| We've all been asked "how much ya bench?" by a | | | | movements until you have a well-sized chest and are |
| non-trained person about a hundred times in our lives, | | | | focusing upon shaping it. |
| correct? Perhaps as a result, the chest is the body | | | | Just a little patience |
| part that most bodybuilders tackle first when they | | | | It may seem confusing to train using this wide variety |
| enter the gym. Many beginner bodybuilders are solely | | | | of chest movements when you're used to just |
| flat bench pressers for the first year or three in the | | | | plugging away on the bench press each workout. Deal |
| gym, and this is okay for establishing a baseline of | | | | with it. Your chest is comprised of a vast network of |
| muscle for future growth. However, there comes a | | | | interlocking mesh of muscle sheets. They need to be |
| time for maturing chest training so that a well-balanced | | | | hit from many different angles in order to stimulate |
| chest sits atop your upper body. Here are some tips | | | | complete growth. |
| and tricks to follow for complete chest development. | | | | The 20-rep set |
| Get the ratios right | | | | At least once per workout, complete a set containing |
| You should be training chest with a 3:1 ratio for the | | | | twenty reps. This will stimulate your slow-twitch muscle |
| incline:flat pressing movements. In other words, if you | | | | fibers (those which are only activated by repetition |
| complete 9 sets of inline barbell presses and dumbbell | | | | number 12 or 15) and assure you're stimulating every |
| flyes, you should be completing 3 sets of flat pressing | | | | possible muscle fiber in the chest region. Most of your |
| or flyes. Many bodybuilders - particularly those with the | | | | day should be hard and heavy, but the 20-rep set |
| standard Weider flat bench at home - don't complete | | | | should always make the trip! |
| any incline bench pressing for their first year or two of | | | | Train the entire body |
| training. This creates an aesthetic and strength | | | | You can have a superb chest routine and follow all the |
| imbalance which can only be rectified using a 3:1 | | | | rules, but if you're not training legs or back, you're going |
| incline:flat training ratio. | | | | to develop imbalances which can potentially lead to |
| Cable-free | | | | injuries. Utilize a full-body routine, and don't skip days. If |
| While cable crossovers can provide a great pump and | | | | you have weak body parts, it's usually because you're |
| deliver some stimulation to that pectoral-deltoid tie-in, | | | | not training legs hard enough. |
| many bodybuilders treat this movement as a | | | | The chest is the centerpiece in most physiques, the |
| mass-gainer. It will deliver a lot of blood to the region | | | | place the judges' eyes first rest when scanning the |
| and might feel very good, but this movement will not | | | | stage for competitors. Possessing a well-developed |
| build your pecs in the same manner that flat and incline | | | | chest is imperative for success at even the local |
| presses and flyes will. Play with the cables a few | | | | bodybuilding level. Follow this tips and tricks, and train |
| times per month, but stick with the heavy compound | | | | hard and intelligently. A powerful chest will follow! |