You'll need to hammer the largest chest muscle, the pectoralis major, as well as the smaller pectoralis minor, if you want an armor-plated chest. Place these two muscles on the anvil, then use these 13 exercises to pound them into a thick, steely chest capable of deflecting bullets. (I'm joking!) That's not something you can try at home—or in the gym.)

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1. Low to High Cable Cross-Over

How to Go About It: Attach a D-handle to each side of a cable pulley machine and set both sides to the lowest position. Stand between the handles with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a handle in each hand with palms facing up (supinated grip).Maintain a straight back, a high chest, and arms extended down at your sides. This is where you'll begin.

Bring both handles up and forward until your hands are at eye level, keeping your arms slightly bent. From your hips to the front of your face, the action should mimic a giant "scooping" motion. Use a slow, steady pace to achieve a good contraction at the tip, then slowly return both handles to their starting positions.

Trainer Tip: This exercise focuses on the upper pectoralis major. For this one, avoid using heavy weights and low reps. Depending on your fitness level, 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with a 10-40-pound load in each hand should be enough to start plating the upper body chest.

2. High-to-low cable cross-over

How to Go About It: Attach a D-handle to each side of the cable pulley machine and set both sides to the highest level. Grab a handle in each hand with an overhand (pronated) grip and stand between them with your feet shoulder-width apart. With your elbows slightly bent, stretch your arms out to your sides like a T. This is where you'll begin.

In a downward scooping motion, bring both handles down and toward your bellybutton until they meet in front of your hips. Squeeze your pecs at the bottom and slowly raise both handles up to shoulder level while holding your core strong. That counts as one rep.

Trainer Tip: This movement focuses on the lower pectoralis major muscle. Set the pulley height to about halfway and bring the handles to the middle of your heart with a neutral (palms facing each other) grip to work your big pecs from a different angle. This regular cable cross-over strengthens your chest even more.

3. Bench Press with Dumbbells in an Incline

How to Go About It: An incline bench should be set at a 30-45-degree angle. Using an overhand grip, grab two dumbbells and sit with your back and head against the bench and your feet flat on the deck. With your arms extended, raise both dumbbells above your head. This is where you'll begin.

Lower both dumbbells to the center of your chest, then press them up and slightly against each other before you return to the starting spot. That counts as one rep.

Trainer Tip: According to a 2016 report, pressing on a bench angled at 30-45 degrees rather than flat stimulated the upper pecs more during the 20-50 percent of maximum contraction. [1] Pause halfway through the rep and squeeze and hold a contraction for a second, then finish the rep.

4. Bench Press with Dumbbells in Neutral Grip

How to Do It: Lie back on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each side and a neutral grip (palms facing each other). With your arms stretched up in the air above your chest, hold the dumbbells tightly together. This is where you'll begin.

Lower the dumbbells until they barely hit your chest, concentrating on contracting your pec muscles. Return them to the starting spot after they've done so. That counts as one rep.

Keep the weights tight to each other during the entire range of motion of the exercise. Visualize yourself lifting the weights up with your pecs rather than your arms.

5. Bench Press using a Barbell

How to Go About It: With your feet flat on the ground and your head against the bench, lie back in a barbell bench press station. Directly behind the racked bar, your eyes should be. With an overhand grip that is slightly wider than shoulder width, grab the handle. Unrack the bar so that it is directly over your chest while keeping your arms completely extended. This is where you'll begin.

Lower the bar to nipple level while keeping your elbows in, then force it up explosively until your arms are straight again. Make sure to engage your heart and stop arching your lower back or lifting your chest excessively when performing the lift. That counts as one rep.

When doing a barbell bench press with heavy weights, do use a spotter. A fellow gym member can act as a spotter, but it's better if they're a licensed personal trainer or a professional workout buddy.

6. Pull-Apart Resistance Bands

How to Go About It: Your feet should be shoulder-width apart, and your head should be facing forward. With your arms completely extended, hold a resistance band in front of you with an overhand grip. It's perfect if one of the bands extends past each wrist. This is where you'll begin.

Slowly spread the arms apart as if attempting to separate the band. Concentrate on getting your shoulder blades close when you do this. Continue to stretch your arms outward until the band reaches your chest. Slowly raise your arms up to eye level in front of you. Throughout each repetition, keep hold of the stretch.

Trainer Tip: As a warm-up or finisher, do three sets of 10-15 reps. This step can also be done in between chest exercises or sets to maintain a powerful pump.

7. Press-Out Plates

How to Go About It: Grab a 10- to 45-pound plate and stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Extend your arms straight in front of your chest while holding the plate with both hands. This is where you'll begin.

