The ONLY 2 Exercises You Need For A Massive Chest

Does your chest refuse to grow no matter how many exercises you try? Trust me, I've been there. I tried every big chested fitness influencers workout, yet my chest stayed flat and underdeveloped. And it was embarrassing. I hated taking my shirt off because I didn't want anyone to notice it. But over the last year, that changed. My chest has grown faster than ever. I've even gotten a stretch marks from the growth. And all it took was focusing on two key exercises and that actually fit my genetic structure. Do these properly and I guarantee you you'll start experiencing the same chest growth I did in no time. So what were they? Well, it wasn't the barbell bench press. And here's why. Multiple studies show a strong correlation between bench press strength and chest growth. So on average, a bigger bench does in fact lead to a bigger chest. But even after increasing my bench press from 25 pounds on each side to to two plates aside, other muscles groove. But my chest stayed flat. Why? Well, studies report averages. While they provide insight into what works for most people, there's always outliers. And I soon realized I was one of them. My genetic structure just meant the bench press wasn't the best option for growing my chest. As for why, part of this has to do with the fact that the barbell locks your arms into a fixed position. So no matter what I tried with my form, I I can never really get my chest to properly activate based on how my balls are structured. So what did I do instead? Two things. First, I switched from a barbell to dumbbells. This gave me the freedom to adjust my arm position as I pressed, which allowed me to better activate my chest. And second, I changed the bench angle. In a study done back in 2020, researchers split participants into three groups. One group only did incline bench press. Another did only flat bench. And the last group split their volume into both flat and incline. After eight weeks, the incline group saw the same mid chest growth as the other groups, but with significantly more upper chest development. But here's the catch. Incline doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. And this is where understanding your genetic structure becomes really important. If you have what's known as a steep sternum angle, then a flat bench isn't really a flat pressure. It acts more like a decline press because your chest fibers are angled downwards. In this case, you'd have to use a relatively high incline of about 30 to 45 degrees to actually start hitting the upper chest. But if you've got a flat sternum angle like me, then a Flat bench is flat, and it only takes a very slight incline to unlock the upper chest. Anything higher and you'll feel it mostly in your shoulders, which is exactly what happened to me. So for my body type, setting the incline just one or two notches up from the bottom was a sweet spot. To maximize in my chest activation and to find out what your sternum angle is, lay down on a flat bench and place your phone between your pecs, right on top of your sternum. If your phone angles down, you have a steeper sternum angle, whereas if your phone sits more horizontally, you have a flatter sternum angle. Like me. I want to know what sternum angle you have, though. So do this test and then comment down below which one you've been blessed with. Unfortunately, though, even after I figured out my sternum angle and I applied this exercise swap and I worked my way up to pressing 95 pound dumbbells, my chest still wasn't growing as much as I hoped. And it was frustrating. At this point, I honestly thought my Filipino genetics cursed me with a flat chest forever. Until I realized there was one more key factor I was neglecting. Take a look at Ronnie Coleman's pressing form. Watch his upper arms. Notice how they go well below 90 degrees at the bottom of each rep and how he doesn't fully lock out his arms at the top. What's fascinating is that bodybuilders like Ronnie learned just through trial and error, that this form grew their chest the best. But now there's research to back it up. While studies on the chest are still needed, every single study done on the biceps, quads and calves have shown that performing half reps in the deep stretch position results in significantly more growth than compared to half reps at the top. So even though I was lifting heavy, I was doing the complete opposite of what's actually best for growth. And as much as it hurt my ego, I decided to let go of the big 95s and grab the smaller 65s instead. And yes, it stung a little. But remember, it's not the size that matters, it's how you use it. And that couldn't be more true here. Focusing on that deep stretch and constant tension with the 65s did way more for my chest than eagle lifting those 95s ever did. But to continue forcing growth. Once I nailed down my form and could really feel my chest working, I slowly started progressing the weight again. But here's the thing. It's taken me a full year to work my way back up to the 80s with this new form. So focus on getting stronger, but don't rush it and sacrifice your form in the process. Now, as for how to implement this exercise into your weekly