The muscles of your chest -- the pectoralis major -- work to bring your arms in to the midline of your body. Pressing exercises and flyes work your chest, as well as dips. By rotating your exercises, you can avoid becoming bored and continue to stimulate the muscle fibers of your chest. By choosing one heavy barbell exercise, one dumbbell exercise and one additional exercise, you provide variety while you continue to train with power and energy. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any strength-training program.
Pressing Exercises
Step 1
Perform the flat bench press. Lie flat on the bench while holding a bar with your arms fully extended and your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Lower the bar to your sternum, not your upper chest or neck. Without bouncing the bar, push it to full extension. Perform three to five sets of five to eight repetitions.
Step 2
Lie back on an incline bench and hold a bar overhead with your arms fully extended. Lower the bar to your upper chest and push the bar to full extension. Perform three to five sets of eight to 10 repetitions.
Step 3
Lie flat on a decline bench and have a spotter hand you the bar at full extension. Lower the bar to your sternum and, without bouncing the bar, push it until your arms are straight. Perform three to five sets of eight to 12 repetitions of the decline bench press.
Dumbbell Work
Step 1
Perform the dumbbell bench press while lying flat on a bench. Lower the dumbbells from full extension to the sides of your chest, and push them back up. Perform three to five sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.
Step 2
Perform the incline dumbbell bench press while lying on an incline bench. Lower the dumbbells to the sides of your upper chest, and push them back up. Perform three to five sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.
Step 3
Perform the dumbbell fly by lying flat on a bench and holding dumbbells in your hands, palms facing in. Bend your elbows approximately 30 degrees and allow the weight to pull your arms out to your sides until you feet a stretch in your chest. Raise the dumbbells by squeezing with the muscles of your chest. Perform three to five sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
Alternate Exercises
Step 1
Perform the close-grip bench press by pressing the bar with your hands 12 to 18 inches apart. This increases the range of motion you will work through, and you must use less weight than the flat bench press. Perform three to five sets of eight to 12 repetitions.
Step 2
Perform dips by bracing your hands on dipping bars. While keeping your feet off of the floor, lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the ground, then straighten back up. Perform three sets of as many repetitions as you can.
Step 3
Perform dumbbell pullovers while lying on a flat bench. Hold a dumbbell with both hands wrapped around the handle, and lower the weight over your head until it is below the level of the bench you are lying on. You should feel a stretch in your chest, then raise the weight until it is over the center of your chest. Perform three to five sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.
Tips and Warnings
- Only select one exercise from each group.
- Never lift without a spotter.
References
- "Strength Training Anatomy -- Third Edition"; Frederic Delavier; 2010
- "The Westside Barbell Book of Methods"; Louie Simmons; 2008
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