How to Workout Chest: Lower Chest, Upper Chest & How Many Exercises You Actually Need (Science-Based)

The Problem With Chest Training (and Why Most People Fail)

Type “how to workout chest” into Google and you get a swamp of bro-science, recycled tips, and contradictory nonsense.

Some say you need four exercises.
Some say you need ten.
Some say to “hit the inner chest” (which doesn’t even exist).
Others say to “activate the lower chest” (which is partially true, but mostly misunderstood).

Meanwhile, beginners waste years doing random chest days with zero structure.
Women are confused about whether chest workouts make breasts bigger or smaller.
Men obsess over the “lower chest” but don’t even know what muscle they’re training.

This guide ends the confusion - permanently.

And we’re doing it the WazFlex way:

✔ Science-backed
✔ Practical
✔ Evidence-based
✔ No mythology
✔ No ego lifting
✔ No bodybuilding folklore

By the end of this guide, you’ll know:

• How to workout the lower chest properly

• How to workout the upper chest (the real key to an aesthetic physique)

• How many chest exercises per workout you actually need

• How many sets of chest per workout is optimal

• How to structure a weekly chest plan

• What to do if your chest hurts when you workout

• Whether women should workout chest

• How to workout your chest with dumbbells

• Science-proven exercises that actually build muscle

Let’s start with the basic anatomy — because if you don’t understand the muscle, you can’t train it.

Chest Anatomy: The Truth About Upper Chest, Lower Chest & “Inner Chest”

Before learning how to workout chest, you must understand what you’re training.

✔ Your chest is ONE muscle - the pectoralis major.

It has two heads:

1. Clavicular head (upper chest)

2. Sternal head (middle + lower chest)

There is no “inner chest.”
There is no separate “lower chest muscle.”
The fibers run in one big sheet — but the angle of your press can bias different regions.

✔ Upper chest (clavicular head)

Best trained by pressing upwards — incline angles.

✔ Lower chest (sternal fibers)

Best trained by pressing downwards — decline angles or dips.

✔ Middle chest

Hit in every pressing variation.

How to Workout Upper Chest (The “Weak Point” for Most Lifters)

The upper chest is the most commonly underdeveloped area ,especially in beginners.

WHY?

Because most people only do:

• Flat bench

• Push-ups

• Chest press machine

These hit the middle fibers well…
…but barely stimulate the clavicular head.

THE SCIENCE:

Electromyography (EMG) studies show:

• Incline pressing (30–45°) activates the upper chest significantly more

• Reverse-grip bench press increases clavicular fiber activation

• Incline dumbbells > incline barbell for full range of motion

✔ Best Upper Chest Exercises (Science-Based)

These should be your foundation:

1. Incline Barbell Bench Press (30–35°)

2. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (30°)

3. Reverse-Grip Barbell Bench Press

4. Incline Cable Fly (high-to-low)

5. Incline Hammer Strength Press

Form Tip:

Don’t go above 45° incline , it turns into a shoulder exercise.

How to Workout Lower Chest (The Most Overhyped Area)

Lower chest training is full of myths.

Let’s clarify it:

✔ There IS a lower portion of the pec , but you cannot isolate it.

You can only bias the lower fibers through decline patterns.

✔ Science shows:

Decline pressing creates higher activation in the lower sternal fibers than flat or incline pressing.

Best Lower Chest Exercises (Evidence-Based)

1. Decline Barbell Bench Press

2. Weighted Dips (Forward Lean)

3. Decline Dumbbell Press

4. Cable Fly (High-to-Low Arc)

5. Parallel Bar Dips

Why people struggle with lower chest definition:

NOT because they aren’t training it…
…but because their body fat percentage is too high.

Lower chest fat is the last to go in men.

You cannot out-train your diet.

How Many Chest Exercises Per Workout? (The Real Science)

Let’s address this directly.

You’ve asked Google:

• how many chest workouts per workout

• how many chest workouts should I do

• how many chest exercises per session

✔ The Evidence-Based Answer:

You only need 3–5 exercises per chest workout.

More than that = unnecessary fatigue + poor recovery.

Structure Example:

Exercise 1: Heavy compound (bench, incline bench, dips)
Exercise 2: Secondary press
Exercise 3: Fly variation
Exercise 4: Optional accessory (only if advanced)

Who needs 5 exercises?

Advanced lifters with large weekly volume targets.

Who only needs 3 exercises?

Beginners
Intermediates
Women
Men training full-body programs
People with a tight schedule

How Many Sets of Chest Per Workout?

Another big keyword cluster:

• how many sets of chest per workout

• how many sets for chest per workout

✔ Science-backed guideline:

10–20 total weekly sets for chest.

