The chest is best stimulated, and developed, when it is fully stretched and flexed and targeted through movements designed to maximize development. For example, the upper chest is best stimulated from exercises done on a 30-45% incline bench, the middle chest is best stimulated from exercises done on a flat bench and the lower chest is best stimulated from exercises done on a 30-45% decline bench.
The exercises below will ensure that each part of your chest is targeted so you will have a chest that resembles the Austrian Oak himself
1. Wide Grip Flat Bench Press (barbell)
- Lie back on a flat bench with feet firm on the floor.
- Using a wide, with your palms facing forward and grip that is approx 3 inches away from shoulder width
- Lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over you with your arms locked.
- The bar will be perpendicular to the torso and the floor
- As you breathe in, come down slowly until you feel the bar on your middle chest.
- After a second pause, bring the bar back to the starting position as you breathe out and push the bar using your chest muscles. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly again.
2. Incline DB Press
- Lie back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand atop your thighs.
- Ensure that the palms of your hands will be facing each other.
- Then, using your thighs to help push the dumbbells up, lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them at shoulder width.
- Once you have the dumbbells raised to shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you.
- Be sure to keep full control of the dumbbells at all times. Then breathe out and push the dumbbells up with your chest.
- Lock your arms at the top, hold for a second, and then start slowly lowering the weight.
3. Heavy Pec Deck
- Sit on the machine with your back flat on the pad.
- Take hold of the handles.
- Your upper arms should be positioned parallel to the floor; adjust the machine accordingly
- Push the handles together slowly as you squeeze your chest in the middle. Breathe out during this part of the motion and hold the contraction for a second.
- Return back to the starting position slowly as you inhale until your chest muscles are fully stretched.
4. Heavy Dips
- For this exercise you will need access to parallel bars.
- Get yourself into the starting position, hold your body at arms length above the bars.
- While breathing in, lower yourself slowly with your torso leaning forward around 30 degrees or so and your elbows flared out slightly until you feel a slight stretch in the chest.
- Once you feel the stretch, use your chest to bring your body back to the starting position as you breathe out.
- Make sure you squeeze the chest at the top of the movement for a second.
5. Incline DB Flyes
- Lie on an incline bench that is set to an incline angle of no more than 30 degrees
- Holding the dumbells in each hand extend your arms above you with a slight bend at the elbows.
- Now rotate the wrists so that the palms of your hands are facing you
- Slowly lower the arms to the side while keeping the arms extended and while rotating the wrists until the palms of the hand are facing each other
- As you exhale start to bring the dumbbells back up to the starting position by reversing the motion and rotating the hands
6. Decline DB Bench Press
- Position yourself into a decline bench press.
- Once you are laying down, move the dumbbells in front of you at shoulder width.
- Ensure the palms of your hands are facing away from you..
- Bring down the weights slowly to your side as you breathe out and keep full control of the dumbbells at all times.
- As you breathe out, push the dumbbells up using your pectoral muscles.
- Lock your arms in the contracted position, squeeze your chest, hold for a second and then start coming down slowly.
7. Bent Arm DB Pullover
- Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench.
- Then lie perpendicular to the bench (torso across it as in forming a cross) with only your shoulders lying on the surface.
- Hips should be below the bench and legs bent with feet firmly on the floor, your head will be off the bench as well.
- Grasp the dumbbell with both hands and hold it straight over your chest with a bend in your arms.
- Both palms should be pressing against the underside one of the sides of the dumbbell.
- While keeping your arms locked in the bent arm position, lower the weight slowly in an arc behind your head while breathing in until you feel a stretch on the chest.
- At that point, bring the dumbbell back to the starting position using the arc through which the weight was lowered and exhale as you perform this movement.
- Hold the weight on the initial position for a second
8. Cable crossover
- Place the pulleys on a high position (above your head), select the resistance to be used and hold the pulleys in each hand.
- Step forward in front of an imaginary straight line between both pulleys while pulling your arms together in front of you.
- Your torso should have a small forward bend from the waist.
- With a slight bend on your elbows, extend your arms to the side (straight out at both sides) in a wide arc until you feel a stretch on your chest.
- Then return your arms back to the starting position as you breathe out.
The author of this article, Mehmet Edip is an internationally published fitness model and writer, actor and competitive athlete.
Be sure to follow him on Twitter: The_MehmetEdip
And to like his Facebook fanpage: facebook.com/MehmetEdip.FitnessModel.Athlete