Most people train their chest extensively, but their chest still feels flat from the top. This flat part of the chest is called the upper chest. Building an upper chest can make your whole chest stronger, thicker, and more defined. Knowing the best exercises for upper chest is key to achieving that powerful look.

Many people make the mistake of training the upper chest a lot, but their chest does not grow. The reason behind this is simple: our upper chest works differently from other chest muscles. To grow it, you should choose the movement that goes up and forward. This is key to selecting the most effective exercises for upper chest.

So, if you want to build a stronger chest, stop doing any kind of exercise and start using the right moves.

Best Exercise For Upper Chest

The best exercises for upper chest are given below that can help you achieve a more defined, thicker, and stronger chest.

Incline Barbell Press

The incline barbell press is classic for a reason. In the incline barbell press, we fix the bench at a 30 to 45 degree angle. This specific angle helps to target the upper chest directly, allowing us to lift more weight and build significant mass.

To perform it, you have to follow these steps:

• Set the bench at a 30 to 45-degree incline.
• Lie back on the bench with your feet flat on the floor.
• Hold the barbell at shoulder width and slowly lower it to the upper chest, just above the collarbone.
• Push the barbell back to the starting position and squeeze your chest at the top.
• Don’t lock the arms at the top position. Do it with hypertrophy for better results.

Incline Dumbbell Press

The incline dumbbell presses offer a good range of motion. Due to dumbbells, you can feel a better stretch in your chest. The deep stretch will help alleviate muscle imbalance, contributing to a stronger chest. Squeeze the chest at the top to feel the chest more. This exercise is a staple for a well-rounded Push Day Workout.

To perform it, follow these steps:

• Use the same angle as the barbell press.
• Hold the dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other and slightly forward.
• Press the dumbbell up and slightly inward until it nearly touches at the top.
• Control the downward movement to avoid injury and for a good stretch.

Low-to-High Cable Fly

Cables flys provide constant tension throughout the entire movement that usually dumbbells or barbells dont provide. The low to high cable flys exactly focus on the upper chest, providing the strong muscle mind connection during the movement and giving a strong pump. This makes them excellent exercises for the upper chest. This consistency and focus make them highly effective exercises for upper chest development.

To perform it, follow these steps:

• Set the pulleys at the lowest position.
• Grab the handle in each hand and stand in the unsteady gait position.
• Pull the handles up by slightly bending the elbows.
• Squeeze hard at the starting position, then slowly return to the starting position, by feeling the stretch.

Incline Machine Press

Machines offer stability, allowing you to focus solely on driving the weight and feeling the upper chest work without worrying about balancing. This is great for pushing to failure safely or for beginners.

• To perform it, follow these steps:
• Adjust the seats to align with the upper chest and collarbone.
• Press the handles forward and upward with control, squeezing your chest.
• Control the negative phase.

Incline Dumbell Fly

The incline dumbbell fly is a unique isolation movement that helps target the upper and middle chest fibres. This movement provides a deep stretch across the chest as compared to dumbbells. As it is an isolated movement, it minimizes the use of triceps during the movement, forcing the chest to do most of the work. Bringing the dumbbells back to the starting position allows for peak contraction in the chest. This makes it one of the most effective exercises for upper chest.

To perfrom it, follow these steps:

• Set the bench at the same angle as an incline bench press.
• Raise dumbbells over your chest with elbows slightly bent and locked in that position.
• nhale and open your elbows in a wide arc until you feel a stretch. Keep elbows slightly bent.
• Exhale, contracting your chest to bring the dumbbells back together over your chest.

Avoid Fixed Angle Benches For Maximum Growth

Professional bodybuilders prefer the adjustable machines instead of the fixed-angle machines. The main purpose of the exercise is to feel and control the movement. However, most fixed-angle machines use the angle that targets the shoulders more than the chest. This will result in less chest growth. But an adjustable bench or machine allows you to set various inclines, which ensures you hit the upper chest area. Since everybody has a unique body structure, having adjustable benches will be good for maximum growth. This makes them essential exercises for upper chest.

Strategic Exercise Pairing

After hitting the main upper chest lift, do the secondary exercise that targets the specific muscle only. Since you have already burned a significant amount of energy on the upper chest, a secondary chest workout will complement the first.

If you started with an isolated movement like cable cross-overs, switch to a compound movement. Like if you have started with a cable crossover, then switch to a compound movement like the incline dumbbell press. Rotating around these types of exercises for upper chest will result in maximum chest development.

The secondary exercise will be a good opportunity to change the intensity. If you have hit the first exercise with low intensity, like 6 to 8 reps, then do the second with higher intensity, like 12 to 14 reps. Changing the slight angle in the second exercise will add a stimulus to your workout.

Pushing The Limits For Failure Sets

To get maximum results, consider adding the failure sets in your routine. In your heaviest set of a main exercise, push harder than the last rep, like adding five more reps to push your maximum limits. These last few reps are most challenging and will create the deepest muscle strain. Aim to include one failure set in a major exercise to get maximum growth. Aim to include one failure set in the major exercises for upper chest to get maximum growth.

Adding too many failure sets will lead to overtraining, which will hurt your progress more than it will help.

Final Thoughts

Targeting your upper chest is necessary when you feel that specific muscle is underdeveloped. Whether it can be due to genetic or a lack of training can be the reason for it. By using the right exercises for upper chest, strategic intensity adjustments, and proper workout timing, you can quickly work toward building heavy, well-developed pectoral muscles.