Top 6 chest exercises for building strength

• Chest exercises that'll help you build strength and muscle mass include pin press and floor press.
• You can also throw in some plyo and deficit push-ups or stick to regular push-ups to start.
• Chest flies and dumbbell pullovers are two more great exercises for any chest strengthening routine.

Muscle-strengthening exercises are an important part of regular physical activity, and the chest is one of the body's major muscle groups that need to be worked, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here's a mix of exercises that help you strengthen muscles as well as build muscle mass, recommended by NASM-certified coach Kern Alexander, cofounder of Leading Edge Personal Trainers.

Men often want to build muscular pecs, but these exercises can also benefit women by tightening and lifting the breast, Alexander says.

Key chest muscles

The chest muscles include:

• The pectoralis major is the largest chest muscle. It is fan-shaped and extends across the upper chest, from the clavicle (collarbone) to the sternum and ribs, and it attaches to part of the humerus (upper arm bone). It helps the arms and shoulders move and rotate.
• The pectoralis minor is smaller and lies under the pectoralis major. It extends from the ribs to the scapula (shoulder blade) and helps stabilize the scapula.
• The serratus anterior is a thin muscle that goes across the first to eighth ribs to the scapula, and it helps pull the scapula forward, such as when throwing a punch.
• The subclavius is a small muscle that attaches to the first rib and the clavicle, and it helps stabilize the clavicle.

6 chest exercises

Alexander recommends doing these exercises two or three times per week, with at least a day of rest in between. How quickly you'll see results depends on your starting point. A beginner might see visible changes in their chest muscles in about six weeks, but it's likely to take longer for someone who has already been training regularly to see a difference, Alexander says.

However, your strength can improve quickly once you get started with these exercises, Alexander says. The first time you do some of these exercises, you may be shaky and unstable, but that will change quickly once your body gets used to doing them, he says.

The number of reps you should do depends on whether your priority is building muscle or becoming stronger. To build muscle, 10 to 15 reps would be ideal, but to build strength, about 4 or 5 reps with heavier loads would be better, Alexander says.

Either way, aim to do three to four sets of the following chest exercises.

1. Pin press

This exercise is a variation of the bench press.

Equipment: Bench, barbell, and either movable pins on the bench press stand or safety bars

How to do it:

1. Set up the barbell, using pins on the bench press stand or safety bars/rails so that the bar can rest right above your chest when you are lying on your back on the bench.
2. Move the barbell to the top of the stand so you can lie down on the bench.
3. Lie down and place your hands on the bar.
4. Press the weight up until your arms are straight.
5. Lower it down until it rests on the pins or safety bars.
6. Let it rest there briefly before lifting again.

Tempo: 3-3-3-3 (3 seconds to lower, 3 to rest the weight at the bottom, 3 to lift, 3 to pause at the top)

Note: The tempo tells you the cadence of each movement in an exercise. The first digit typically refers to the eccentric, or lowering, portion of the exercise.

Quick tip: The amount of weight you should use depends on your experience and body weight, among other factors.

For example, women tend to have less muscle mass and more fat than men. Therefore, female beginners should start with about 40% to 50% of their body weight for the pin press, while beginners who are men can start with about 90% of their body weight, Alexander says.

So a woman who weighs 150 lbs should lift between 60 and 75 pounds, while a man weighing 200 pounds can lift about 180 lbs.

"Generally, doing warm-up sets before your working sets is a great way to prime the targeted muscles and gauge the weight you should use for your working sets," he says.

For exercises focused on building muscle, use a weight you can comfortably do 10 to 15 reps with, so that you would be able to do about 2 more reps.

2. Floor press

This is a variation of the bench press that doesn't require a bench.

Equipment: Dumbbells

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back on the floor.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your elbows bent and your triceps flat on the floor. Your elbows should point away from your body at a 45-degree angle.
3. Make sure your wrists are directly above your elbows, not angled in or out.
4. Press your arms up until they are straight, bringing the dumbbells to a complete stop at the top.
5. At the top of the movement, the dumbbells should be directly over your shoulders.
6. Lower the weights, bringing your elbows to the ground.
7. Pause at the bottom before repeating the exercise.

Tempo: 4-2-4-2 (4 seconds to lower, 2 to rest the weight at the bottom, 4 to lift, 2 to pause at the top)

With both the pin press and the floor press, lifting the weight from a dead stop, rather than touching it down and going immediately into the next lift, is a good way to build strength, Alexander says.

3. Plyo push-up

Equipment: none

How to do it:

1. Start in a plank or push-up position on the floor, with your arms straight and your shoulders, back, and ankles aligned in a straight line.
2. Bend your arms and lower yourself down toward the ground, keeping your body in a straight line.
3. Push up explosively so that your hands come off the ground at the top of the push-up.
4. At the top of the movement, when your hands come up, you can clap them together if you want.
5. Land on your hands at the top of the push-up position with a soft bend in your elbows to absorb the shock.
6. Lower back down slowly.

