Chest Exercise & Tips - Chest Workout

Chest Exercises & Tips

Sample chest exercises

Bench Press
Main Muscle: Pectoralis
Ancillary Muscles: Deltoids, Triceps
Exercise Type: Compound
Equipment: Barbell & Dumbbells
Variations: Incline Bench Press, Decline Bench Press

Performance
Lie on a flat bench with your feet firmly on the floor, positioned wider than your shoulders and with your heels roughly in line with your hips. Positions the weight above your chest with a grip wider than shoulder width, then lower the weight down to your chest in a controlled manner. Push the weight back up without bouncing, squeezing the chest to push the apparatus to the top of the movement. This is one repetition.

Key Tip
To concentrate fully on chest development, when pushing the weight upwards, push slightly back also, (towards the rack if you are using a barbell – like you are going to rack the weight). At the top of the movement the bar should be in line with your upper chest, and at the bottom the bar should be in line with the lower chest.

Incline and decline variations and performed using the same technique but will place more stress on the upper and lower parts of the chest respectively.

Flyes
Main Muscle: Pectoralis
Ancillary Muscles: Deltoids, Biceps
Exercise Type: Isolation
Equipment: Dumbbells, Cables
Variations: Incline Flyes, Decline Flyes

Performance
Lying fat on a bench lift the dumbbells above you with palms facing each other. Keep a slight beck in you elbows and lower the weight in an arched motion to the side of your body feeling a deep stretch in you chest. Slowly bring the weight back up to the starting position squeezing the chest to bring the weight upwards.

Key Tip
Think of a big tree trunk lying on along the length of your chest and you have to bring your arms around the tree trunk to meet each other on the either side. Keep the movement to an arch instead of a push will create the isolated movement placing stress on the chest.

Dumbbell Pullover
Main Muscle: Chest
Ancillary Muscles, Lats, Shoulders, Triceps
Exercise Type: Compound
Equipment: Dumbbell

Performance
Lying on a flat bench, hold one dumbbell above your head with both hands, arms fully extended, slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head in the direction of the floor, feeling a deep stretch in your chest. Then bring the weight back towards you head.

Key Tip
It is easy for the lats (wide back muscles) to be used to bring the weight up, make sure to feel the squeeze in your chest and try to concentrate the entire load on your pecs.

Adding these key exercises in to your regime will really push your chest into new growth, why not try this sample chest workout!

Sample Chest Workout
Incline barbell bench press: 2 warm up sets at 45 % & 50% of your working weight 3 x 5-7
Flat dumbbell bench press 2 x 8-12
Incline cable/dumbbell flyes 3 x 10-15
Dumbbell pullover 3 x 8-12

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