Your chest workout should include at least two warm up sets, some light stretching and some heavy poundage on the work sets. My routine is almost always three sets of three different exercises--all of which are done to complete failure except perhaps the very first set which I consider sort of the tail-end of my warm up.

The execution of all my chest movements is very strict. It usually takes me three seconds to lower the weight before I bring it up again in an equally controlled fashion but slightly faster. This tecnique has worked extremely well for me. Don't try to put up a heavier weight than you really ought to be ignoring the negative part of the rep and arching your back.

It's my feeling that a good chest workout should have three parts to it. One exercise needs to be a mass builder--a compound movement where you use as much weight as you can and still do 6-10 controlled reps. I usually do flat bench presses for this. I prefer the bar to dumbbells these days because it helps balance the load better. I don't think you can go wrong either way as long as your watching you're form and you're developing evenly.

Second, every chest routine needs an exercise for the upper chest. Incline flies, incline dumbbell press or incline barbbell press all work well. I use the bar again.

Finally, to carve out the valley between your pecs, an advanced routine should include some sort of cross-over movement. Experienced bodybuilders who already have a good base of mass can go into cable movements. For the rest of us who are still building a base of muscle, dumbbell flies work best here.

Bench Press

Execution

For dumbbell press, start seated on a bench with the weights resting up and down on your quads. Lay back and swing the weights back to the point where the corners of each dumbbell is just touching your outer pecs. Push the weight up, bringing them slightly closer together at the top of the movement. Lower the weight back down slowly--two seconds on the way down for every second on the way up is a good rule. Repeat.

For barbell press, first make sure you have a spotter. Lay the bench so that the racked weight is just a tad behind your shoulders. Use a wider than shoulder width grip, but don't go too wide or you'll reduce your range of motion too much. Have your partner break it for you by lifting it up off the rack. Lower the weight slowly down till it touches your chest. Don't flag your elbows out, point them slightly back towards your feet. Bring it back up with just as much control. I don't like to lock my elbows at the top of the movement, because it takes some of the stress off your muscles and puts it on your skeletal structure which is not the point of the movement.

Muscles Worked

Pectorals, secondary emphasis on triceps and front deltoids.

Notes

You may want to try alternating between the barbell and dumbbells to get the best of both worlds. A lot of pros favor one or the other, so I'm sure both have their merits. If you have symetry problems then use the barbell. The bar will keep your hands the same distance apart and force your arms to go through exactly the same motion. By keeping the bar straight, you will distribute the load more evenly and allow the weaker side to catch up.

I often switch between doing this first and incline bench first in my chest workout. It keeps my muscles guessing and I don't get bored.

Incline Bench Press

Execution

With dumbbells, the only difference between this movement and the flat dumbbell press is way you start the exercise and the muscles it stresses. Sit on an inclined bench with the dumbbells resting on your quads. You want to bring them up so that your hands are just above shoulder height. With heavier weight, this is not easy. The way I do it is by kicking one leg and then the other up. This throws the weight up and back so that I can bring it to rest near my front delts and upper pecs. From there I slowly push the weight up and squeeze the dumbbells closer together along the way. Lower the weight slowly and repeat. I sometimes pause at the top of the movement and conciously try to flex my pecs to maximize the stress.

For barbell press, you absolutely need a spotter. Use a slightly wider than shoulder width grip--as with the flat bench press. Let your partner unrack the weight. Steady the weight above your chest and bring it slowly down. Let it touch your chest a little below your collar bone and well above your nipples and then push it back up. As with the flat bench press, I don't believe you should lock your elbows at the top of the movement--it allows your muscles to rest which you could just as easily do by staying in bed, you're in the gym to work.

Muscles Worked

Pectorals, secondary emphasis on triceps and front deltoids. I feel this movement places more stress on the deltoids then the flat bench press because of the angle it's performed at.

Notes

This is the exercise to do for upper pec mass.