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Exercises

Chest exercises for women: upper chest, presses and push-ups

Published October 19, 2026

The best chest exercises for women are the incline dumbbell press for the upper chest, the machine chest press or flat dumbbell press for pushing strength, and a fly or pullover to train the stretch. If you cannot do a full push-up yet, add the incline push-up and lower the surface over time. Two chest sessions a week of 8 to 10 hard sets each, every set ending 1 to 2 reps short of failure, is enough to build both strength and a firmer, fuller upper chest.

  1. Incline Dumbbell Press Chest
  2. Machine Chest Press Chest
  3. Incline Push-Up Chest
  4. Flat Dumbbell Press Chest
  5. Pec Deck Fly Chest
  6. Low-to-High Cable Fly Chest
  7. Dumbbell Floor Press Chest, Triceps
  8. Push-Up Chest

Upper chest exercises for a fuller neckline

The top band of the pecs sits just below your collarbones, and it is the part most women say they want to see more of in a tank top or a dress. It works hardest when your arms push or sweep upward, so every exercise here uses an incline bench or a low cable. Put one of them first in your session while you are fresh.

Upper chest, incline press

Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Pressing on a bench tilted to about 30 degrees puts the work into the top of your pecs, the part that sits just under the collarbone and shapes the upper chest line above the neckline of a top. Two dumbbells let each arm find its own path, which most people find kinder to the shoulders than a barbell.

How to do it

  1. Set a bench to its second or third notch, about 30 degrees, and sit with a dumbbell resting on each thigh.
  2. Kick the dumbbells up one knee at a time as you lie back, so they arrive beside your shoulders with your palms facing your feet.
  3. Press both dumbbells up and slightly in until your arms are straight over your upper chest.
  4. Lower them for two seconds until your elbows sit a little below the bench and you feel a stretch across the top of your chest, then press again.

Cues

  • Low incline, not a shoulder press
  • Elbows about 45 degrees from your sides
  • Shoulder blades pinned to the pad

Common mistakes

  • Setting the bench too steep: past about 45 degrees the front of your shoulders takes over. Drop it a notch.
  • Stopping the dumbbells high above your chest on the way down: the stretch at the bottom is the part that builds the muscle.

Swap for: Smith Machine Incline Press, Machine Incline Press, Incline Barbell Bench Press

Build a session with Incline Dumbbell Press

Upper chest, guided incline press

Smith Machine Incline Press

Chest

The bar runs on fixed rails, so you never have to balance it, and the hooks let you stop a set anywhere without a spotter. That makes it the easiest upper-chest press to load progressively when you train alone in a gym.

How to do it

  1. Slide an adjustable bench, set to about 30 degrees, beneath the Smith bar, positioned so the bar lands on your upper chest.
  2. Grip the bar a little wider than your shoulders, unhook it by turning your wrists, and hold it over your collarbones.
  3. Lower it to your upper chest with your elbows angled slightly in from your sides.
  4. Press back up to straight arms and re-hook the bar when the set is done.

Cues

  • Bar touches just below the collarbone
  • Feet planted wide
  • Rotate the wrists to rack it

Common mistakes

  • Lining the bench up so the bar lands on your mid chest or neck: slide the bench until the touch point is the upper chest before you load it.
  • Bouncing the bar off your chest: touch lightly and press from a pause.

Swap for: Incline Dumbbell Press, Machine Incline Press, Incline Barbell Bench Press

Build a session with Smith Machine Incline Press

Upper chest, rising cable fly

Low-to-High Cable Fly

Chest

Sweeping the handles from your hips up to chin height lines the cable up with the upper fibers of the chest, and the cable keeps tension on them at the top where a dumbbell fly goes slack. It is a light, high-rep finisher that suits the end of an upper-body day.

How to do it

  1. Set both pulleys at the lowest position and hold a handle in each hand, standing in the middle with one foot slightly ahead.
  2. Start with your arms low and slightly behind your hips, palms facing forward, elbows softly bent.
  3. Sweep both handles up and in until your hands meet in front of your chin.
  4. Let them travel back down along the same arc until your chest is stretched, then repeat.

