To build a big, strong chest, you need to do certain things. Without them, your pecs won’t grow bigger or stronger—they simply can’t. But none of the things you need to build a big, strong chest are the bench press.
Now, that’s not to say that you should stop using it. The bench press is a great exercise that can be a key component of good programs. But it’s not the only way.
Confession: I don’t even like to bench. Never really have.
Much to the dismay of bros everywhere, I rarely (if ever) use it. But that doesn’t mean my pecs, shoulders, and triceps are falling behind. At all. In fact, I think they’re bigger and stronger because of what I do instead of countless sets of benching.
If you want to build a big, strong chest (or any muscle for that matter), you only need a few simple strategies. They literally work every single time. Because science.
Tried and True Muscle-Building Mechanisms
According to the research, there are three main mechanisms of muscular hypertrophy (read: growth).
If your program includes one of these, you’ll get bigger. But if your program includes all three, you’ll optimize that growth, pack on more size, and see faster gains. Pretty awesome, right?
And I haven’t even told you the best part: You can apply these principles universally.
It doesn’t matter if you’re training with barbells, kettlebells, dumbells, or bodyweight, these mechanisms apply. It doesn’t matter if you like deadlifts more than squats (or vice versa), these mechanisms apply.
They always apply.
These aren’t weird tricks or strange lifting techniques. In fact, they don’t have anything to do with your lifts or exercises. Instead, they have everything to do with your physiology:
1. Mechanical Tension
Moving heavy things creates mechanical tension within the working muscles. Moving heavier things creates more mechanical tension. When it comes to building both size and strength, more mechanical tension is a very good thing.
As the load increases, muscles need to work harder (obviously) to apply more force. This requires your body to recruit more muscle fibers so that you generate enough mechanical tension and meet the demands of lift. The more you activate a muscle, the more it’ll grow—both bigger and stronger.
To maximize mechanical tension, go heavy.
2. Muscle Damage
Sounds gruesome, but it’s not. Honestly, it’s a big part of any workout program. Training breaks muscles down and allows them to build back bigger and stronger. More muscle damage stimulates more growth.
Muscle damage is the reason why high-volume programs are so common for gaining mass. Because, well, it works. But the underlying reason it’s effective has to do with time under tension. Doing 15 reps involves more time under tension than 10. And that means more muscle damage, more of a growth stimulus, and greater gains.
However, specifically training to increase time under tension is an oft-neglected growth strategy. As such, implementing more time under tension is an opportunity to make rapid progress.
To better utilize muscle damage, increase time under tension.
3. Metabolic Stress
There are two kinds of stress—distress (bad) and eustress (good). If you want to pack on pounds of lean mass, metabolic stress is the latter.
On a cellular level, metabolic stress creates a physiological environment conducive of muscle growth. Yay. But how can you tell if you’re taking advantage of metabolic stress? That’s easy.
Training for a pump and “the burn” is training that’ll lead to more metabolic stress, more size, and more strength.
Odds are you’ve felt the tell-tale signs of metabolic stress. Ya know, that acidic burn in the belly of your muscles and that skin-splitting pump after you finish the set.
Doing quick-moving sets with moderate weight and limited rest will leave you feeling one or both of these. When that happens, you’re crushing this third mechanism of muscle growth.
To spark more metabolic stress, chase the pump and feel the burn.
5 Ways to Build a Big, Strong Chest That Aren’t the Bench Press
The key to a bigger chest is utilizing all three mechanisms of muscle growth: mechanical tension, muscle damage, and metabolic stress. And you can work all three into a chest-building program without ever touching the bench press.
Results come because of the training stimulus, not the lift.
Benching isn’t bad. But having to wait three years for the dudebros to finish their endless sets? Sonuva bench, that’s the worst. And it’s bound to happen on International Chest Day (aka Monday). Unless, of course, you have other exercises you can use to build a big, strong chest.
