over 1-2 seconds as you breathe out and return to the starting position.
Flat Dumbbell Chest Press
Take position, sitting at the front end of a flat bench with your feet on the floor and the dumbbells upright on the thigh muscle just above your knee cap. This means the palms are facing each other.
Keeping the dumbbells on the thighs, rock back into the lying position with dumbbells at the sides of shoulders. (This practice is imperative to get right with lighter weights to allow you to lift heavier weights once you get stronger). Rotate your wrists so that your palms face forward, retract your shoulder blades and arch your back slightly. This is these starting position.
To commence the movement, raise the dumbbells over 1-2 seconds as you breathe out, pushing from your chest.
Hold the arms extended for a second then slowly return to the starting position over 2 seconds as you breathe in, feeling the stretch through your chest and stop the movement when the dumbbells are adjacent to your shoulders.
At the completion of your set, hold the dumbbells outstretched at the top of the movement and rotate the wrists back so that they face each other. Lift your legs up and rock back slightly at the waist to allow you to lower the dumbbells first to the thighs. When your rock forward again, you will have momentum to stand up, dumbbells remaining on your thighs where you can then take them to the ground for the safest dismount.
Seated Machine Chest Press
Take a seated position in the chest press machine making sure you have first adjusted the seat height so that your arms are parallel to the ground when extended. You should also adjust the horizontal seat position (where possible) to ensure you have maximum stretch through the chest when in this, the starting position.
Commence the movement by squeezing the chest and pushing forward with the arms over 1-2 seconds, exhaling as you do.
Pause the movement for a second at full extension before reversing the movement back to the starting position, inhaling as you do.
Decline Barbell Chest Press
Sit with your buttocks at the top angle of the decline bench (angled at 15-30 degrees) and position your feet under the ankle rolls. Slowly lower your torso backwards onto the bench.
Take a medium-width grip on the bar, retract your shoulder blades and arch your back slightly. Un-rack the bar so that you are at full arm extension above your chest and settle yourself. The bar should be perpendicular to the floor. This is the starting position.
To commence the movement, lower the bar over 1-2 seconds as you breathe in. The bar should touch your chest just below nipple line at the bottom of the movement but without bouncing off the chest.
Raise the bar over 1-2 seconds as you breathe out and return to the starting position.
Decline Dumbbell Chest Press
Sit with your buttocks at the top angle of the decline bench (angled at 15-30 degrees) and position your feet under the ankle rolls. Suitable weight dumbbells should be sitting upright on the thigh muscles just above your knee cap. This means the palms are facing each other.
Slowly lower your torso backwards onto the bench into the lying position with dumbbells at the sides of shoulders.
Rotate your wrists so that your palms face forward, retract your shoulder blades and arch your back slightly. This is the starting position,
To commence the movement, raise the dumbbells over 1-2 seconds as you breathe out, pushing from your chest.
Hold the arms extended for a second then slowly return to the starting position over 2 seconds as you breathe in, feeling the stretch through your chest and stopping the movement when the dumbbells are adjacent to your shoulders.
Dismounting from a Decline Dumbbell Chest Press can be difficult. If your core is strong enough, from the starting position, use your abs to lift your torso in a sit-up motion and return the dumbbells to your thighs. You can then place them on the floor from the seated position. If using a heavy weight or if your core is not strong enough to raise your torso, you can dismount by dropping the weights to the floor so long as it is in a controlled manner. If it is not controlled, you risk damaging your shoulder. In this circumstance, you would be better to select an alternate exercise.
Decline Smith Machine Chest Press
Sit in a Smith Machine with your buttocks at the top angle of the decline bench (angled at 15-30 degrees) and position your feet under the ankle rolls. Slowly lower your torso backwards onto the bench.
Take a medium width grip on the bar, retract your shoulder blades and arch your back slightly. Unhook the bar so that you are at full arm extension above your chest and settle yourself. This is the starting position.
To commence the movement, lower the bar over 1-2 seconds as you breathe in. The bar should just touch your upper sternum at the bottom of the movement but without bouncing off the chest.
Raise the bar over 1-2 seconds as you breathe out and return to the starting position.