Tempo: 4-1-1-1 (4 seconds to lower, pause for 1 second at the bottom, 1 second to push up as quickly and powerfully as possible, and 1 second at the top)

This exercise is helpful for athletes who need explosive power in the chest area, such as boxers, Alexander says.

Modification: If you're not yet strong enough to push all the way off the floor, you can just do regular push-ups and think about pushing up as quickly as possible, and then lowering down slowly and with control, Alexander says.

4. Deficit push-up

Equipment: Yoga blocks or dumbbells

How to do it:

1. Start on your hands and knees on the floor.
2. Place the yoga blocks or dumbbells on the floor lengthwise near your hands, so that the top of the yoga blocks or the handle portion of the dumbbell is about 3 to 5 inches off the ground.
3. Position your hands on top of the yoga blocks or grasp the barbell handles.
4. Get into a plank position. The props should be stable, not wobbly.
5. Lower yourself down so that your chest is lower than your hands.
6. At the bottom of the movement, think about squeezing your shoulders together and pushing them down toward your rear, rather than allowing them to roll forward or shrug toward your ears.
7. Push yourself back up.
8. Keep your core and glutes tight, so that your body stays in one line as you push up and lower. (Make sure your chest doesn't come up before your hips.)

Tempo: 4-2-4-2 (4 seconds to lower, 2 to pause at the bottom, 4 to push up, and 2 to pause at the top)

This exercise stretches the pecs more than standard push-ups, which is great for building muscle, Alexander says.

Modifications: If you can't do regular push-ups, you can place your hands on something that is higher than the floor, such as a bench or bed, and then do regular push-ups instead of plyo or deficit push-ups, Alexander says. Once you can do regular push-ups more easily, you can progress to plyo and deficit push-ups.

You can also use bands to make push-ups either easier or more difficult. To make them easier, you can wrap the band around your waist or hips and attach it to a pull-up bar, so that the band helps you push up more easily. Just make sure the band isn't making you bend at the waist.

If you can do 20 push-ups easily, you can use bands to make them more challenging, Alexander says. Using a loop band, put one hand in one end of the loop, stretch it over your back, and place your other hand in the other end of the loop. The band creates more resistance when you push up.

5. Chest fly

Equipment: Bench, dumbbells

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back on a bench.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
3. Start by holding the dumbbells directly over your chest, but with a slight bend in your elbows.
4. Open your arms outward, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
5. You will feel a stretch in your chest. Make sure your shoulder blades are squeezing together and down toward your rear, rather than shrugging upward.
6. When your arms are open as far as you can reach them comfortably, start lifting back up.
7. At the top of the movement, stop before the dumbbells are directly above your chest. When the dumbbells are a bit farther out to the sides, it will feel like gravity is still pushing down on the dumbbells and your chest is still engaged.

Tempo: 4-2-4-2 (4 seconds to lower, 2 to pause at the bottom, 4 to push up, and 2 to pause at the top)

This exercise helps build muscle, but you shouldn't use a lot of weight. For the average person, 15 to 20 pounds would be ideal, but even someone who is advanced shouldn't use more than 35-45 pounds, Alexander says.

6. Dumbbell pullovers

Equipment: Bench, one dumbbell

How to do it:

1. Sit on the floor perpendicular to the bench, with your shoulders against the edge of the bench.
2. With your feet flat on the floor and knees bent, push your hips up and rest your upper back, shoulders, and head on the bench.
3. Lower your hips so that they are lower than your shoulders.
4. Hold one dumbbell in both hands vertically, holding the top end of the dumbbell in a triangle position with your hands, so that the handle hangs through the opening between your hands.
5. Wrap your fingers around the top end of the dumbbell, with your arms almost straight.
6. Reach the dumbbell back over your head, bending your elbows and pointing them up to the ceiling.
7. Reach as far backward as is comfortable. You will feel your chest stretch.
8. Pull the dumbbell back over your head, stopping when it is directly over your chest.
9. Keep your elbows soft, not locked, throughout the exercise.

Tempo: 4-2-4-2 (4 seconds to lower, 2 to pause at the bottom, 4 to push up, and 2 to pause at the top)

As you get used to these exercises, you should gradually increase the weight used or number of reps — a concept called progressive overload that's important in building muscle and strength, Alexander says.

Insider's takeaway

It's important to keep the muscles in your body balanced, so that you don't have strong chest muscles but weak back muscles, or vice versa.

"Balance is important to maintaining good posture, healthy joints, and healthy range of motion," Alexander says. If your muscles are imbalanced, this can cause you to move inefficiently and can lead to injuries, so it's important not to focus solely on the chest, he says. Throw in some hamstring, back, and core exercises for good measure.

As you do these exercises, go at your own pace and don't rush the process. "Don't compare yourself to anyone else. It's you versus you. Just be consistent, put in the time, and you'll get there," Alexander says.