My Top 3 Chest-Building Exercises
What is Monday?
It's National Chest Day.
Having a big chest is awesome.
The great news is is that it's not complicated to build one.
It's actually quite simple.
Select just a few compound exercises and get really strong in them in the 8-12 rep range.
The following are 3 awesome chest-building exercises.
Again, focus on 1,2, or all 3 of them.
Add weight when you can.
90% of the work you do should be in the 8-12 rep range.
1. Push Ups (weighted)
I am convinced that push ups are the best mass builder for your chest.
I do not know why competitive bodybuilders do not make them a go-to exercise.
I think it's because they are viewed as a sissy exercise or something you warm up with.
If you took 2 people and had 1 of them perform barbell bench presses for 3 sets of 10 reps and you took the other person, placed a 45 pound plate on their back and had them do 3 sets of 10 of push ups, over time the push up person would have a bigger chest.
My #1 tip is that if you want a big, awesome chest then get really good at weighted push ups.
2. Dips
Dips are freakin' amazing.
My favorite exercise of all-time is the dip machine.
You sit down and select a weight and it simulates a dip as if you were doing them on bars.
Unfortunately, dips are also a very risky exercise for your shoulders.
If you have bad shoulders or have had shoulder issues I would stay away from them.
If you love them like me, then what you should do is to do them at the end of your workout.
Pre-exhaust yourself.
For example, do 200 push ups over X amount of sets.
At that point you are pretty tired.
At that point you can bang out a couple sets on the dip machine.
You would be using a much lighter weight yet it would feel much heavier, therefore, reducing the risk of injury.
3. Dumbbell Bench Press
When bench pressing, ditch the barbell.
Your chest is not optimally targeted when performing barbell bench presses.
In addition, there is a huge risk of injury.
Use dumbbells.
Dumbbells allow you to form the mind-muscle connection.
They are also much safer.
Here is a Chest Specialization Split (follow for 3 months)
Monday
1) Push Ups 7 x 8-12 reps
2) Seated Cable Rows 4 x 8-12 reps
3) Alternating Dumbbell Curls 2 x 15-20 reps
Tuesday – Cardio or Off
Wednesday
1) Dips 7 x 8-12 reps
2a) Triceps Pressdowns 2 x 15-20 reps
2b) Lateral Raises 2 x 15-20 reps
Thursday
1a) Hack Squats 4 x 15-20 reps
1b) Hamstring Curls 4 x 15-20 reps
2) Standing Calf Raises 4 x 15-20 reps
Friday
1) Dumbbell Bench Press 7 x 8-12 reps
2) Lat Pulldowns 4 x 12-15 reps
Saturday & Sunday – Cardio or Off
Weekly Totals:
Chest – 21 Sets
Back – 8 Sets
Quads – 4 Sets
Hamstrings – 4 Sets
Calves – 4 Sets
Biceps – 2 Sets
Triceps – 2 Sets
Shoulders – 2 Sets
