The Trans Masc Guide to Building Your Chest
Best chest workouts for trans masculine, FTM, trans man, and non-binary individuals.
For many trans masculine and non-binary individuals, developing a gender-affirming physique includes focusing on building chest muscles.
After a lifetime of looking in the mirror to see a part of the body you don’t feel is aligned, it can be incredibly empowering to pour effort and attention into building your chest and turning it into a source of gender euphoria.
In this article, we’ll explore effective workouts and strategies for trans masc individuals to build some juicy pecs, whether you’re on HRT or not.
Anatomy of the Chest
Before diving into exercises, let’s look at some basic anatomy of the chest.
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The chest can be split up into the clavicular head (upper chest) and sternal head (mid/lower chest).
Most Effective Chest Exercises
Best Compound Exercises
Compound exercises are any movement where you’re using more than one muscle group at a time. Most chest compound exercises are chest presses, they involve your chest as the primary muscle group, but also your triceps and shoulders. These movements are usually first in the training day and they are done heavy with progressive overload.
Flat Bench Press (Barbell and Dumbbell)
Lie on a bench with dumbbells or a barbell, slowly lower them to chest level and then press upwards. Correct position here involves and arched lower back, squeeze shoulder blades down and together, away from the ears and keep your chest high.
Incline Bench Press (Barbell and Dumbbell)
This targets the upper chest more. Adjust the bench to a 30-degree angle for optimal effect.
Machine Chest Press (Flat and Inclined)
Pressing on a machine is a great option if you’re scared to push yourself on barbells or dumbbells. Adjust the machine so your shoulder position is comfortable. Hands in the starting position should be over your lower or mid chest.
Best Accessory & Isolation Exercises
Isolation exercises involve movements that target a single muscle group or joint by limiting movement to a single joint.
Chest Flys
Can be done with machines, DBs, or cables. For cables, they can be done straight, high-to-low (to target lower chest) or low-to-high (to target upper chest). Open your arms to the sides and feel a stretch in the pecs, then bring them together in a controlled motion and hold the chest squeeze for 1 second. Keep back arched, chest high, and shoulders down and back, just like in a chest press.
Push Ups
A classic bodyweight exercise that targets the chest, shoulders, and arms. Modified to knee push ups or incline push ups if needed. While push ups are a compound exercise, I prefer to put in at the end for my clients as an accessory or a chest finisher.
Putting a Chest Workout Together
Chest Workout for Beginners
For beginners, I usually recommend training full body or training push all together (chest, shoulders, and triceps). I would start with one compound press and 1 accessory. Repeat 2x a week.
Example: Adding Chest to Workout
Flat bench press: 3–4 sets of 10–12 reps
Cable high to low flys: 3–4 sets of 10–12 reps
Follow with the rest of your workout day
Chest Workout for Intermediate Folks
For those with more lifting experience, a sample chest day or chest portion of a push day could look like this:
Example: Sample Chest Day
Incline DB bench press: 3 sets of 10–12 reps
Machine bench press: 3 sets of 10–12 reps
Cable high-to-low flys: 3 sets of 10–12 reps
Push ups: 3 sets to failure
Add more push movements for shoulders and triceps if desired
I hope the tips and information found in this article will help you achieve the chest of your dreams.
Remember, each person’s journey is unique, so embrace yours with patience and determination.
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