The Ultimate Chest and Shoulders Workout

Written by Kirsten Yovino | CPT Brookbush Institute

Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni, BSBM

FACT CHECKED

Updated On: May 06, 2024

In a workout regimen, the chest and shoulder muscles go together like peanut butter and jelly. Separate, they’re good, but together, these pushing muscles complement each other perfectly. In fact, it’s hard to do a chest exercise without also activating your shoulder muscles.

Plus, not many things in life are more satisfying than a well-defined chest and boulder shoulders, which is why this article focuses on a muscle-building chest and shoulders workout. Trust us, your muscles will thank you for following a split that pairs the chest and shoulders together.

And happy muscles usually lead to larger ones.

Table of Contents:

Best Chest And Shoulders Workout Routine
Programming Tips
Additional Routines to Pair With These Workouts
Chest And Shoulder Anatomy
Best Exercises For A Chest & Shoulder Workout

THE BEST CHEST AND SHOULDER WORKOUT ROUTINE

We’ve included two workouts here for your weight-lifting pleasure. For best results, complete them both each week (spreading the sessions out anywhere from 24-72 hours so your muscles can repair).

The variety of moves in both workouts ensures you hit the recommended weekly sets for your chest and shoulder muscles.

Chest & Shoulders Workout A:

Barbell Bench Press: 4-5 sets x 5-8 reps (3 minutes rest)
Barbell Overhead Press: 3-4 sets x 6-8 reps (3 minutes rest)
Incline Bench Press: 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps (2 minutes rest)
Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly: 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps (2 minutes rest)
Chest Dips: 3x4 sets x 8-12 reps (2 minutes rest)
Lateral Shoulder Raise: 3-4 sets x 10-12 reps (2 minutes)
Close Grip Push-Up: 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps (2 minutes)

Chest & Shoulders Workout B:

Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press: 4-5 sets x 5-8 reps (3 minutes)
Clap Push-Up: 3-4 sets x 5-8 reps (3 minutes)
Arnold Press: 3-4 sets x 6-8 reps (3 minutes)
Dumbbell Chest Fly: 3-4 sets x 10-12 reps (2 minutes)
Upright Barbell Row: 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps (2 minutes)
Bent-Over Cable Crossovers: 3-4 sets x 8-12 reps (2 minutes)
Rear Delt Machine Fly: 3-4 sets x 10-12 reps (2 minutes)

About This Workout

This workout will build mass and improve muscular strength in your chest and shoulders. Strength exercises have a rep range between 5 and 8 and are placed at the beginning of the workout. Hypertrophy exercises are programmed in the 8-12 rep range and follow strength moves.

Perform both workouts each week, doing one earlier in the week, and the other 48 to 72 hours after the first. You can run this program anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks. When you stop being able to add reps, sets, or weight, it may be a sign it's time to switch things up.

Important Training Variables

Optimal muscle gains occur with 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week. Beginner lifters should aim closer to 10, whereas experienced lifters can aim for 16 to 20.

For muscle hypertrophy, progressive overload is the name of the game, and there are multiple ways you can continue progressing with this workout. Increase your sets (no more than five per exercise), your reps (stick with your suggested rep range), or your weight. For example, if in week one you can perform four sets of 5 reps of the barbell bench press, an easy way to progress the following week is to try to complete six reps instead.

Once you reach your max sets and reps for an exercise, increase the weight. So, if you’re benching 200 pounds and able to complete five sets of 8 reps each, increase your weight, keeping in mind not to increase it so much that you can't finish at least four sets of 5 reps.

Additional Routines To Pair With Your Chest & Shoulders Workout

If you're following a split that groups the chest and shoulders together, you should also perform a Leg Workout and a Back and Biceps Workout each week.

If your current goal is to focus on growing your chest and shoulders, you can perform this routine twice weekly, and your legs and back and biceps once weekly. Or, to grow each muscle group evenly, follow a 6-day split and perform each routine twice per week.

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ANATOMY OF THE CHEST AND SHOULDERS

If you don't need a brief anatomy lesson on your delts and pecs, keep scrolling to learn how to perform the exercises we included in the chest and shoulder workouts.

Otherwise, keep reading for a quick overview of the muscles you're working while using the above routines.

Chest Muscles:

The chest muscles consist of the pec major and minor, serratus anterior, and subclavius.

