10 Best Standing Chest Exercises (with Pictures)

When it comes to all the chest exercises, most of them require a bench for their proper execution. So does that mean that you can train your chest only when a bench is around? Certainly not. And here we are not going to ask you to perform hundreds of push-ups either.

Through this post, we will give you a detailed overview of some of the best standing chest exercises that can easily be performed without needing a bench.

The best thing about those exercises is that they put little to no stress on your shoulder joints.

Also, most of the standing chest workouts can be performed anywhere with just a resistance band or a pair of dumbbells.

10 Best Standing Chest Exercises

If you want to build big and aesthetic pecs, you would have to incorporate certain compound movements targeted towards chest development in your training routine.

But what would you do if you don’t have access to a bench to hit those compound lifts for targeting your pectorals? In that case, the following standing chest workouts will serve your best interests. Let’s have a look at them.

Parallel Bar Dips

Parallel bar dips are often referred to as the squat for the upper body. Since they are a compound movement, they target multiple muscle groups in their execution. Along with the chest, they also train your triceps and front delts to a certain extent.

Why is it important?

If you lack the roundness in your lower chest area, you must certainly include parallel bar dips into your chest workouts. Performing this exercise assists you in building a three-dimensional and aesthetic chest. It also works on enhancing your upper body strength.

How to do it?

• Stand in front of a parallel bar station. Its handles must be slightly wider than your shoulder width so that it can give your pecs a scent stretch.
• Place your arms firmly on the handle at each side and suspend your body in free space. The entire weight of your body will be on your arms. To target your chest, slightly lean your torso to the front.
• Inhale and lower your body by flexing your elbows. Keep going down until your upper arms are either parallel or slightly below parallel to the floor. Your lower pecs will be fully stretched at this point.
• Now push yourself back to the starting position until your elbows are completely extended and exhale.
• Repeat for hitting the desired number of sets and reps.

Cable Crossovers

Cable crossover is an isolation movement for the chest. It trains the pecs in a greater range of motion. It also allows you to hit the upper, middle, and lower parts of your chest separately.

Why is it important?

Cable crossover is a pretty effective standing chest exercise. The use of cables in it puts constant stress on your pec fibers that facilitates more muscle growth.

Performing cable crossovers also helps one to establish a better mind-muscle connection with the pectorals.

How to do it?

• Set both the cables on either side of the cable machine at your chest height.
• Stand firmly on the floor keeping your feet hip-width apart and holding the cables with both hands. Lean a little bit forward to fully engage your chest muscles.
• Exhale and pull the cable handles towards each other as if you are hugging a tree. Contract your pectorals firmly at this point.
• Hold this position for a second. Then inhale deeply and slowly bring the cable handles back until your arms are extended (keep a slight bend in your elbow at all times). Stretch your pectorals completely at this point.
• Repeat for the desired number of sets and repetitions.

Landmine Chest Press

If you are looking to build your upper chest shelf, you must include a landmine chest press in your chest workouts. You can perform this exercise either unilaterally or bilaterally.

Why is it important?

When you perform a landmine chest press, your arms move in diagonally towards the centerline of your body. This in turn hits those pec fibers that don’t get adequately trained when you perform the conventional incline barbell presses.

How to do it?

• Stand in front of a landmine setup and load it with your desired weight.
• Keep your feet hip-width apart and your back straight.
• Hold one end of the barbell that is loaded with weights by clasping your palms together. Position it at your upper chest. Keep your elbows tucked in.
• Press the weight upwards by extending your elbows completely. Contract your upper chest muscles once the dumbbells are at the top. Hold this position for 1-2 seconds.
• Now lower the dumbbells slowly to your upper chest area.
• Inhale while moving the weight down and exhale while pressing it up.
• Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

Single-Arm Cable Press

This is another standing chest exercise that keeps constant stress in your pectorals throughout its execution. To perform it, you just need a pulley station and a will to build a meaty chest.

Why is it important?

The single-arm cable press allows you to train your chest muscles unilaterally. So if you notice that there is some unevenness between your right and left pectoral, you must include this exercise in your standing chest workouts. Apart from targeting the chest, the single-arm cable press also hits your anterior delts and triceps to some extent.

How to do it?

• Set one handle of the cable station at your shoulder height.
• Stand in a staggered stance (one foot forward and one foot back) and keep your back straight. Also, keep a slight bend in your knees.
• Now grab the handle with your right palm facing down and bending your right elbow at a 90-degree angle.
• Extend your elbow completely in a straight line as if you are throwing a straight punch. Flex your right pec at this point.
• Now slowly return to the starting position feeling a stretch in your right pec.
• Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.
• Follow the same steps for the left side.

Dumbbell Front Chest Raises

If you think that the chest muscles can be trained only with horizontal pressing and adduction movements, then this standing chest exercise is going to surprise you a bit. The execution of a dumbbell front chest raise resembles that of a shoulder raise. However, the range of motion of this exercise is a bit different.

Why is it important?

When you perform a dumbbell front chest raise, it primarily hits your upper pec fibers. Its execution also targets the anterior deltoids. This exercise is even recommended to those who are rehabilitating from a shoulder injury and intend to train their chest without putting much stress on their shoulders.

How to do it?

