The best chest exercises train the Pectoralis Major and Minor muscles. The Pectoralis Major is a large fan shaped muscle which tends to bring the arm inwards towards the chest. Imagine that you are pushing against a car that's stuck in the snow. The muscles that 'tense' and contract are the Pectoralis Major. The Pectoralis Minor is a small triangular muscle located under the Major and assists with the same movements.
How hard should you train your chest muscles?
The intensity, duration and frequency of chest exercises depends on your goals, which in turn determines the best chest exercise routine for you.
If you are looking to add size and strength, then lift a weight that is 70 - 80 % of your maximum capacity at 6-8 repetitions. the exact number of individuals varies with each individual. Twice a week at this intensity is sufficient.
On the other hand, if you're goal is to tone your muscles, you'll want to stick with one to three sets of 12-16 repetitions and at least one day of rest before you perform the exercises again.
 Important tips to remember
The best chest exercise routine involve a systematic approach to target different angles to place varying degrees of stress on the pectoral muscles. That's why you may have heard words like 'Incline', 'Flat' and 'Decline' chest exercises (angle of your trunk relative to the ground)
The idea is to 'target' the chest muscles at various angles to stimulate muscle definition. The interesting thing is that small variations in chest exercises can activate different fibers in your chest muscles. Take a look at the above picture and guess if it involves the upper, middle or lower pectoral muscles. :-)
The bottom line is - Training different angles is the smartest and most systematic way to achieve a chiselled and well defined chest region.
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The most common mistake with chest exercises
You guessed it - Lack of variation. Most individuals restrict  themselves to the exercises they know best, typically a bench press or push ups. There is a lot more to it than that!
Another mistake is limited range of motion movements. You will get best results when you perform a full range of motion with all chest exercises.
The technique must be slow and controlled, with an emphasis on breathing correctly. Inhale as you lower the weight and exhale while exerting, particularly during intense / heavy sets.
The best chest exercises should be varied every 3-4 weeks to ensure that you keep improving.
The best chest exercises involve several angles and a full range of motion.
Remember to use a spotter or a personal trainer to help you during chest exercises. An ideal routine involves an equal emphasis on incline, decline and flat (lying flat on your back) chest exercises.
Incline exercises target the upper chest and shoulder muscles
These include incline barbell bench press, incline dumbbell flyes, exercise ball incline push ups (feet on the ball) , incline bench dumbbell press and incline bench cable flyes.
Decline exercises target the lower chest muscles
These include exercise ball pushups (hands on the ball), deecline bench press, decline dumbbell flyes, decline bench dumbbell press and bent over cable flyes.
Flat exercises target the middle chest muscles
These include the barbell bench press, dumbbell pullovers, cable crossovers, dips, flat bench dumbbell press, flat bench dumbbell flyes, flat bench cable flyes, machine bench press, smith machine flat chest press and the universal favorite - push ups!
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