chest

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...

Using mechanical drop sets while training at home means you can build muscle with minimal equipment. They work particularly well for blasting your chest. Traditional drop sets allow you to continue training past failure by lowering the weight and doing another set of the same exercise. With...

Most guys want a big chest, a wide back, and defined arms. Some fall short. Why? They add too much "fluff" to their workouts. If you're natural and dedicate more than half of your exercises to isolation movements like chest flyes, curls, or tricep extensions, you're doing a lot of extra work...

The standard plank isn't an exciting exercise, but it can be a foundational one. If you can't do one and hold it for while, you need to work on your core strength. But most coaches agree that once you can hold the standard plank for a minute or so, the exercise isn't very effective. You need to...

If you want your stubborn back to start growing, you need to attack it from all angles. And you need to do it with more focus on tension rather than just how much weight you can throw around. Try these exercises. ▶️ The Eagle Pulldown Find the cable setup that's most comfortable and best...

The dumbbell squeeze press goes by a few names, like the hex or champagne press, but they all mean the same thing—more gains for your chest. Part dumbbell chest press and the part dumbbell flye, the squeeze press creates muscular tension from the get-go for juicy muscle-building gains. Lifting...

Top 5 Exercises for Sculpted Pecs Many lifters struggle to build their chests for three reasons: Blind love for the barbell bench press. Ego-driven lifting: Chasing weight rather than chest growth. A poor mind-muscle connection. Here are some key strategies and five pillar exercises to...

The inverted row isn’t a complicated move but there are still plenty of room to make inverted row mistakes. It is easily progressed and regressed depending on the lifter’s experience. That and being an excellent movement for the forearms, biceps, upper back, and lats is why it should be in...

One of your goals, when you hit the gym, is probably well-defined pecs. A built chest gives the appearance of strength, but also stabilizes the shoulders, improves posture, and promotes overall upper-body strength. The chest is made up of two major muscle groups—the pectoralis major and...