routine. I've tried to make this as easy as possible for you by creating a free six week chest workout plan that implements the two chest exercises into a full workout plan you can start using right away. I'll explain how you can access that later, but for now, since the first exercise focused primarily on the mid and upper chest, I now needed a second exercise to really target the mid and lower chest, especially the outer portion. And for years, I relied on the pec deck machine. But while it's great for isolating the chest, here's the issue. It's hardest at the end of the movement during the squeeze. But the latest research suggests that exercises challenging your muscles in the stretch position tends to deliver more growth, especially in the distal parts of the muscle, which in this case would be the outer chest. However, unlike other muscle groups like the biceps, this hasn't been directly tested on the chest. Which is why I recently launched a study using custom machines and MRI technology to see if this approach truly works for the chest, shoulders and glutes. I'll update you guys on the results, but for now, let's talk about what worked for me. Instead of the pec deck, I grabbed an incline bench, set it one notch below the very highest incline, and put it smack in the middle of a cable machine to create my own seated cable fly. The beauty about this exercise is that if you execute it properly, it not only challenges your chest in the deep stretch, but it also maintains tension throughout the full range, even at the end during the squeeze. So something that pressing exercises don't fully provide. But remember, just swapping the exercise isn't enough. There's three tweaks I made to get the most growth out of it. First, I placed a half foam roller behind my back. This helps open up the chest to unlock that deep stretch we've been talking about. It might feel a bit weird at first, but believe me, it's game changing once you get it right. Now, if you don't have a half foam roller, a regular one will work perfectly fine too. Just slide it in and let it open you right up. Trust me, it feels even better than it sounds. Second tweak, I adjusted the cable setup. So I set the cables at shoulder height and scoot my butt forward on the bench. This aligned the tension directly with my mid and lower chest. But to actually keep that tension on my chest throughout the movement, I avoided letting my forearms drift out of line with the cable and instead focused on keeping them directly in line. Lastly, I had to stop my shoulders from taking over. Since my chest was so weak, I had the tendency to roll my stronger shoulders forward and let my chest cave in, especially as the reps got really hard. But the way I prevented this was actually quite simple. I imagined a string attached to my sternum holding my chest up during the entire movement as I simply focused on squeezing my biceps into the sides of my chest. Then once the reps got really tough, as soon as I felt my shoulders creeping forward, I knew my chest hit failure and I was just cheating my way to more reps so I'd end the set there. Now, speaking of failure, what if your gym's packed and the pec deck is the only chest fly available? No problem. There's actually a way to make it more effective. Here's how. First, do as many full reps as you can to focus on the squeeze. But after you hit failure, shift your attention to the stretch by cranking out as many half reps as possible in that stretch position. This way you still get the benefit of the squeeze without sacrificing that crucial stretch. But some of you might be wondering, can you really build your entire chest with just these two exercises? Well, I've recently decided to push my chest training to the next level by experimenting with a much higher volume approach. Based on some new research, My goal is to turn my chest into a strong point by next year and I'm tracking every step to find what works best. And I'll be sharing these updates on my channel. So if you want to stay ahead with the latest strategies, just keep an eye out. But the short answer is yes. If you're executing these two exercises with the right form but also doing enough volume and properly progressing them, you can definitely see incredible chest growth. Which is why I built two resources to help you out. First, I've created a free 6 week chest workout plan focused on getting the most out of these two exercises and you can download it over at built with science.com/chest workout and I'll also leave a link in the description down below. And second, for a more personalized approach that provides all the detailed guidance you need for all your workouts, like how to set up the right angles, make form adjustments based on your body structure, and ensure that you're actually progressing every single week, you can head to buildwithscience.com and take our quick quiz to find which of my online programs is best suited for you and your body. Now the best thing to pair with a big chest are wide shoulders to match. So give this video Watch next from my go to shoulder workout that blew my shoulders up. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to like and subscribe and I'll see you next time.