3 chest exercises you’re probably not doing to supersize your pecs

There’s a reason why international chest day is at the beginning of the training week and not the end, and it’s because this muscle takes center stage in the quest for strength. After all, who doesn’t want powerful pecs like Arnold's?

But, when it comes to building a dimensional chest, the bench press alone won’t suffice, as you need to target it from all angles. Not to mention, constant reps pressing can get pretty boring.

In a recent YouTube video, Sport Scientist, Dr. Mike Israetel, invited Eric Janicki, a fitness coach and competitive bodybuilder, with a chest the size of bowling balls, to share his three favourite chest exercises that you probably haven’t seen. If you're looking to supersize your chest and mix up your regular pushing exercises, give these a try instead…

Decline dumbbell flye

You’ve likely done regular dumbbell flyes on a flat bench, but have you ever tried them with the bench on a decline? Probably not. Eric warns this exercise does look weird: “It looks crazy and like it’s going to rip my shoulders,” he says, so be prepared for a few stares if you give this one a go. But, appearances aside, he says that it provides an “immense stretch” and lets you “drive just as much stimulus with less weight”. Just don't each for your regular dumbbell weight either while doing these, you’ll want to go light.

To do:

• Set your weight bench to a 20-30 degree decline. If your weight bench doesn’t decline, then set it flat and elevate the foot of the bench with a few large weight plates or an exercise step (a bench with a foot catch is best).
• Grab a pair of dumbbells (that are lighter than you’d do your regular flys with) set yourself up on the bench, and hold the dumbbells above your head with a neutral grip.
• With a slight bend in your elbows, lower the dumbbells down towards your sides, only trying to initiate movement at the shoulders.
• Once you reach a place that is comfortable, and you feel a stretch in your chest, squeeze your pecs to reverse the movement, and push the dumbbells back to their starting position above your head.

Tip: Dr. Mike suggests aiming for 1-2 sets with light weights and focus on keeping the movement slow and controlled. “Do not do five sets of this to start with as you won’t be able to brush your teeth” – his words.

Deficit push-up

Push-ups are golden for building your chest with just your bodyweight, but deficit push-ups take it up a notch for a killer upper pec pump. The best part? You can do them almost anywhere, as long as you have something to elevate each hand. It’s important to elevate each hand individually – Eric uses two dumbbells – so that you can let your chest lean forward for an even deeper stretch. If you want to spice things up even further, Eric suggests elevating your feet too. “This helps create an angle that allows us to keep it [the stretch] as much in the upper chest as possible,” he says.

To do:

• Grab a pair of dumbbells and a weight bench or step to elevate your feet. Place a hand on each dumbbell, then lift your feet onto the step, ensuring the dumbbells are aligned with your upper chest.
• Eric suggests tucking your pelvis slightly, turning your elbows to a 45-degree angle. Lower your chest forward towards the floor, going as low as comfortably possible. Pause here for a second, then push yourself back up to the starting position.

Incline cable flye

Positioning the bench at an incline will hit the upper pecs more and using the cable machine provides constant tension for a better contraction. “The reason for having a bench is that what’s nice is now we don’t have to worry about bracing,” Eric explains. This means more focus will be placed on the chest for better gains. He also adds that the weight will pull you back into the bench, so you get a nice scapular retraction. “What that’s going to do is drive all the force into our pecs,” he says.

To do:

• Set up your weight bench at a high incline and place it in front of a cable machine in the middle. Stand behind the bench and pick up the cable handles, then lift them up and over the side of the bench and sit yourself down.
• Follow the same movement pattern as the decline flyes: with a slight bend in your elbows, lower the cables out towards your sides, so your scapulars retract and you feel a stretch in the chest.
• Once you feel that stretch, squeeze your pecs and press your arms straight into the middle whilst keeping your shoulder blades down. Repeat the movement, making sure your lower your arms with good control.