Pectoralis Major: The largest and most superficial of the chest muscles, the pectoralis major is shaped like a fan and located underneath the breast tissue. It has two heads, the clavicular (upper chest) and sternocostal (lower chest). To learn specific exercises that target the separate heads, check out these upper chest exercises and lower chest exercises.
Pectoralis Minor: Thinner and triangle-shaped, the pectoralis minor lies underneath the pectoralis major. Chest exercises such as diamond push-ups, chest press, and cable crossovers all hit the pec minor. Focus on keeping the shoulder blades pulled down during exercises to activate them further.
Serratus Anterior: We know when you think of the chest, the pec major and minor are what come to mind. But without the serratus anterior, pushing actions, like the bench press, isn't possible, as it’s responsible for pulling your shoulder blades forward. For serratus anterior exercises, think push-ups, bench presses, and boxing.
Subclavius: Short and triangularly shaped, the subclavius is another muscle that may not technically be a chest muscle but is crucial for most chest movements.

Shoulder Muscles:

The shoulders, formally known as the deltoids, consist of three shoulder heads: the anterior (front) deltoid, the lateral (side) deltoid, and the posterior (rear) deltoid. The three heads work together for upper body exercises to enable the arm to move in almost all major movements, including pushing, pulling, circular motions, and lifting.

Anterior Deltoid: The anterior deltoid connects to your collarbone and is the front of the shoulder. Anterior deltoid exercises include the overhead press, push press, and Arnold press.
Lateral Deltoid: Moving your arms out to the side, as well as shoulder flexion, moving them up and down, are all thanks to the lateral delts, which are found on the side of your shoulders. This portion of the deltoid is integral in achieving the full, rounded shoulder look we all know and love. Standing T raise, arm circles, lateral raises, and band face pulls are just a few more examples of lateral deltoid exercises.
Posterior Deltoid: Connecting to the shoulder blade, the posterior delts at the back of the arm allow you to move your arms backward. Bent over dumbbell raises, inclined reverse dumbbell fly, and the reverse machine fly are effective rear delt exercises.

BEST EXERCISES FOR A CHEST AND SHOULDER WORKOUT

As you can see, the chest and shoulders are a perfect upper body muscle mass match. The exercises we’re about to discuss are in one of two chest and shoulder workouts we've created for you.

The best exercises for a chest and shoulder workout are:

Barbell Bench Press
Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Dumbbell Chest Fly
Chest Dips
Bent-Forward Cable Crossovers
Clap Push Up
Close Grip Push Up
Arnold Press
Barbell Overhead Press
Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
Rear Delt Fly Machine
Lateral Shoulder Raises
Upright Barbell Row

We've separated the chest and shoulder exercises so you can better understand the best moves for each.

8 Best Chest Exercises

Let's start with learning how to perform the best chest exercises.

1. Barbell Bench Press:

Both your pectoralis major and minor are activated in the barbell bench press, making it a must for chest and shoulder days. It also activates the anterior deltoids, enabling you to target one of the shoulder heads - no additional exercise required. When it comes to pushing exercises, the bench press is king.

Keep in mind: Whenever you use a flat bench for chest exercises, it targets the lower pectoralis muscles more so than the upper. For a well-rounded strengthening program, targeting the upper head (more on this in a few exercises!) is also important.

How to do the barbell bench press:

Lying flat on a bench, grasp the barbell with an overhand grip. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width. Keep your arms straight, and your shoulder blades retracted.
Bending your elbows, slowly lower the bar to your chest until your hands are above your elbows.
Push the barbell upward in a straight line by straightening your arms.

2. Single-Arm Dumbbell Bench Press:

The pectoralis major and minor, and to some extent, the anterior deltoid, are all activated in the single-arm dumbbell bench press. And as a unilateral movement, it checks some additional workout boxes, including improving your shoulder stability, identifying and correcting chest or shoulder imbalances on either side of your body, and providing you with a greater range of motion than the barbell bench press.

How to do a single-arm dumbbell bench press:

Lying down on a bench, grasp your dumbbells with a neutral grip, keeping your arms extended and the dumbbells in line with your shoulders.
Retracting your shoulder blades, keep your left dumbbell raised overhead while slowly bending your right elbow, lowering your right dumbbell down to your shoulder.
Straightening your arm, slowly push your dumbbell overhead until your arm is straight.
Lower back down on the same side; don’t switch to your left until your reps are complete on your right side.

3. Incline Bench Press:

The upper head of the pectoralis major puts in most of the work on an incline bench, which you should set to 30 degrees. If you have an incline much higher than this, you will take the work out of your chest and put it on your front shoulders instead¹.

Don’t worry: Even with the incline bench at 30 degrees, your anterior deltoids are still working.

How to the incline bench press:

Lying back on an inclined bench, grasp the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width with your palms upward.
Lifting the bar off the rack, fully extend your arms until the bar is overhead and your hands are above your shoulders.
Bending your elbows, slowly lower the bar to your chest.
Straighten your arms to press the barbell back up.

