Most chest exercises are “compound”
Compound chest exercises are any type of press with either your bodyweight, dumbbells or barbells.
If an exercise uses a lot of muscles at once. its basically compound.
Types of compound chest exercises
- Dumbbell bench press (Incline, flat, decline)
- Barbell bench press (incline, flat, decline)
- Push-ups (incline, flat, decline)
Most chest exercises use various muscles. The shoulders, triceps, and of course, the chest.
You don’t necessarily need weights though. There are some great physiques that can be done with bodyweight exercises. They are still compound and use multiple muscles.
How to get the best results from compound chest exercises
You want to focus on the range of motion. Forget the ego, focus on a lower weight and get a nice stretch, then add weight over time.
There’s science behind using the full range of motion. It prevents injury and yields the greatest result, by using the muscle fully.
Your muscles are made of fibres that very much resemble threads on a rope. A full range of motion is trying to use all of those fibres.
This is why the Incline is arguably the best variation of a bench press. It allows a greater stretch. It does use more of your shoulders though.
So its important to have variations of compound exercises. A flat bench variant will focus on more of the chest, the “Pectoralis major”. To break it down further, the flat bench would be using the “Sternocostal head” (the middle muscle fibre. Think of your chest as lots of rope next to each other, the Sternocostal is the middle one)
Lifting heavy vs reps
Generally compound lifts are good for heavy lifting.
So for compound chest exercises, consider five sets for five reps, with around 1-2 minutes rest in between.
If you are starting out exercising in general, focus on more reps. so consider 4 sets of ten for any given exercise.
Either type of lifting can yield muscle gains. the amount varies between individual, You may gain more muscle mass with more reps despite the general consensus of less reps more weight for optimum muscle growth.
Compound bench press
Whether that’s using a bar or dumbbell, they are categorised commonly as either flat, incline or decline.
In every exercise listed below, never lock elbows. the width of your grip is dependant on the lifter, what you are comfortable with. everyone is slightly different in this regard, this is why you should start with a professional trainer/lifter spotting you.
Flat Bar/Dumbbell Bench Press
the bench is flat. no angle
Incline Bar/Dumbbell Bench Press
The bench should be around 30 degrees higher then the flat position
Decline Bar/Dumbell bench press
lowering the bench 30 degrees from the flat position.
Compound Push-Ups
Push-ups in general are more difficult to progress heavier with. That being said, you can use gymnastic rings with/or time under tension. also different hand positions;
Standard Push-up
maintaining plank position, lower your body by bending elbows until chest nearly touches the ground, then push back to starting position. hands are shoulder width apart.
Wide grip Push-up
hands are wider then shoulder-width apart
Close grip Push-up
hands are narrower then your shoulder-width.
Diamond push-up
triangle push-up, hands are placed together directly under your chest, forming a diamond shape
Incline/Decline push-up
your feet are on a chair, creating your body in a decline position. for incline, your hands are on the chair, creating an incline starting position.
One-Arm Push-up
The other arm is by your side or behind your back, pushing with one arm.
Pylometric Push-up
Push-ups that you push off the ground. requires a lot of force.
Handstand Push-up
A Push-up in a handstand position. I would say at this point, its not compound – mainly targeting the shoulders.
Archer Push-up
As you lower yourself, you extend one arm out to the side. You keep the other arm close to your body.
Clapping Push-up
Pylometric push-up but you clap.
If you get some gymnastic rings, you can do variations of the standard push-up. the added difficulty is balance – the grip is significantly harder!