THE TOP 9 DUMBBELL EXERCISES FOR BUILDING MUSCLE MASS

There are few tools as effective as dumbbells for packing on slabs of muscle.

The key to gaining muscle mass is to emphasize training movements before muscles.  When you train with dumbbells you are not only creating a stimulus that produces muscle mass, but also creating functional strength because of the added need to stabilize the weight in multiple planes of movement.

So what are the best dumbbell exercises for mass? Here are my top nine of the best dumbbell movements for packing on muscle and developing usable strength.

1. CLEAN AND PRESS

There are few muscles that this movement doesn’t include.  You can perform it with one dumbbell or two based on your skill and strength levels. Perform them at the beginning of your workout with heavy weight after a proper warm up for 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps for a total of 25 or so reps to build a monstrous upper body. You can also perform them for higher reps as a finisher, but be warned, this is not for the faint of heart. Try performing 3 sets of 15-20 reps at the end of a workout. As a bonus you will get a little cardio workout too.

Perform it by starting with the dumbbells at your sides and then use your hips to generate some momentum (like you would with a cheat curl) and then clean the dumbbells up to your shoulders.  From the shoulders, ensure that your forearms are vertical and press the dumbbells overhead.

2. ARNOLD PRESS

When it comes to building massive shoulders, no one can argue with the Austrian Oak’s methods. The Arnold Press is great for building massive shoulders because it extends the range of motion of a conventional shoulder press. It also involves the posterior shoulder when you sweep the dumbbells from in front of your body out to the sides. Replace the traditional dumbbell press with the Arnold Press for at least four weeks to bring about new growth. Try alternating heavy days (3x6-8) with volume days (4x12-15).

To perform the Arnold press, start with the dumbbells in front of your shoulders with your palms facing your chest. Next, simultaneously sweep your elbows out to the sides while pressing the dumbbells overhead. Follow the same path on the way down.

3. ALTERNATING DB BENCH PRESS

In order to stimulate muscle hypertrophy it is necessary to increase the time under tension - the amount of time that a set lasts for an exercise. When you perform a Dumbbell Bench Press while alternating which arm is performing work you increase your time under tension and provide more of a stimulus for growth. As an added bonus you get a great core workout from having to resist trunk rotation while working one side at a time.

Place this exercise early in a workout while you are fresh. It is a skill intensive exercise and you need to be mindful while you are holding one dumbbell at lockout while the other is performing a repetition. Start with 3 sets of 8 to get a feel for how long a set is going to take you.

Perform this version of the bench press by starting with both dumbbells at lockout and then alternate which arm is performing a repetition and which one is at lockout.

4. SUMO DEADLIFT WITH DUMBELL

The sumo deadlift is a strength training exercise that works nearly every major muscle group in your body including buttocks, hamstrings, thighs and lower back. 

Its effectiveness to target multiple muscle groups at once got many fitness experts calling this exercise as the king of all exercises. 

How to Sumo Deadlift with Dumbbell:

1. Stand with your feet very wide, wider than shoulder width apart with a dumbbell in the middle of your feet. Make sure your toes point outwards. Bend at the hips to grab one end of a dumbbell with both hands, arms hanging in front of you.  
2. Tighten your abs and lift the dumbbell by straightening your legs and standing up straight. 
3. Keeping your chest and head up, lower your hips until the dumbbell passes through the knees. Make sure to keep your weight on the heels and bend through your hips and knees. 
4. Repeat to complete 10-12 repetitions for 2-3 sets.

5. REAR FOOT ELEVATED SPLIT SQUAT

Don’t think you can build great legs without a barbell? I beg to differ. The Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (RFESS) allows for you to load your legs with unbelievably larger loads than if you were performing a traditional back squat (provided you have the grip strength to hold 100 plus pound dumbbells in each hand).

The RFESS takes advantage of what well known and respected strength coach Mike Boyle calls the Bilateral Deficit. The bilateral deficit states that you are stronger on one leg than on two. In fact, most individuals will be able to perform well over half of their 1RM back squat with one leg. So if my back squat is 300 lbs and I were to grab 75lb dumbbells in each hand (total of 150 lbs), I will be able to perform multiple reps on one leg when the load on one leg is technically the same as my 1RM back squat!

Take advantage of the bilateral deficit and train your legs one at a time with heavier loads than you would have used with a barbell. Start with 3 sets of 10 and go from there. 

