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Complete Chest Development Workout
Pectorial Developement
The first thing someone usually asks when you tell them you work out is,
"how much can you bench press". The bench press has become the unofficial
benchmark of how strong or fit you are. This can be misleading and inaccurate,
if you do endurance training you may be able to bike or run for hours but not
be able to lift much weight. Only with the strength trainer is his one rep max
a close estimate of his capablities in upper body strength.
With just about any exercise you do unless you are doing isolation movements,
you have the primary muscle worked. Then you have the secondary muscles and
the stablizer muscles, with most muscles I will work the secondary muscle in the
same workout as the primary muscle.
For the pectorial the secondary muscle is the tricep, I suggest you finish your
pec workout with two tricep exercises. Strengthening the secondary
muscle will almost always increase the lift of the primary muscle.
To get the most out of your pectorial workout, I prefer atleast two exercises. One that works the pecs together like the bench press so you can go heavier, and then one that targets the pecs independently like the cable crossover or dumbell fly which engages the stablizer muscles. You can flip that and do dumbell presses where the stablizer muscles are essential and then do pec dec flies where the weight glides on a track which enables you to go heavier.
The dumbell and barbell bench focus on size and strength, and the cable cross over, dumbell fly and pec dec work the inner cut and overall shape. The stablizer muscles for the pecs are the lats(if flexed during the bench), your core muscles(mostly obliques)and your legs even play a part. On incline benches the front shoulders can come into play. When you are ready for more you can through in two or three sets of dips to either workout, lean forward slightly and do not lock your arms out. Always try to use a spotter when working with weights.
If you ever feel your progress has stalled, do not be afraid to switch up. You can through in a workout of all barbell or dumbell benches, experiment and find what works best for you.
If you do not have access to weights, you can do push ups and switch your hand positions from wide to shoulder width to diamonds for two to three sets each, then do some dips on a chair.
Areas of The Chest
To completely develop your chest you need to work all the 5 areas of it, you have the upper, middle, and lower. The other two are the inner and outer chest, these can be hit with some of the same exercises using a different grip.
-- Upper Chest This is the top part of your chest thats near your collarbone, the exercises used are the incline barbell and dumbell bench press
-- Middle Chest This is the center of your chest comprising most of its size, the exercises used are the flat barbell and dumbell bench press
-- Lower Chest This is the lower part of your chest that ties in near your abs and the outer chest is worked to a point, the exercises used are the decline barbell and dumbell bench
-- Inner chest This is the part between your pecs, you can target the portion of it you work by changing the bench position from incline, flat, to decline. The exercises used are the dumbell fly and the cable crossover, and the pec dec but thats works the center mostly
-- Outer chest This is the outer part that makes your chest look wider, you can hit this area with the three different inclines using a wider then normal grip on the barbell, also use decline dumbell flies or decline cables.
Doing dips works the overall chest but targets the outer part if you lean forward and lower yourself till you feel the stretch in your chest. I suggest you always use a trainer or spotter when working with weights above yourself.
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Disclaimer: The information presented is intended to be used for educational purposes only. The statements made have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (U.S.). These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease. Please consult with your own physician or health care practitioner regarding any suggestions and recommendations made.