Cues

  • Hands finish at chin height
  • Elbow bend stays fixed
  • Chest up, ribs down

Common mistakes

  • Curling the handles up with bent elbows: the arms move as one stiff arc from the shoulder.
  • Leaning back to lift more weight: if your torso moves, the stack is too heavy.

Swap for: Incline Cable Fly, Incline Dumbbell Fly, Single-Arm Cable Fly

Build a session with Low-to-High Cable Fly

Chest presses to build pushing strength

Presses move the most weight and build the strength that shows up in everything else, from push-ups to lifting a suitcase into an overhead bin. Choose by setting: the machine in a gym, the flat dumbbell press if you have a bench, or the floor press if you train at home.

Mid chest, seated machine press

Machine Chest Press

Chest

The seat, handles and path are all set for you, so you can push close to failure on the first day without worrying about balance or dropping a weight. It is the best press to start with in a gym and stays useful long after, as a second press on heavy days.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat so the handles line up with the middle of your chest when you sit back.
  2. Grip the handles, press your back into the pad and pull your shoulder blades back and down.
  3. Press the handles forward until your arms are straight but not locked.
  4. Let them come back slowly until your hands are level with your chest and you feel a stretch, then press again.

Cues

  • Handles at mid-chest height
  • Back stays on the pad
  • Slow on the way back

Common mistakes

  • Seat set so low that the handles line up with your shoulders, which turns it into a shoulder press: raise the seat.
  • Letting the weight stack crash between reps: stop just before the plates touch and keep the tension on.

Swap for: Smith Machine Bench Press, Flat Dumbbell Press, Machine Decline Press

Build a session with Machine Chest Press

Mid chest, flat dumbbell press

Flat Dumbbell Press

Chest

The flat press trains the biggest part of the chest, and it lets you lower the dumbbells past your torso for a deeper stretch than a bar allows. It is the press most worth getting strong on, because that strength carries straight into push-ups.

How to do it

  1. Sit at the end of a flat bench, one dumbbell resting on each thigh, then lie back and bring them beside your chest.
  2. Plant your feet, squeeze your shoulder blades together and keep a small arch in your upper back.
  3. Press the dumbbells up until your arms are straight over your chest, letting them drift slightly together.
  4. Lower them for two seconds until they are level with your chest, then press again.

Cues

  • Wrists stacked over elbows
  • Squeeze the blades before you lower
  • Two seconds down

Common mistakes

  • Flaring the elbows straight out to the sides: tuck them to about 45 degrees to keep the shoulders comfortable.
  • Clanging the dumbbells together at the top: it takes tension off the chest. Stop just short of touching.

Swap for: Dumbbell Floor Press, Machine Chest Press, Barbell Bench Press

Build a session with Flat Dumbbell Press

Mid chest, floor press

Dumbbell Floor Press

Chest, Triceps

Lying on the floor stops your elbows at the ground, which shortens the range and keeps the shoulders out of the deep end of the movement. It is the press for training at home without a bench, and the floor gives you a built-in pause on every rep.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, holding one dumbbell per hand beside your chest.
  2. Rest your upper arms on the floor at about 45 degrees from your body.
  3. Press both dumbbells up until your arms are straight over your chest.
  4. Lower them until your upper arms touch the floor, let them rest for a moment, then press again.

Cues

  • Elbows rest, not bounce
  • Feet flat, knees bent
  • Press up and slightly in

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the elbows off the floor to restart: let the arms settle for a beat on every rep.
  • Letting the elbows flare straight out at 90 degrees: keep them angled toward your hips.

Swap for: Single-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press, Flat Dumbbell Press, Floor Press

Build a session with Dumbbell Floor Press

Push-up progression: from the counter to the floor

A lot of the women searching for chest exercises want to be able to do real push-ups. These three are the steps: hands on a raised surface, then knees down if the floor is too far, then the full version. Move to the next step when you can do 3 sets of 12 with good form.

Chest, hands-elevated push-up

Incline Push-Up

Chest

With your hands on a bench, box or counter you lift only part of your bodyweight, and you can make the push-up easier or harder just by choosing a higher or lower surface. It trains the full push-up position from day one, which is why it gets most people to their first floor push-up faster than kneeling versions.

