chest

chest

Welcome to CHEST BLASTING. Just as having big arms project power, A powerful chest always gets respect. The chest is also one of the first noticed attributes about a bodybuilder. So, lets try to make yours as powerful and respected as possible. The routines and exercises below along with your dedication will guarantee it.

The flat bench press is without a doubt the most basic and effective means to build the chest. The bench press should be the primary exercise for any chest routine, all other exercises should be subordinate. You should provide you chest with a good warmup cycle. For most people the basic 135 pounds is sufficient. If you cannot use 135 as a warmup, try a lesser weight in which you can rep out at least 15 reps without any muscle strain. After a good warmup comes the real deal. Many people do their routines different. For example, some people pyramid up then back down, And some go right to the heavy weights then pyramid down. I prefer the latter. After my warmup, I go to a weight of about 75% of my max which is 375. So I work out with a weight of at least 280. The reason I do this is because Im the strongest at the beginning of the routine, so I go right to the heavy weights so I dont burn myself out on the lighter weight leading up to the heavier weights. After I do a good amount of sets (between the 280-350 lb range), usually about 6 sets, I start to burn out. So, when it is time to pyramid down in weight, I can do so without feeling I havent reached my potential for the routine. I would much rather burn out on the sets coming down than going up. I usually do an enormous amount of benchpress sets during my chest work out (usually around the neighborhood of 10 sets. with the first 6 being with the heavier weights and the last four being pyramided down until I finally reach the warmup poundage of 135). When I reach the warmup weight, I rep out as many as I can until I cannot possibly do another. This gives me an awsome final pump for the bench press. You can adjust your poundage accordingly to match the routine described. For example, if your max is 275, then try jumping straight to 225 after your warmup, then work your way back down.
The flatbench dumbell press is the only exercise that can even come close to the bench press for building mass on the chest. The advantage that this has over the benchpress is the range of motion. The bench press limits you in range because the bar can only go as far as touching the chest. The dumbell press allows you to go beyond that point. With the dumbells, you can get more of a stretch. This exercise is done while lying on you back on a bench. I prefer putting my feet on the end of the bench so I dont arch my back. This isolates the chest more. Bring the dumbells down slowly and evenly and ensure the palms are facing up and outward. When bringing the weights up, twist the wrists inward so the palms are facing each other and pause for a second to squeeze the chest muscles together. You want to do this for every rep. Do at least 4 sets with 8 to 10 reps per set. Adjust the weight accordingly if you cant achieve this. One way to enhance this exercise is to to a very light weight of benchpress after each set of dumbell presses. For example, after you do 10 reps of dumbell presses. Jump right on the bench press (with a weight of only about 75 pounds on the bar). You may be laughing at this light weight, but I guarantee after you do it you wont be. Kick out as many reps as you can (Im sure it wont be many). Repeat this for every set. The main thing to consider on this exercise is FORM. You want each rep to be smooth and controlled.
The incline press, whether it be with dumbells or a straight bar, is an excellent means for building the upper chest. The only precaution is to ensure you dont go to heavy and damage or overwork the shoulders. The exercise is performed the same as with the flatbench dumbell presses. You want to bring the weights down slowly and controlled with wrists up and outward, and push up on the weights turning the wrists inward to squeeze the chest at the end of the rep. With the straight bar, bring the weights down to the top of the chest and slowly press upward. If your shoulders permit, do 3 to 4 sets of these with 8 to 10 reps per set. The principles for the decline exercise is exactly the same, the only difference between the two is the angle of the bench. The decline press works the bottom of the pecs which is a problem area for a lot of bodybuilders. You may find that you can go a lot heavier on the decline than on the incline, take advantage of this and really pump out the poundage. These exercises should be done toward the end of the chest routine because of the strain that is put on the shoulders and because these are primarily chest enhancement exercises for the chest and should supplement the benchpress and flatbench dumbell press.
There is a big misconception about the cable-cross exercise. You must remember that this exersise is NOT a mass builder but it is strictly a definer. This exercise should not be used by beginners who still does not have a basic foundation built. This exercise is mainly for builders with a chest foundation already built and want to perfect it. I see it all the time in the gym where newcomers perform many sets of cable crosses and all for nothing. The crosses are what give the pecs shape and definition. (striations in the center of the chest). It really isnt necessary to do extremely heavy weights with this machine because like I said before, it is used to perfect what you already have. Therefore what is important is the form and the number of reps. You want to go with a weight in which you can perform up to 15 reps with. Start with the arms straight out as the pictures shows and bring your hands together while keeping the arms straight. Try to avoid bending the arms as much as possible. Hold the arms in this position for a second and squeeze the pec muscles together. Repeat this for every rep. The exercises described above have made a world of difference in my chest development. I hope they will work for you as well. Along with your dedication and a will to try new things, they will. Always remember that the only thing that you will get out of this game is what you put into it.
