Chest Workout at Home

HOW TO DO A CHEST WORKOUT

Working out from home doesn’t need to come with limitations. We’ve designed a beginner-friendly but high-impact chest workout you can do at home. We’ve included a mixture of bodyweight and equipment-led exercises, so you can use whatever is handy.

HOME CHEST WORKOUT PLAN

Unless otherwise specified, aim for 5 sets of 12-15 reps per exercise and keep rest periods relatively short.

Chest Workouts with Dumbbells

Straight-Arm Pullovers

You can do this exercise on the floor or a bench, so use whatever you have.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back on a flat bench, holding one dumbbell with both hands up over your chest, like you were doing a fly.

2. Lower the dumbbell back behind your head in an arc over your face, it’s okay if the dumbbell goes slightly lower than your head (whatever is most comfortable for you.)

3. Hold the position a moment, then raise the dumbbell back to over your chest. Make sure your arms remain fully extended with a slight bend in your elbows.

Floor Presses

If you have a bench, you can do regular chest presses. As floor presses limit your range of motion, you can use a heavier weight.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back on the floor, with two dumbbells on your legs for the moment.

2. Hold the dumbbells out to your sides, elbows resting on the floor and at a 45-degree angle from your body.

3. Press the dumbbells up, squeezing your chest as you push up. Try and make the movements of both your arms as you push up as even as possible, and don’t let the dumbbells fly off to the side.

4. Hold the position, then slowly lower the dumbbells back down to their starting position.

If you have access to a bench at home, then include traditional dumbbell chest presses in your routine alongside floor presses.

• DO try to squeeze your chest as you push up

• DON’T let the Dumbbell fly off to the side

Dumbbell Bench Press

How to do it:

1. Get into your starting position by lying down on a bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand.

2. Make sure you are holding your dumbbell with your palms facing forward and your thumbs wrapped around the handle.

3. Start with the dumbbells directly out in front of you, in line with the shoulders.

4. When you’re in a comfortable position, brace your abdominal muscles and lower the weight bending at the elbow and the shoulder at the same time. .

5. Lower the weights until they are in line with your chest.

6. Lift the weights until they meet above your chest, taking care not to lift your head or shoulders.

Standing Chest Flys

The motion is the same as a regular fly, but the key difference is you’re standing. Other than that, the same rules apply.

How to do it:

1. Stand up straight, holding two dumbbells in front of you with your palms facing each other.

2. Keeping your arms straight with a slight bend in the elbow, swing your arms out into a T-pose. This movement needs to be controlled and smooth.

3. Hold the dumbbells in this position a moment, then rotate them back up in the same arc, squeezing your chest all the way.

4. Repeat.

• DO try to ensure the movement is controlled

• DON’T overextend

Bodyweight Chest Exercises

The key to building chest strength without equipment is mastering the push-up and its many variations. As far as bodyweight movements go, it’s versatile and easy to scale the difficulty with alternative hand placements, resistance bands, or simply volume and intensity.

Push-Ups

How to do to it:

1. Get down on all fours and move into a plank position, lifting your upper body with your arms extended straight beneath your shoulders, and raising your feet to rest on your toes.

2. Keep your back straight while you do this, forming a straight line down from the top of your head to your feet to maintain a neutral spine.

3. Bend your elbows and slowly lower your body down until you’re hovering above – and not touching – the ground.

4. As you bend, your elbows should be at about a 45-degree angle to your body.

5. Now push back through your arms to come back up into your starting position.

6. Repeat! You just completed a push-up.

Decline Push-Ups

How to do it:

1. Perform a push-up, but place your feet on an object (like a bench, or piece of furniture) so that when you’re in the ‘top’ position, your body is forming an ‘L’ shape.

Diamond Push-Ups

How to do it:

1. Perform a push-up, but with your hands close together. Your index fingers and thumbs should be touching and forming a rough diamond shape.

2. When lowering your body, keep your elbows tucked into your side and avoid flaring.

Burpees

How to do it:

1. Stand up straight, with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms resting at your sides.

2. Jump and land in a squatting position, keeping your back neutral and your arms at your sides.

3. Place your hands on the floor, stretching your arms straight down and keeping your back neutral.

4. Kick your feet backwards so you are in a plank position, as if you were going to do a plank or a push up.

5. Lower your body to the floor, keeping your hands in place as if you were doing a push up.

6. As you elevate your body from the push up, kick your feet forwards so you return to a squat position. You are now reversing them motion you completed in step 4.

7. Jump upwards, returning to the standing position from step 1. Keep your back straight, your feet should-width apart, and your arms resting at your sides.

8. And repeat! You have now done one burpee.

FURTHER READING

If you want to learn more about these individual exercises in more detail, check out our guides.

• Best dumbbell chest exercises

• Best dumbbell shoulder exercises

• Best dumbbell arm exercises

• Best dumbbell ab exercises

• Leg workout using dumbbells

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Lifting weights takes a lot of effort, so you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your workout routine. The friendly personal trainers at your local Gym are on hand to discuss technique, create an individualised fitness plan, and help you smash your fitness goals. Get in touch to learn more.