That’s why I wanted to show you a few of my favorite ways to build a massive and powerful chest without needing to fight for space on the bench press:
1. Weighted Dips from a Dead Stop
These are a great way to train heavy, recruit muscle fibers, and generate explosive power. All of which can help with strength and size.
The heavy loads and muscle fiber recruitment will harness the gains-grabbing power of mechanical tension. Plus, adding explosivity by starting from a dead stop can help increase metabolic stress.
Set up the bar so that your knees or feet are resting on the floor at the bottom of your dip. (Put a mat under your knees for comfort, trust me.) Ideally, your shoulders should be a bit lower than your elbows at the bottom of a dip.
Explode up from the ground, powerfully extending your elbows until you reach lockout. Be quick, yet controlled, as you lower yourself back down to the ground. Pause briefly, then repeat.
I usually suggest heavy weights, high speed, and low reps. About 4–6 sets of 3–5 reps is a great jumping off point.
Quick, explosive, effective.
2. DB Squeeze Press
These are one of my favorite ways to add isolation and time under tension to chest training. (Without bothering shoulders, which often happens with flies.)
Not only are they simple, but they also help pack on lean mass by increasing muscle damage. Because tension.
Set up and execution of the squeeze press are essentially identical to any dumbbell press with one small difference. Simply squeeze the dumbbells together during the entire set. Doesn’t have to be hard, just enough to create constant tension.
Use DB squeeze presses as an accessory lift to build a big, strong chest. Shoot for 3–5 sets of 8–12 reps.
Oh, and buckle up. A little extra tension goes a long way.
3. Typewriter Push Up
The writer in me loves typewriters. The hard clickity clack of the keys, the ding at the end of a line—gah, so awesome. Similarly, the fitness professional in me loves typewriter push ups.
Not only do they introduce amazing time under tension, but they also increase single-arm loading (effectively adding more weight to a bodyweight exercise). Increased muscle damage? Check. More mechanical tension? Check. Enough to build a big, strong chest? You bet.
Set up in a normal push up position, but cheat to one side on the way down. Without touching your chest to the ground, drift to the other side, drift back, then push up. That’s one rep. Switch sides with each repetition.
Try 3–4 sets of 4–6 reps on each side.
4. Plyo Push Up with Elevation
Explosive movements help you generate more power, increase metabolic stress, and recruit more muscle fibers. All of these will help with strength and size. Thanks, mechanical tension and metabolic stress.
Plyometric push ups are, by definition, explosive. They’re also wildly effective.
Perform a push up, but explode up to catch yourself on an elevated surface. In the video, I used a kettlebell. But a medicine ball or anything sturdy and stable will work. Return your hands to the floor and repeat.
Focus on powerfully pressing and exploding away from the ground. Move quickly to increase metabolic stress (and overall muscle-building awesomeness).
Start with 3–5 sets of 8–12 reps.
5. Ab Wheels
I just love ab wheels. They’re one of my favorite core exercises. But if you’ve ever done the ab wheel, you’ve probably noticed something—they work a lot more than your abs.
Your arms, chest, and shoulders all contribute to a proper wheel out.
For one, that makes it a great multi-muscle exercise. Also, it means that you can build a big, strong chest and abs of steel at the same time. Double win.
The key here is to set up like you would for a push up. I mean that you want straight lines from our shoulders to the floor—both through your torso and legs as well as your arms. During the wheel out, think of leading with your nose. If you were to get all the way to the ground, your nose should be the first thing that touches.
But only wheel as deep as you can with perfect form. If your low back caves, you’ve gone too far. Keep rigid during the entire movement. (Nobody wants to see you lose your rigidity in the gym. That’d be gross.)
I usually enjoy adding these to the end of a chest workout for an extra hit of muscle damage and metabolic stress. Try 3–5 sets of 6–10 reps.
There you have it. Five ways to build a big, strong chest. They’re science-based, effective, and aren’t benching. But remember, these principles apply universally. You can adapt everything here to not only build a big, strong chest, but also a bigger stronger body.
Now stop reading this and go be barrel-chested beast—without even touching the bench press.