How to do it

  1. Place your hands on the edge of a sturdy bench, box or kitchen counter, a little wider than your shoulders.
  2. Walk your feet back until your body is rigid from heels to head.
  3. Lower your chest to the edge with your elbows angled back at about 45 degrees.
  4. Push the surface away until your arms are straight, keeping the body rigid.

Cues

  • One straight line, head to heels
  • Chest to the edge
  • Lower surface as you get stronger

Common mistakes

  • Letting your hips sag or pike: squeeze your glutes and brace your abs before every rep.
  • Stopping halfway down: pick a higher surface you can take all the way to your chest.

Swap for: Kneeling Push-Up, Band-Assisted Push-Up, Push-Up

Build a session with Incline Push-Up

Chest, knees-down push-up

Kneeling Push-Up

Chest

Dropping to your knees shortens the lever so you push a smaller share of your weight, and you can do it anywhere there is floor. Keep the line from your knees to your head straight and it trains the same muscles as the full version.

How to do it

  1. Kneel on a mat, hands on the floor slightly wider than your shoulders.
  2. Walk your hands forward until your body makes one line from knees to head.
  3. Lower your chest toward the floor between your hands, elbows angled back.
  4. Push back up to straight arms without letting your hips bend.

Cues

  • Hips in line with knees and shoulders
  • Chest leads, not the chin
  • Full lockout at the top

Common mistakes

  • Sitting the hips back toward your heels so it becomes a bow: keep the hips pressed forward.
  • Dipping only the head toward the floor: the chest should get within a fist of the ground.

Swap for: Incline Push-Up, Band-Assisted Push-Up, Push-Up

Build a session with Kneeling Push-Up

Chest, triceps and front delts, floor push-up

Push-Up

Chest

The floor push-up is the bodyweight benchmark for upper-body pushing strength and a good gauge of your progress on every press here. Once you can do sets of 10 or more, it becomes a full chest exercise on its own.

How to do it

  1. Set up in a high plank, hands just outside shoulder width and your feet together.
  2. Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes so your body is a straight line.
  3. Lower your chest to just above the floor with your elbows angled back at about 45 degrees.
  4. Press the floor away until your arms are straight and your shoulder blades spread.

Cues

  • Screw your hands into the floor
  • Body moves as one piece
  • Elbows back, not out

Common mistakes

  • Shortening the reps as the set gets hard: once the chest stops reaching the floor, end the set or switch to the incline version.
  • Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears at the bottom: keep the neck long.

Swap for: Incline Push-Up, Kneeling Push-Up, Wide Push-Up

Build a session with Push-Up

Chest flies and pullovers

Flies and pullovers stretch the chest under load without the triceps doing much, so they fill the gap a press leaves. They respond to lighter weight and slower reps. Pick one per session and do it after your press.

Mid chest, machine fly

Pec Deck Fly

Chest

The machine holds your arms on a fixed arc, so all you have to do is squeeze the pads together. It is the simplest way to train the chest without the triceps, and it is easy to push hard because there is nothing to balance.

How to do it

  1. Adjust the seat so the handles or pads sit at chest height when your arms are out to the sides.
  2. Sit tall with your back against the pad and take the handles with your elbows just unlocked.
  3. Close the handles toward each other in a wide hugging arc until they meet at your sternum.
  4. Let them open slowly until you feel a stretch across your chest, then squeeze them together again.

Cues

  • Hug a big tree
  • Hold the squeeze for a beat
  • Open slow

Common mistakes

  • Letting the handles drift behind your body at the open end: stop where your hands are just behind your shoulders.
  • Rolling the shoulders forward as you close: keep the chest high and the shoulder blades back.

Swap for: Dumbbell Chest Fly, Cable Fly, Single-Arm Cable Fly

Build a session with Pec Deck Fly

Mid chest, dumbbell fly

Dumbbell Chest Fly

Chest

The fly takes the triceps out of the movement and puts the chest under load at its longest, where a press only spends a moment. Done with a light pair and a slow lowering, it is a strong second exercise after any press.

