Ethan Gohari has been making waves as of late, with his exceptional progress in bodybuilding competitions, and has shared three go-to methods for adding more muscle to his chest. Here’s how you can try this plan out for yourself.
Gohari is heading into the 2026 Arnold Classic with a ton of momentum. The Classic Physique competitor won two IFBB pro shows back-to-back last year, making him the first Australian bodybuilder to manage such a feat. This record was made on top of previous records that he’d already earned, such as being the first Australian ever to win an IFBB Classic show, and the first Australian to qualify for the Classic division in an Olympia final.
Gohari is a great example who illustrates that hard work pays off, and in a recent Instagram post, shared his chest chiseling strategy. “Three exercises you should be doing for a bigger chest,” encouraged the Atlantic Coast Pro and Las Vegas Pro winner.
Ethan Gohari’s 3 Best Chest Exercises for Muscle Growth
Chest Fly Variation
Opting for a seated machine chest fly, Gohari sets out his strategy. “Your goal here is maximum chest activation before pressing. Starting with a fly puts the chest through a deep stretch and teaches you to actually use your pecs instead of letting shoulders and triceps dominate.”
By executing the chest fly, you’ll be opening the chest muscles and activating the pectorals primarily, but the body will also require load bearing on a secondary basis from the deltoids, and even the triceps.
How To Do It
“Focus on a controlled tempo and a strong squeeze at the top, actively bringing your biceps toward each other and holding the contraction for a second.” Explains Gohari. “This improves mind-muscle connection and makes every pressing set that follows far more effective.” The bodybuilder and coach advises that you should aim for 9 to 14 moderate-to-heavy reps.
Chest Press Variation
Gohari shares that his pressing preference lies with the seated chest press or the flat plate loaded chest press. “This is your primary heavy movement,” explains the worthy coach. Opting for the seated chest press, Gohari goes hard on his pecs, once again recruiting his deltoids and triceps on a secondary basis for great upper body proportions.
How To Do It
“Now that the chest is fully activated, you can safely push heavier loads while keeping tension where it belongs, on the pecs,” he adds. “Plate-loaded machines provide stability, allowing you to focus purely on progressive overload and controlled execution.” Aim for 6 to 10 heavy reps.
Incline Cable Chest Press
Heading for the finisher, Gohari hooks you up with some valuable bodybuilding wisdom while putting the final pounding on his pecs. “Cables create a converging resistance profile, meaning tension increases as the chest shortens,” he explains, activating the chest, shoulders, and triceps for the final time in this session.
How To Do It
There’s a reason that Gohari makes the inline cable chest press his last exercise of chest day. “This biases the contracted range, helping you fully squeeze and finish the muscle after heavy work, a key factor for complete chest development.” Aim for 7 to 13 reps and go as heavy as you can to finish strong. “Train with intent,” says the Classic division’s rising star. “Train with structure. Grow with consistency.”
