Chest isolation exercises are a subset of chest exercises that primarily target the pectoralis major muscle and the sternocostal portion of the pectoralis major muscle. Chest isolation exercises involve isolating and targeting one particular area of your chest at a time, which means more focus can be placed on one side or another with minimal interference from other muscles.
Chest isolation exercises can be performed using dumbbells, a machine or cables. Machines that target the pectoralis major muscle such as the pec deck machine or cable crossovers offer the advantage of allowing for both weight and movement variations, while dumbbells allow for more specific targeting of the pectoralis major muscle.
Here are 6 Chest Isolation Exercises:
Cable Fly
The first chest isolation exercise is the cable fly. The cable fly is a fairly common chest isolation exercise that targets each side of the pectoral muscle.
What You’ll Need:
A cable machine.
How To Do It:
Insert the weight stack into the bottom of the cable machine and stand in front of it. Grab onto the handles and then grasp your elbows. Wrap your arms all the way down to your sides, taking extra care not to allow your elbows to bend past 90 degrees.
Pull the handles up to your armpits while keeping a slight bend in your elbows. Hold the contraction for one second, then slowly return to starting position.
Cable Crossover
The cable crossover is another chest isolation exercise that targets each side of the pectoral muscle. The basic form of the cable crossover is identical to the cable fly, but rather than pulling the handles straight up to your armpits, you bring the handles across your body.
What You’ll Need:
A cable machine.
How To Do It:
Grab onto the handles and then grasp your elbows. Wrap your arms all the way down to your sides, taking extra care not to allow your elbows to bend past 90 degrees.
Pull the handles down while keeping a slight bend in your elbows. Hold the contraction for one second, then slowly return to starting position.
Cable Incline Press
The cable inclined press is a chest isolation exercise that targets the sternocostal portion of the pectoralis major muscle. The cable inclined press is performed much like the cable crossover but with a bench in an incline position.
What You’ll Need:
A cable machine and a bench
How To Do It:
Start by setting the bench in an incline position and grabbing onto the cable handles. Grasp your elbows while wrapping your arms around them to help support the weight of the exercise.
Next, pull the handles across your upper body in an upward motion. Hold the contraction for one second, then slowly return to starting position.
Machine fly
The machine fly or butterfly machine exercise is a machine version of the cable fly which targets each side of the pectoral muscle. The exercise is great for those who are not comfortable with the cable fly or who have a hard time getting into the proper position.
What You’ll Need:
A Butterfly Machine/Pec deck machine
How To Do It:
Adjust the butterfly machine to a comfortable level and set the weight. Sit into the butterfly machine and grasp the handles. Next, slowly bring the handles together and hold for a second or 2 while squeezing your chest muscles. Finally, bring the weight back to the starting position.
Repeat this exercise for a set amount of reps.
Dumbbell Pullover
The dumbbell pullover is a chest isolation exercise that specifically targets the pectorals. It is a good variation of the fly, and it is very common in chest workouts where the pectoral muscles are being targeted.
What You’ll Need:
A pair of dumbbells and a bench.
How To Do It:
Start by laying down on a bench with your feet firmly planted on the ground and your knees bent at an angle of about 90 degrees. Grasp your dumbbells with both hands and lie down on the bench holding them just above your chest.
Brace your abs and pull the dumbbells back pulling toward the shoulders in one motion. Avoid swinging or using your biceps as two separate muscles.
Hold the contraction for a second or two before slowly returning to starting position. Repeat for required reps.
The biggest benefit of an isolation exercise is the fact that it allows you to isolate and target a specific muscle group. This allows you to focus on one particular area of your chest rather than having your triceps, shoulders, etc. help out.
This makes it a great choice for those who are just starting out on their chest workout plan or for those who want to get really good at a certain exercise.
Isolation Exercises are also perfect for the person looking to really emphasize one particular area of the chest, such as making the upper portion of the chest more prominent or give more cut in the middle section of the pectoral muscles. In general, this exercise is a great way to build up the upper portion of the chest.