To perform the rear foot elevated split squat grab a heavy set of dumbbells and place one of your legs back on a bench. Next, ensure that your front foot is in a position where your knee will not travel past your toes when you start to descend into the bottom of your squat.

Your rear knee may or may not touch the ground depending on how tall you are. On the way up drive through your heel and try to stay as upright as possible. I would also recommend placing an Ab-mat or foam pad on the ground where your rear knee touches to give you a little cushioning and to adjust your range of motion if you are shorter or using a taller bench.

6. THREE POINT BENT-OVER ROW

There is no exercise like the row for getting a thick, dense back. The 3 point row allows for you to train heavy with a dumbbell. This position takes the stress off your lower back because you are bracing the bench with your non-working arm to keep you back angle consistent throughout the set.

My favorite way to perform dumbbell rows is to run the rack after you have worked up to a heavy set of 5. Use straps if your grip is failing, but be sure that you are still paying attention to training your grip as it is often overlooked and can cause heartache later on in your strength training career.

Stand in a staggered stance - if you are working the right arm, the right foot should be back. Next brace your opposite hand on a bench and ensure that you have a solid and flat back. Start with the dumbbell on the floor and pull it to your pocket, not towards your armpit.

7. RENEGADE ROW

There are few exercises that will challenge your core and back like the Renegade Row. I walk away humbled every time I perform it. I like to perform these on back day after I have performed weighted chins or pull-ups. Do 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps after a heavy pulling exercise, preferably a vertical pull like lat-pulldowns, weighted chins, or weighted pull-ups.

To perform the movement you begin in a modified push up position with your feet spread more widely than a push up (about shoulder width apart) and your hands placed under your chest inside your shoulders. With a pair of dumbbells in your hands, maintain the front lean and rest position while you alternate which arm performs a row and which arm keeps you from falling on your face!

Keep your abs and glutes braced the entire time and don’t allow your butt to shoot up or sag too low and keep your hips level the entire set. The only part of your body that should be moving is the arm performing the row.

8. DUMBELL BICEP CURL

The dumbbell bicep curl uses both arms at the same time to build stronger arms.

Steps :

1.) Start off standing up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, abs tight, knees slightly bent and a dumbbell in each hand holding in a palms up grip.

2.) While holding the dumbbells extend your arms at the side of your body, then slowly lift your arms up towards your chest until your forearms touch your biceps.

3.) Isolate the bicep and hold this position for a count.

4.) Return back to the starting position and repeat for as many reps and sets as desired.

Tips :

1.) Refrain from swinging your arms during this exercise.

9. STRAIGHT ARM SIT UP

To build a stand-out six pack, you need to build the rectus abdomis. In order to increase the muscle size on your abs, you need to train them like you would any other muscle: by using progressively heavier weights. If the muscle bellies on your abs are small then you must get your abs bigger by training them with weight. I like the straight arm sit up to load your abs and bring about growth. 3 sets of 15 with a weight that you can manage is perfect for ab development.

In the starting position (back on the ground with knees at 90 degrees with feet flat on the floor) press a heavy dumbbell towards the ceiling. Next, perform your sit up keeping your arms straight and making sure that the dumbbell is still pointing towards the ceiling. Slowly return to the starting position, always ensuring you are keeping the weight aimed at the ceiling with the arms locked out.

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TOP 5 CHEST-TRAINING MISTAKES

#1 Overreliance on barbell bench presses

“How much can you bench?” The question is asked so often of anyone with a modicum of muscle that it’s long been the ultimate gym cliche. Still, the fact that the bench press is the go-to strength barometer has had a decimating effect on chests. Bodybuilders bench too much too often for too many sets of too few reps. Used correctly, the bench press is an excellent exercise. Overused, it can potentially overdevelop the lower-pec region in relation to the upper region, giving you “droopy boobs” (think Art Atwood). Furthermore, consistently benching for maximum sets of low reps will boost your chances of injuries, ranging from shoulder, elbow and wrist strains to pec tears.

Solutions:

• Think of barbell bench presses as just another chest exercise, one that can be done at any time during your routine, including last.
• Do sets of eight to 12 reps, only occasionally pyramiding to as low as six reps.
• If you’re curious about how much you can bench for a single rep, use an online calculator and your best 10-rep set to compute your one-rep max.
• If you always do barbell benches first, start with incline presses–with barbells one workout and dumbbells the next. Alternately, cycle eight-week periods during which you do no free-weight benches with eight weeks during which you do benches with barbells one workout and dumbbells the next.

