Best Upper Chest Exercises: Top-Tier Exercise Routines

Introductions

One of the most common references made while discussing chest exercises is “International Chest Day.” It’s a fun way to characterize Mondays at the gym when everyone works out their chests in an attempt to get a large, defined appearance. But you can’t disregard the upper chest if your goal is a well-rounded, shirt-busting chest.

However, training the upper chest is about more than just appearance. It can improve shoulder strength ^[1], joint health, and general sports performance. The clavicular head of the pectoralis major, which is located in the upper chest, is largely responsible for your stunning, full appearance. You can develop a powerful, attractive chest by concentrating on this area.

Key Tips to Remember

• Incline Angles: Keep the bench at a 30-degree incline for best results.
• Grip Width: Use a narrow grip to target the upper chest during exercise.
• Mind-Muscle Connection: Focus on feeling your upper chest work with each rep of upper chest exercise.

By understanding these basic concepts, you can craft workouts that will help you build an impressive upper chest in no time. Stay tuned for more details on the best exercises and routines to achieve your goals.

Best Upper Chest Exercises

Incline Hex Press

Incline Hex Press | Upper Chest Exercises (Video Credit: Merrick Lincoln, DPT, CSCS YouTube Channel)

How to Perform

• Set-up: Adjust a weight bench to a 30-45-degree incline. Grab a pair of hex dumbbells of moderate weight.
• Execution: With dumbbells touching at chest level, press them up and back slightly while squeezing them together. Keep elbows tucked and lower until weights gently touch your chest. Actively squeeze the dumbbells together throughout the movement.
• Modifications: Use a medicine ball between the dumbbells to widen the grip for comfort. Use cylindrical dumbbells for added stability challenge.

Benefits: This exercise provides high tension for breaking down the muscle fibers, allowing them to rebuild bigger and stronger. The squeezing technique isolates the chest muscles effectively.
Coach’s Tip: Hex dumbbells (with flat sides) are ideal for this pressing movement, allowing you to easily press the weights together.

Close-Grip Bench Press

Close Grip Bench Pressing For Maximum Growth (Video Credit: Renaissance Periodization YouTube Channel)

How to Perform

• Set-up: Lie on a flat bench with feet planted and a bar directly over your eyes.
• Execution: Grip the bar with hands closer than shoulder-width apart and lower it towards your lower chest, keeping your upper arms tightly tucked. Press the bar back up over your shoulders.
• Modifications: Perform on the floor to reduce the range of motion when learning. Raise feet onto the bench for added stability challenge.

Benefits: Bringing your grip closer than shoulder-width incorporates greater motion at the shoulder joint, activating the upper pecs more.

Coach’s Tip: The bar should make contact slightly lower on your torso than a normal bench press.

Incline Bench Press

Incline Barbell Bench Press | Upper Chest Exercises Tips! (Video Credit: ScottHermanFitness YouTube Channel)

How to Perform

• Set-up: Adjust the incline bench so the bar is slightly behind your head when looking upward.
• Execution: With a wide overhand grip, lower the bar to your upper chest and press it back up over your shoulders.
• Modifications: Use a plate under the front foot to decrease incline. Pause reps on your chest for added difficulty.

Benefits: Research shows the incline bench press ^[2] is superior to the flat bench for upper pectoral development.

Coach’s Tip: Consider using a spotter when lifting heavy, as the bar path starts behind your head.

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Grow Your Chest with the INCINE DUMBBELL PRESS (Video Credit: Mind Pump Tv YouTube Channel)

How to Perform

• Set-up: Set bench to 25-40 degree incline. Hold dumbbells at knee level then “kick” them up to the start position.
• Execution: Press weights up, slightly back, and inwards over your midline while contracting your pecs.
• Modifications: Get a spotter to assist with elbows when learning. Do 1.5 reps in the bottom half for added difficulty.

Benefits: Allowing a greater range of motion through the shoulder joint increases upper pec fiber engagement. Pressing on an incline targets the clavicular head.

RELATED: Try This Best Shoulder Workouts

Coach’s Tip: In the final position, dumbbells should be close together over your shoulder joint while actively pressing your arms into the torso.

Guillotine Press

The Guillotine Press (Video Credit: Testosterone Nation YouTube Channel)

How to Perform

• Set-up: Hold a barbell with a wide overhand grip while lying on a flat or slightly inclined bench.
• Execution: Lower the bar slowly straight down towards your neck/clavicles while keeping elbows flared out wide. Hold the deep stretch briefly before pressing back up while trying to bend the bar.
• Modifications: Use an empty bar on the floor first. Add resistance bands for extra tension.

Benefits: Provides an intense stretch on the upper pecs while minimizing triceps involvement through an upright movement pattern.

Coach’s Tip: Start extremely light while mastering this movement. The empty bar may be enough resistance ^[3] initially.

Low Cable Crossover

Low-Cable High Crossover (Video Credit: Testosterone Nation YouTube Channel)

How to Perform

• Set-up: Set cables to a low position and stagger your stance between them. Let arms hang behind the torso with palms forward.
• Execution: “Scoop” arms up and across your body while rotating elbows out to the sides at the top contraction. Squeeze your chest forcefully.
• Modifications: Perform one arm at a time using the opposite hand to stabilize. Pause reps at the peak contraction.

Benefits: Positioning the cable pulleys below the waist level angles the resistance to isolate the upper chest during the crossover motion.

