Everyone wants to know how to grow their chest. That’s pretty apparent from the amount of guys you’ll see on the bench press at every public gym in America.
But if you really want those pecs to grow there’s a lot more to it than a bench press and half-assed sets of dumbbell presses.
Here are 5 tips on how to get that chest JACKED faster than you thought possible!
Use full range of motion
Most guys are more concerned with their ego than the actual progress they make. That leads to dudes with a weight that’s way too heavy and ¼ reps with a bunch of silly screaming involved. “Take it easy psycho” as Adam Sandler would say and back the weight down. Do the exercise properly. For example if you’re performing a dumbbell press lower the dumbbells down to touch the chest and press up to full extension. I bet those 120’s will quickly go down to 80’s, but that is ok! Now you are actually performing the exercise and that will elicit a much greater growth response.
Utilize different push-up variations
Push-ups are tremendous for packing on size when done correctly. Again be sure to use full range of motion and do them for max reps or weighted for a specific rep range. You can add weight by using a weighted vest or have a partner hold plates on your back. You can also increase difficulty by getting your hands and gymnast rings or TRX straps. Hang them from a chin-up bar and perform suspended push-ups. You’ll quickly see how much more stability is needed to do these. These are one of my favorites and I usually like to do them for 1-3 sets of 1 less than max reps.
Use eccentric reps
If you are a beginner and getting your chest to the ground on a push-up is a challenge in itself, eccentric reps are a great way for you to build the foundation needed. Start in the top range of a push-up and lower yourself down for 3-5 seconds until your chest touches. Takea quick pause in the bottom, put your knee down and reset back to the top position. You can also use eccentrics for barbell and dumbbell press variations, even if you are an advanced trainee. Focusing on the eccentric phase of the rep is a great stimulus and you will sure as hell feel them the next day!
Stretch those mo’fos
If the pecs are tight they can be a stubborn SOB to get to grow. After an upper body session take 10 minutes to stretch the pecs. If you’re not sure how try grabbing a light set of dumbbells, (for some guys that means 20’s and some that means 10’s, be conservative for your first set) lay back on an incline bench and perform a chest fly only in the bottom position pause for about 30 seconds. You should feel it in the belly of the muscle, not the shoulder so play around with it until you feel it where you’re supposed to. Repeat for 3 sets.
Progressions, progressions, progressions!
Remember, you’re not strength training if you ain’t getting strong. Progress in either weight or reps each week. A good hypertrophy rep range is 8-12. Get yourself strong in that rep range and I will guarantee those pecs will grow. Again focus on clean technique and start off with a conservative weight so you can make progress over the course of your training program.
Hopefully you guys start taking your training to the next level by adding these tips to your program immediately.
I guarantee you’ll notice a difference in those pecs in a few weeks.
Give it a shot and please give me your feedback by leaving a comment below or email me at chris@tutelatraining.com!
I would love to hear your thoughts.
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Until next week,
Stay focused on your goals and train your asses off!