How to do it

  1. Lie back on a flat bench holding two dumbbells straight over your chest, palms turned in toward each other.
  2. Bend your elbows slightly and lock that angle in.
  3. Open your arms outward along a wide arc until the dumbbells are about level with your chest.
  4. Bring them back up along the same arc until they nearly meet over your chest.

Cues

  • Same elbow bend all set
  • Wide arc, not a press
  • Stretch, then squeeze

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows more as the dumbbells drop, which turns the fly into a press: lighten the pair and fix the angle.
  • Lowering past chest level: go only as deep as is comfortable for your shoulders.

Swap for: Pec Deck Fly, Dumbbell Floor Fly, Incline Dumbbell Fly

Build a session with Dumbbell Chest Fly

Chest and lats, pullover

Dumbbell Chest Pullover

Chest

Lowering one dumbbell behind your head stretches the chest and lats at the same time, so a single exercise reaches the bottom of the pecs and the sides of the ribcage. It needs only one dumbbell, which makes it a handy finisher at home.

How to do it

  1. Lie on a flat bench, or on the floor with knees bent, holding one dumbbell over your chest with both hands cupping the top end.
  2. Keep the elbows soft and brace your abs so your lower back stays flat.
  3. Let the dumbbell travel behind your head in an arc until your upper arms reach the level of your ears.
  4. Pull it back over your chest along the same path and repeat.

Cues

  • Ribs stay down
  • Elbows soft, not bending more
  • Pull from the chest

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back to get the dumbbell lower: stop the arc where your back starts to lift.
  • Bending the elbows into a triceps extension: hold the angle and use a lighter dumbbell.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lat Pullover, Kettlebell Pullover, Dumbbell Chest Fly

Build a session with Dumbbell Chest Pullover

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

At home, working toward your first full push-up

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets17 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You train at home with a light pair of dumbbells and a sturdy counter or bench edge, and you cannot yet do a set of full push-ups from the floor.

Push-up strength comes from practicing the push-up position and from pressing a little more than your bodyweight share, so each session pairs a push-up step with a dumbbell press. The incline push-up leads Session A because it trains the exact plank you need; the floor press and pullover add load you can increase. Push-up sets stop 2 reps short of failure so every rep keeps a straight body, and the dumbbell work goes to 1 rep in reserve. Each session has 9 working sets for chest, which with two sessions lands you near the low end of a productive week.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Push-UpHighest surface where 8 clean reps is hard. 3 × 6–12 2 90 s
Dumbbell Floor PressPause the elbows on the floor. 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Dumbbell Chest PulloverOn the floor, knees bent. One dumbbell. 3 × 10–15 1 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Kneeling Push-UpHips in line with knees. 3 × 6–15 2 90 s
Dumbbell Floor PressThree seconds down. 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Incline Push-UpOne notch lower than Session A. 2 × 8–15 1 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Session A and Session B on two non-consecutive days, alongside your usual lower-body or full-body training. Start the incline push-up on the highest surface where you can hit 8 clean reps.
How to progress
When you reach 3 sets of 12 on the incline push-up at 2 reps in reserve, move your hands to a lower surface. When the lowest step is easy, swap the kneeling push-up in Session B for full push-ups and count each set as long as it lasts.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

In a gym, starting with machines

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentIncline Bench, Smith Machine, Chest Press, Fly Machine +1

You have joined a gym or are coming back after a break, and you want a chest routine you can run with confidence without asking for a spotter or learning a barbell first.

Machines and the Smith bar take balance out of the lift, so you can push each set to 1 rep in reserve from the first week and still keep good form. The routine opens with an incline press for the upper chest, follows with the machine press for the middle, and finishes with a fly. Upper Body A uses the Smith incline and the pec deck; Upper Body B swaps in the cable fly so the upper chest gets a second angle. Each block is 8 working sets, short enough to sit at the front of an upper-body day.

