Best Chest Training Exercises
It’s a fact. Chest training can do wonders for your appearance. Provided it is done correctly, a strong chest and back is equated with power and guaranteed to get attention. Because of this, many men exercise their chests more than any other part of their bodies.
Excessive chest training however can lead to overdeveloped pecs and make your body look out of proportion. Come on, we have all seen this often enough at the gym. A lopsided body just looks ridiculous. Chest exercises should only be a portion of a total body workout. If you’re trying to develop an impressive, muscular body, then you must train every muscle group equally.
When training clients on chest building, I recommend using the following exercises to get the most gains efficiently. These are by far, the most effective:
- Flat barbell bench press
- Incline barbell bench press
- Decline barbell bench press
- Flat dumbbell bench press
- Incline dumbbell bench press
- Decline dumbbell bench press
and when you have very little time:
- Dips
- Elevated pushups
It is important to work your chest only once per week to allow enough time to rebuild muscle. Select 3-4 of the above exercises and only 1-2 sets per exercise. You can easily overtrain your chest by being over eager and more is definitely not better.
When exercising your chest, remember these key points:
Don’t arch your back. Arching your back may help you lift more weight but will never make you stronger. When you arch, you are not engaging your chest muscles and placing extra strain on your back.
By the same token, don’t overcorrect by pinning your back to the bench. Maintain a neutral spine with a natural easy curve in your lower back.
Use your abs to support your back while lifting. When lifting, exhale, pull your belly button to your spine and tighten your lower abs. Inhale when returning to starting position.
And finally, do not lock your elbows at the top of the movement.
Don’t forget……what you see in the mirror does not make you strong and powerful. Chest training must be done slowly, correctly, and most importantly along with a total body workout regimen.
