chest

The barbell bench press is the king of the bench press jungle, but the dumbbell bench press is striding with it side by side. Barbell variations allow you to move more weight due to their fixed range of motion, but dumbbell bench press variations offer more freedom of movement. Why does that...

Jay Cutler may have become famous for his “Quad Stomp,” but without a physique that was in proportion to the rest of his humungous legs, he could have never lifted 3 consecutive Olympia trophy’s. When it comes to the upper body, and particularly the chest, Cutler says that the dumbbell bench...

Arnold Schwarzenegger says his chest was a challenging area of the anatomy to build, but he was able to grow it from what he described as “very flat and sunken” to one of the biggest in bodybuilding, and he did so with the flat bench dumbbell chest fly. Peaking at 58 inches, Schwarzenegger...

There may be some particular body parts that you want to focus on during your workouts. Perhaps it is the arms, the core, the glutes, or the legs, but what about the breasts? Is that even an area you can work on in the gym without a visit to the plastic surgeon’s office? Perkier, larger, or...

When building a strong, chiseled upper body, you don’t need a lot of equipment—what you really need is a great chest and shoulder workout routine and just one piece of equipment. That’s where the beauty of a one-piece workout comes in, and we’re focusing on one of the most versatile tools in the...

Jeff Nippard is a huge advocate for results-backed, science-based bodybuilding, but still believes in mastering the basics for greater gains. Case in point is a recent social media post, where the Canadian coach lists the top 3 most common bench-pressing mistakes that he’s observed. And, while...

Best Bench to Build Your Chest The incline bench press doesn't do what you think it does. Choose the decline press instead for more chest growth. Here's the science. Incline Bench Press vs. Decline: What's Best for Growth? It's becoming increasingly rare to see decline benches in the gym. Sure...

You often hear that you have to balance the ratio of pushing to pulling and upper body to lower body to achieve a balanced physique. I disagree. This advice is good for a beginner, but not for intermediate/advanced lifters. Training in an unbalanced or non-symmetrical fashion works great for me...

All chest workouts are not created equal. For a complete program, you need to attack the pecs from a va- riety of angles and with a multitude of training methods. Simply doing three different kinds of presses is not going to cut it if you want to create a truly eye-popping chest. This chest...

The other day I got a Facebook message from a young man in India, asking me how to improve his upper chest. I clicked to his page to see what he looked like, and as is the case with many of the would-be bodybuilders who contact me from India and Pakistan, he appeared to be about 120 to 140...

Q: When I bench-press, I lower the bar to a point near my collarbones. I feel more stretch in my pecs that way, but I keep having problems with my shoulders, and my bench press never seems to progress. What am I doing wrong? A: Your bench-pressing technique is distorted. Done correctly, the...

There’s no better starting point than a solid bench press. The bench press is the most popular and widely used exercise globally, targeting your chest, shoulders, and triceps. It is performed with a dumbbell or a barbell, which can be loaded with plates to decrease or increase weight. There...

The body is an athlete’s tool. A self-reliant athlete can make themselves stronger through their own bodyweight in calisthenics. For anterior hypertrophy, push-ups can be as beneficial as the bench press. It’s been proven that they can produce the same levels of muscle thickness and strength...

If you were a highly qualified personal trainer with your own gym, you’d have the knowledge and resources to construct the perfect workouts. But, while the office or factory calls for many of us when our alarm goes off each morning, the good news is that we can draw on the wisdom of these...

Bret_ContrerasElite Coach First, I apologize if I left out one of your favorite exercises. Don’t take it personally. I performed these experiments in my garage, and while I have one of the baddest garage gyms in Arizona, I don’t have a lot of machines. I’m also sorry I couldn’t test more...

The dumbbell pullover is one of those multipurpose exercises that can be a great addition to any chest or back workouts. However, no matter which body part you’re focusing on, there’s a trick to add a little extra spice to this exercise, and all it takes is a looped resistance band. That is...

Chest: Barbell Bench Press Ok, I predict one of two scenarios happening after reading the bench press listed as my favorite chest exercise. Be honest…it either completely pissed you off or you are saying to yourself “of course the bench press is the best chest builder”. In my opinion...

My lats locked the weight out for me… I’m now one of the only people in the world to deadlift 4x my bodyweight It was a momentous occasion and one that helped me progress as both a lifter and a coach. Now, years later, I not only understand how to use my lats in the squat, bench press, and...

The dumbbell pullover may be the best old-school exercise you are not doing. It was a favorite of the bodybuilding greats, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and Dorian Yates. This exercise helped get their massive chests and backs that were the envy of the bodybuilding world. If...

Don't have access to your favorite upper body gym machines but still want to hit your favorite upper body workout? Check out these band, barbell, and dumbbell alternatives! Getting the motivation to train at home can be tricky. You’re not at the gym surrounded by other people training with the...