WHAT’S
YOUR GO-TO EXERCISE FOR CHEST GROWTH?
If
you said barbell bench press, you’re wrong!
If you tell anyone you lift
their first question will usually be “how much do you bench”?
There are several reasons for that
question:
·
The bench press
is the first lift they learned or the only one they know.
·
The bench press
is one of the “Big Three” lifts used in many strength contests (along with the
dead lift and squat) outside the Olympics.
·
They’ve been told
they have to do the bench press.. It’s sort of like “you have to eat your spinach”
There is no doubt the bench press is a fantastic
exercise and one you should be doing. But the barbell bench press is actually
better for building strength than muscle mass.
But here are the reasons the barbell
bench press is not the best exercise for building muscle on your scrawny chest:
1.
The barbell bench
press is a compound exercise involving the pectoral (chest muscle), anterior deltoids, triceps,
forearms and, for some people ,even the back and legs.
It is
impossible to isolate the pecs doing the barbell bench press.
2.
It’s impossible
to get a full range of motion on the pecs doing a barbell bench press especially
on the stretch(bottom) portion of the
lift.
3.
The other muscles
involved with the bench press will exhaust before the pecs preventing the pecs
from getting maximum stimulation.
4.
While the
pectoral muscle is essentially one large muscle, it covers a lot of area and
connects in several places. And it is possible to stimulate different portions
of the pecs more than others. The bench press limits the areas and angles you
can use to stimulate the pecs.
The best exercises to build the pecs: (in no particular order)
The first two exercises may
surprise you. But they are excellent for building pec muscle.
1.
Pushup
The
best variation to build the chest is the “triangle” hand position. Place you
hands together flat on the floor with your fingers and thumbs forming a triangle
between your hands. Keep your elbows in close to your sides.This moves most of
the stimulation from your triceps to your chest.
For
the best chest stimulation, do the pushup with you feet elevated above your
hands and/or add weight. Use a weighted vest or have a training partner stabilize
plates on your back
2.
Weighted Chest
Dip
The
Dip is normally associated with building triceps. But, instead of keeping your
body upright as you would for triceps, lean forward as much as possible. Use a
dip belt (made for the purpose) to add weight or just hold a dumbbell between
your feet. Progress by adding weight.
3.
Fly’s
There
are a lot of variations on the chest fly;
Cable
Fly-standing high cables fly. Standing low cable fly, seated cable fly, incline
bench cable fly, decline bench cable fly, flat bench cable fly.
Dumbbell
Fly- incline, decline or flat
Pec
Dec
All
of the above will give you a longer range of motion and stretch than the
standard bench press and produce more growth. Use them all. Mix them up. Use
all the different angles,
The
incline variations will stimulate the upper pecs more. The declines will
stimulate the lower pecs more.
Crossovers, a variation of the cable flys, will help stimulate the inner portion of the pecs. Cross your forearms over each other as far as
possible and hold the squeeze.
While
iso-stretches (holding the load in the
stretch position) will stimulate the outer pecs better.
The
dumbbell fly, whether incline, decline or flat will give you a much better
range of motion than the barbell version.
Even a dumbbell flat bench press will give you a better range of motion than the barbell press.
Even a dumbbell flat bench press will give you a better range of motion than the barbell press.
4.
Machine Press
The
only advantage to using a machine press occurs when you have a machine
available that allows a longer range of motion than the standard barbell bench
press. There are several brands that have this advantage.
5.
Incline and
Decline Barbell Bench Press
Both
the incline and decline bench press will give you a slightly better range of
motion than the flat bench and it’s harder to cheat. Incline will hit the upper
part of the pecs and decline will hit the lower part of the pecs.
Keep the flat barbell bench press in
your program. But remember that
it’s a strength exercise (and a very good one) but it’s not the best option of
building chest muscle.
A wider grip will stimulate
the pecs more than a standard or narrow grip and give you a slightly better
range of motion on the eccentric.
How to do a proper barbell bench press
Follow these guidelines for
the safest and most effective barbell bench press
1.
Your feet stay
flat on the floor. It’s ok to pull the feet slightly back under you to get
better traction and push through the floor.
2.
Your butt stays
flat on the bench
3.
Don’t flare out your
elbows when lowering the bar. Keep them no wider than 75 degrees. Flaring the
elbows out to 90 degrees will result in shoulder impingement.
4.
Lower the bar to
mid-chest and raise the bar on a diagonal line to directly above your shoulders
5.
Don’t try to
raise your chest up to meet the bar by arching your back. There should be no
more than a slight arch in the lower back.
6.
Find you most
effective grip width. It will depend on the length of your arms and the health
of your shoulders. Too wide and you will have shoulder problems. Too narrow and
you are shifting the stimulus to your triceps.
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