The chest is one of the most popular upper-body muscles for weight room regulars to train, so I’m always on the lookout for worthy chest workouts to introduce to readers.
That’s why I’m sharing this muscle-building chest session from PT, Nike Well Collective coach and Coach favorite Ali Kabba. It’s ideal for people who are training more than three times a week and have the gym experience necessary to dedicate a session to a single body part.
If you’re training less than three times a week, it might be better to concentrate on full-body workouts. Try modeling your routine on the progressive plan outlined in this beginner gym workout program.
To complete this routine, you’ll need TRX bands (or another of the best suspension trainers), a weights bench, a barbell and weight plates, and a pair of dumbbells.
Watch Kabba’s Instagram Reel where he demonstrates each exercise.
If you haven’t tried the TRX before you’re in for a treat—incorporating this piece of kit into your routine can offer you lots of benefits. TRX exercises provide a stimulus for the target muscles, but also engage your core as you work to keep your body stable.
Kabba’s workout also features the incline bench press, which shifts the emphasis to your upper chest compared with the flat bench press. In our guide to the incline bench press, NSCA-accredited strength and conditioning coach Andrew Reay recommends lifting a lighter weight than you would use for the flat version of the classic chest exercise. Reay’s rule of thumb is taking what you bench, then dropping the weight by 20-25%, going lighter the higher the angle of the incline.
This workout is made up of push exercises, which will train your chest, as well as your shoulders and triceps. This recruitment of your shoulders means it’s a good idea to add some shoulder warm-up exercises to your warm-up routine.
It’s also a good idea to follow up a chest-focused session with a back workout, to counterbalance the push moves with pull exercises. You can even structure your training this way. Take a look at Coach’s push/pull workout plan for an effective routine to follow.
