When it comes to growing muscle and getting stronger, active people have different priorities. Some want bigger legs, well-rounded arms, or maybe a defined six-pack, but having priorities doesn’t mean you should forget about the rest of your muscles – like the ones in your chest!

Your pectoral muscles allow you to flex your arms and bring them forward, as well as rotate them, assisting you in many upper-body exercises and day-to-day movements. Chest exercises are crucial if you want to get far in your journey, and the chest press exercise is one of the best to achieve this.

In this article, we’ll show you some of the most effective types of chest press variations that you can try on your upper-body days. So, grab your UPPPER Wrist Wraps and try these chest exercises on your next push day!

Neutral grip chest press

Also known as the hammer chest press, this variation changes how you hold the weights, emphasizing your pecs and triceps while minimizing the strain on your deltoids to keep your shoulders safe.

How to do it:

1. Lay with your back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand and your feet firmly placed on the floor.
2. Keep your forearms close to your sides while you point your arms forward, holding the weights in a neutral grip.
3. Begin the movement by pressing the weights upward until your arms are fully extended over you, making sure you’re keeping the weights in the same position.
4. Hold to squeeze your pecs, then bring the weights back to the starting position and repeat.

Alternating chest press

This unilateral exercise follows the same form as the standard chest press, except you’ll be pressing one weight at a time, alternating from side to side to improve your functional strength.

How to do it:

1. Lay down on a flat bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, and place your feet firmly on the floor.
2. Open your arms, pointing your elbows to your sides with your forearms perpendicular to your body so that the weights point straight forward as if you were holding a barbell.
3. Begin the movement by pressing the right dumbbell upward, keeping the left one in place while you fully extend your right arm over you.
4. Pause for a second while you squeeze your working muscles, then bring the dumbbell back down and switch to the opposite side, alternating until you’re done with your reps.

Incline chest press

As the name suggests, this variation is performed at an angle on an inclined bench, allowing you to better target your upper chest and your shoulder muscles to improve your upward pressing strength.

How to do it:

1. Adjust a bench so that it’s inclined at around 45 degrees and lay with your back on it, placing your feet firmly on the floor.
2. Holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip, open your arms so that your elbows are pointing to your sides and your forearms are perpendicular to your body, pointing the weights straight forward.
3. Begin the movement by slowly pressing the dumbbells upward, following a linear path until your arms are completely extended in front of you.
4. Squeeze your pecs for a second, then bring the dumbbells back down and repeat.

Decline chest press

This movement is very similar to the incline chest press, except the bench will now be in a declined position. This will help you target your lower chest and your shoulders for a stronger upper body while minimizing strain on your anterior deltoids.

How to do it:

1. Adjust a bench so that it’s declined at around 30 degrees and lay on it with your feet secured and resting on the pads.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip and open your arms so that your elbows are pointing to your sides with your forearms perpendicular to your body, pointing the weights straight forward.
3. Begin the movement by pressing up the dumbbells in a linear path until your arms are fully extended in front of you.
4. Hold while you squeeze your pecs, then lower the dumbbells and repeat.

Single-arm chest press

This is another unilateral variation similar to the alternating chest press, except you’ll be performing all your reps on one arm and then switching to the other to help you fix any unwanted muscular imbalances.

How to do it:

1. Lay with your back on a flat bench while you hold a dumbbell in your right hand in an overhand grip, placing your feet firmly on the floor.
2. Pointing your right elbow to the side so that your forearms are perpendicular to your body, and keep the weights pointing straight forward.
3. Begin the movement by pressing the dumbbell upward until your right arm is fully extended over you, making sure you’re fully engaging your right-side muscles.
4. Squeeze your working muscles, then slowly bring the dumbbell back down and repeat.
5. Finish your reps and switch to the opposite side.

Rotational chest press

The rotational chest press involves a wrist rotation in the middle of the exercise, which requires increased muscle activation and coordination and helps reduce strain on your elbow joints.

How to do it:

1. Lay on a flat bench while holding a dumbbell in each hand and your feet firmly placed on the floor.
2. Keeping your forearms close to your sides, point your arms forward as you hold the weights in a neutral grip.
3. Begin the movement by pressing the weights upward, rotating your wrists inward as they go up until your arms are fully extended and you’re holding the weights in an overhand position.
4. Squeeze your pecs in this position, then revert the movement to the neutral position and repeat.

Floor chest press

This variation is performed on the floor instead of a bench, reducing the range of motion and allowing you to add more weight and target your triceps for a more challenging workout.

How to do it:

1. Lay with your back flat on the floor and your knees bent so that your feet rest comfortably on the floor.
2. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip and rest your forearms on the floor, perpendicular to your body, while you hold the weights upward and pointed to the ceiling.
3. Begin the movement by pressing the weights upward and toward the ceiling until both arms are fully extended over you.
4. Hold for a moment while you squeeze your muscles, then slowly bring the dumbbells down and repeat.

Have better push days 

Switch up your usual bench press with these variations to help you strengthen your chest muscles. As an added tip, use wrist wraps if you struggle with wrist pain when pressing weights overhead. They are designed to wrap around your wrist to add compression and stabilize the wrist joint during heavy pushing exercises, so you can focus on activating your chest muscles, not wrist pain!

Why choose UPPPER Wrist Wraps for your weight lifting sessions?

Our high-quality Wrist Wraps are everything you look for in a fitness accessory - durable, comfortable, reliable, and stylish! We offer long and sturdy wrist wraps in both neutral and cute colors that are perfect for safely lifting on those days that you really want to challenge yourself with heavier weights. Take your strength to the max with our UPPPER Wrist Wraps!

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