Upper Body A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Smith Machine Incline Press1 warm-up set firstBar lands just below the collarbone. 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Machine Chest PressHandles at mid chest. 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Pec Deck FlyHold the squeeze for a beat. 2 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Upper Body A in the session builder

Upper Body B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Machine Chest Press1 warm-up set firstSlow on the way back. 3 × 8–12 1 2 min
Low-to-High Cable FlyHands meet at chin height. 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Smith Machine Incline PressLighter than Upper Body A. 2 × 10–15 2 90 s

Open Upper Body B in the session builder

How to run it
Run these blocks at the start of your two upper-body days each week, then add your back, shoulder and arm work after them. Write the seat and pin settings down the first time so set-up takes seconds next time.
How to progress
Double progression: when every set reaches the top of the rep range at 1 rep in reserve, move the pin one plate heavier and work back up. On the Smith machine add the smallest plates you can find.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Dumbbells and a bench, shaping the upper chest

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets19 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Incline Bench, Flat Bench

You already lift, own or have access to dumbbells and an adjustable bench, and your goal is a more defined upper chest along with steady strength gains.

Visible change in the chest comes from adding muscle to the upper fibers, so both sessions start with an incline exercise and give it the most sets. The flat press keeps your overall pressing strength climbing, and the fly and pullover cover the stretched position the presses do not reach. Presses stop at 1 to 2 reps in reserve so you can add weight week to week; the fly and pullover go to 0 or 1 because light, controlled sets can safely get that close. Session A is 10 sets and Session B is 9.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstBench at about 30 degrees. 4 × 8–12 1 2 min
Flat Dumbbell PressElbows at 45 degrees. 3 × 8–12 2 2 min
Dumbbell Chest FlyTwo seconds into the stretch. 3 × 12–15 1 1 min

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Incline Dumbbell Press1 warm-up set firstOne notch steeper than Session A. 3 × 10–15 1 90 s
Push-UpKneeling or incline if needed. 3 × 6–20 1 90 s
Dumbbell Chest PulloverAcross the bench. Ribs down. 3 × 10–15 0 1 min

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Session A and Session B on separate days with at least two days between them. They fit at the start of an upper-body or push day.
How to progress
When all sets of the incline press hit 12 reps at the target reps in reserve, move up to the next pair and start again at 8. Hold the fly and pullover at the same weight for a few weeks and add reps instead.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What does working out the chest do for females?

It builds the pectoral muscles that sit under the breast tissue and makes you stronger at every pushing movement, from push-ups to closing a heavy door or lifting a child. A stronger chest also helps balance the work your back does in rows and pulldowns, which keeps your upper body training even.

Do chest exercises lift breasts?

Not directly. Breasts are made of fat and glandular tissue with no muscle inside them, so training cannot tighten or raise the breast itself. What chest training does is add muscle to the pecs underneath, which can make the upper chest look fuller and firmer, especially the area above the breast line.

Should women do pec exercises?

Yes. The chest is one of the largest muscle groups in the upper body, and skipping it leaves your pushing strength behind your pulling strength. Two sessions a week of 8 to 10 hard sets each is enough for most women to get stronger and see change.

Will chest exercises make my chest bigger or bulky?

They add muscle gradually, and for most women that shows up as a firmer, more defined upper chest rather than size. Building noticeable bulk takes years of high-volume training and eating in a surplus, so a few chest sessions a week will not change your shape quickly.

How do I flatten or tone a saggy chest?

You cannot burn fat from one spot by training the muscle under it; overall fat loss comes from your diet and total activity. What you can do is build the pec muscle, which firms the area above the breast. The incline press and incline push-up target that upper band most directly.

Is it OK to work out chest every day?

It is not needed and usually works against you. Muscle grows during recovery, and a chest that is still sore cannot do quality sets. Two or three sessions a week with a day or two of rest between them builds more than daily training at a lower effort.

What are good chest exercises to do at the gym?

Start with the Smith machine incline press for the upper chest, the machine chest press for the middle, and the pec deck or a low-to-high cable fly to finish. Machines let you train close to failure safely on your own. Once you are comfortable, move to the incline and flat dumbbell presses.

How many reps and sets should a woman do for chest?

The same as anyone: 8 to 15 reps on presses and 12 to 20 on flies, 3 to 4 sets per exercise, ending each set 1 to 2 reps short of failure. Two sessions with 8 to 10 sets each puts you in a range that builds muscle well.