Squeeze your shoulder blades together to get the plate closer to your chest while keeping your abs tight and your back and arms straight. Press the weight straight back out after you've carried the plate in as close as you can. That counts as one rep.

Do 10-15 reps, according to the trainer. Do these horizontal reps first, then press the plate up above your head instead of toward your chest to increase the difficulty. Perform 10 to 15 reps of these overhead reps. Combining the plate press and overhead press is an excellent way to harden the upper body and train it to work under duress.

Push-Ups (8)

How to Do It: Stand on the floor with your hands shoulder-width apart. Only the palms of your hands and the tips of your toes can touch the floor as you extend your arms and legs. The distance between your feet should be hip-width. This is where you'll begin.

Drop your body toward the floor, keeping your toes and hands on the ground, until your elbows form a 90-degree angle and your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Drive against the floor with your elbows tucked in toward your sides to return to the starting spot. Squeeze your abs and glutes as you go up and down to stabilize your lower back.

Trainer Tip: Do a rotational push-up to make the exercise more challenging. Raise one arm off the ground and bring it above you as you return to the starting point by turning your torso. Your body should resemble a T in the final position. Hold the place for a few seconds before returning your raised hand to the ground. Rotate to the other side and do another push-up.

9. Take a dip

How to Do It: Position yourself in the middle of two parallel bars. Place one hand on each bar and lift yourself off the floor until your extended arms can support your full weight. Slightly lean forward until the chest is at a downward angle. This is where you'll begin.

While retaining your forward lean, bend your arms to lower yourself. As you do this, make sure to stretch your chest and triceps. Push against the bars to return to the starting spot. That counts as one rep.

Trainer Tip: Keeping your abs tight during this motion will strengthen your pecs, which will help you keep your body in place. Wear a dip belt or keep a dumbbell between your ankles to make it more difficult.

Push-ups on a Sliding Disc

Place each hand on a sliding disc, such as a Valslide, a weight plate, or even a paper plate, when standing on the floor with your arms about shoulder-width apart. Slowly lift yourself into a push-up position, keeping your hands from slipping out from under you. This is where you'll begin.

As you lower your body toward the floor, apply pressure to each Valslide to spread your arms apart. Using your chest muscles to bring the sliders back together and return to the starting spot once you've hit the bottom of the push-up. That counts as one rep.

Trainer Tip: Consider sliding one hand up in front of you instead of out to the side while you lower yourself to the floor for a different version of this exercise. Rep with the opposite arm, returning to the push-up role. Both of these push-up variants make your body adjust to instability, which helps you strengthen your balance, core strength, and upper-body endurance.

11. Chest Press with Hammer Power

How to Go About It: Sit with your legs parallel to the floor and your feet flat on the ground in the chest press machine. Adjust the seat to the point that the hand grips are about nipple height and the arms are parallel to the floor, if possible. At first, stick with a light weight. This is where you'll begin.

Allow the handles to slowly return to your body while maintaining contact with the bench with your head, back, and shoulders. Drive your arms out until they are completely stretched in front of you until they are as far back as they can safely go. That counts as one rep.

Trainer Tip: This system isn't designed for heavy weights and fast reps. If you go too hard, too fast, you'll get a bounce at the bottom of the range of motion, which introduces momentum and decreases the muscle-building benefits of the exercise.

12. Pec-Deck Machine for Sitting

How to Go About It: Sit at a pec-deck machine with the arms bent at 90 degrees, forearms against the vertical pads, and hands in an overhand grip on the handles. This is where you'll begin.

Maintain a 90-degree angle with your elbows and slowly draw them back until you feel a chest stretch. Squeeze your forearms, elbows, and chest to return your arms to the starting position at the end of your range of motion. That counts as one rep.

Trainer Tip: In this exercise, your hands should play a minor or non-existent position. You don't even have to grip the handles. To ensure that your chest is totally isolated, keep your forearms against the vertical pads.

Dumbbell Pull-Over (#13)

How to Go About It: Make a diamond-shaped space between your hands by bringing your thumbs and fingers together. Place the handle of a dumbbell in that location, overlapping your hands to secure the dumbbell. Lie back on a bench with your arms stretched and the dumbbell secured over your head. This is where you'll begin.

Slowly lower the dumbbell past your head and toward the floor, keeping your elbows locked in place. Instead of depending on arm strength to return the weight to the starting spot, concentrate on contracting your pecs. Flex the pecs until the weight is back in the starting spot. That counts as one rep.

Trainer Tip: The secret to this exercise is to keep it slow and balanced, and to concentrate on contracting the pectoral muscles as you return to the starting position with the dumbbell.