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[ Top 100 training tips ] -[ Programs] -[ Coach Ron explains ]



1. Warm up shoulder joints thoroughly.
Serious chest workouts stress shoulder joints. Be sure to mobilize the shoulders, rotating them through all planes of motion before your first warm-up set. Start your first set with just the bar. Eventually, expand upon your warm-up. This creates a transition to heavy resistance training by gently nudging you body closer to the movement you want to do, rather than loading up the bar, jumping in and shocking the body.

2. Concentrate on incline pressing.
For aesthetic pectoral development, emphasize upper chest training. For most, the upper chest and tie-in area is thinner and les muscled than the bulkier mid and lower chest regions. Hence, a weak-looking upper chest is more common than an underdeveloped mid and lower chest region. Since the upper chest has less bulk in the form of muscle bellies that could potentially be developed, you should exert grater focus on this area. Priority training on the incline motions brings your upper pecs into proportion with the rest of your chest.

3. Bench pressing is essential.
The bench press adds poles of beef to the chest area and helps you bulk up the entire upper body. While I often see incredible shoulder development and huge backs, weak pectorals are common. I think it's because chest exercises have become less basic and too "cute," with funky presses and machine gimmicks. The best way to a big chest and unparalleled upper body power is to have bench pressing in your routine.

4. Feet up and back flat when benching.
When you master benching with your feet off the floor, development will soar. When you lift feet and rest them on the edge of the bench, you back flattens. Thus, the center "meat" of the chest muscle bears the brunt of the weight. Traditional benching (feet on the ground) puts a slight arch in the back, shortening the motion and approximating a decline-like position. You'll push more weight; but over-emphasize the lower pectorals. Benching with feet up is the true measure of the strength of your chest. Ego-wise, get past working with a slightly lower weight; the payoff is phenomenal. Start benching with your feet down and gradually get used to raising them on lighter weights before progressing to heavier lifting.

5. Don't do declines.
The decline press is mainly an ego massage for guys who can't bench or incline press much weight. You can load a lot of weight on the decline because the motion is much easier. (The angled position of the body means the bar travels a shorter distance). Though you can do greater poundage, the outcomes stink. When you concentrate too much on decline pressing, your lower chest grows disproportionately to your upper chest. A sloping, breast-like development results. Since the lower chest is less growth-stubborn relative to the upper chest, a little stimulation goes a long way. Avoid training this area.

6. Get a full range of motion.
Partial reps on chest are a mistake. The chest must be trained through a full range of motion, not only for building muscle, but also for the health of the shoulder joint. Stopping repetitions short when attempting to build a big chest is like a porcupine planning a quiet afternoon in a balloon factory.

7. Maintain a slow, controlled descent.
Building a thick, powerful chest is contingent upon a controlled negative or "eccentric" motion. The lower you go, the slower you should go. A slower lowering motion will bring heavier weights into balance and control, thus minimizing the need for adjusting body position in mid-motion (which sacrifices strength).

8. Avoid taking too wide a grip.
An overly wide grip de-emphasizes chest and over-emphasizes shoulders. Many weights trainers with big shoulders have relatively unimpressive chests as a result of a too-wide grip. A wider grip also radically changes the range of motion and exposes the shoulder to potential injury. A moderate grip (just outside shoulder-width) allows for maximal chest stimulation and minimal injury risk.

9. Keep your grip tight around the bar.
Focusing the power of your pectorals on hoisting the bar requires a firm and consistent grip. Other wise, your force has no focus. Force with no focus is a splatter. A weak grip prevents your power from being directly translated to the bar, and thus holds back chest development.

10. Favor free weights.
As technologically sophisticated as machines get, they don't compare to free weights. Machine weights are already balanced and in the "down" position prior to exerting force, making the movement for less challenging. No matter how hard you work on a machine (i.e., failure, forced reps, negatives), you'll never duplicate the demands of free weights. The superiority of free weights lies in the fact that they require far more than just pushing or pulling. They require proper form, balance, control, coordination, concentration, consistent repetitions and attention to detail.