How to do it 
Lie on a bench with your head, torso and hips pressed against it and your feet spread wide and flat on the floor. Grab the bar with a full overhand grip (thumbs wrapped around the bar). Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, remove the bar from the uprights and hold it with straight arms over your collar bone. Pull your shoulder blades together. Lower the bar, slowly and in control, until it touches your chest just below your nipples. Then press the weight up and slightly back so it finishes above your collar bone again. You can lock your elbows or stop just short. Keep your shoulder blades pulled back. 

Mix and max 
Vary your grip. Your hand position helps determine how your chest develops. A wider grip emphasises your chest, while a narrower grip involves more of your triceps and deltoids. 
Change tools. You'll lift less weight with dumbbells, but since they allow your hands to move independently of each other, it will be easier to keep your hands directly in line with your elbows, reducing your risk of injury. Adjust your approach. Instead of conforming to the standard 3 sets of 3 exercises that most men use to work their chest muscles, perform 1 set of 7 different exercises. This approach conditions the muscles from 7 specific angles, instead of 3, in one workout, utilising a higher percentage of muscle fibres for maximum overall growth. 

Your power plan 
To develop the best chest, you need to vary the ways your shoulders and triceps are involved. Your chest recruits extra support from your triceps near the top of the bench press; your deltoids assist mostly at the bottom; and both help your chest in the middle. These 6 exercises involve your secondary muscle groups to ensure a smooth movement throughout the press. After your bench-press routine, pick one exercise from each section: A (upper chest and deltoids), B (middle chest) and C (lower chest and triceps). Then build your programme using the chart below. You'll get a custom-made workout that keeps your chest muscles guessing and growing. After a week of lifting, you'll start to see and feel the power. 
Dumbbell incline press 
Lie on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand (palms forward), your arms extended straight above your chest. Lower the dumbbells until they're resting along the sides of your chest. Pause, then press the weights back up. (Hold them farther apart to target the front deltoids.) 
Get more: Instead of keeping the bench fixed at one angle, try lowering it one notch from the highest angled position for your first set, then continue lowering the angle one notch after each set. 
 
Dumbbell fly 
Grab a pair of dumbbells that are lighter than those you use for bench presses. Lie on a bench, holding the dumbbells with a neutral grip (palms facing each other) above the middle of your pecs, arms straight up. Maintaining a slight bend in your elbows, lower the dumbbells down and back until your upper arms are parallel to the floor and in line with your ears. Then use your chest to pull the weights back up to the starting position, following the same arclike route in reverse. Keep your shoulder blades pinched together throughout and flex your pecs at the top of the movement. 
Get more: Use an overhand grip to lower the dumbbells until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. As you use your chest to pull the weights back up, slowly rotate your palms so they face each other about halfway up and face towards you at the top of the move. 
 
Dumbbell decline press 
Lie on a decline bench with your shins hooked beneath the leg supports. Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them above your head with your arms extended, but not locked. Lower the dumbbells to the outer edges of your chest, just below your nipples. Pause, then press them back up above your head. 
Get more: A decline position shrinks your range of motion, making it easier to lift heavier weights. Start with dumbbells that are 15-20 per cent heavier than you typically lift when lying flat. 
 
Parallel dip 
Grab the parallel bars of a dip station with a neutral grip and lift yourself so your arms are straight but not locked. Bend your knees and cross ankles. Slowly lower your body by bending your elbows, until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. (The farther you lower yourself, the harder your deltoids work to push you back up.) Pause, then push yourself back to start, keeping your elbows unlocked at the top. 
Get more: If you're too strong to benefit from the specified number of repetitions, wear a dip belt (start with about 15 per cent of your body weight). If you're not strong enough, take 2 seconds to lower yourself, then step up to get into the starting position and repeat. 
 
Standing high-cable crossover 
Attach stirrup handles to the high cables of a cablecrossover station and stand sideways to the weight stack. Grab the left handle with your left hand and the right handle with your right, and stand in the middle of the station. You may also want to take a step back; it's best to start with tension in the cables so there's resistance throughout the movement. Pull your shoulder blades back and keep your elbows slightly bent. Pull the handles down in a wide arc in front of your body until your hands just pass each other in front of your midsection. Pause, then return to start. 
Get more: Resist the urge to lean forward; that prevents your chest from doing the work. You can reduce forward momentum and add weight by placing one foot slightly ahead of the other, keeping them shoulder-width apart. 
 
Medicine-ball pushup 
Kneel and place your hands along the sides of a medicine ball, spreading your fingers wide to help grip the surface (a football or basketball will also work). The space between your thumbs and index fingers should be diamond-shaped. Balance your weight on the ball, then slowly extend your legs behind you to assume the pushup position. Lower your body until your chest touches your hands. Pause, then slowly press yourself back up to the starting position. 
Get more: Perform 1 set to failure-the point at which you can't do any more repetitions. Then immediately move to your knees and continue until you reach failure again. Decreasing the load this way allows you to push your muscles beyond their usual state of fatigue. 

CHALLENGING CHANGEUPS 
Incline bench press 
Lie on an incline bench set at a 15- to 30-degree angle, with your arms extended and the bar above your chin. Lower the bar, moving it very subtly forward so that it finishes close to your collar bone. The angle of this lift places more of the emphasis on the upper (or clavicular) part of your chest. 
Plyometric pushup 
Assume the basic pushup position on a well-padded carpet or exercise mat. Lower yourself to the bottom position, then quickly push up with enough force so your hands come off the floor. Catch yourself with your elbows slightly bent, and go immediately into the next repetition. 
 
Decline bench press 
Lie on a decline bench set at a 30- to 45-degree angle, with your shins hooked beneath the leg supports. Lower the bar to an inch or two above your chest, pause, then press it back up. The angle of this lift targets the lower chest and decreases the range of motion, so you'll lift heavier weights than on a fl at bench. 
Swiss-ball bench press 
Bench-press while lying on a Swiss ball so that your head, neck and upper back are in contact with the ball. This teaches your proprioceptive fibres-the microscopic nerves responsible for keeping your body balanced at all times-to work more effectively with your chest muscles.

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