All guys want to have better-shaped chests. It’s a sign of masculinity and women just love it!
But because of this need for better chests, men enslave themselves in the gym trying to do each and all chest exercises – that’s how the majority make their chest workout routine!
That’s not really right. Doing so might make the chests bigger but it would greatly affect the appearance of the whole body. No one exercise entirely targets the chest muscles alone. They always go with other muscles especially the arms, abs, and back. (You may visit this site to discover how to balance your exercises and workouts.)
You generally only need 2 kinds of motion for your chest exercises: presses and flyes. Presses are more effective so focus more on them. (But please don’t skip the flyes!)
Okay, without much blah-blah…
Below is an example of a chest workout routine that you may integrate with your other exercise routines for your other muscles. You may do this workout routine for 8 weeks, every 1st day of your weekly exercise.
- Flat Bench Press (Barbell)
Lie on back on the flat bench. Dismount the barbell from the rack over your upper chest using the overhand grip. Space your hands evenly across the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width.
Lower the weight to your chest. Press bar up until arms are extended. (Do not lock your elbows at the top of the movement.) Then repeat.
Be careful not to arch your back in order to complete the exercise. Inhale on the downward phase of the movement and exhale on the upward phase.
Also, it’s important to sit up straight during the short rest periods (45 secs). It won’t feel good in the head if you don’t. (Because your blood will rush to your head.)
Rep Scheme: 12 (1st rep), 10 (2nd rep), 8 (3rd rep), 6 (4th rep), 12-15 (5th rep)
Gradually increase the weight each time from 1st-4th rep but the 5th rep should be light.
- Dumbbell Flyes (Flat)
Grasp 2 dumbbells and lie back on the flat bench. Position the dumbbells above the chest with the arms in a slightly bent (45 degrees at most) position.
Flatten your feet on the floor or on the bench.
With elbows fixed in a slightly bent position, lower the dumbbells to the sides until you feel the chest muscles are stretched enough. In a hugging-like movement, bring the dumbbells back until they are nearly together. Then repeat.
Rep Scheme: 4 sets with the same weight, 12 reps each (rest only for 45 seconds in between sets)
- Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell)
Sit on an incline bench with both dumbbells resting upon your lower thighs. Keep your feet firmly pressed down on the floor for stability. Hold dumbbells to the sides of the chest. Upper arm should be parallel with floor.
With the elbows always to the sides, press the dumbbells up until both arms are extended. Lower the dumbbells to the sides of the upper chest until you feel a slight stretch in your shoulder or chest. (Do not lock your elbows at the top of the movement.) Then repeat.
Be careful not to arch your back in order to complete the exercise. Inhale on the downward phase of the movement and exhale on the upward phase.
Rep Scheme: 4 sets with the same weight, 12 reps each (rest only for 45 seconds in between sets)
In all exercises, it’s important that you do not bounce the weight so you get the most out of them. It’s also important that you keep your rest periods short (60 seconds max). There’s a reason why athletes have their stopwatches during trainings. Do not trust your body clock when it comes to this.
After 8 weeks of following this chest workout routine, you’ll surely have better and bigger chests than what you have now. After that is the higher phase of building your chest muscles…