it has been repeatedly stressed that when looking at a person's physique, the pecs are the most eye-catching part of the body and the reason why many fitness enthusiasts like to work on them. I'm sure you've seen it many times in the gym, pool, beach or locker room: A fitness enthusiast with big arms, shoulders and quads would hardly be the kind of body you'd envy if he were weak and sagging pecs. So much so that you're now here doing bench presses and wondering why your pecs haven't reached that superhuman dimension.
so tell me why your pecs haven't gotten bigger or stronger in months? It could be through diet, or your focus on pec training, or the fact that you are not incorporating the right muscles into your workouts.
Now it's time to take your chest to the next level with some new, hardcore, extreme techniques to stimulate your muscle growth.
The following 5 chest training methods have been tried many times by gym goers with good results
1. Barbell bench press with elastic band
why do it.
Adding a variety of resistance to your pec workout is great for getting the muscles trained.
You can use free weights, ropes and machines, each of which will apply a slightly different resistance. But another different type of resistance is the use of elastic bands. Using elastic bands on a smith machine is particularly useful.
Using an elastic band will increase the total load on the muscles, and the band will take some of the pull off at the bottom of each movement (where the strength is weaker) and add some pull at the top of the movement (where the strength is at its strongest).
How to do.
For the next smith machine bench press, secure the elastic band (the outer end of the barbell piece) on both sides and the other end of the band to the bottom of the rack. (you will have to train with a lighter weight than usual, taking into account the increased resistance of the elastic band.)
the movement technique will not change, but you will notice an increase in resistance when pushing up the barbell. Do 2-3 sets in this manner and then move on to the next movement or do another set or two without the elastic band.
elastic band barbell bench press
2. Do a half bench press
why do this.
Another way to train your pecs to exhaustion is by performing repetitions in an incomplete range of motion through a half range of motion.
If you stop because you can't complete a full movement, you're not taking your muscles to their true limit. You will know the muscle has reached its absolute limit if you continue to do half-range movements until you can no longer push up the weight.
For the chest, doing halfway movements on a smith machine is best. As the triceps play a major role in pushing upwards, the triceps will usually fail first, causing you to be unable to continue, rather than the chest. By doing the remaining half of the downward movement on the machine (after the full movement has been exhausted), your triceps are no longer the limiting factor and you can allow your pecs to be fully exhausted.
How to do.
On the last set or two, do the full range of motion to exhaustion and then continue to do the lower half of the bench press to three-quarters (all the way down but stopping when you don't fully extend your elbows) until you can no longer push the dumbbells halfway down.
halfway bench press
3. Bench press combined with flyes
why do this.
This method is great when you have a short workout, only have a few dumbbells available, or just want something different for your pecs. It is also an effective way to perform chest flyes using a larger weight than usual, a break from the traditional lighter dumbbell flyes.
The end result of this chest stimulation is a variation of sets where the movement shifts from flybys to bench presses as the pecs become increasingly fatigued.
dumbbell flybirds
how to do.
Choose a set of dumbbell weights that you can only complete 6-8 reps with (upper incline, plank or lower incline position). Do as many standard form flyes as you can and then, immediately after power exhaustion, change the position of the movement by switching to a bench press position at the bottom of the movement, switching your elbows from full extension to 90 degrees. Do this to exhaustion, then change hand position again and do the bench press fully. Do a total of three sets in this manner, resting for two minutes between each set.
dumbbell bench press
4. Arm curls to exhaustion
benefits.
What better way to do this than by combining training density and movement technique? Not to mention the fact that this is a solid chest movement. As you will see, not only does this movement have multiple sets of force, but it also includes an emphasis on the centrifugal phase and decreases (self weighted arm curls). To use this method just make sure it's performed towards the end of your workout, it's going to be really hard!
How to do.
Adding extra weight to the arm curl will allow you to force exhaustion at 12-15 reps. Immediately after force exhaustion, switch the workout and do as many centrifugal phases as possible with the same weight (please skip straight to the top of the movement). When you can no longer control the centrifugal phase, immediately remove the extra weight and do force exhaustion with your own weight. This is one set. Do 1-2 more reps.
arm curls
5. Finish with a push-up triple set
why do this.
Few bodybuilders seem to use the chest move we started with - the push-up - mainly because once you have some decent chest strength you can complete 20-50 reps without breaking a sweat. But at the end of a hard chest workout, this won't be the case. By completing the following three sets of push-ups, you'll push your pec fatigue to the limit and blow up all areas of your chest.
How to do.
Once you have completed your last set of chest movements, find a flat bench. Get into a push-up position with your feet on the bench and your hands on the floor. Stimulate your upper pecs with as many reps as possible (to exhaustion), then immediately place your feet on the floor and reach exhaustion in a standard push-up to ignite the middle pecs. After that, change your push-up position again, with your hands on the bench and your feet on the floor.
Do as many reps as you can to finish off your lower pecs...and the day will be over.
push-ups
6. Additional increases
stimulating growth in a body part is as easy as adding a new movement to your workout. Here are five chest movements you may not have done for a while, and your partner can simply suggest some other movements to add to the list so that you can learn them together.
One-arm dumbbell flyes
basically the same position as the two-arm fly, except that the non-training hands grab a bench or a stable object to balance the body. Rope flyes and chest clamps can also be done one hand at a time.
one-arm dumbbell flyes
one-arm apparatus bench press
whether on an apparatus bench press or hammer strength machines, performing a unilateral bench press helps to reduce imbalances in the chest muscles.
one-arm machine bench press
barbell straight arm raise
most people like to do straight arm raises with dumbbells, it's a great movement and one that many early bodybuilders loved to practice. Again, i love this movement, but sometimes adding a barbell (with a shoulder-width grip) to the movement stimulates the pecs from a slightly different angle.
barbell straight arm raise
push-up high five
this is a difficult movement, for most people, but is great for strength movements and can help you break through training bottlenecks. After reaching the bottom position of the push-up, power upwards as fast as you can so that your hands are off the ground, then clap your hands and return to the bottom position.
push-up high five
having said that, what other movements can you say to add to the list? There are too many movements for pectoral training, after all, it is the part of the gym that people train the most, it is recommended to train 3-5 movements at a time, don't be greedy, do each movement carefully, over time progress will be seen.
