When it comes to serious bodybuilding, everyone knows the chest is best. From flexing to strength training, the chest is the centerpiece of any body builder. It seems that when we think masculine or rugged, the first thing people think of is a chiseled chest. But not everyone knows how to achieve this. Below is a breakdown of exercises to achieve the chest of your dreams.
Heavy Chest Workout
- Leverage Incline Chest Press. With this exercise, it’s best to do 2 sets of 15 reps as a warm up. Once your muscles are primed and ready, it’s ideal to move to 4 sets of 8 reps, increasing the weight with each set.
- Dumbbell Bench Press. This exercise calls for 4 sets of 8-10 reps each. By increasing the weight with each set, you increase your results.
- Incline Dumbbell Flyes. Like the dumbbell bench press, this exercise calls for 4 sets of 8-10 reps with increased weight with each set.
- Weighted Bench Dip. This weighted bench dip calls for 4 sets of 8-10 reps as well, but you keep the weight constant.
- Pushups. When you reach the pushups portion of your chest workout, it’s important to do 3 sets of 15 reps, and continue to do so until you no longer can.
Pumping Chest Workout
- Smith Machine Bench Press. When you’re doing this exercise, you’re going to want to warm up with sets of 15 reps. Once you’ve got your muscles warmed up and ready to go, you’re going to want to do 4 sets of 8-10 reps, increasing the weight with each set.
- Smith Machine Incline Bench Press. This time, you’re going to be doing 3 sets of 10 reps each, with the last set being dedicated to a dropset.
- Superset. Now, it’s time to get serious. In this superset, you’re going to be doing butterflies, with 4 sets of 12 reps. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to push yourself literally with push ups. Start with 4 sets of 15 reps, going hard until you can’t do anymore.
- Superset. By now, you’re tired, sore, and ready to push through to the finish. In this final superset, you’re going to want to start with a cable crossover, doing 4 sets of 12 reps. For the final push, you’re going to be doing a machine bench press. First, you’re going to need to do 10 reps at a normal speed, pausing slightly to contract your pecs at the top of each rep. Once that’s done, you’ll need to lower the weight by a third and do 10 more quick reps with no pause. Do this for 4 sets of 10 reps, then add another 10 reps to the last set.
Chest Workout Tips
-It’s not about how much you bench, but how often. Multiple reps will lead to more muscle mass, where short, heavy reps will lead to muscle strength.
-Learn to use your pecs when exercising. By engaging your pecs, you’re more likely to create a more chiseled physique.
-Do your own lifting. Sure, sometimes it’s nice to rely on a spotter to do that little bit extra, but basically you’re only sabotaging your workout.
-Be focused during your workout. It can be hard to focus on your workout with everyday life so busy and hectic, but to achieve intense results, you have to make it a priority.