#2 Under training upper chest

Often occurring in concert with an overreliance on bench presses is an underreliance on exercises that target the upper-pec region. This is the area from your clavicles to approximately halfway down your chest. It gives your torso a higher appearance and visually ties your pecs in with your delts and traps (think Franco Columbu). Pecs are naturally thinner at the top than the bottom, so everyone can prioritize their upper pecs via incline work without fearing that this region will overpower their lower pecs.

Solutions:

• Do incline presses with a barbell or dumbbells first in your routine.
• In each chest workout, include at least as many sets of upper-chest work (incline presses and flyes) as you do lower chest work (flat and decline presses and flyes, and dips).
• To focus cable crossovers on your upper chest, perform them with the cables set near the floor, so that you are pulling the handles up and together on each rep.
• Practice posing your upper pecs with hands-on-hips most-musculars or simply tensing. This will build a greater mind-muscle connection, so you can feel this area contracting on targeted chest exercises.

#3 Overreliance on machines

While too many bodybuilders do too many sets of benches, there is another group that goes to the other extreme–they rarely grab barbells or dumbbells on chest day. Most modern gyms have a plethora of press and flye machines, but resist the urge to form the bulk of your routine around mechanical movements. Despite modern advantages, the best chests of Arnold’s era still compare favorably with the pecs in recent Olympia pose-downs. Why? Then, pecs were worked almost exclusively with free weights.

Solutions:

• Do mostly free-weight and body-weight basics.
• Do no more than half of your chest exercises with machines.
• If you do mechanical presses, try to choose a unilateral Hammer Strength, FreeMotion or similar machine that approximates the freedom of free weights.
• If you’re not strong enough to get eight bodyweight reps while dipping, use a dip assist machine to lighten your load. (This doesn’t count as a machine exercise.)

#4 Failure to contract

The downside of free weights is that they make it difficult to attain a maximum contraction in the pecs. When you do dumbbell flyes, there is less resistance on the chest at the top of the movement (when the dumbbells come together) than near the bottom. Likewise, during presses or dips, the triceps do much of the work near lockout.

Solutions:

• Do one flye exercise each workout with either a machine or training bands. If you do cable crossovers, cross one hand over the other (hence the name) at contractions. Similarly, if you use an upright flye or pecdeck machine, or do flyes with bands, perform repetitions unilaterally in order to bring your hand past the center plane of your body to lengthen contractions.
• Lock out on presses. Although your triceps will do much of the work at the end, you can still maximally flex your chest at contractions.

#5 Working the weight, not the muscles

“Work the muscles, not the weight” is one of Jay Cutler’s favorite aphorisms. Working the weight is different than focusing too much on the number of pounds used, and thus going too heavy. ''Working the weight is using speed and momentum to pound out reps with little or no regard for the targeted area and it’s a precise distillation of the way many bodybuilders press, flye and dip.''

Solutions:

• Feel where you want to focus each set before it begins. For example, tense your upper chest before a set of incline presses to keep your attention on that area.
• Always utilize strict form. This is not only safer, but also better for targeting your pecs, because the sloppier your execution on a chest exercise is, the more that secondary muscles take over.
• Carefully control the negative halves of reps. During presses, take approximately two seconds to lower the weight and one to two seconds to raise it.

Lessons Learned:

• Treat bench presses as just another chest exercise with reps in the eight to 12 range.
• Prioritize your upper chest.
• Do primarily free-weight presses and flyes.
• Concentrate on the contraction of each rep.
• Keep the focus on your pecs, not on the weight.

AUTHOR: Greg Merritt

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HOW TO TRAIN YOUR CHEST/PECS FOR MAXIMUM GROWTH

The key to training each of your muscles is to understand their function and how they work. Your chest is no different. Here, we’ll go over your pectoral muscles, how to train them, and we’ll even dispel a few myths along the way.

Chest Anatomy:

The pectorals are your chest muscles. They begin at your sternum and connect to a tendon that attaches to the humeris bone in your upper arm. Each time your chest muscles contract, they essentially pull your upper arm bone forward and in front of you.

To get a feel for the full range of motion of your chest muscles, straighten your arms out to each side of you. Move your arms forward in front of you until your forearms cross. This represents the full and complete range of motion for your chest muscles.