Coach’s Tip: Avoid shrugging shoulders up – allow them to protract (move forward) during the crossover motion.

Dip

How To Do Chest Dips For A BIG Chest! (Video Credit: Mind Pump Tv YouTube Channel)

How to Perform

• Set-up: Suspend yourself holding dip bars with arms extended. Tilt the torso forward slightly and brace the core.
• Execution: Lower yourself by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Push back up to the start position.
• Modifications: Do chair/bench dips with feet on the floor. Add weight between ankles for added resistance.

Benefits: Leaning your torso slightly forward on dips engages the upper pectorals^[4] more than an upright position.

Coach’s Tip: Keep shoulders depressed away from ears and avoid shrugging during the movement.

Dumbbell Chest Flye

Feel The Dumbbell Fly MORE (Video Credit: Renaissance Periodization YouTube Channel)

How to Perform

• Set-up: Lie holding dumbbells over your chest with palms facing inwards and elbows slightly bent.
• Execution: Lower arms out in an arc until they are parallel to the floor, feeling a stretch in your chest. Bring arms back together squeezing pecs at the peak.
• Modifications: Perform on the floor to limit the range of motion. Use a low-incline bench for added difficulty.

Benefits: The fly movement isolates the chest effectively by removing the involvement of the triceps and delts.

Coach’s Tip: Optionally set up on a low incline bench to emphasize the upper pecs further.

Incline Push-Up

How To Do An Incline Push Up (Video Credit:Train With Adby YouTube Channel)

How to Perform

• Set-up: Place hands on an elevated surface like a bench or plyo box.
• Execution: Keeping your body straight, lower your chest towards the elevated surface by bending your elbows. Push back up driving through your pecs.
• Modifications: Use a wall for very beginners. Lower the surface height to increase difficulty.

Benefits: A challenging bodyweight exercise for the upper chest that can be progressed by increasing the incline.

Coach’s Tip: Ensure your wrist flexibility allows for comfort with this hand position against sharp edges.

Upper Chest Workout Routines

Beginner Routine

• Incline Bench Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Low Cable Flye: 2 sets of 12 reps
• Dip: 2 sets of 10 reps

Advanced Routine

• Incline Bench Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Incline Dumbbell Hex Press: 3 sets of 12 reps,
• Low Cable Flye + Close Grip Push-Up: 2 sets of 15 reps each (superset)
• Weighted Dip: 2 sets to failure

Focus on proper form and don’t be afraid to reduce weight or reps while learning these movements. Consistent challenging workouts will build an impressive upper chest over time.

Understanding Upper Chest Muscles & Anatomy

An human body chest muscle anatomy.

Let’s break down the muscles of the upper chest:

• Pectoralis Major (Clavicular Head): This is the main upper chest muscle that we’re focusing on when doing bench press exercise^[5]. It helps with shoulder flexion, which means raising your arms forward in front of you.
• Pectoralis Major (Sternal Head): The bigger part of the chest muscle that works together with the clavicular head.
• Anterior Deltoids: These are the front shoulder muscles that help with pressing movements.
• Serratus Anterior: These muscles are on the side of your ribcage and help move your shoulder blades.

Upper Chest Functions

• Shoulder Flexion: Raising your arm forward in front of your body.
• Adduction: Bringing your arm toward the center of your chest.

How Angles and Grip Widths Affect Muscle Activation

The angle of your bench and how wide you grip the bar can make a big difference in which muscles are targeted. A higher bench angle (more than 45 degrees) shifts the focus to your shoulders. A narrow grip activates your upper chest more than a wider grip.

How to Target the Upper Chest Efficiently

Our fitness expert demonstrates how to do Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Impact of Incline Angles (30-Degree Sweet Spot) on Muscle Activation

A 2010 Research ^[6] shows that a bench angle of 30 degrees is perfect for activating the upper chest. Higher angles (more than 45 degrees) start to involve the shoulders too much, reducing the focus on your upper chest.

Importance of Grip Width: Narrow Grip vs. Wide Grip

A narrower grip on the barbell (around shoulder width) can help you engage the upper chest more effectively. Wider grips tend to activate more of the lower chest.

Mind-Muscle Connection and Effective Muscle Isolation

It’s important to feel the muscle working during each exercise. Focus on the upper chest muscles contracting as you press or fly the weights. This mind-muscle connection will help you isolate and build the upper chest more effectively.

Training Tips and Strategies for Upper Chest Exercises

Find the right incline angle for your anatomy

Experiment with different bench incline angles to find what hits your upper pecs most effectively. Research shows around 30 degrees is ideal for many, but this can vary between individuals.

Prioritize upper chest exercises early in your workout

To fully emphasize the often lagging upper chest, perform your upper pec-focused movements at the start of your routine when you’re fresh and able to give maximum effort.

Focus on controlled reps and the mind-muscle connection

Don’t just swing the weights around. Control the eccentric (lowering) portion and consciously focus on contracting the upper pecs to forge that vital mind-muscle link.

Incorporate supersets and drop sets for hypertrophy

Supersetting moves like cable flies and push-ups allow you to crank out more total reps with lighter weights, inducing more metabolic stress. Drop sets continue until failure further this effect.

Recovery and training frequency

The chest can often be trained 2-3 times per week for optimal results. Allow at least 48 hours between sessions for muscles to recover and grow.