Kris now moves to incline dumbbell presses. Kris maintains the standard 45 degrees angle on the bench. Sometimes Kris will lower the angle just to keep the muscles confused. He cautions not to raise the angle above 45 degrees or you will fatigue your shoulders. Notice how Kris will touch the dumbbell at the top of the movement to force the muscle to really contract. "By touching the dumbbells and squeezing the pecs together, you will begin to develop those deep striations that separate your left and right pecs."
Unlike most training routines that start with flat bench presses. Kris likes to throw it right into the middle of his routine. His grip is slightly wider than his shoulders, and he lowers the bar to the peak of chest. Once again Kris' movements are controlled and powerful as he performs each rep. Kris likes to do his flat benches in the middle of the workout because he says it makes his whole chest burn like crazy!
Now for the finishing touches. "I love to finish with cross cables. I really bomb my chest on this one. I make sure that every fiber of muscle in my chest is screaming for me to stop". Kris starts from an upright position with his arms as wide as possible. As the cables come together he allows them overlap a couple of inches. Now comes the super squeeze: Kris forces his chest to contract almost to the point of cramping. This brings out every vein and striation and is a must for developing an awesome most "muscular pose." The results are nothing short of awesome, as Kris shows how impressive a massive chest can be. Kris is now ready to go lie by the pool and suck up a MaxPro shake. I wonder if he'll take his shirt off at the pool? Wouldn't we all if we had a chest like Kris.
	Sweat That Chest! Each set consists of eight repetitions. To warm up: Do a set at fifty percent of your maximum effort. Begin with three sets of eight. When you can't break a sweat with that, add five more reps to each set. Bench press. Lying on an exercise bench, grasp a barbell with your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Lower the bar slowly until it touches your chest.
	Dumbbell fly. Holding two dumbbells, lie on an exercise bench. Extend your arms straight up above your shoulders, palms facing each other. Bend your elbows slightly, and lower the dumbbells out to your sides. Be sure to keep your palms facing each other at all times.
	Incline press. Sitting at an incline bench press, grasp a barbell with your hands so they're slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Lower the bar until it touches the top of your chest. Raise the bar until your arms are extended. The Pec-Deck. Sit in the Pec-Deck machine. Grasp the bars so your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. Slowly squeeze your forearms together. Ease the bars back to your sides as far as you can, then do it again. The one to do if you're doing only one? The bench press.
	Flat Dumbell Press or Bench Press From a lying position with the dumbbells resting on your outer chest, press the weight upward and inward. The inner portion of the dumbbells should touch as you approach the top of the movement. If you are performing a bench press with a barbell, start with a grip 4-6 inches wider than your shoulders, lower the bar towards the peak of your chest or slightly above it. Press upward until your elbows lock out. As you approach the top of either movement squeeze the chest muscles inward to intensify the muscle contraction. * Muscle Confusion Tips: Alternate workouts doing Dumbbell Pressev one week and bench presses the next. Widen the path of the dumbbells as you lower the weight very slowly. Grip the barbell wider (6-10 inches) and lower the barbell to the upper portion of ,our chest, be sure to uve a lighter weight.
	Incline Bench Press or Dumbell Press Grip the bar 6-8 inches wider than shoulders. Lower the bar to the upper portion of your chest. Press upward until your elbows lock out. As you approach the top of either movement squeeze the chest muscles inward to intensify the muscle contraction. This movement can also be done with dumbbells as described above, using an incline bench. * Muscle Confusion Tip: Change the angle of the bench, don't go above 45 degrees or you will begin use too much shoulders. You can elevate a flat bench as little as 3 or 4 inches and this considered an incline movement. Your gym may have incline pressing machines, try them all to keep your muscles confused.
	Maching Flys Start with your arms spread out as shown in the first photo. Be sure to keep your elbows slightly bent throughout the entire movement. The pictures best describe how to perform this exercise. Notice the incredible stretch and range of motion that this movement demands. Try using different machines at your gym, there is usually more than one machine for this exercise. * Muscle Confusion Tips: Use dumbbells with a flat or slight incline angle bench while doing a wide fly motion as shown in the photos. You can also do this movement with low pulley cables while laying on a flat bench.
	Cable Crossovers The movement of this exercise is very similar to that of the machine fly as described above. Notice how this movement forces the chest muscle to contract and striate as you crossover at the end of the movement. Pause slightly after you crossover and feel the bum within the muscles as the contraction intensifies. Concentrate on feeling the stretch at the top of the movement. This movement is awesome to finish with because it really burns you out. * Muscle Confusion Tips: The reps and weight on this movement are the best way to incorporate muscle confusion. Try doing as many as 25 reps with a lighter weight to really finish your chest workout.
