As any gym-goer can testify to, a shapely well-defined chest is no easy feat to accomplish.
If it were, there would be Superman look-a-likes strutting their stuff all over town.
I'm about to send some shocking news your way: "You can no longer rely upon the Bench Press.
" Truth be told, this is a highly over-hyped movement that over time developed an undeserving title of "King of Upper-Body Exercises.
" I actually avoid this exercise, with purpose.
Of course, people love to ask you what your "max" is on Bench.
Sorry bud, but you'd better stop dwelling on that number, because if you want to start building up an impressive set of pecs, your bench pressing days are going to be much subsided.
Here's the thing: a number of factors go into building a great chest.
It's crucial that you work it out strategically to achieve the best possible look.
Muscle building is like sculpting ice, and it needs to be chiseled in certain areas more than others, or you're going to wind up looking like a muscular version of the Pillsbury Dough Boy.
Trust me, you don't want this to happen, as delicious as his rolls may be.
Sorry to bring down the Flat Bench, but there are just some exercises that should be avoided.
Flat and decline type exercises are usually the culprits here.
Reason being, there exercises will develop an unbalanced shape as well as undesirable proportions.
So for starters, how about we take a look at what creates an impressive chest: What you want: * Enough lean muscle to ensure a visually appealing athletic look * Square-like shape, created using incline exercises * Dense, angular muscle * Proportioned when compared to the rest of your body * "Even-pecs" (even muscle built upon the entire chest) * Developing the often underrated upper-chest * The "middle line" creating separation between the left and right pecs * Distinction from your lower torso region What you don't want: * Emphasis placed on the mid to lower part of the chest.
This is where the ugly man-boob look comes from.
If you've been neglecting your upper-chest, you've been missing out on developing the squarish angular shape that looks awesome.
To fix this imbalance, make incline exercises your primary exercises.
Lay off on the other stuff until you've evened things out.
Compound exercises are king when it comes to building lean muscle tissue.
A compound exercise simply uses a number of muscles at one time.
An isolation exercise focuses on one muscle at a time.
Yes, isolation movements are important, but compound exercises will create more growth.
Compound movements will lay your body's muscular foundation - Isolation exercises will sculpt in all the details afterward.
(If you aren't "feeling it" in your chest when exercising, your form is probably improper - even the smallest tweak can change the "primary mover" or muscle being used) Okay, on with it now right? In my book, these are the best exercises for building up and sculpting great pectorals: Gironda Barbell Press This is a great exercise to lead off your routine with.
At first, this looks like a regular bench press, but there's a small change that makes a big difference.
You will bring the bar down toward your neck/chin, not to the chest.
This forces your entire chest to work, and takes the load off your shoulder muscles and arms.
You probably won't be able to use as much weight as when performing the flat bench, but even with a lower weight, it will stimulate much more chest growth than before.
The Gironda Press hits upper, mid and lower chest all at the same time.
It's arguably the best exercise for overall chest growth.
Sweet! A word of warning: This is a bit stressful on the shoulder joints, so be careful if you have shoulder problems.
The muscle used is still primarily chest, however.
Dip/Weighted Dip Bodyweight exercises are in a word: Awesome.
By no means is the dip excluded from that list.
It's my second favorite bodyweight exercise, only falling behind the ever-amazing pull-up.
Correct mechanics are very important to keep focus on the chest and not shift to the triceps You want to lean forward and look at the floor while doing the movement.
You can hold a weight between your feet or legs if desired.
Incline Dumbbell Press Awesome with a barbell, but superior with dumbbells in my opinion.
Don't incline the bench too high, or your shoulders take on the majority of the work load.
A 60 degree angle is a good starting point.
For best results, bring the dumbbells up toward the center and lightly touch them together.
Squeeze, and lower with control.
Dumbbell Squeeze Press You will likely not have heard of this one, but you're going to get a pair of dumbbells and a slightly inclined bench.
Press the dumbbells into each other in the center and force them together throughout the lift.
This creates the hardest contraction possible, and is an awesome inner and upper chest exercise.
Decline Pushup This one's pretty common, but very effective at hitting the upper and inner chest.
A bench or a Swiss ball both work for this one.
Simply assume the position and maintain proper pushup technique.
Choose Rep Ranges Based Upon Goal If muscle gain is your goal, aim for the 8 to 12 range, lifting to failure.
If going for increased strength and density, go for 3 to 7 reps, and never go til failure, always stop one or two reps before.
Because you may already be strong enough to do over 12 reps for dips and pushups, you can choose to add weight, or just leave them as is.
You will still benefit from higher rep ranges when doing bodyweight exercises.
Sample Chest Workout Routine 1.
Gironda Neck Press - 3 sets 2.
Incline DB Press - 3 sets 3.
DB Squeeze Press - 3 sets 4.
Dip/Weighted Dip - 3 sets 5.
Decline Pushup - 3 sets A quick reminder here: 80% of what your body looks like is going to be based on your diet If your nutrition plan is no good, you're going to be wasting a lot of time and effort.
You simply can't out exercise a bad diet.
As for the workout, give it a whirl.
I am confident you'll be pleased with the results!