Best Chest Exercises

This shortlist highlights 92 exercises that target the chest. It is a curated editorial roundup built from movement type, equipment, and difficulty data — not a lab ranking or coaching substitute.

How we chose these exercises

•We group exercises by the attribute a reader is most likely filtering on first, such as target muscle, equipment, or difficulty.
•We favor exercises with clear movement intent and dependable metadata for muscle group, equipment, and difficulty.
•Beginner-friendly movements and low-equipment options are surfaced earlier when the shortlist serves broad training intent.
•This page is a curated editorial ranking rather than a personalized training plan or medical recommendation.

Featured exercises

92 curated exercises for this shortlist.

Bent over Cable Flye

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Burpees

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Butterfly

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Butterfly Narrow Grip

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Cable Chest Press - Decline

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Cable Chest Press - Incline

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Cable Cross-over

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Cable Fly

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Cable Fly Lower Chest

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Cable Fly Middle Chest

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Cable Fly Upper Chest

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Chest Stretch

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Dumbbell Chest Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Hammerstrength Decline Chest Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Incline Push up

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Hamstrings

Isometria alle parallele

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Traps

Legend Incline Bench Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Leverage Machine Chest Press

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Low Pulley Cable fFly

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Low-Cable Cross-Over - NB

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Machine chest fly

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Pec Deck

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Push-Up

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps, Shoulders, Core

Push-Ups | Parallettes

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Ring Support Hold

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

SMITH MACHINE SLIGHT INCLINE PRESS

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

supino

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Supino inclinado

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

4-count burpees

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Clap Push-UP

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Abs, Triceps

Decline Pushups

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Deficit Push ups

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Dips

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps, Triceps

Doorway Pectoral Stretch

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Dumbbell Bench Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps, Shoulders

Dumbbell Fly

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

High plank

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Horizontal Shoulder Flexion Stretch

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Isometric Wipers

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Abs

Mountain climbers

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

No push-up burpees

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

One armed push-ups

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps, Shoulders, Abs

Pike Push Ups

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Push-Ups

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Abs, Serratus Anterior

Suspended crossess

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Vpushup

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Quadriceps, Abs, Triceps

Weighted push-ups

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Chest Dip

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps, Shoulders

Bench Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps, Shoulders

Bench Press Dumbbell

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Cable Crossover

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

DB UCV

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

DB Underhand bench press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

DB Upper Chest Variation

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Decline Bench Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps, Shoulders

Decline Bench Press Barbell

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Decline Bench Press Dumbbell

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Dumbbell close grip bench press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Dumbbell Decline Bench Press

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Dumbbell Hex Press

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Dumbbell Incline Fly

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Dumbbell Pullover

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Back

Dumbbell Push-Up

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Flat Machine Press

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Floor dumbbell bench press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Fly With Dumbbells

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Fly With Dumbbells, Decline Bench

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Incline Bench Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Incline Chest Press DB

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders

Incline Dumbbell Fly

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Incline Smith Press

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Incline Static Hold

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Larsen Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Machine Chest Press Exercise

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Omni Cable Cross-over

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Pause Bench

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Pin Bench Press BB

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Pullover

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Lats

Push-Ups | Incline

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps

Seated Bench Press

Category: Isolation
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: None

Barbell Bench Press - NB

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Benchpress Dumbbells

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Dumbbell Floor Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps

Glute Bridge Single-Arm Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Biceps, Hamstrings

Incline Bench Press - Barbell

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Incline Bench Press - Dumbbell

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Incline Dumbbell Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Machine Chest Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Biceps, Brachialis

No Leg Drive Dumbbell Chest Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Push-Ups | Decline

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Shoulders, Triceps

Reverse Grip Bench Press

Category: Compound
Primary Muscle: Chest
Secondary Muscle: Triceps, Shoulders

Training references

wger exercise database API — Source dataset used for exercise names, muscle targets, equipment, and difficulty tags.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best chest exercises?

Best Chest Exercises highlights options such as Bent over Cable Flye, Burpees, Butterfly. The right pick depends on your training goal, available equipment, and experience level.

How did you choose these chest exercises?

We curated this shortlist using muscle-targeting data, equipment tags, movement type, and difficulty so the page reflects practical training intent.

Should beginners start with every exercise in this chest list?

No. Start with the exercises that match your current technique, mobility, and equipment access, then progress as your form and strength improve.