Every guy I have talked to about training wants a bigger and more developed chest. The truth is that a great chest is something you earn. Not something you are born with. For most guys, building a great chest is a long and daunting task. It takes a long time and results come slow if train like 99% of the people out there and make the same mistakes over and over again.
Mistake #1 – You Only Hit Chest Once Per Week
Most guys follow basic bodybuilding programs that dedicate equal amounts of time to each muscle group. Now, if your chest is a stubborn muscle group (for most guys this is the case) then it’s a wise idea to allocate more time towards training your chest. So instead of working your chest once per week, add a second workout into the mix. By doing this, you will guarantee consistent increase in the size and strength of your chest.
Mistake #2 – You’re Not Increasing Strength
In order for your chest to get bigger it has to get stronger. This is called progressive overload. By increasing the weight you can lift overtime your muscles adapt by increasing in size.
The problem is that 99% of the guys out there aren’t training in way that is conducive to strength gains. They slap on a 45 pound plate onto each side of the bar and perform 12 reps. They add more weight and try and do another high rep set to failure. They burn out their chest long before they even get to their ‘work set’. Instead, what they should be doing is building up to their work set without coming close to failure. This can be accomplished by performing each warm-up set for 3-6 reps explosively. Learn more about how I set up my training in this article about reverse pyramid training.
For example lets say that somebody wants to perform 5 reps with 200 pounds. Here is what they should do:
95 lbs x 8 reps
135 lbs x 5 reps
165 lbs x 3 reps
185 lbs x 3 reps
200 lbs x 5 reps
This method wakes up your body’s central nervous system without causing fatigue. Chances are, you will feel super strong when you get to your work sets.
Mistake #3 – Not Feeling Your Chest During The Workout
Several guys I have talked to never feel their chest during their chest workouts. This is because they don’t know how to bench press properly.
By rolling your shoulders back and squeezing your shoulder blades together you transfer the tension from your shoulders to your chest. As you press the weight up you should focus hard on squeezing your chest and developing the mind to muscle connection.
Here’s a little tip – during all of your chest exercises have your workout partner place their fingers where your trying to work your chest. This helps increase the mind to muscle connection as it gives you a reference point to work with.
Ex: during incline presses have your partner place their fingers on your upper chest. If your performing machine flies have your partner put their fingers on your inner chest.
Mistake #4 – You’re Selecting The Wrong Exercises
Exercise selection is extremely important in determining how your chest grows. Most people perform way to many flat presses and flat flies instead of incline presses. This results in an under-developed upper chest which gives the pectorals a droopy look. For a complete look into the Best Chest Exercises check out this article here – The Most Effective Chest Exercises for Button Popping Pecs
This Is The Best Chest Workout
You can perform these chest workouts with any split that you would like. I recommend working chest with back. However you can perform chest and biceps or chest and triceps.
Chest Workout #1:
Incline Barbell Bench Press: 4 x 4-6 reps (3 minutes rest between sets – explode up, control down)
Gironda Neck Press: 3 x 6-8 reps (90 seconds rest between sets – controlled tempo)
Low Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press: 3 x 8-12 reps (60 seconds rest between sets – slow and controlled, focus on squeezing the dumbbells together as hard as possible on the descent)
Chest Workout #2:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 x 4-6 reps (2 minutes rest between sets – explode up, control down)
Gironda Dips or Regular Bar Dips: 3 x 6-8 reps (90 seconds rest between sets – controlled tempo)
Machine or Cable Flyes: 3 x 8-12 reps (60 seconds rest between sets – slow and controlled temp0)
Chest Workout #3
Flat Barbell Bench Press: 4 x 4-6 reps (3 minutes rest between sets – explode up, control down)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 6-8 reps (90 seconds rest between sets – controlled tempo)
Low Incline Dumbbell Flyes: 3 x 8-10 (60 seconds rest between sets – slow and controlled)
Workout Notes:
- Work your chest 2x per week alternating between the 3 workouts
- Record your weight and reps every workout and focus on improving every single week
- Controlled Tempo means 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down
- Slow and Controlled Tempo means 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down
What Is The Thinking Behind This Workout?
When it comes to building masculine square pecs, these workouts are really as good as it gets. First off, you are going to be hitting your chest 2x per week. By working your chest 2x per week, you can drastically speed up progress. In fact, after a few weeks you should notice a bigger, fuller and more complete chest.
The first exercise of the workouts are dedicated towards increasing your strength. This is super important because progressive overload is crucial when it comes to building muscle. The first exercise we are going to perform only 4-6 repetitions with 3 minutes rest which is great for building strong and dense muscle.
This is because lower reps trigger myofibrillar hypertrophy which is an increase in size of the actual muscle fibers – leading to stronger, denser and slightly larger muscles. Higher reps trigger sarcoplasmic hypertrophy which increases the fluid like substance in the muscles – this makes the muscle larger but not necessarily stronger.
For the second exercise we are going to increase the reps to 6-8 and decrease the rest time to 90 seconds. This is a great set-up for a balance of myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Meaning, you will add nice size from this with an increase in strength too.
For the last exercise we are going to increase the reps to 8-12 and decrease the rest time to 60 seconds. This is where your going to get the best muscle building effect since this will target mostly sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. You will actually notice your chest looking bigger for the next couple hours due to the ‘pump’ effect.
Do You Want To Build Muscle Mass Like A Greek God?
If you’re looking to build the perfect lean and muscular physique than I highly recommend you checkout The Greek God Program. This program will teach you how to gain lean muscle properly and how to maximize muscle definition and density.
