Chest
Pectoralis major. A single muscle that behaves like three by fiber direction - incline, flat, and decline shift emphasis.
The parts
What you're actually training.
Exercises
Ranked by directness on chest.
Push-up
Chest and triceps. If lower back fires, brace harder.
Machine Chest Press
Pure chest, with the stability cost removed.
Pec Deck
The cleanest pec squeeze you'll get.
Svend Press
Pure inner-chest contraction.
Flat Dumbbell Press
Even pec stretch at the bottom, hard squeeze across the sternum at the top.
Cable Crossover (High-to-Low)
Hard squeeze across the lower-middle chest; total isolation.
Cable Crossover (Low-to-High)
Upper-chest contraction that you don't really get from any pressing movement.
Landmine Chest Press
Upper-chest + front-delt blend, with the shoulder happy because the angle is naturally diagonal.
Incline Dumbbell Press
Stretch on the upper chest at the bottom; squeeze across the collarbone area at the top.
Dumbbell Fly
Pure pec stretch. If you feel it in the front of the shoulder, stop and reduce range.
Decline Bench Press
Heavy compression on the lower chest; triceps lockout much shorter.
Floor Press
Brutal lockout work; chest taps out before the triceps do.
Dip
Lower chest at the bottom; triceps at lockout.
Incline Barbell Press
Stretch and squeeze concentrated above the nipple line.
Barbell Bench Press
Stretch through the middle chest at the bottom; press should feel like spreading the floor with your back.
Archer Push-up
Most of your bodyweight on one pec; closest thing to a one-arm push-up without the joint risk.
- Chest
Also involves this muscle
Lifts that pull this muscle in as a supporter.
Triceps
Diamond Push-up
Triceps screaming by rep 6. Inner chest gets some too.
Lats
Dumbbell Pullover
An unmistakable stretch through the lats and serratus at the bottom.
Triceps
Close-grip Bench Press
Triceps lockout work - chest is along for the ride.
Obliques
Landmine Rotation
A large, smooth rotational arc powered by the hips and obliques — like swinging a heavy club through a clean arc.
Triceps
JM Press
A weird half-press-half-skullcrusher hybrid; triceps absolutely toast after 5 reps.
Lats
Muscle-up
Pulling phase like a tight chin-up, transition like a folded-up triceps press.