Chest Definitely one of the most popular bodyparts to train, possibly only second to biceps. The pec's actually consist of 2 main muscles (per side), pec minor and pec major. Pec major is the one you see, pec minor is underneath it, but shouldn't be neglected. The old stand by is the bench press, and for good reason. It is a great way to build some mass, you can use a lot of weight safely, and don't have to focus so much on form as you do with dumbbells. But the extra balancing required with dumbbells is exactly what makes dumbell presses a great exercise for blasting through training plateaus. It brings into play muscles all over the place, and if you switch to dumbell presses as opposed to barbell presses for say 3 workouts, I guarantee you'll go back to you bench press stronger.
	Barbell Bench Press Not too much to say here, I'm sure most everyone has done them! Here's some common mistakes I still see in the gym (and can't believe I do see some of them), and some tips: Don't bounce the weight off your chest! I can't fathom what people are thinking when they do this, it just blows my mind! You risk some major injury, and aren't even putting your muscles under continuous stress. Sure you could maybe 'lift' more, though I hardly call it lifting. Your elbows should, at the bottom of the motion, be at a 45 degree angle to your body to take some stress off your shoulders. Use a wider grip to avoid involving the triceps. At the bottom of the motion your elbows should be at a 90 degree angle. Don't arch your back, or lift your ass off the bench. Lower the bar to near the bottom of your chest. The easiest way to accomplish this is to concentrate on your forearms always pointing straight up. Don't lockout your elbows at the top of the movement. Muscle Media has a nice article on improving your bench press, so check it out!
	Dumbell Bench Press As I said earlier, this exercise is excellent for pushing through a sticking point. The last time I tried it, I increase my barbell bench by about 20 pounds after 2 weeks. This exercise involves so many surrounding/supportive muscles that don't get activated too much by a barbell bench, but when you go back to the barbell bench, those muscle are there to help you push even harder! I would recommend switching this exercise off with a barbell bench every couple of weeks, or when you feel like you need it. Sit on the end of a bench with the dumbbells resting on your knees. You may need someone to help you lift the weight to here. Lie down, bring the weight with you, so that you are lying flat on the bench, the dumbbells next to your waist. The first rep is the hardest (well, actually the last rep should be the hardest!), so get a spotter to help you lift the weight the first time. This is only if you are using really heavy weights. If you don't have a spotter, you could always use less weight and slow down your reps! Another benefit of this exercise is that it lets you lower the weight further, and get a fuller contraction at the top of the movement. If you can't seem to get sore, or just want a really good stretch, squeeze you shoulder blades together at the bottom of the rep. I've heard people say you shouldn't let your arms go below parallel with the floor, though I can't imagine why! Maybe as a partial rep. Try to keep your forearms pointing straight up. Don't lockout your elbows at the top of the movement, as this causes a big loss in stability.
	Pullovers This exercise directly targets the pec minor. You lie on a bench with only your shoulder blades/traps resting on the bench ( so you and the bench make a T ). Your feet should be flat on the floor, knees bent, butt hanging low. Now grab a (light) weight, raise it above your head, and lower it behind your head, keeping your arms straight, but elbows not locked. Lower it as far as possible to get a good stretch, and raise only to a point where the resistance begins to drop off. When I see people doing this exercise, I almost always see them lift the weight until it is straight above their heads so you can really squeeze your pecs. That's all nice and good, but this exercise isn't for your pec major anyway, and doing this motion doesn't keep the pec minor under constant tension. Lie on a bench, perpendicular to it, with only your upper back on the bench, feet flat on the floor, knees bent, ass hanging low. Lift a weight and lower it as far as you can behind your head, keeping your arms straight, but not locked. Lift the weight only about 30 degrees or until the tension is taken off the pec minor. This exercise give a great stretch, and works an otherwise unused muscle, adding yet more size to your chest than pressing movements alone could bring.
Variations of Bench Variations include: Decline bench: head is lower than body, isolates chest more, not involving shoulders as much, also really good for close-grip to target the triceps. Incline bench: Uses shoulders a lot more, and can really develop your pecs closer to your collarbone. This should almost be a part of most every chest workout for even development. Various grips can also be used to target different muscle fibers. A narrower grip involves more triceps whereas a wider grip isolates the chest. Sample routines for the Chest 3-4 consecutive warm up sets on bench press, increasing weight, reps of 8,6,4,2, followed by 3 minute rest 2-3 working sets of flat bench (barbell or dumbell), reps of ~6(heavy) or ~10(light), rest of 2(light)-4(heavy) minutes. 2-3 working sets of incline bench, (barbell or dumbell) same rep and time range as flat bench. 2-3 sets of pullover, lighter weight, 8-10 reps 1-2 sets of fly's for a good stretch. Use less weight, but let the weight nearly touch the floor.