These barbell chest workouts will help you build muscle and develop a strong upper body. Having a strong chest will carry over into several other lifts and exercises in CrossFit and day to day life.
The dominant muscles in your chest are the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. Chest muscles stabilise the ribcage and assist with breathing. A strong chest will aid with pushing things, be it a heavy door, weights or yourself.
Barbells are the easiest way to lift heavy as they allow for a lot of added weight. For stacking big loads of weight no other tool beats a barbell.
As a good CrossFit athlete, mix the intensity of your workouts throughout the week (one day high, one day medium and the next dynamic); constantly varied chest exercises will make you a better athlete.
There are plenty of great CrossFit workouts that will help you build pectoral muscles. Have a look at the barbell chest workouts below and find your next WOD.
WORKOUT 1
20 Minute EMOM
- Odd minutes: 5 bench presses (65% of 1RM)
- Even minutes: 8 hand release push-ups
EMOMs are a great way to increase muscle because of the short breaks and medium rep-count. Medium reps at a moderately heavy weight increase muscle hypertrophy and without a serious time pressure, your muscles will spend more time under tension.
Barbell Chest Workouts – WORKOUT 2
AMRAP with a partner in 20 minutes
5 rounds each:
- Partner A: 20/15 calorie row
- Partner B: 20 GHD sit-ups
Switch after both partners finish
In the remaining time, AMRAP of:
- Partner A: Bench presses (155lb/105lb)
- Partner B: Hang hold from a pull-up
Switch as needed
Develop your chest
The bench press is an unparalleled exercise to increase strength and build chest muscle and it’s sometimes referred to as “the king of upper body lifts”. This specific movement improves the amount we can push/press.
The rests between partners should give you enough time to rest between sets.
WORKOUT 3 SHANKLE COMPLEX
- Deadlift
- 3 Clean Pulls
- 1 Clean
- 2 Jerks
Barbell complexes are often used to train your weaknesses, getting an athlete ready to tackle their weak movements by ‘warming up’ with their strong ones.
A good complex usually involves multiple rounds of three or more lifts all without dropping the bar.
“Those that have trouble succeeding on jerks after a difficult clean, or those who have good jerk technique with moderate weights which breaks down with heavy weights seem to get the most from this exercise,” said Glenn Pendlay.
WORKOUT 4 LINDA
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Reps for Time
- Deadlift (1.5 bodyweight)
- Bench Press (bodyweight)
- Clean (3/4 bodyweight)
Use three separate barbells.
Linda will test and improve muscular strength and technique whilst fatigued. Complete this workout in the shortest time possible, but don’t sacrifice form just to get a faster time.
This workout contains a high volume of moderate-load weightlifting. As a beginner, reduce the loads or eliminate some of the early rounds to decrease the total volume.
Linda is a classic CrossFit benchmark “Girls” WOD, it first appeared on crossfit.com in 2003 and was used as a 2018 Regionals event.
5 Dumbbell Chest Workouts to Improve CrossFit Performance
WORKOUT 5 PICK YOUR POISON
For Time 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps each of:
One Vertical Pull Movement:
- Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (95/65 lb)
- Inverted Rows or
- Pull-Ups
One Horizontal Press Movement:
- Bench Presses (Bodyweight)
- Dumbbell Presses (100/45 lb) or
- Push-Ups
One Hinging Movement:
- Deadlift (2x Bodyweight)
- Romanian Deadlifts (2x Bodyweight) or
- Front Squats (Bodyweight)
“Pick Your Poison” is one of the challenge workouts by Assault Fitness.
As mentioned before, a strong chest will help you with all pulling and pushing movements. The sumo deadlift high pull is total body compound exercise and stresses a great deal of muscle mass per repetition. Inverted rows and pull ups both develop a solid chest and are useful to attain upper body strength.
Pick your poison – preferably a move you’re not comfortable with or something that will challenge you – and give this WOD a try!
Barbell Chest Workouts – WORKOUT 6
- Barbell bench press – 3 sets of 4-6 reps
- Barbell incline bench press – 3 sets of 4-6 reps
- Decline barbell bench press – 3 sets of 4-6 reps
- Dips
Get strong!
To benefit the most of a strong chest, ensure you also have a strong back and shoulders. This will aid your overall stability and improve your whole upper body strength.