We’ll just skip the rest of the anatomy lesson and get to what you really need to know. For your training, your pecs are essentially trained as a whole using exercises like the bench press, or you can use exercises that focus on your upper chest such as the incline bench press.

Aside from the upper chest exercises, there isn’t really as much specialization for the chest as one might think. Let’s take a look at the different chest specialization areas you might have heard of.

General Pecs: You will train your chest muscle group as a whole using the flat level bench. This includes the flat bench press, flat bench flyes, dumbbell bench press, etc. Dips will also train your pecs with somewhat less emphasis on the upper chest.

• Upper Chest: You train the upper portion of your chest using an incline bench. Exercises such as the incline bench press, incline flyes, and incline dumbbell bench press will all emphasize the upper chest.

• Lower Chest: The lower chest muscle is a myth. It’s simply not there. The decline bench press will work your chest from a different angle, yes. But there is no such thing as a lower chest muscle that is distinct or separate from other chest muscles.

• Inner/ Outer Chest Muscles: Again, there’s no such thing as focusing on your inner or outer chest muscles. Many people believe that flat bench flyes will work your outer chest while the peck deck flyes work your inner chest. This is more of an illusion that comes from the fact that each exercise places greater stress on your chest at different points in the range of motion.

The whole idea of working the inner/outer chest is flawed because it assumes that you can flex one end of a strand of muscle and not the other end. When you muscles contract, the whole entire muscle contracts, not just one end or the other. You cannot contract the bottom of your bicep without the entire bicep muscle getting shorter. It’s just not possible.

There are generally two main types of movements that work your chest muscles:

Pressing Movements: These include the bench press, incline bench press, and all of their variations and different angles. Dips are also included in the category. Pressing movements tend to directly involve the pecs, triceps, and deltoids in the movement. Secondary stabilizer muscles include your lats, posterior delts, and other back muscles.

Leverage Movements: This means chest flyes. Flyes can be done using dumbbells on a flat bench, using a peck deck machine, or using the crossover cables. Flyes are an isolation exercise. Do your pressing movements first in your workout, and add in flyes only when you’ve progressed to the point where you’re ready for more.

A training program that uses a flat bench pressing movement, an incline movement, and some dips will fulfill your chest training needs for quite a while. Stick to these basic movements before you get too carried away doing cable crossovers or other flye movements.

And of course, I know I probably don’t need to keep saying this to you, but don’t get too carried away with working only your chest and your arms. If you want to be a bodybuilder, train your whole body. Don’t be a boobie-builder.

Focusing only on your chest and arms is bad for your body’s balance and posture. Paying attention to building a strong back will balance you out and even give you greater stabilizing muscles that will increase your bench press and strengthen your pecs even more.

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CHEST EXERCISES FOR BUILDING MUSCLE

CHEST:

It is well know that the chest is one of the most sought after well developed body parts for men along with arms and abdominals, however it is quite beneficial for women as well. It is a misconception that chest training reduces bust size for women. Finally, even though genetics spell out the shape and size of your pectoral muscles, as with all of your muscle groups, your training discipline can help you reach your physique goals.

ANATOMY AND BENEFITS:

The chest is combination of the pectoralis major and minor. The first flexes and adducts the arm, medially rotates the arm, the latter draws the scapula forward, medialward, and downward. For the purpose of discussion, we'll separate the chest into four basic regions; upper, lower, outer and inner.

EXERCISE BASICS:

The chest is a muscle which must be trained for all of its areas to develop completely. Usually for males, a full and wide chest is the goal. It is very important as with most large muscle groups to build a foundation of the muscle before concerning yourself with details. This foundation phase will be the building blocks to further detailed work. With the pectoral muscles, it is significant to follow a plan which will consist of a few basic movements along with some isolation movements. Proper form, contraction and stretching will boost your gains and help prevent injuries. There is a wide range of exercise to properly stimulate all areas of the chest muscles for men and women.

OPEN THE NAME OF EACH EXERCISE

CHEST EXERCISES
Barbell Bench Press Incline Bench Press Decline Bench Press Wide Grip Bench Press Wide Reverse Grip Bench Press Guillotine Press Barbell PullOver Dumbbell Flys Push Up	Dumbbell Bench Press Incline Dumbbell Bench Press Decline Dumbbell Bench Press Cable Chest Press Cable Lower Chest Raise Chest Dip Pec Deck Incline Dumbbell Flys Bench PushUps

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5 BRUTAL CHEST WORKOUT

You’re spent after a brutal chest workout, but you still want to take it to the next level. You’ve got it in you to squeeze out those last few untouched muscle fibers – you know the ones – those that will take your chest development to new heights and finally unlock your real potential.

