Building A Chest Like Armor…
Posted on 6 December 2009
We have all seen it right, the chest that looks like a plate of armor. Strong powerful and functional. Surprisingly building a chest that looks impressive is easier than you think but requires some of the more unconventional training methods.
Conventional Chest Training
Focuses on building bulk on the chest, by doing various presses and flys which do work well at building a puffy bulky chest. If however you are looking to build a flat, broad and functional set of pectoral muscles then you have to look elsewhere with more old school and basic exercises being the key. I would suggest you try basing your chest work on these exercises, try it for a while and see how your muscle changes……
The Pushup
The most simple, yet most effective chest builder around. Its versatility is unrivaled and anyone can do it from the beginner to the advanced body builder. Yet how often is this exercise overlooked in the gym now days? With so many variations it can be made to build different parts of the chest and tailored for different abilities.
- Elevated Pushup
- Close Grip Pushup
- Hindu Pushup
- Explosive Pushup with Clap
Those are just a few of the options available, and who is to say the standard pushup is no good….Try doing 3-5 sets of pushups of different varieties a few times a week. One catch though pick a pushup variety which makes you start struggling on 10-15 reps or lower.
Always try to feel a good squeeze and contraction on each rep and perform them explosivly on the way up with a slower negative. This will help fire up the muscle fibers and get maximum benefit in terms of muscle strength and size. Check the video above for an example of a Hindu Pushup which is a favourite of mine as it elongates the chest and helps you breath into the lungs while giving the whole upper body a good stretch.
The Dip
Another classic, but great for building a powerful and good looking set of pectorials. Once known as the best upper body exercise dips are the go to movement to get your Chest, Shoulders, Upper Back and Triceps worked deeply. If you do your dips wide grip (on a wider dip station) you will work the chest more, whereas if you go close grip you will be working your inner chest and triceps more. So pick carefully depending what your going for. Dips are actually a great tricep builder as they are a muscle that responds well toheavy weights.
Pecs should be a wide slab, and not some kind of woman breast look -- Vince Gironda
As the legend Vince Gironda puts it pecs should be wide and flat not puffy and protruding. In terms of development Dips will cover your lower chest and give a good shape to the overall muscle including the inner chest. What they will not do is build a thick chest like you see on many of today’s bodybuilders. Try going for 8-12 reps while maintinging good form and leaning forward to emphasize the chests work and take load off the triceps. Once you can do a few sets of 15 reps with bodyweight it is time to add some weight or go for explosive reps….
The Shoulder Press
The press is a shoulder exercise isn’t it? Well nope its actually one of the ultimate upper body development tools which can develop your Upper Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Core. It should be a staple in everyone’s gym workout along with things like the front squat. As for the chest it is probably the most efficienet upper chest builder as it allows you to push a heavy load.
Try doing a few sets of regular standing barbell presses to start an upper body workout. Do as many reps as you can in good form then try a few Push Presses (see below)
This will lead to some pretty impressive upper body devlopement without adding uneccary bulk or causing injury like incline chest presses or other conventional chest builders which put a load of strain o the shoulders as they work at odd angles. The other benefit of the standing Press is that it is a great way to stregthen yur core orgnically, it will force you to brace your abs and lower back muscles leading to functional strength without harming your lower back like crunches. Plus if you can press a heavy weight in good form you can rest assured you will have a pretty impressive set of abs!
3 Money Exercises
Which will work your entire chest and the best thing is two of them can be done with NO equipment.
- Push -Up (The total chest builder)
- Dip ( a Great chest shaper and lower chest builder)
- Shoulder Pressing (Add volume and upper chest depth)
So there we have it, 3 staples of any effective chest routine. So drop all the conventional chest exercises for a while and give these a try.
Comment by Michael - Fat Loss Tips
6 December 2009
Solid tips…
Vince Gironda doesn’t get enough credit for the stuff he did back in the day.
Standing shoulder presses are difficult to do in a home gym with lower ceilings and delicate flooring though. It’s one of the few things that I rely on a fitness club for.
Mike
Comment by jasu
6 December 2009
Hi,
Excellent post as usual. I have started(beginner trainer) a bodyweight workout following your blog.
Day 1: Doing multiple sets of pullups till its 50. (Mainly to increase pullup max)
Day 2: Sprints with pushups thrown in(your style).
I plan to do this 5 days a week.What’s your suggestion?
@ Jasu: Sounds like a good bodyweight routine. I would try throwing in some BW Squats on the “Day 1″ try and multiple sets until 100. Apart from that it sounds pretty complete, throw in some stretching and mobility/balance work and you are good to go…..
Comment by Nate
6 December 2009
Very solid advice, Chris. All three of these are staples in my workouts. I finish my workout twice a week with 100 dips. No predetermined sets or reps, just as many as it takes to get to 100.
Comment by alexandra demetriou
7 December 2009
Excellent post. I dont see enough people doing these moves in the gym.
Comment by LCR
7 December 2009
Great post. Given your affinity for BW exercises, thought I’d add that all three exercises can be done without equipment. Handstand push-ups are a terrific substitute for the push press with all sorts of variations to increase/decrease difficulty. Definitely my personal favorite.
Comment by JC @ Discount Skis
8 December 2009
I took a break from doing bench presses and just did dips for over a year. When I went back to try bench pressing again I found that I was even stronger with deeper range of motion. +1 for dips.
Comment by Liam | EverythingZing.com
9 December 2009
Those Hindu pushups look mean! Nothing adds shape and definition to the chest like pushups.
@Nate, love that 100 dips idea… just getting there at the end of the workout, going to try that this week.
Comment by Michael
15 December 2009
Contrarian fail…Bench press is the king of chest exercises. What is you aversion to it? It gets your chest strong. Just because it is overused by no-nothings doesn’t mean it isn’t the best for building “functional” chest strength. All the exercises you listed are great but if you want a chest like armor your doing yourself a disfavor by not using the best chest strengthening exercise available.
Comment by Zoli Cserei
20 December 2009
Hey Chris,
I found this article about a week ago, and I have no idea where I clicked back then, but this is the place where I found a link to Charles Atlas’ workout routine, which I simply adore now! I’m really grateful
By the way, I also believe in the power of classic exercises like dips and push-ups, these are the basis of everything!
Thanks for the nice article,
Zoli
Comment by Mike OD - Fitness Spotlight
23 December 2009
I always liked the quote “dips are the upper body squat”.
Dips and pushups…what more does a person really need other than consistency and a weight vest?
Comment by spence
15 January 2010
I agree about the handstand pushup. It is a very challanging exercise and is a good sub for pressing.