You'll be performing 3 chest exercises, back-to-back, in a very specific order for a very specific reason...building a bigger chest.
This is not about getting a stronger bench press...this is about building more MASS in the chest (and the rep ranges and execution will reflect this).
You're going to be sandwiching an isolation exercise (dumbbell flyes) between two pressing exercises (dumbbell and barbell bench press) that regress in stabilization requirements while working the same movement pattern.
This reworks the same muscle fibers with the presses while pre-exhausting and post-exhausting them in a different way with the flyes.
It sounds complicated in words, but when you see it in action, you'll see why it's so effective.
And even though you're doing 3 exercises, you only really need one station (a bench press station will work for the whole set), so it's doable even in a crowded gym.
1. Start with a dumbbell bench press
I'm using a pair of 85 lb dumbbells (total weight 170 lbs). I've got 170 lbs loaded on the barbell as well. You want to use the same weight on the barbell bench press.
Use a weight you can get at least 12-15 reps with on this exercise. Remember, this style of training is not about heavy weight, it's about muscle activation and hypertrophy, so don't be a hero.
Perform the reps under complete control, focusing on muscle contraction and tight form.
2. Set the dumbbells down then pick up a lighter set of dumbbells.
I'm using a pair of 40's for flyes. The weight should be something you would normally use for a set of 12-15 reps of flyes. You're not going to get that many reps here, but the weight does need to be light enough that you can get enough reps to make it worthwhile.
Again, focus on tight form here...perform the exercise slow and under control, pausing in the stretch position at the bottom and aiming to keep a conscious contraction on your pecs all the way to the top.
3. Set those weights down then set up for barbell bench press
In my case, since I'm pressing in the rack and I had to do the other two exercises outside the rack, I just had to slide the bench into position for benching.
Again, use the SAME weight as you did for the dumbbell bench press (170 for me here). Even though the weight will be relatively light, because of the other exercises you've just done, your pecs will be pre-exhausted. You will only get probably 3-5 reps with this weight.
Your triceps and anterior delts are more comparatively fresh than your pecs, so they'll help you push your pecs even further, getting a degree of muscle activation that you wouldn't be able to normally get with a straight set of barbell bench presses.
Don't worry about performing these slowly...use good form, but focus on completing the reps at normal speed rather than contracting the pecs. At this stage, they won't have any choice anyway and we're looking for more overall loading instead of worrying about conscious contraction.
That's one Stability Sandwich Set for building a massive chest...
After the first set, you will have a monster pump in your chest.
Rest 2 minutes then do another set of this. I recommend 2-3 sets total of this technique, and that's your chest workout for the day.
Overall, this is a phenomenal way to build your chest up, even if you have a hard time feeling it working when doing standard chest training.
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