Incline Dumbbell Fly
Take position lying on a bench inclined to around 30 degrees. Place your feet flat on the floor and the dumbbells upright onto the thigh muscle just above your knee cap. This means the palms are facing each other.
One at a time, use the thighs to clean the dumbbell to the sides of shoulders. (This practice is imperative to get right with lighter weights to allow you to lift heavier weights once you get stronger). Rotate your wrists so that your palms face forward and press the weight up so that your arms are extended. Then rotate the palms back to facing each other. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement with a slight bend at the elbow, lower the dumbbells outward to the sides over 1-2 seconds as you breathe in and feel the stretch through your chest. Take a short pause at the bottom of the movement where your chest is at full expansion and your palms face the ceiling.
Then squeeze the chest are you reverse the arms back up to the starting position over 1-2 seconds, exhaling as you do.
At the completion of your set, hold the dumbbells outstretched at the top of the movement then lower them first to the thighs before you take them to the ground for the safest dismount.
Flat Dumbbell Fly
Take position, sitting at the front end of a flat bench with your feet on the floor and the dumbbells upright on the thigh muscle just above your knee cap. This means the palms are facing each other.
Keeping the dumbbells on the thighs, rock back into the lying position with dumbbells at the sides of shoulders. (This practice is imperative to get right with lighter weights to allow you to lift heavier weights once you get stronger).
Rotate your wrists so that your palms face forward and press the weight up so that your arms are extended. Then rotate the palms back to facing each other. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement with a slight bend at the elbow, lower the dumbbells outward to the sides over 1-2 seconds as you breathe in and feel the stretch through your chest. Take a short pause at the bottom of the movement where your chest is at full expansion and your palms face the ceiling.
Then squeeze the chest as you reverse the arms back up to the starting position over 1-2 seconds, exhaling as you do.
At the completion of your set, hold the dumbbells outstretched at the top of the movement and rotate the wrists back so that they face each other. Lift your legs up and rock back slightly at the waist to allow you to lower the dumbbells first to the thighs. When your rock forward again, you will have momentum to stand up, dumbbells remaining on your thighs where you can then take them to the ground for the safest dismount.
Svend Press
Take hold of two suitable weight plates. Stand with your feet at shoulder-width and your core tight. Your hands are holding the plates pressed together and the plates are touching your chest. The elbows are bent and the fingers are spread wide and pointing forward as they wrap the plates. This is the starting position.
Commence the movement by extending the arms out in front of you in a path parallel to the ground until full arm extension is reached. The plates remain pressed together. Maintain a squeeze in the chest and exhale as you push the plates outward.
Reverse the movement by bending the elbows and brining the plates back toward the chest in the same parallel path. Keep the chest squeezed and inhale through the inward movement.
Seated Pec Fly Machine
First pin a suitable lifting weight then adjust the seat height so that when you take position, the arc of your arms will be just below shoulder height.
Keeping your feet flat on the floor, one at a time, reach back for the machine handles. Your core is tight, your back pressed against the back pad and your arms will be outstretched, angled slightly back behind your body with palms facing forward. This is your starting position.
With a slight bend at the elbow, squeeze your chest to bring your outstretched arms together in front of your body at around nipple line, over 1-2 seconds as you exhale. The body remains stationary as your arms draw a large arc from the shoulder joint. Pause and squeeze for a brief second at the end point of the movement where the machine handles meet in the middle and the palms are facing each other.
Now reverse the movement inhaling as you do, bringing the chest back to full expansion with arms outstretched. You should feel the chest muscle being stretched and opened right up.
Flat Cable Fly
First pin the cable height to the lowest position then pin a suitable lifting weight. Sit at the front end of a flat bench with your feet on the floor and positioned in the centre of the cable rack.
Lean over one at a time to grab the cable handles then rock back so that you are lying flat on the bench with arms outstretched taking the weight of the cables. Your arms and the cable line should be perpendicular to the cable weight rack and the palms are facing each other. This is your starting position.
With a slight bend at the elbow, squeeze your chest to bring your outstretched arms together above your body over 1-2 seconds as you exhale. Pause at the top of the movement for a brief second.
Now reverse the movement inhaling as you do, to bring your arms back to your side until your palms face the ceiling and the chest is at full expansion. You should feel the chest muscle being stretched and opened right up.