4. Dumbbell Chest Fly:

Arguably one of the best exercises for creating a well-defined chest, the dumbbell chest fly primarily targets the pectoralis major and the anterior deltoids. And similar to the bench press, switching to an incline tweaks the muscles working.

When you perform this move on a flat bench, the lower head works hardest, while an incline bench targets the upper head. In addition, while dumbbells are great for increasing your range of motion and forcing your muscles to work harder to stabilize, you can also use the chest fly machine instead.

Since it provides more stability, you can use a higher weight. Both variations have their benefits.

How to do a chest fly:

Lying with your back on a bench and your feet flat on the floor, start with your arms extended out to each side with your palms grasping dumbbells and facing upward.
With your elbows slightly bent, extend your arms and dumbbells above your head in an arc motion. Have your palms and dumbbells face each other, meeting above your chest with your arms fully extended above you.
Lower your dumbbells to your sides in an arc. Stop your descent when the dumbbells are in a straight line with your chest, extended to each side.
Begin pressing the dumbbells upward again.

5. Chest dips:

Ideally, use a dip station at your gym for to perform dips. It targets both heads of the pectoralis major, but more so the lower portion, the pectoralis minor, and your anterior deltoids.

Lean forward when performing this movement to target your chest. Keeping your body upright causes your triceps to do more work - not what we want on chest and shoulder day!

How to do a chest dip:

At your dip station, position your hands on the parallel bars with a neutral grip.
Bending your elbows, lean forward and slowly lower your body until your forearms are parallel to the ground and your shoulders are below your elbows.
Straighten your elbows, pushing through your palms, to drive your body upward to the starting position.

6. Bent-Forward Cable Crossovers:

Another isolation exercise for targeting the pectoralis major and minor, bent-forward cable crossovers is an isolation move that creates an ultra-defined chest.

Pro tip: Slightly crossing your hands in front of you will further engage your chest muscles. In addition, you can switch up the angle of your upper body to specifically target the upper, middle, or lower chest.

How to do bent-forward cable crossovers:

Set your pulleys on the cable machine to slightly higher than your chest. Grab the handles of each pulley with your palms down, and step two feet in front of the pulleys.
Bend forward. Retract your shoulder blades to push your chest out, and stagger your feet one in front of the other. Keep your back straight.
Pull the pulley handles down, with your elbows and shoulders in line.
With a slight elbow bend, pull down on the pulley handles, across your body. Your hands should be extended downward in front of you, crossing over each other.
Reverse the movement to return to start.

7. Clap Push-Up:

The standard push-up does an excellent job of hitting the entire chest, and in the beginning stages of your fitness journey, you may want to start with a classic push-up and work your way up to this move. The clap push-up also does a great job of hitting the pectoralis major and minor (and of course, those front deltoids), but it takes it up another notch by adding a plyometric element into the mix.

The plyo targets your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are larger and more powerful. When you force your fast-twitch muscle fibers to contract, more muscle fibers become engaged in the movement, resulting in more power in your chest and more muscle growth. There are endless push-up variations that target the chest, so don't be afraid to mix it up with other options as well.

How to do the clap push-up:

Start in a plank position with your hands shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be slightly closer than shoulder width.
Slowly lower to the ground by bending your elbows, keeping your elbows tucked in by your sides.
When you’re just above the ground, push off from your hands explosively. Push powerfully enough to lift them off the ground, and quickly clap your hands together before landing.
Land back in the starting plank position, bending your arms slightly when landing.

8. Close-grip Push-Up:

When it comes to the close-grip, or diamond, push-up, your first thought may be triceps. But this variation also does an excellent job of targeting the pectoralis minor, a feat many exercises cannot achieve.

If that's not enough to convince you, this may: Research shows that the close-grip push-up activates your pectoralis major more than standard or wide-grip push-ups². That’s reason enough to include it in your chest and shoulder day!

How to do the close-grip push-up:

Form a diamond shape with your hands by placing your index fingers and thumbs so they touch.
Assume the plank position, and lower down to the ground.
Straighten your elbows to raise your body upward, back to the starting position.

6 Best Shoulder Exercises

Time to learn how to perform each of the best shoulder exercises to include in your program.

1. Arnold Press:

You’ll be hard-pressed (no pun intended) to find a shoulder move as effective as this one. The Arnold press hits all three shoulder heads, ensuring no part of the shoulder is left behind.

This exercise is included in almost all of our programs, including our Ultimate Shoulders And Arms Workout!

