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Chest muscles are among the largest in your upper body, and
that is why it is better to perform more sets of exercises
with these muscles than with the smaller muscle groups. Do
7 to 12 sets of chest exercises per workout, although true
beginners should start with one set. By the way, 12 sets doesn't
mean a dozen sets of the same exercise; you may want to do
3 or 4 different exercises. Also, remember to begin each exercise
with an easy warm-up set.
There are 3 parts to an overall good chest workout. One exercise
needs to be a size builder; a compound movement where you
use as much weight as you can and still do 6-10 controlled
reps. The best exercise for this is either flat bench presses
or dumbbells. I don't think you can go wrong either way as
long as your watching you're form.
Second, every chest routine needs an exercise
for the upper chest. Incline flies, incline dumbbell press
or incline barbell press all work well.
Finally, to carve out the valley between your pecs, no
chest routine should would be complete without some sort
of cross-over movement. Experienced bodybuilders who already
have a good base of mass can go into cable movements.
For the rest of us who are still building a base of muscle,
dumbbell flies work best here.
The general rule for the number of repetitions is 8 to
15. However, if you want to find out what your max bench
press is (one of the oldest bodybuilding traditions),
you need to press the maximum amount of weight in one
rep. If you're going for your one-rep max, do a few warm-up
sets and gradually increasing the weight. |
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Bench Press
For dumbbell press, start seated on a bench with the weights
resting up and down on your quads. Lay back and swing the
weights back to the point where the corners of each dumbbell
are just touching your outer pecs. Push the weight up, bringing
them slightly closer together at the top of the movement.
Lower the weight back down slowly; two seconds on the way
down for every second on the way up. Repeat.
For barbell press, Lie on your back on a flat bench, feet
flat on the floor either side. Grip barbell with hands a little
more than shoulder width apart. Hold barbell above your upper
chest, arms straight. Bending elbows, slowly lower barbell
towards your chest without touching it. Push barbell straight
up over your chest; straighten arms and lock elbows. Slowly
lower barbell and repeat. Use a spotter to hold the barbell
for you at the start and end of this exercise.
Comments
You may want to try alternating between the barbell and dumbbells
to get the best of both worlds. If you have symmetry problems
then use the barbell. The bar will keep your hands the same
distance apart and force your arms to go through exactly the
same motion. By keeping the bar straight, you will distribute
the load more evenly and allow the weaker side to catch up.
Incline Bench Press
For dumbbells, lie squarely on an incline
bench set at about 40 degrees, dumbbells should be no
wider than shoulder width, grasp the dumbbells with an
overhand grip. Keep your feet flat on the floor and your
back straight. Now for the motion, press slowly upwards
toward the ceiling, just until your arms lock out, Pause,
and then lower the dumbbells until they reach chest height.
Repeat movement.
For barbell press, lie back on an incline bench set at
about 40 degrees, with your back and head on the incline,
feet flat on the floor. Grip barbell with hands a little
more than shoulder width apart. Hold barbell above your
upper chest, arms straight. Bending elbows, slowly lower
barbell towards your upper chest just enough to make light
contact. Push barbell straight up over your chest; |
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| straighten arms and lock elbows. Slowly
lower barbell and repeat. Use a spotter to hold the barbell
for you at the start and end of this exercise. |
Comments
This is the exercise to do for upper pec mass.
Decline Bench Press
Lie back on a decline bench. Grip barbell with hands a little
more than shoulder width apart. Hold barbell above your lower
chest, arms straight. Bending elbows, slowly lower barbell
towards your lower chest, about level with the lower limit
of your pectorals. Push barbell straight up, slowly lower
and repeat, keeping your head and back flat on the bench.
Use a spotter to hold the barbell for you at the start and
end of this exercise.
Comments
Decline bench press works mostly your lower pecs. This exercise
is not necessary for a complete chest routine. Most bodybuilders
have a much harder time developing the upper pecs compared
to the lower pecs. This exercise is good to throw you’re
your workout as a substitute for incline or flat presses just
to add some variety. Variety is good up to a point because
it prevents your muscles from getting use to the same routine.
Dumbbell Flies
Lie back on a bench grasping two dumbbells, arms straight
above your shoulders, palms facing inwards. Keeping straight
arms but elbows unlocked, slowly lower dumbbells in an arc
out and down to either side, stretching your chest muscles.
Slowly lift dumbbells in the same arc, lower back to starting
position and repeat, keeping your head and back flat on the
bench.
Comments
Dumbbell flies will mostly work your outer pecs. I always
include a crossing movement in my chest routine, I feel as
though it provides the largest pump for my chest.
Dips
Really, the only thing to remember about dips is that you
need to go all the way down to see the full benefit of the
exercise. If you're getting sets of 10 and 15 without straining
too hard then you probably need to add some more resistance.
Do this by either attaching a plate to your belt with a cord
of some sort or by simply cradling a dumbbell between your
legs.
To increase the role the pecs play in this movement, point
your elbows outward. Keeping them tucked in and pointed back
forces your triceps to bear the brunt of the load; not necessarily
bad, but you need to decide whether you're doing it for your
chest or your triceps.
Comments
This excersise works particularly outer pecs, strong emphasis
on triceps. Don't become so fixated on reps that you try and
whip them out super-fast by dropping down quickly and bouncing
back up to the top. Keep the motion slow, especially on the
negative portion of the rep.
Cable Cross-Overs
Now standing in the center of a cable rack. Make sure both
attachments are connected to the upper cable pulleys. Always
keep one leg in front of the other. Now keep your arms slightly
bent, this helps contracts the chest muscles, when you bring
the cables to the middle of your chest. Never cross your hands
as this decreases emphasis on the chest. Once you have done
this slowly take them back to the starting position, and repeat.
Bend your elbows slightly and lean forward at about a 60 degree
angle. Pull your hands across your body so that they meet
in front of you. For an even greater squeeze, cross one hand
under the other and alternate which hand goes on top each
rep.
Comments
This excersise works particularly inner pecs. There are so
many variations on this movement. It would be impossible for
me to describe all of them. If you have already built massive
pectorals and you're concentrating on developing the striations,
then by all means experiment with this movement.
Bent Arm Dumbbell Pullovers
Lie on your back on a flat bench, feet flat on the floor either
side, and your head at the end. Grasp a dumbbell with both
hands. With elbows slightly bent and kept in, lift the dumbbell
up over your head in a semi-circle and slowly lower towards
floor as far as comfortable. Keeping your head down, back
flat and elbows in, lift dumbbell back over your head in the
same semi-circular path.
Comments
Bent arm dumbbell pullovers is a great exercise to mix things
up.
Mistakes to Avoid When Pumping Your Pecs
Always remember that safety is more important than lifting
heavy weights. In addition to lifting the proper amount of
weight, take the following precautions when working your chest:
Don't lock your elbows. In other words, don't straighten your
arms to the point that your elbows snap. This puts too much
pressure on the elbows and can lead to tendonitis or inflammation
of the elbow joint itself. When you straighten your arms,
keep your elbows slightly relaxed.
Don't arch your back. In an effort to hoist more poundage,
some people arch their backs so severely that there's enough
room between their back and the bench for a Range Rover to
drive through. Sooner or later, this position causes a back
injury. Plus, you're doing nothing to strengthen your chest
muscles. Instead, you're overstraining your lower back.
Don't stretch too far. When you lie on your back and perform
the Bench Press, you may be tempted to lower the bar all the
way to your chest. Similarly, when you perform a Push-up,
you may want to lower your body all the way to the floor.
Don't. Instead, follow the instructions we provide for these
and similar chest exercises.
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