Workouts to Increase the Width of the Chest

You need both thickness and width to build an impressive, balanced set of pecs. Just bench pressing and dumbbell pressing isn't enough -- these may build the middle part of your chest, but they do little for the width. When looking to build a wider chest, include at least one width-specific exercise in each workout.

  1. Dumbbell Flyes

    • Dumbbell flyes are an isolation move, meaning they focus solely on your pecs. They are particularly effective for increasing chest width since you get a big stretch across your pecs at the bottom of each repetition. Lie on a bench holding a set of dumbbells above your chest and lower them in an arc motion, keeping your arms very slightly bent. When you're as low as you can go comfortably, bring the dumbbells back together at the top.

    Cable Crossovers

    • Cable crossovers mimic the movement of a dumbbell fly, but are performed in a cable station. Attach a D-handle to either side of the crossover station, grasp a handle in each hand and take a step forward. Your arms should be very slightly bent, and there should be tension on your pecs. Bring your hands in front of your chest, keeping your arms almost completely straight and squeeze your pecs together. Keep tension on your pecs throughout and squeeze your chest on every rep, advises trainer Dustin Elliot. Strength coach Marc Perry recommends using a lighter weight and working in the 10 to 15 rep range.

    Dips

    • If you don't have much equipment at your disposal, dips make a good addition to your routine. Use a set of parallel bars. Start with your elbows straight, descend as low as you can, then push back up again. Using a wider grip will target your outer pecs more and build the width of your chest. Don't go too wide though, warns strength coach Joe Giandonato, as doing so can place excess strain on your shoulder joints. Hands slightly wider than shoulder width should suffice.

    Considerations

    • Begin each workout with a width-focused exercise before moving on to your standard exercises such as dumbbell or barbell presses and pullovers. Keep the repetitions in the eight to 15 range and use weights that are challenging but with which you can maintain good form. Small changes to your regular chest routine can increase your pec width too. By simply widening your grip on bench presses, pushups and machine presses, you put more emphasis onto your outer chest.