If you’ve crossed all of your T’s and dotted all of your I’s then it’s time to put a big, bad exclamation point on the end of an already awesome workout. These 5 chest finishers will do just that; crush your chest so it will have only one thing to do: to grow back bigger and better. Demand more, here’s how.

1. 3-WAY PUSH-UP

One of the simplest, but most effective ways to finish off your chest for good is to do something we were meant to do with little-to-no equipment – the push-up. But here’s the catch: you will do a triset (3 sets back-to-back) at different angles. The difficulty will regress as the continued stress will progress.

Here’s how: Assume the elevated push-up position (feet on a bench). Perform as many reps as you can with textbook form. Once you are too fatigued for another full rep, put your feet on the ground and perform additional reps until muscular failure. Once you are completely spent from that position, place your hands on a bench and grind out your last set. That is one set. Shoot for at least 3 trisets always perfecting your form. It will be easy to get loose during these trisets but fight the urge and press on!

2. MACHINE GUN PRESS 100

Barbells, dumbbells and bodyweight moves should comprise most of your chest training but nearing the end of an intense workout your supportive muscles will suffer. Balance and coordination will be compromised and your ability to perform certain moves safely will suffer. Machines work well when it comes to finishing off a body part, namely chest. Helping with balance and focus, machine presses can be done to give your chest that one last blast of fatigue.

Here’s how: Using a Hammer Strength machine, or any other type of machine press station set the weight at a very light and manageable number. Start by shooting for at least 40 reps (ideally 50). Once you have reached total fatigue it will be your partners turn. Keep switching off with no rest between sets until you both have reached 100 total reps. No matter how many reps you manage to get each set keep this back-and-forth “machine gun” style going. One set will consider you done!

3. CABLE CROSS COMPLEX

Cable crossovers have always been thought of as a small finishing exercise done at the end of a workout to round out the pecs. Normally set at a high level, they are done in normal, straight set fashion. Let’s change that. Let’s do something that will pulverize your pecs into new growth and really find out what you are made of.

Here’s how: Set the cable pulleys at the lowest position and perform low cable crossovers arching the handles up to face level. Once fatigued, raise the pulleys to chest level and continue your set. Again, once you can’t perform another full rep raise the pulleys one last time to the top position and finish your crossovers set. Once finished there immediately drop to the floor and do as many reps of push-ups as possible. That is one set. Shoot for 3.

4. 3-ANGLED ATTACK

Sometimes a crowded gym is your worst enemy. Little availability of the equipment you need and not much room to move. Luckily this finisher only requires a bench, a barbell and a pair of dumbbells all in one spot. Here you will utilize a multi-angle attack to fry every area of your pecs from the top to the bottom into submission without moving an inch.

Here's how: Start with a reverse grip bench press (dumbbells may also be used if you don’t have access to a bench press station). Performing reps with a reverse grip will target the upper pecs. Next, either pick up a pair of dumbbells or use the same barbell and perform traditional flat bench presses with an overhand grip. Lastly, place your feet on the bench and put your body in a bridge position with your upper back still on the bench. Your body should be angled in a straight line. Perform“decline” chest flys with dumbbells to finish off. Do 3 total trisets.

5. PUSH-UP STRIP

Ah yes, back to the push-up. So simple yet so effective. The push-up represents real world strength. Practical, efficient and no equipment required they truly are a true measure of full body control and ability. However, this time you will need a partner to help load weight for the ultimate strip set. Here you will take one of the greatest moves of all time and make it harder.

Here’s how: Assume the traditional push-up position. Have your partner place several weight plates on your upper back. The more number of plates the better for the sake of stripping off the weight. Your partner may need to steady the plates while you perform your reps so have him/her close by. Perform your reps slowly and under complete control. Once you reach fatigue have your partner remove a plate each time and keep going. Do this sequence until you are left with just your bodyweight and repping out until total muscular failure. Do 3 total sets. 

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7 THINGS YOU MUST DO TO BUILD A BIGGER CHEST

One of the things every bodybuilder strives to obtain is a big chest. Ideally, as Vince Gironda put it, "it should be shaped liked the shield of a roman soldier." Remember Gladiator with Russell Crowe and Ralph Moeller? Ok, back to topic.

