Bodybuilding Basics - Chest Training
Peter Chown
Yes it's true; Pete actually tried to name this article Pectacular Training. Not wishing to dwell on that, let's just move onto the all important chest edition of the bodybuilding basics series.
Pectacular Training! (Lame I know lol)
Nothing looks better than a great muscular chest, or ‘pecs’ as they are known in bodybuilding land. All the great bodybuilders of the past had great muscularity in the pec area; I just look at a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger and can’t help but get motivated to hit the gym. Steve Reeves from the 50s and 60s had great chest development and helped him become a major film star back in the day, with women fainting at the sight of him, a bit like what happens to me now when I walk down the street…..if only! Of the current crop you have Jay Cutler, who has a massive thick chest which helped him win three Mr Olympia titles.
So what can you do to get a great set of pecs for yourself? I imagine that none of you out there neglect your chest training as it seems to be the most popular body part to train, along with arms, on a Monday night in most gyms! This is fine, as long as you balance out the training by concentrating on all the other body parts, as bodybuilding is all about balance. You don’t want to build a great chest with no leg or back development as you’ll end up looking like a hunchback, and that is really not a good look unless you are looking for extra work in some horror films!
The chest is made up of the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. We are concentrating on the pec major. You want complete development, upper, mid, lower, inner and outer regions. You can’t pick one exercise to work a certain area exclusively, as in just work the upper pecs without hitting any of the other areas, but you can use movements that stress these areas more than other areas, eg incline work will stress the upper chest, decline will hit the lower pecs. I will also mention form as I do about every five minutes! It’s so important! I often see people lifting so much weight that their hips are almost touching the ceiling and lowering the weight about five inches, really not a good idea especially if you want to build a great physique and not look like a muppet. Lift heavy but what is heavy for you, whether that’s 10kgs or 100kgs, it doesn’t matter, leave your ego at the door and put your bodybuilding head on. We want to build muscle not try to impress other gym members with your massive strength and hip thrusts on the bench.
Use the visualisation technique. Think what you want your chest to look like, feel the chest contract and stretch on every rep, feel the blood rushing into the muscle, the fibres getting bigger etc. It does work and will help you reach your goal of a massive chest.
Right, on to the training! I will start off with a beginner’s workout that will get you on the right road to achieving great ‘pecness’.
Beginners Workout
Here's a tip, if you’re new to training, keep it simple. For my beginner’s chest workout, I give you two exercises, and they are both a dumbbell press! The first, flat and the second, incline. Pressing exercises are the main chest mass builders, various types of bar, machine and db presses will make up the majority of any bodybuilding chest workout. You may also get various types of fly, but if I were you and you hadn't lifted weights much in the past, and you need size, I’d keep it simple, learn to press, press often, nail the technique, learn to feel the movement in the chest and work your way to a decent weight before you add anything else. So, here's your workout...
Flat DB Press 3 x 12-15, then Incline DB press 3 x 12-15
Don't forget to write it down!
Flat Dumbell Press: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Lay back on a flat bench choosing a weight you can handle for 12-15 reps. Retract the shoulders and pull the shoulders down so the scapular is pulled into the body and keep your shoulders like this throughout the movement. Start with the dumbbells with your arms straight but not locked out. Lower the weight until you get a stretch in the chest then push the dumbbells up to the start position short of lockout keeping the stress on the pecs. Keep the shoulders retracted all the way through the set and keep your mid section tight too. Also make sure your upper arms are about 45 degrees to the body rather than 90 as this will keep your shoulders in a strong position to help prevent shoulder injuries. Because you are using dumbbells you will be working each side independently and creating equal strength on both sides. This exercise will hit the whole chest hard especially the mid to lower pecs.
Incline Dumbell Press: 3 sets of 12-15 reps.
As above but you will have the bench at about 30 degrees incline. You don’t want the bench too steep as the emphasis will go to the delts, not what you want when training chest, although they do come into play, along with the triceps, as secondary muscles in the movement. This exercise again will hit the whole chest but with emphasis on the upper pec.
That is nice and simple, basic and gets you on the right track to big pecs. I’m a big believer as you know, on the basics, whether you are a beginner or have been training for 20 years. The basics are the exercises that work and will always work. No sexy exercises here that won’t get you anywhere, just brutal tried and tested moves, oh yes, hardcore!
Intermediate Routine
This will move you on from the beginner’s routine to the next level. Again the basics will be used but we will throw in an extra movement and an extra set per exercise:
Barbell incline bench press 4 x 8-12,
Flat barbell bench press 4 x 8-12,
Decline Db flys 4 x 8-12
Incline Barbell Press: 4 sets 8-12 reps.
A great mass builder for the upper chest. Use the same technique as incline dumbbell press as in shoulders retracted etc and upper arms 45 degrees to the body, but we are using a barbell instead of dumbbells. Take a grip one and a half times shoulder width. Lower the weight all the way down to the chest to get that stretch then press up just short of lockout. Make sure you use the full range and not bring the bar just half way down so you can use more weight or I’m gonna be knocking down your door wanting answers!
Flat Bench Press: 4 sets 8-12 reps.
Another great mass builder, the classic really. It will hit the mid to lower chest hard. It’s a pretty tough exercise on your shoulder joints (especially if you don't do it properly) but as you have fatigued the chest with inclines you will be fine and won’t be able to use silly weights, just keep perfect form. Technique is the same as the incline but obviously on a flat bench. Make sure when doing these barbell exercises that you have a spotter, as if you fail you’re going to be pretty embarrassed with the weight crushing you, as well as in a bit of pain! Also use collars. How often do you see people bench press with the weights falling off one side then the barbell flying up and the rest falling off the other side? Not a good look and it will always happen when a hot girl walks past!
Decline Dumbell Fly: 4 sets 8-12 reps.
A great exercise for the lower chest. Lay back on a decline bench (ab benches are great for this exercise) retract shoulders, slightly bend the elbows and lower out to the sides until you get a stretch then raise back to the start position making sure the pecs do the work. The movement is a bit like hugging a tree but I’ll let you leave your flares and flowers at home.
And that’s it! You will be on the road to pectacular chesticles (did I really write that? I should get a job with Flex magazine!) in no time. Just be consistent with all aspects of training and nutrition, don’t over do the chest training as it’s all about a balanced physique ok?!
Final few points on chest training,
Don't queue for the bench - bench pressing is a great way to hit the chest, but there are plenty more great options that don't have half the gym queuing up to use, you can use DBS, weighted dips and various types of press-ups to hit the chest.
Get a spotter - if you’re a beginner, you have every chance of getting trapped under a barbell or losing control of dumbbells and hurting yourself whilst looking a plonker. If you can, get a spotter, or use a mate to keep an eye on you. If not, be careful and learn to control your weights!
Don't train chest more than back - it's easy to slip into the habit of training chest one day, missing your back or leg workout and deciding to hit the chest again next time out, (for guys who aren't as committed as they should be). Make a rule that for every set of pushing, you will have a set of rowing (see ‘big bad back’). Otherwise you will develop an imbalance, you will look rubbish and you will get injured and you will ruin your life!
Over and out!
About the Author
Peter Chown is a natural bodybuilding champ and always worth listening to. 2006 INBA Natural Mr Universe and 2005 INBF World Heavyweight Champ – and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He is huge, muscular, ripped and strong and does not inject steroids into his ass, his arm or his eyeballs. He just works damn hard and eats right. He will not get all fancy and technical; he is just here to tell us what to do and how to do it. He knows what works. We like this.
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