Chest Workouts: Bench Press, Push-Ups, and Muscle Building

Building a bigger chest involves mastering the proper push-up technique and optimizing your bench press for maximum muscle gain. Compare the advantages of dumbbell presses versus bench presses and learn how to target the inner chest specifically.

Close up on rows of dumbbells on a rack in a gym.

Inner Pectoral Dumbbell Workouts

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Dan Ketchum

Isolation exercise might be bunk, but you can increase your focus on the inner pecs (or clavicular heads) with dumbbell flyes and a unique dumbbell shrug.

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Man preparing to do deadlift

The Weight Requirements for Powerlifting

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Anthony Marrone

The sport of powerlifting involves more than just competing in the squat, bench press and deadlift -- you must also compete within a weight class. Weight classes remain basically the same for men and women but women have lighter classes and men have heavier classes.

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young man doing bench press workout in gym

There's a Clicking in My Shoulder During a Bench Press

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Mike Samuels

The bench press is an effective exercise for developing your chest, shoulder and triceps muscles, and for building upper-body strength. However, it also carries certain risks and can be detrimental to your shoulder health.

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Profile view of a personal trainer spotting a young man while he lifts a barbell on the bench press at a gym

Is a Dip or Bench Press Better?

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Andrea Cespedes

The dip and the chest press can be compared for their triceps and chest activation abilities. Which you choose depends on your goals.

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mature strong man in gym exercising on the bench press

Can Push-Ups Replace the Bench Press?

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Andrea Cespedes

Standard push-ups just won't give you the same type of chest development that bench press will. Push-ups are still valuable, just not for building size.

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Young girl stretching in the gym

Proper Superman Push-Up

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Andrea Cespedes

The superman push-up is one of the hardest variations on the classic exercise. You need a strong core to perform it.

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Weightlifter On Benchpress

Compare a 50 Lbs. Dumbell and Barbell Bench Press

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Craig Smith

A 50-lb. dumbbell bench press and the barbell bench press both target the pectoral, or chest, muscles. Both exercises utilize either a flat, incline or decline bench. Each bench press method possesses specific advantages to increase muscular strength, size and improve muscular stabilization.

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Bench Press At Gym

What Percentage of My Weight Should I Bench Press?

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Anthony Marrone

Bench pressing remains one of the most popular upper-body exercises, and training the bench press develops the strength of your chest, shoulders and triceps. The amount that you bench press often determines how coaches rank your upper-body strength.

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young Japanese woman doing exercise with fitness ball

How to Make Pushups Easier

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Lisa M. Wolfe

If you and pushups have a love-hate relationship, get on your knees as a way to make this exercise easier. You can't expect to able to drop and do 20 pushups if you're new to exercise, or if it's been a while since your last workout.

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How Many Calories Do I Burn When I Bench Press?

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Craig Smith

The amount of calories used while performing the bench press is unique for each individual. The bench press is a compound movement that involves multiple muscle groups to increase your muscle-building and calorie-burning potential.

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Shoulder Press to Bench Press Ratio

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Anthony Marrone

Up until the rise in the popularity of the bench press in the late 1950s, the standard of strength was the press. Pressing a large weight overhead builds the shoulders and triceps, and, performed correctly, recruits a great deal of both upper-body musculature, such as your back.

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How to Increase a Dumbbell Bench Press

Published Jul,08 2011  |  By Lydia Stephens

The dumbbell bench press works your shoulders, triceps and chest muscles while engaging your rotator cuff and upper back muscles as stabilizers. Unlike the barbell version, the dumbbell bench requires each side of your body to lift an equal amount of weight.

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