• Stand keeping your feet shoulder-width apart and maintain a slight bend in your knees.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand and keep your wrist in a supinated position. Position your arms by your sides.
• Now slowly raise your right arm in an upward slanting motion towards the centerline of your body until your right arm is parallel to the floor. You will feel a strong contraction in your upper chest area at this point.
• Hold this position for 1-2 seconds and slowly lower your arm to your side.
• Now perform the same steps with the left arm.
• Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

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Wall Push-Ups with Resistance Bands

Wall push-ups can be a great addition to your standing chest workout. And if you use a resistance band while performing them, it can adequately target your chest muscles.

Why is it important?

The best thing about performing wall push-ups with resistance bands is that you can perform them anywhere.

This standing chest exercise gives you the ability to increase or decrease its difficulty just by changing the level of incline. If you are unable to perform push-ups with a perfect form, you can rely on this exercise to get familiar with push-ups.

How to do it?

• Position your hands on the wall keeping them shoulder-width apart or slightly wider.
• Now place both your hands through each end of a resistance band and position it around your upper back.
• If you want to increase the intensity of this exercise, simply decrease your angle of incline.
• Now bend your elbows and lean towards the wall until your chest almost touches the wall. Feel your pecs getting stretched .
• Then extend your elbows with full force pushing the wall away until your arms are parallel to the floor. Squeeze your pecs at this point.
• Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

Resistance Band Flys

The use of a resistance band in your chest workout sessions can enhance their intensity significantly. And when it comes to performing an exercise like the resistance band flys, you get the freedom of performing them almost anywhere.

Why is it important?

Resistance band fly is an isolation exercise for targeting the chest muscles. The use of a resistance band in this exercise makes your pectorals work extra harder. You can use this standing chest exercise as a finisher in your chest training sessions to pump up your pecs.

How to do it?

• Place a resistance band at a pole behind you or simply place it across your upper back. Grab both the ends of the resistance bands as handles.
• Stand firmly on the floor keeping your feet hip-width apart.
• Maintaining a slight bend in your elbows, adduct your arms across your chest until your palms touch each other. Contract your pecs at this position for a second.
• Slowly get back to the starting position.
• Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

Pallof Press

The pallof press is one such standing chest exercise that targets the inner pecs adequately. It also works on building up core strength and stability.

Why is it important?

If you want to build a deep and thick inner chest line, you just surely give the pallof press a shot. While performing a pallof press you also have to resist upper body rotation. This in turn trains the muscles in your core.

How to do it?

• Get a resistance band and anchor it at a height that is slightly below your chest.
• Now stand perpendicular to the point on which your resistance band is anchored. Grab the center of the band with both hands clasped together. Keep your elbows by your sides
• Press the heel of your palms towards each other to activate your pecs.
• Now tighten your core and extend your arms together in a straight line in front of you.
• Slowly get back to the starting position.
• Repeat for the desired number of sets and repetitions.

Svend Press

Svend press enables you to give your pecs a great workout with just a pair of plates. Its execution is pretty simple. Just like the pallof press, the svend press is another standing chest workout that trains your inner chest fibers.

Why is it important?

Svend press works wonders in isolating your pecs. Including this exercise in your chest workout gives your pectorals a defined look.  That is the reason why some of the physique athletes with great chest development rely on performing the svend press at the end of their chest training session.

How to do it?

• Stand keeping your feet hip-width apart.
• Grab one 5-10 lb plate in each hand. Sandwich them together in between your palms and position them just in front of your chest. Keep your elbows by your side.
• Now straighten your arms fully in front of your chest until they are parallel to the floor. Press the plates towards each other as hard as possible.
• Slowly get back to the starting position.
• Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

Landmine Chest Fly

The landmine chest fly is one such standing chest exercise that hits your pecs with an adduction movement. It also contributes positively toward total upper body development. But to try out this exercise you must have a decent lifting experience.

Why is it important?

Apart from training your pec fibers, performing a landmine fly also enhances your core stability. Your body has to resist rotation while performing this exercise. This in turn makes your abs and obliques work extra harder.

How to do it?

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart beside a landmine station.
• Now hold the very top of the barbell clasping both hands together.
• Rotate the barbell in a semi-circular motion. Make sure to maintain a slight bend in your elbows. Also, keep your torso straight.
• Now slowly lower the barbell to the opposite side.
• Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.

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Standing Chest Workout

The best thing about all the above-mentioned standing chest exercises is that they require minimal equipment for their execution.

Give the following standing chest workout plan a shot in your next chest training session. It will surely take your chest growth to a whole new level.

• Parallel Bar Dips: 3 Sets x 10 Reps
• Landmine Chest Press: 3 Sets x 10 Reps
• Single-Arm Cable Press: 3 Sets x 10 Reps
• Dumbbell Front Chest Raises: 3 Sets x 10 Reps
• Cable Crossovers: 3 Sets x 10 Reps
• Svend Press: 3 Sets x 10 Reps

Wrapping Up

All the standing chest exercises mentioned in this post can bring an element of newness to your chest workouts. Building a muscular, symmetrical, and aesthetic chest requires one to train the pectorals from different angles. And with the above-mentioned exercises, you will be able to do that pretty well.

If you are someone who travels a lot or doesn’t have the time to hit the gym, relying on these standing chest workouts can get you the kind of chest gains that you have always aspired for.

Give these exercises a shot and maximize your chest gains.