Every bodybuilder and weight trainer will have his or her favourite exercises for each body part. That's OK and as it should be. We all find out from experience what works best for us. Sometimes it pays to stop a moment and throw into your workout something a little different to wake up both your body and mind.
Part of this re-assessment should be a critical look at the core exercises that make up your program. In this article let's look at two chest exercises that have proven their worth to serious bodybuilders (hands up who isn't - OK, you! - leave the room - the rest of you can stay) since the art began. I always recommend 8 reps per set and only go to failure on the last set. 3 sets should do it not counting 1 warm-up set of 8 reps of 60% of the target weight.
Here are 2 oldies but goodies well worth your consideration.
1. Incline Barbell Bench Press - Great for not only the chest but the shoulders as well. The degree of bench incline will determine the amount to which either the chest or the shoulders get priority. The higher the bench incline the more the shoulders will take over. I suggest trying about 30% to 40% incline from horizontal. Be prepared to experiment.
- take a very slightly wider than shoulder width grip.
- Lower the bar to the chest as you fill your lungs and with the elbows pointed to the side.
- Push up vertically to the starting position exhaling as you push.
2. Dumbbell Flyes - This exercise provides a useful means of isolating the pectorals.
- Hold the dumbbells directly overhead, palms facing, in line with your nipples.
- Lower them to the sides with your elbows slightly bent filling your lungs with air as you do so. Imagine and feel yourself stretching your rib cage. No need to try and go any lower than your torso.
- Use the pectorals to pull the dumbbells back up to the starting position exhaling as you go. Focus hard on the muscles involved as they do the work.
Perform these 2 exercises (best in the order above) for a while as a change from the usual horizontal bench press. A change can be as good as a holiday.