First let's look at some biomechanics. When we say chest, we actually mean the pectoralis major and minor. The function of the pec major is to pull the arm laterally across the body. Now you can see why flyes are critical to a chest workout.

7 WAYS TO BUILD A BETTER CHEST WORKOUT

1. IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY AND ROTATOR CUFF STRENGTH

Make sure you are ready for your chest workout in terms of flexibility and rotator cuff strength. I touched upon this in my article on functional training so just pull it up. Nobody can grow a monster chest if it’s torn.

2. PERFORM CABLE FLOOR FLYES

Do cable floor flyes. This is a total must-do activation exercise that needs to be performed first. Put the handles at the cable as low as possible and lay on the floor. Perform a regular fly, where your upper arms touch the floor but the elbows don't. This will ensure that you activate the pecs from the beginning.

You can vary in terms of bringing the hands together over your forehead or chest. As for all chest exercises, keep the shoulder blades pinched together. Do not round the shoulders as you go up. It's chest day, not shoulders.

3. STAY ON THE FLOOR AND PRESS

The floor press is an all but forgotten exercise, but it is great for strength and mass. Set the bar at the lowest safety level at the power rack, which should be about 15-18 inches above the floor, and get under it. (If your gym doesn’t have power racks, change the gym. Seriously.) Choose a wide grip bench and press the bar from a full stop to full extension.

You should treat each rep as a single, making sure you achieve a full stop at the bottom and the top.

4. AVOID THE BENCH PRESS

Do not flat bench press! Steve Shaw is probably going to hate me for this, but I am convinced that for bodybuilding (not powerlifting) the barbell flat bench is a poor choice for most trainees. It causes elbow and shoulder problems and forms a droopy chest.

Then there is the whole moronic "Whadda ya bench" nonsense, which usually leads to poor form and blown out elbows/torn rotator cuffs. The reality is that the flat bench is more of a shoulder/triceps than chest exercise. In addition, the flat bench builds sort of a droopy chest, which isn’t what we are after.

The incline bench press is a better choice, especially if you have long arms. It will hit your chest without putting too much strain on your shoulders. In addition, I find racking and unracking easier when using the incline bench.

Dumbbells are also a great choice, they enable you to find your range of motion and emphasize the squeeze on top.

5. "PULLOVER" THE WEIGHT

Make sure your first motion after unracking the weight is a pullover. Too many people bench press close to the neck which is:

1. Dangerous and...
2. Suboptimal since you can't involve your lats.

Why would I want to involve my lats? Think of the lats as springs when benching you compress them as you lower the weight and release as you move upward. A pullover will ensure proper activation of the lats.

6. ADD A TWIST TO YOUR FLYES

Do underhanded flyes with a twist, to help target the pec minor. The pec minor lies underneath the pec major and is important in regards to total chest development. You stand at the cables in a step and move the handles up in a sort of "upside down old fashioned V" motion, while keeping your shoulders down.

Once at the top, turn your pinky up and outward for a deep squeeze. This is helpful in regards to building a chest that isn't flat on the top.

7. GET A CHEST PUMP

Get a pump. I have written about this before, but getting a pump is fun and practical at the same time. Arnold Schwarzenegger was right, once again, when he said that the pump is the best feeling in the world; the blood rushing into the muscle and so forth.

Aside from making you look humongous and superhuman, the pump ensures three very important matters.

1. It means that you trained the muscle correctly, as opposed to performing joint work.
2. The blood in your arms is stretching the fascia, a tight sock-like tissue surrounding your muscles. The more you stretch the fascia, the more room your muscles have to grow.
3. The blood carries nutrients to the muscle, which are needed for repair and hypertrophy.

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HOW TO GET A BIGGER CHEST

Muscles are the stringy mass of fibres that contract and expand to make your joints move and stop you crumpling in a saggy heap on the floor. You’ve got between 600 and 700 muscles in your body altogether.

Not all muscle fibres are created equal. Some are made up of ‘slow-twitch’ fibres that are laced with lots of capillaries to supply them with oxygen, and are mainly used in aerobic, endurance activities such as running.

Other muscles are made up of ‘fast-twitch’ fibres which have fewer capillaries and convert stored glycogen into glucose to fuel explosive, anaerobic movements such as jumping or lifting heavy weights. It’s these fast-twitch fibres that have the greatest potential for growth, which is why power sportsmen such as sprinters and weightlifters tend to be bulkier than endurance athletes such as marathon runners.