Distributed like:

• Beginner: 8–10 weekly sets

• Intermediate: 10–16 weekly sets

• Advanced: 16–20 weekly sets

Per workout:

If you train chest twice a week → 5–10 sets per workout
If you train chest once a week → 10–16 sets in a single session

But splitting it across 2 sessions is FAR better for muscle growth.

How Often to Workout Chest?

Another cluster:

• how often workout chest

• how often to workout chest

• how long should a chest workout be

✔ Optimal Frequency:

1-2× per week

✔ Optimal Duration:

45–70 minutes depending on volume.

More than that is overkill.

How to Workout Your Chest (Complete Training Plan)

A perfect chest workout should include:

1. Heavy horizontal press

Flat barbell bench
OR
Dumbbell bench

2. Upper chest press

Incline dumbbells or incline barbell

3. Fly movement

Cable fly
Dumbbell fly
Machine fly

4. Optional lower chest bias

Weighted dips
Decline bench

SAMPLE CHEST WORKOUT

1. Incline Dumbbell Press — 4×8–10
Upper chest activation king.

2. Flat Barbell Bench Press — 4×5
Strength + mid-pec thickness.

3. Weighted Dips (Forward Lean) — 3×8–12
Lower chest bias.

4. Cable Fly (High to Low) — 3×12–15
Lower chest shaping.

5. Machine Chest Press — 2×12–15 (Optional)
Finish with controlled hypertrophy work.

How to Workout Your Chest with Dumbbells (Home-Friendly)

Dumbbells alone can build a world-class chest.

Best Dumbbell Chest Exercises

• Flat dumbbell press

• Incline dumbbell press

• Decline dumbbell press (use bench or stack plates under one end)

• Dumbbell fly

• Dumbbell squeeze press

• Dumbbell pullover

Full Dumbbell-Only Chest Workout

1. Incline DB Press — 4×10

2. Flat DB Press — 4×8

3. DB Fly — 3×12

4. Decline Push-Ups — 3×AMRAP

Should Women Do Chest Workouts?

Keywords include:

• should women workout chest

• should women do chest workouts

• what do chest workouts do for women

• do chest workouts make breasts smaller

• do chest workouts make breasts bigger or smaller

Let’s clarify the truth:

✔ Chest workouts do NOT shrink breasts.

Breasts are made of fat + glandular tissue.
Training chest does not “burn breast fat.”

✔ Chest workouts do NOT make breasts bigger.

Breast size is not muscle.
Chest training improves firmness, posture, shape , not cup size.

✔ What chest workouts DO improve in women:

✔ Posture
✔ Upper-body strength
✔ Breast support (pectoralis major sits underneath the breast)
✔ Confidence
✔ Athletic performance

Women should absolutely train chest ,just like any other muscle.

Why Does My Chest Hurt When I Workout?

This keyword appears often.

Hurt vs pain: important difference

Muscle burn & pump → normal
Sharp pain, joint pain, sternum pain → NOT normal

Common Causes of Bad Pain

• Poor warm-up

• Flared elbows on bench

• Hyperextended wrists

• Too much weight

• Weak rotator cuff

• Poor scapular positioning

✔ Fix:

Warm up → lighter reps → better form → progressive overload

FULL FAQ

This section will help you rank for dozens of long-tail variations.

Q: What are the best chest workouts?

Incline DB press, bench press, dips, cable fly, machine press.

Q: How to workout inner chest?

You cannot. There is no inner chest muscle. Use fly variations for overall chest shaping.

Q: What workouts make your chest bigger?

Compound pressing: bench press, incline press, dumbbell press, dips.

Q: How long should a chest workout be?

45–70 minutes.

Q: How often chest workout sessions per week?

2× per week is optimal.

Q: What other muscle group to workout with chest?

Back, shoulders, or triceps.

Q: Do chest workouts make breasts smaller?

No.

Q: Do chest workouts make breasts bigger?

Also no.

Q: Why does my chest hurt when I workout?

Likely form issues, too much load, or lack of warm-up.

Q: How to go heavy without injury?

Use proper technique, warm up, and progressive overload.

(WazFlex Philosophy)

You wanted to know:

• how to workout chest

• how to workout the lower chest

• how to workout the upper chest

• how many chest workouts per workout

• how many chest exercises per session

• how many sets of chest per workout

• how often to workout chest

• how to workout your chest with dumbbells

• what workouts make your chest bigger

• should women workout chest

• do chest workouts make breasts smaller

Now you know the truth:

✔ Chest is ONE muscle

✔ Upper chest needs incline angles

✔ Lower chest needs decline angles

✔ You only need 3–5 exercises

✔ You need 10–20 weekly sets

✔ 2× per week is optimal

✔ Women should absolutely train chest

✔ Definition comes from LOWER BODY FAT , not special exercises

The result?

A stronger, thicker, fuller, better-shaped chest.

Built with science - not gym folklore.

Welcome to the WazFlex standard.