It’s always chest day for someone, and coach Jeff Cavaliere has a simple solution for getting the job done. On Oct. 12, 2025, he detailed the only two dumbbell exercises needed to grow a bigger chest.
“The truth is, when you understand how the chest works, you don’t need 10 moves, but just two done right.”
Cavaliere has remained in stellar shape for over 30 years. He uses a science-based approach in fitness, paying close attention to proper body mechanics and results. Whether it’s the back, arms, legs, or abdomen, he knows safe and versatile methods for achieving muscle growth.
Jeff Cavaliere’s Only 2 Exercises Needed for the Chest
Find his selections from the video below:
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- Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
- Dumbbell Floor Fly
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
Before breaking down the movement, Cavaliere shared that you’ll need two dumbbells: one heavy and one light. To reap maximum benefits from dumbbell incline presses, set the bench to a 30-degree angle, as this setup biases the chest instead of the front delts.
“You can set the bench to any angle you want, but if you go too high, you’re actually going to shift the load away from the chest and more towards those front delts.”
“When doing them with a dumbbell, you can tuck your elbows more [than a barbell], and you can actually attain a little more external shoulder rotation and make the exercise a lot more comfortable.”
The dumbbells provide a more natural resistance path than the barbell, which he said can make the exercise more effective for lifters.
“Another benefit you get from dumbbells is a more natural resistance throughout more of the range of motion. When your arms are fixed in place on a bar, you don’t get as much resistance abduction of the arm across the chest because the arm is fixed in one place, but the dumbbell can move freely towards the mid-line.
Ultimately losing its force at the top, but you still get more resistance, and it makes the exercise more effective for a lot of people.”
Dumbbell Floor Fly
Shoulder issues are among the most common in the fitness and bodybuilding community. Cavaliere notes that traditional incline dumbbell flies on a bench can put the shoulders in a vulnerable position. His remedy for this problem is to use the floor as natural support.
“You guys know my issues with flies: when you perform them on a bench, your shoulders are in a more vulnerable position because the dumbbells are unsupported. The anterior shoulder capsule is placed in a very vulnerable position, especially if you reach fatigue and don’t have control of the dumbbells on those few final reps. That’s why we do the floor fly.”
“It removes the risk by having the floor act as a support that’s missing on the bench. More importantly, we’re getting an eccentric overload opportunity because eccentrically we are stronger and the pecs can handle more if you just allow them to handle more weight during the exercise,” he said.
In addition, Cavaliere broke down why using lighter dumbbells here could be advantageous. Not only will they provide a strong stretch overload, but lifters can easily transition into a drop set of safe closed-grip neutral presses.
“This exercise will allow you to get a great stretch overload,” he shared. “They [lighter dumbbells] provide a great opportunity even for those who have no issues for their shoulders to do a drop set.
So when you go all the way to failure on the floor fly, you can simply use the same exact weight and drop right into that closed-grip neutral press.”
This wasn’t Cavaliere’s first demonstration that featured just two or three exercises for muscle growth. He explained how to max out your quad sweep fullness or glute detail with just a few options, all while keeping joint safety in mind.
Cavaliere makes it a point to offer his followers safe alternatives to exercises that might stress certain muscle groups, like the shoulders. He stands by these two selections for helping grow a bigger chest, as long as they are performed properly.
Watch the full video from the ATHLEAN-X YouTube channel below:
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