Simply The Chest!

Today I’m going to discuss ways in which you can take your chest to the next level!

If you have a beast of chest-day session lined up with 20, 30 or even 50 sets in it, stop right now!

Yes – people actually do this sort of thing! 

But such overload will do more harm than good as you will:

• Cause above the required muscle damage to stimulate growth – resulting in injury.
• Spend hour upon hour in the gym.
• Have severe DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).
• Prolong recovery time so you are not ready for your next workout.
• Drive you fellow gym goers mad as you’ve tied up the bench or machine for an eternity!

So forget the above craziness, and look at the most efficient and beneficial ways to train chest.

Below I have listed the best ways to do this:

1. Dropsets:

These are a great way to get a bigger pump on chest day.

Let’s say your chest exercises follow a typical format like 4 sets, 8-12 reps.

Complete all four sets, but after the last set, don’t rest.

Drop the weight by ~25 percent, and complete as many reps as possible.

That’s a dropset.

It’s a great way to increase volume on chest day to maximise results.

2. Always Squeeze/Contract The Muscle:

This is a simple technique which recruits more muscle fibres, forces more blood into the muscle, and stimulates growth - whether it be in the bench press, or any other exercise for that matter.

Squeeze the bar, hard, and then complete your reps for a set.

For chest exercises, focus on squeezing your pecs hard at the top of every concentric movement.

3. Focus On Technique:

As usual, focus on technique, control and range of movement.

Using your natural momentum or poor form (eg. arching your back) just to lift a heavier weight is a common mistake - and can lead to serious injury!

Work through your chest day routine, and focus on using perfect technique for each and every exercise - each and every set - each and every rep!

It’s the best way to target the intended muscles, stimulate growth and ultimately avoid an injury.

4. Supersets:

A chest workout that includes supersets can be a great way to hit your pecs, recruit more muscle fibres, maximise fatigue and stimulate growth.

It’s also a way to add volume to your chest-day workout in less time, because with supersets you don’t rest between sets.

Combining a compound chest exercise with an isolation exercise, can be a great way to do this.

One of my recent chest workouts included a superset of dumbbell chest press followed by cable flys - same equipment, just a quick switch-over in exercise. 

5. Classic Lifts – Become A Master:

The first rule of chest training.

Stick to the classic lifts.

Bench press, dumbbell press, incline press, flys.

These are proven movements that professionals have used for decades for chest development.

Make it a point to master the technique of these moves.

6. Increase Time Under Tension:

This training technique is a great reminder that you don’t need a crazy workout that’s going to take hours to complete to get results.

This simple tweak can have a huge impact on your chest-day results.

Increase time under tension.

Sometimes it’s referred to as “using a slow and controlled movement,” or lifting tempo.

Instead of trying to race through your reps, go slow.

Complete a full range of motion, but avoid locking out.

Focus on going slow, especially, through the eccentric movement (e.g. lowering the bar during the bench press).

Your pecs are stretching/lengthening as you lower the weight.

And the longer you take to get to the bottom of the lift, the more muscle fibres you’ll recruit to stimulate growth.

7. Change The Angle:

Utilise all bench positions – from flat bench to incline to decline.

Those three positions alone will help you develop your chest better than sticking with just the one.

You can also add extra variables by adjusting your bar grip from narrow to standard to wide.

This will also impact on how your chest responds to training.

Studies show training your chest from every angle is the best way to maximize growth and develop your upper and lower chest.

Now, go and get that amazing chest!

Any questions be sure to fire them over. 

Ian Worthington,

Creator, Owner and coach at GymWolfPT

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