The Best Isometric Chest Exercises to Build a Bigger Pecs

Have you ever wondered what you could be doing differently to get a bigger chest?

Everything you’ve been trying just hasn’t been working. This isn’t just an isolated problem, there are thousands of people, like you, that have been running into the same difficulty.

It seems like whatever you try to do, it always ends up in disappointment and instead of growth, you see failure. Because of this, many people seek for solutions that aren’t always safe, let alone effective.

What if there was a solution to your predicament, that is safe, effective, and provides many benefits to you as an athlete or a gym rat?

Training with Isometric exercises has been growing in popularity lately. While most people focus exclusively on isometric ab exercises, the truth is you can use isometric exercises to grow any muscle in your body.

They offer rehabilitation benefits, mind to muscle growth, and, wait for it, muscle growth and according to Mayo Clinic​,
“because isometric exercises are done in one position without movement, they’ll improve strength in only one particular position”.

Do you know what this means?

I think we have our solution to your problem. Isometric exercises have also been growing in popularity, to lifters, because of how they help you get past plateaus in the gym. Which in this case, is what your true problem is.

Isometrics is the answer and I’m going to walk you through some of the best isometric chest exercises so you can build a bigger chest, break any plateaus, and take your chest building to the next level.

So let’s take a look at the best isometric exercises to build a bigger chest.

Note: These are probably exercises that you’re already doing, we’ll just tweak how you are performing into an isometric move to give you even better results.

6 Best Isometric Chest Exercises

Isometric Incline Dumbbell Press

The first exercise you should be performing is the incline dumbbell press.

This is a great compound exercise that we are twisting into an isometric incline dumbbell press.

First, set up your incline bench so it is at a 30-degree angle. Grab a weight you know you can lift for a solid 12 repetitions and then get into position.

Perform 12 regular incline dumbbell presses and on the last rep, stop about mid-point of the rep so that your triceps are parallel to the floor.

It is important to hold this form for 10 seconds before you release.

That hold is called an iso-hold, and you will do this after each set.

Your goal is to perform three sets of 12 reps with a 10-second iso-hold at the end of each set.

Around the World Isometric Dumbbell Incline Flyes

Now onto one of my personal favorites, the around the world dumbbell incline fly.

To turn this into an isometric exercise, we will end up holding weight in front of us with our arms extended.

Around the world flyes require you to keep your arms as straight as you can so it is important to find a weight you can control for up to 15 reps. Now, grab your weight of choice.

Again, set up the incline bench so it is at a 30-degree angle. Sit down and get into your starting fly position, with the weight directly above you and your arms extended.

Here is the fun part, start performing the fly, by lowering the weight slowly, and instead of coming back up move the weights in a forward until each dumbbell meets over the top of your legs.

This is where you will perform your iso-hold for 10 seconds.

It is important you perform three sets of 15 reps and on that last rep begin your iso-hold for 10 seconds.

The goal is to squeeze your chest muscles as hard as you can, this stand-still contraction of the chest is singularly known as an isometric exercise.

Isometric Incline Dumbbell Flyes

Now we will perform basic, yet, well-known incline dumbbell flyes. Again, choose a weight you know you can get 15 reps with.

Sit down with your weight and get into the starting position. Start with a standard fly and perform 15 reps and on the last rep, stop at the starting point of the exercise and begin squeezing your pecs, as if you’re trying to push the dumbbells through each other.

This iso-hold will really target the inside of your chest, especially after stretching the fibers out with the flyes.

As you get stronger with this exercise, continue to overload your muscles by adding more weight. The stronger you are the more control you will have.

Isometric Push-Ups

Push-ups are one of the best chest exercises you could perform. You can perform them anywhere and there are multiple variations of them. Now we’re going to leverage the power of the push up into an isometric chest exercise.

Here’s how we start: get yourself set up into a standard push-up position, feet together and hands at shoulder width apart.

Begin performing a standard push-up for 20 reps, and when you go down for your last rep, hold yourself at the bottom for an iso-hold of 10 seconds.

The goal is to keep your back straight and holding your body just high enough so your not touching the floor.

I recommend you push for more reps as you get stronger and build more endurance in your training.

Isometric Diamond Push-Ups

Now, to do an isometric diamond push-up, stay in your push-up position with your hands directly in front of you.

The “diamond” term comes from the shape your hands make in the exercise. Your hands are in a close grip style position and only your index fingers and your thumbs will be touching.

Now, perform 15 reps and do an iso-hold in the middle of the starting point and the ending point, putting all the stress on your pecs.

Hold the isometric hold for another 10 seconds and then release.

Isometric One-Arm Dumbbell Press

Last but not least, we have the isometric one-arm dumbbell press.

This is another exercise that, when combined with isometrics, blasts plateaus and builds a bigger chest. Let’s take a look at how we perform this exercise.

Grab a weight that you will struggle around 12 reps. Now, find a flat bench and get into a press position.

Begin with weight in only one hand and start performing a standard chest press for 12 reps.

On the way down on your last rep, hold at the bottom, just high enough so your weight is above your chest, for a 10-second isometric hold.

This is another exercise, I recommend, you increase your weight on, as you get stronger.

Video: Isometric Chest Exercises for Growth

Final Words on Isometric Chest Exercises

There you have it! Six exercises turned into isometric exercises just like that!

When performed correctly, these isometric exercises are safe, effective, and provides many benefits to you as an athlete or a gym rat.

What’s next?

Well now you are going to take what you learned and put it into practice and for a visual look at these lifts check out the video above​!

These exercises will help you get back on track, but it is up to you to progressively overload your chest muscles.

Progressive muscle overload is the key to growing the way you want to.

Now, take this new information and utilize it growing a massive chest!