Chest training Part 2

In Part 1 we looked at the philosophy behind chest training and which exercises are the best for maximizing strength and size. In Part 2 we are going to take a detailed look at these exercises and show you how they’ll help you push your chest measurement past the 50-inch barrio. 

Barbell Press: Flat, Incline, or Decline

The standard barbell press has built more 50+-inch chests than any other. The great Serge Nubret relied on the flat barbell press almost exclusively to build one of the greatest chests of all time. The terms flat, incline, and decline, simply refer to the angle on the bench that you are lying on. Inclining your body shifts most of the stress to the upper chest and front shoulders. Declining (your head is below your hips and legs) shifts most of the stress to the lower and outer pecs. The flat version is a jack-of-all-trades and is probably the best exercise for beginners to start off with for chest training as it targets the whole chest region.

The key to effectively performing all three exercises is to keep your butt flat on the bench, retract your shoulder blades, and don’t bounce the bar off your chest.

The beauty of barbell presses over cables and flyes is that they enable you to handle enormous amounts of weight and really overload the chest muscles. The more weight you can handle, the stronger you get, and the stronger you get the larger the chest muscles will become. Simple, quick, and efficient.

Dumbbell Press: Flat, Incline, or Decline

If barbell presses are the best chest exercises, dumbell versions are a close second. And for some people they are a better option. Dumbells have a number of advantages over barbells.  For starters they allow you to move through a more natural range of motion, helping to prevent shoulder injuries. Barbells fix you in one plane of motion. Dumbells also allow you a greater range of motion as the barbell will have to stop when it reaches your chest. A third benefit is that dumbells help prevent muscle imbalances as each side of the chest will have to lift an equal amount of weight. With one barbell the stronger side sometimes dominates. Finally dumbells allow you to experiment with different arm positions when lower and pressing the weight. Many bodybuilders find that all they get from barbell presses are a great set of front delts (shoulders).The big disadvantage with dumbells is that you are not able to handle as much weight. In fact you will be able to handle more than twice as much weight with one barbell as compared to two dumbells. But overall, dumbbell presses are an excellent option for chest training.

Weighted Dips

The late “Iron Guru”, Vince Gironda, maintained to his dying days that the weighted dip was a better chest builder than the barbell press. While many  debated Vince over the years, few would argue that dips are among the best exercises for packing meat across the front of the rib cage. The key to dips is doing them properly. If you lean back and keep your elbows tucked in (close to your sides) most of the work will be done by your triceps. To stimulate the chest you have to flare the elbows out to the sides and lean forward. It’s also a good idea to experiment with different widths. For most, a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip will work best. When you can easily perform more than 10 to 12 reps with your bodyweight, add some extra weight by either holding a dumbell between your knees or feet, or attach a plate around your waist by using a chain. As a safety precaution don’t bounce at the bottom of the exercise. This could tear what’s called the pec-delt tie in (the area where your upper chest connects to your front shoulder).