Most people in the know will readily admit that the most effective way to work any muscle is not with a machine but with free weights a.k.a. dumbbells and barbells.
It should come as no surprise then that my choice of pec exercises uses these very tools.
Over the years I have found the following 2 exercises (more, if you count variations) to be the most effective for building the pectorals.
Dumbbell flys
Dumbbell flies are without doubt a phenomenal pec exercise. Probably the best, in fact.
To perform dumbbell flys…
- Lay on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing upwards.
- Start with your arms out to the sides, slightly bent at the elbows to take the strain from the elbow joints.
- Retaining a slight bend in the elbows, use the chest muscles to bring the dumbbells together at the top and then lower once more.
Wide grip bench press
Quite the opposite to a close grip bench press which targets the triceps more, a wide group bench press targets the pecs more.
To execute a wide grip bench press, simply use a grip wider than you would normally use — which means your forearms will be tilted outwards rather than vertical at the bottom of the movement.
Because the role of the powerful triceps is greatly diminished the wider you grip goes, you won’t be able to bench the same weight you normally would, so take it easy.
Further variations for both exercises
Of course, both the bench press and dumbbell flys can be performed in incline and decline positions, as well as the regular flat position.