Your chest is made up of two separate muscle groups: the pectoralis minor, which forms the inner layer of the chest and the pectoralis major, which forms the outer layer. Now, by simply changing the angle of your body you can challenge different muscle groups like the front of your shoulders (anterior deltoids) and your triceps and easily and quickly add more mass to your chest.
The Traditional approach Vs the Smarter approach
The traditional approach, followed by most old school gym instructors, is to minimize the use of all secondary muscles and concentrate only on the pectoral (chest) muscles. However, the smarter way is to train your chest, triceps, shoulder and all other body muscles to work together. Known as compound exercises, the workout plan mentioned below helps in incorporating functional core strength by integrating all the muscles of your upper body, rapidly increasing their mass and strength.
The Workout
Kick off the exercise routine with a bench-press superset: a barbell bench press which should be followed up with a dumbbell bench press. You can then follow up with the exercises mentioned in the other four sections of the workout. This workout plan will place your body in a variety of positions and will thoroughly train upper, middle, lower, outer and inner pectoral muscles as well as your shoulders. The workout will finish with a power move strengthening your triceps.
Week 1
Chalk out your chest workout routine by starting off with the barbell/dumbbell superset and then pick one exercise from each section
Magic numbers
3 - Total number of sets for each exercise 15 – total number of sets in a day
11-15, 9-13, 7-9 - Repetitions per set
2 seconds down, 2 seconds up – Speed of your movements
60 – 100 seconds – Rest between each set
Do this work out thrice a week.
Week 2
Chalk out your chest workout routine by starting off with the barbell/dumbbell superset and then pick one exercise from each section. (Pick the exercises that you didn’t do in week 1).
Magic Numbers
3 - Total number of sets for each exercise
15 – Total number of sets in a day
11-15, 9-13, 7-9 - Repetitions per set
2 seconds down, 2 seconds up – Speed of your movements
60 – 100 seconds – Rest between each set
Do this work out thrice a week.
Week 3
Chalk out your chest workout routine by starting off with the barbell/dumbbell superset and then pick one exercise of from each section.
Magic Numbers
4 - Total number of sets for each exercise
20 – Total number of sets in a day
12-17, 10-14, 8-12, 6-9 - Repetitions per set
2 seconds down, 2 seconds up – Speed of your movements
100 – 140 seconds – Rest between each set
Do this work out twice or thrice a week.
Week 4
Chalk out your chest workout routine by starting off with the barbell/dumbbell superset and then perform all the exercises mentioned in the routine.
Magic Numbers
4 - Total number of the superset exercise.
2 – Sets of all the other exercises
20 – Total number of sets in a day
12-17, 10-14, 8-12, 6-9 - Repetitions for the superset
8-10, 6-8 - Repetition for the remaining exercises
2 seconds down, 2 seconds up – Speed of your movements
2 minutes – Rest between each set
Do this workout twice or thrice a week
Bench-Press Superset:
Barbell Bench Press
(Works shoulders, chest & triceps)
Lie on a narrow bench with your feet on either side, resting flat on the floor. Lift the barbell with an overhand grip in which your palms are facing away from you. Your arms should be gripping the barbell at an angle which is slightly wider than the width of your shoulders. Then, remove the bar from the stand and position it right above the chest so that it is directly above the area below your nipples. Slowly lower the bar down to your chest and then push the weight back till your arms become straight again.
Dumbbell Bench Press
(Works chest, shoulders, triceps)
Take a pair of dumbbells, and lie on a bench with your back straight and position the weights along the sides of your chest. Then push up the dumbbells till your hands become straight, then lower them and repeat the movement.
Section 1:
Seated Twisting Cable Fly
(Works inner chest)
Place a bench between the towers of a cable-crossover station and sit at the end of the bench with your back straight. Fix the crossover station at the bottom and hold the handle on either side of the stack. Then, slightly bend your elbows and draw your arms forward till they are right in front of your chest. Repeat the movement.
Open-Hand Fly
(Works inner chest)
Position yourself as you did while performing the dumbbell bench-press routine. Take a pair of light dumbbells and position yourself on a flat bench as shown in the image. Bend your elbows slightly and lower your arms towards the sides till your upper arms are parallel to the floor. While going up, draw your arms back feeling the contraction on the extreme upper ends of your chest.
Section 2:
Barbell Incline Press
(Works upper chest)
Place yourself on an incline bench, and hold the barbell above your body with your hands being shoulder-width apart. Now firmly press back head, body and hips onto the bench, and slowly lower the bar down to the level of your chest. Pause for a second and then push the bar up and just a little back so that movement ends with the bar being right above your chin.
Open-Hand Incline Fly
(Works upper chest)
Position yourself exactly as you did in the previous exercise and replace your bar with a pair of medium weight dumbbells. Your arms should be a little above your chest. Slightly bend your elbows and then lower your arms till they are in line with the sides of your chest. As your arms go lower, loosen your grip and balance the weights on your palms. Then raise your arms in a sweeping motion while tightening your grip around the dumbbells as you lift your arms.
Section 3:
Dumbbell Decline Bench Press
(Works lower chest and shoulders)
Place yourself on a decline as shown in the image. Grab a pair of medium weight dumbbells, placing them along the sides of your chest. With your palms facing forward push up the weights till your arms become fully extended. Then slowly lower the weights back to the starting position.
Cable Crossover
(Works inner pectorals)
Lift up the rollers of the cable cross-over station and take the handles in each hand. Then spread your arms from the sides with your palms down and elbows unlocked. While keeping your arms straight try pulling the handles down in a wide arc and bring your palms together just below your waist. Now contract your chest muscles for a couple of seconds then go back to the starting position.
Section 4:
Dumbbell Close-Grip Bench Press
(Works triceps)
Hold a pair of medium weight dumbbells using an overhand grip and lie on a straight bench, with your feet resting flat on the floor. Extend your arms while pushing up the dumbbells making their ends touch together. Then, while keeping the ends touching, lower the weights down to your chest and push them up again.
Parallel Dip
(Works triceps)
Lift up your body on a dip station so that your entire weight falls on your hands. Your arms should be straight but not locked. Then, bend your knees till your shins are parallel to the floor and cross ankles. Now, while keeping elbows close to the sides of your chest, lower your body for approximately four seconds till your arms are parallel to the floor. Then push up your body.
Xpert opinion: One of the best reasons of building a bigger chest is that it gives the illusion of a thinner waistline. So if gaining that classic V shaped body seems like a far cry, especially if you are finding it difficult to stick to your aerobic and diet plan, concentrate on building the upper portion of your body. The exercises that add mass to your chest also add size to your triceps and shoulders, thereby making your waistline appear smaller.
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