The number of fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibres you have is determined at birth by your genes. This explains why some people pack on muscle easily while others struggle to add weight. But even classic ectomorph (skinny) guys can bulk up with the right training and nutrition – it will just take a bit more work.

The muscle grows when you put sufficient stress on it to create microscopic tears in the muscle fibres which, if you give them sufficient rest and amino acids from protein-rich foods, will heal bigger and stronger than they were before. This process is known as hypertrophy. Once the muscle has healed, it is more resistant to stress, so you need to attack it with bigger weights in order to repeat the damage/repair process that will make it grow again. That’s why you need to subject your muscles to ‘progressive overload’ or, in other words, keep lifting bigger and bigger weights. 

Pecs broken down

The main job of the chest muscles – the pectorals or ‘pecs’ – is to push your arms in front of you. They are also used when bringing your arms down from above you. The pectoralis major is a large muscle that attaches to your collarbone, breastbone and ribs. Although it is a single muscle, most experienced weight trainers divide the chest into three portions: upper, middle and lower.

Any chest exercise will work the entire pec muscle, but by varying the angle of attack, by doing incline or decline bench presses, for example, it is possible to target the upper or lower portions of the muscle and build a bigger chest.

Three classic big chest moves

Bench press:

This is the classic chest-building move and a standard test of upper-body strength. It is also a great all-over mass-builder because it requires a large number of muscle fibres to perform, which triggers the body’s natural growth hormone response.

 
T-press-up:

Add a dynamic rotational element to the plain old press-up to turn it into move that will help you get a bigger chest and torch fat, too. The trick is to make the exercise fast and fluid, using your core muscles to control the movement.

 
Cable crossover flye:

By using a cable machine, you keep the tension on your muscles constant throughout the move. Your midriff will also get a workout keeping your torso stable against the cables’ resistance.

Ten tips to help you build bigger pecs 

1. Give yourself a round of applause – Research in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance has revealed that you can make yourself stronger in just 10 seconds. How you ask? By performing two clap press-ups, 30 seconds before any given chest exercise. This will help you to push more weight by engaging the chest muscles prior to your big push. 

2. Engage your core – When performing any chest press exercises try tensing your abs for added power. Also, try performing 10-second sets of the plank in between your chest press exercises. This will keep your chest and your core engaged throughout the workout, building a stronger chest. 

3. Switch your grip -  Hitting your upper pecs isn’t easy, so to make sure they’re being worked hard switch to an underhand grip when you’re bench pressing. It’s likely you’ll have to lower the amount of weight used but it’ll activate 30% more of your upper chest muscles than a normal overhand grip bench-press. 

4. Finish with loaded stretching – AKA fascial stretching. Using light weights and slowly lowering yourself into the end point of a chest move will send strong signals to the paper like structure known as fascia that surrounds your chest. As you begin to open up your chest fascia you’ll begin to increase your chests growth potential. 

5. Get eccentric – We don’t mean shouting random facts out at the gym or dressing in 60s tie-dye for your next workout, we’re referring to eccentric movements. Try adding a couple of really slow sets of barbell press at the end of your workout, slowly lowering the weight for 10 reps of 5 seconds each. 

6. Start throwing your weight around – An instant strength builder, and a great way to feel like Superman. Next time you’re using a Smith machine, explode (a lighter weight), preferably around half your one-rep maximum, upwards. Studies have shown that this will increase the explosive power in your chest muscles quicker. 

7. Start strong – For quicker gains, ensure that you’re always working the part of your chest that you’re concentrating on improving at the start of your session. 

8. Destroy the bar – Not literally. You can engage more chest fibres by squeezing the barbell as though you’re trying to pull it apart. The isometric that this creates activates your pecs before you’ve even started to perform any reps.

9. Incorporate the kettlebell - The biggest advantage that you get from the kettlebell press is that the bell falls past your shoulder during the eccentric portion of the lift as opposed to a dumbbell that stops parallel with the joint of your shoulder.  This puts your chest at a mechanical disadvantage and requires more force production to drive the weight back up.

10. Incline it up – Set the incline bench at a 44-degree angle to engage the most amount of muscle in your chest, according to a study found in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. How you measure exactly 44 degrees we’re not sure. You’d better bring your protractor. 

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