Bodybuilding Tips and Tricks

When I first started chest training, one of the things that eluded me was the defined line of muscle on the outer pecs that runs from the bottom of your sternum up to the armpit. Decline flyes, when performed either with dumbbells or using a cable apparatus, are the best exercise for bringing this part of your pectorals up to speed. It takes a bit of time to get the technique down, but once you do, the results are well worth it. Check it out.

Performance: Set a decline bench to a 30-45 degree angle. Choose a relatively light weight to get used to the movement, eventually you’ll want to work up to a weight that allows you to perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps. Grasp the dumbbells and lay back on the decline bench (you may find it easier to have a spotter hand you the dumbbells, but you can also place them on your thighs and roll down if a spotter is not available). Start out with your arms extended directly above you and the dumbbells in a neutral grip, hands about shoulder-width apart and elbows bent very slightly. Rotate your thumbs outward about 90 degrees so the heels of your hands angle toward each other. At this point, you should focus on feeling the squeeze in the outer portion of your pecs. To begin a rep, lower the weights slowly toward the floor, leading with your elbows. Concentrate on feeling a stretch in your chest. At the bottom of the movement, pause for a moment, then contract your outer pecs to drive the weights back up. Stop when your hands reach the starting position (the heels of your hands should still be angled toward each other, elbows still slightly bent) and squeeze your pecs hard, then go directly into the next rep.

Emphasis: outer portion of the pectorals

Performance: Adjust the chest press machine so that the handles line up with your mid to upper chest. Sit erect in the seat and grasp the handles with an overhand grip. Press the handles straight out in front of you. Extend your arms fully but in order to keep continuous pressure on the muscles, do not lock them out. Pause for a moment, feeling the contraction in your chest, then slowly bring your hands back toward your chest. Do not let the weights touch the stack. Since the handles of the machine can be lowered past the plane of your chest, you can get a nice stretch in your pecs from this exercise however, be careful not to allow the handles to overstretch your shoulders when returning to the starting position.

Muscle Emphasis: pectorals, anterior deltoids, tricpes; secondary stress is on the medial heads of the deltoids, the latissimus dorsi, and the upper back muscles

The Incline Barbell Press targets the often lagging upper pectoral region and some people believe that Incline Presses are a more effective mass-builder than Flat Bench Presses. Whether this is true or not, it’s definitely an exercise you should include in your chest routine. The Incline Press is a more difficult exercise than its flat-bench counterpart, so you should expect to lift quite a bit lighter than when you’re flat benching.

One last thought: although you should periodically mix up every aspect of your workout to avoid stagnation, it’s usually a good idea, in my opinion, to do incline presses before your flat-bench work. Doing flat-bench barbell presses first may leave your muscles too worn out to get the most out of the more difficult incline work. If you do Incline Barbell Presses first however, you should be able to get some good sets in and still have plenty of gas in your tank and muscle power left to recruit for some Flat Bench Presses.

Performance: Lie back on an incline bench and take hold of the barbell with a moderate-grip, palms facing the ceiling. Unrack the bar and raise it until your arms are fully extended. Bend your elbows to lower the bar to just below your neck. At the bottom of the rep, your elbows should be out and away from your body but slightly in front of your shoulders. Feel the stretch in your pecs and then contract your chest muscles and rasie the bar up until your elbows are almost locked out. Repeat for reps.

Muscle Emphasis: Primary stress is on the pectoralis major and minor, anterior deltoids, and triceps. Secondary stress is felt in the medial deltoids, and upper back muscles.

Although push-ups may seem like too basic of an exercise to be very effective, this tried and true calesthenic movement can definitely build muscle and strength and cause you to work up a good sweat. To simulate the various pressing movements without weights or equipment, try raising either your hands (decline press) or feet (incline press; these are particularly difficult) in addition to the standard flat push-up. You can also change the width of your hands (a narrower “grip” places more focus on the triceps) or place your hands on “steps” so you can get a better stretch on your pecs by actually dipping below your hands. Anything to mix things up. I often do “diamond” push-ups when away from the gym or on the road (make a diamond/triangle shape with your index fingers and thumbs and do pushups that way). Once again, going slow and keeping focused and in good form are a must to get the most out of this simple exercise.

Performance: Push-ups are a pretty basic exercise that nearly everyone knows how to perform. The key is to lower and raise yourself in a controlled motion with a flat back (don’t sag in the middle).

Muscle Emphasis: pectorals, triceps, and anterior deltoids. Secondary emphasis is placed on the medial heads of the deltoids, the lats, and upper back muscles

Probably the most famous exercise of all time and the reason we have the phrase “Hey dude, how much you bench?” in our vernacular. Despite it’s notoriety however, there’s some dissension as to whether the flat-bench barbell press is simply an “ego” exercise or a legitimately effective pectoral mass-builder. Either way, you should definitely include flat bench presses in your chest routine at some point, whether you use them sparingly or as one of your main movements. As with back exercises (although to a lesser extent here), you really need to focus on tensing and squeezing with your chest when pressing. I found that my arms tended to do all of the work when I first started benching. Also, since the flat-bench barbell press is definitely a “macho” move, most guys try to lift waaaay too heavy on this one. As with all other exercises, this is the sign of a true amateur. Check your ego at the door and pick a weight you can control and will allow you to maintain good form. Who cares what the guy next to you thinks? He’s going to throw his back out or tear his shoulder or crap out on his workout plan entirely after a week or two. Be the minority: do things right, don’t worry about the hype.

Performance: Like the push-up, this is another one that most people are familiar with. Lie faceup on a flat bench and place your feet flat on the floor. Grab the bar with a slightly wider than shoulder-width overhand grip (palms facing toward your feet). Unrack the bar and lower it slowly to your chest (it should be in line with right around your nipple area). When the bar just touches your chest, press if forcefully upward and focusing on tensing and squeezing your pectoral muscles. Raise the weight until your arms almost (but not quite) lock out, then lower and repeat for reps.

Muscle Emphasis: pectorals (especially the lower and outer portions), triceps, and anterior deltoids. Secondary emphasis is placed on the medial heads of the deltoids, the lats, and upper back muscles