How to do the Arnold press:

Grab your dumbbells, and begin with your elbows bent with your palms facing your shoulders.
Straighten your elbows to drive your dumbbells upward while simultaneously rotating your arms to face your palms away from you.
With your arms fully straightened and palms outward, bend your elbows, rotating your palms back to face you as you lower your dumbbells back to shoulder height. With each rep, try to ensure your right arm and left arm are moving in sync with each other.

2. Barbell Overhead Press:

Another excellent shoulder exercise for strengthening the anterior, lateral, and posterior shoulder heads, the efficiency of this move prevents you from including too many shoulder exercises into your weight-lifting routine. The only thing we love more than an efficient gym regimen is massive shoulders.

If you are in the beginning stages of your workout journey or are unfamiliar with the overhead press, we recommend beginning with the seated dumbbell shoulder press. The seated position and the dumbbells create more stability and control as you familiarize yourself with them. You can then progress to the barbell.

How to do the barbell overhead press:

While standing with your legs straight, hold the barbell on your upper chest with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders, and your palms upward.
Straighten your arms to press the bar above your head, keeping your trunk and hips still throughout the movement.
Slowly lower the barbell back down to your upper chest.

3. Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly:

As you can see from our chest exercises above, the front deltoids unintentionally get a lot of love. Unfortunately, the rear delts aren’t as lucky, so targeting them is crucial for achieving a rounded and defined shoulder.

A good strategy for isolating your posterior deltoids is avoiding overly heavy weights. Too much weight forces other muscles to step in to help, defeating this exercise's intended purpose.

How to do dumbbell rear delt flyes:

Standing with a dumbbell in each hand, place your feet shoulder-width apart.
With your knees slightly bent, push your hips back and lean your torso forward.
Start with your weights hanging down toward the floor, palms facing each other, with a slight elbow bend.
Lift your dumbbells to your sides until they line up with your shoulders. Make sure to avoid raising your shoulders.
Slowly lower your dumbbells back to the starting position.

4. Rear Delt Fly Machine:

We like a mix of dumbbells and machines in our workouts as they both have advantages. Compared to the dumbbell version, the fly machine provides more stability, enabling you to use more weight than the dumbbell variation. It's one of the best isolation exercises for your rear deltoids.

The machine version also requires less control than dumbbells, meaning you can still do them just as effectively toward the end of your workout when you’re tired. Pay attention to your hand position as it can make or break your rear delt activation. Research shows that using a neutral grip with your palms facing each other increases your posterior shoulder activation compared to a pronated grip³.

How to do the rear delt fly machine:

Sit facing the rear delt machine. Place your chest against the chest pad, and keep your back straight. Grab the handles in a neutral position with your palms facing each other; keep a slight bend in your elbows.
Bring the handles backward until they line up with your shoulders.
Contract your rear delt before slowly returning to the start position.

5. Lateral Shoulder Raises:

The lateral shoulder raise does a great job of working one specific portion of the deltoid. Any guesses as to which one? If you guessed the lateral deltoids, you are correct!

Lateral shoulder raises play an incremental role in achieving large deltoids and is beneficial for improving shoulder mobility - something everyone benefits from.

How to do a lateral shoulder raise:

Stand with dumbbells in each hand, hanging by your sides.
Begin lifting the weights to your sides, stopping when your arms are parallel to the floor with a slight bend in the elbows. Don't raise your shoulders during the movement.
Slowly lower the dumbbells back to your sides.

6. Upright Barbell Row:

The upright row targets the anterior, lateral, and posterior deltoids, making it an effective and efficient exercise for shoulder days. We selected the barbell variation as it allows you to use higher weights, but you can also dumbbells for this exercise.

Just be prepared to move down in weights with dumbbells so you can perform this move safely, as a lot of people experience shoulder pain with upright rows.

How to do an upright barbell row:

Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your back straight, chest high, and an overhand grip to grasp your barbell.
Slowly bend your elbows to raise the bar toward your chin. Stop once your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
Straighten the elbows, lowering the bar back to its starting position.

chest and shoulders routine

Chest & Shoulder Workouts: Final Takeaways

You now have a solid understanding of the chest and shoulder muscles, and more importantly, two muscle-building workouts designed for serious gains. It’s now up to you to get to the gym and give every exercise, set, and rep nothing but your best.

One parting thought: Don’t let your dietary habits sabotage your gym progress. Effort in the kitchen is just as crucial as the work you put in at the gym. Hit your protein goals to build muscle, practice mindful eating, and educate yourself on the best supplements and nutritional guidelines to optimize your gym efforts.

If you're following a chest and shoulder workout, pair it with our Ultimate Leg Workout and Ultimate Back & Biceps Workout to train all major muscle groups each week!