The best exercises for developing a massive chest! 

The crazy eight for ripped pectorals 

Don’t rely solely on the bench press 

It’s a classic mistake of even the most advanced bodybuilders. Sure the barbell bench press is a great exercise to start out with, and if one chest exercise deserves to be called “the best” this is it. Unfortunately the flat barbell press is limited in what it can accomplish for developing ripped pectorals. For starters it primarily works the lower and outer pectorals. It does a poor job of targeting the upper chest – the area that gives your chest that slabs of armor look. The flat barbell bench press is also poor for working the inner chest, the area that attaches to your sternum. You need to build the inner chest to get that clean line up the middle so that both sides of the pecs stand out. Finally for some individuals, the flat bench press will do nothing but build them a great set of front shoulders and triceps. These individuals will need to utilize such exercises as dumbell presses and flyes, dips, and various cable and machine exercises to build a massive chest. 

The Crazy Eight of Chest Building! 

To give you an idea of what it takes to build a great set of ripped pectorals, we present to you the eight most effective exercises. Next week we’re going show you how to put these exercises into routines so that you can start putting some serious beef on your ribcage and build a massive chest. 

Flat Barbell Bench Press – This exercise is probably the best exercise for beginners to use for laying down a good chest foundation. Just don’t rely on it for too long.  

Incline barbell Press – Nothing beats incline barbell presses for putting meat on the upper chest. Experiment with the angle on the bench to see which maximizes chest stimulation and minimizes front shoulder involvement. 

Dips – Some experts consider dips superior to barbell bench presses for building the chest. Dips are especially useful for putting a clean line around the outer edges of the chest. 

Flat Dumbell Press – the advantage of dumbells is that both sides of the body have to lift their fair share of the weight. Dumbells also allow you to lower the arms down lower than if using a barbell. This works the chest through a greater range of motion. 

Incline Dumbell Press – Probably the favorite exercise used by bodybuilders to beef up the upper chest.  

Flat Dumbell Fly – While not a pure mass builder, flyes allow you to concentrate on the chest and limit the amount of front shoulder and triceps involvement. 

Incline Dumbell Fly – another great exercise for shaping and isolating the upper chest and building impressive ripped pectorals. 

Pec deck – Although dumbells and barbells are the best for adding strength and size to the chest muscles, pec decks are great for isolating and building the inner parts of the chest that give it that “two halves” look. They add refinement to an already massive chest.