CHEST
Chest is one of those muscles that you can more or less stereotype peoples' opinions about. Guys never miss a chest day, and girls never make a chest day! Of course this is a generalization, but it's important to understand that your chest is not special and should be treated like every other muscle group you work out.
AestheticallyI have separated the chest workouts into three sections, each targeting a different part of the chest (Upper, Mid, Lower). Completing at least one workout per section/per week guarantees you are hitting the chest from all angles, maximizing its growth. The barbell bench press is, and will continue to be, the best chest exercise to maximize muscle tearing (necessary for muscle growth!), so make sure to do it biweekly. As for this and the rest of the chest workouts, you need to make sure that your chest is doing most of the work and not the shoulders (see 'shoulder' section). Too many people plateau on the amount of weight they can push, hindering size gains, all because their shoulders are doing most of the work.
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Functionally"Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As a weightlifter, you need to understand that balance and respect all the muscles, from the calf to the chest"- The Lion King...mostly
Avoiding a muscle group entirely throws off the entire balance of your body causing muscles to pulling and others to stretch leading to injury. Overdoing a muscle group has the same effect. Girls, I promise that doing a chest exercise once in a while wont cause your boobs wont disappear (having a very low body fat % may cause this though). Guys, doing chest 3x a week is too much. Now let's move on. |
Middle Chest1. Barbell Bench Press
2. Dumbbell Chest Press 3. Push-ups |
Upper Chest
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Lower Chest
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Middle Chest
1. Barbell Bench Press |
2. Dumbbell Chest Press |
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3. Push-ups |
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Upper Chest
1. Incline Barbell Bench Press |
2. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press |
3. Push-up with Legs Elevated |
4. Dumbbell Pullover |
Lower Chest
1. Dips (Chest Focus) |
2. Push-up with Torso Elevated |