One of the most poorly trained parts of the man’s body is the chest. Many men put more focus on their shoulders, abs, and arms. When they do try to build their chest muscles, they often go about it all wrong.
If not done properly, you can end up seeing no results at all, or you can over develop your chest, giving you a Hulk-like appearance.
Unless you are a football player, you may think that building strong muscles is for vanity purposes only. While the vanity factor is a perk of working your chest muscles, it will also help you be an excellent athlete in any game that you play, while making your well sculpted body more proportionate.
If you plan to start building your pec muscles, it is important to know how to do so. If you are thinking that a Monday through Thursday gym session dedicated to chest is a good idea, you couldn’t be more wrong.
If you are asking yourself, ‘how do I build a strong chest’?, there are three necessary components. In order to build these muscles properly, you need to know what you should eat, what supplements you should take, what exercises you should do, and when you should do them.
All of these things work together to give you the perfectly sculpted pecs that you have always dreamed of.
Nutrition and Diet
Making proper nutritional choices is very important when it comes to trying to build your chest muscles. Even if you have the best supplements and the best workout plan possible, your progress will be hindered if you don’t focus on nutrition.
Here are some good examples of foods that you should include in your diet:
1. Salmon: Salmon is a superfood when it comes to building chest muscles. For starters, it is a calorie dense food. A four ounce filet contains 233 calories. Calories are very important when you are trying to gain muscle mass. Salmon is also high in protein.
A 4 ounce salmon filet contains 25 grams of protein, which is necessary for muscle repair and growth. Finally, salmon is high in fat. A 4 ounce filet contains 14 grams of fat, with less than 3 grams of saturated fat. Fat is necessary to create a beneficial hormonal environment, necessary for building chest muscles.
2. Eggs: Eggs are a great food for building chest muscles. Eggs are rich in protein and fat. A large egg contains 75 calories, 6.3 grams of protein, and 4.8 grams of fat. Another excellent benefit of eggs is that they are rich in vitamin D. A high intake of vitamin D promotes testosterone production, which promotes muscle growth.
3. Quinoa: Quiona is a whole grain, which is rich in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are necessary for the energy necessary to get through and have a productive workout. Also, carbohydrates are necessary for muscle recovery after your workout. Quiona contains 31 grams of carbohydrate per ¼ cup.
4. Chocolate Milk: If you are looking for the perfect drink to go with your workout meals, chocolate milk is the best. It is an excellent source of carbohydrates and protein. It is effective in providing energy before your workout, and for muscle recovery after your workout.
5. Water: Water is extremely important when you are trying to build chest muscle. Your muscles are made up of 70 to 80 percent water. If your muscles are dehydrated, it can take much longer for them to repair themselves.
When the muscles take too long to repair, it can put your workout schedule on hold. You should drink at least 1 liter of water each day. It is a good idea to drink water while you work out. It will give you more intensity during your workouts.
To download a complete nutrition guide for bodybuilding and fitness, check this out.
Supplements
Adding supplements to your diet is a great way to jump start the development of your chest muscles. Knowing which supplements to use is very important.
1. Weight Gainers: Weight gainers are a high calorie supplement, they can be useful for skinny Ectomorphs. Most of the weight gainers on the market range in calories from 500 to 1,300 per serving. They also contain between 40 and 50 grams of protein, and 100 to 200 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
Another very important ingredient in weight gainer is CLA. CLA is helpful in reducing body fat while it increases muscle mass.
2. Creatine: Creatine is an excellent supplement to increase lean muscle mass and strength. You can purchase caffeinated, pre-workout drinks, which contain creatine. You can also purchase it on its own. Having a creatine shake or pre-workout drink is an excellent way to jump start your workout.
3. Protein Powder: Protein powder is great for building chest muscle, as it contains amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle. Protein powder can also provide much needed calories and can increase the levels of the insulin IGF-1. This is a hormone related to muscle growth.
4. Testosterone Booster: Testosterone is important to increase lean muscle and reduce body fat. Testosterone undergoes the natural process of converting into estrogen. When you use a testosterone booster such as Testofuel, you will keep your testosterone levels high.
Exercise Tips
When it comes to exercise, there are several principles that you need to follow. If you do, you will see better results from your workouts.
Be Sure to Push and Pull
In order to reduce the risk of injury and have a more balanced look, you need to do just as many pulling exercises are you do pushing exercises. When you increase your pulling strength, it will lead to more muscle mass. Also, it will help your pressing strength. It is important to do equal amounts of reps for both pushing exercises and pulling.
Build a Strong Rotator Cuff
Your rotator cuff helps to stabilize your shoulder joint, therefore you need to have a strong rotator cuff in order to be effective when doing pressing motion exercises. You need these motions to build a strong chest. It is a good idea to add rotator cuff exercises to your workout, even though they have nothing to do with your chest.
Use all Types of Bells
Most people believe that barbells are all that you need to build your chest muscles. This is not true. You should also incorporate dumbbells and kettlebells to your workout. When you use a variety of equipment, your muscles will be forced to adapt to the constant change. This will help to build your muscles quicker.
Use a Variety of Grips
Using a wide grip can completely change an exercise if you typically use a close grip. This is because a wide grip will work different muscles than a close grip does. If you are using dumbbells, you can either turn your hands in or out to change the press angle. This will stimulate your chest muscles differently.
Workout Without Equipment
While barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells are great tools when you are trying to build chest muscles, however, there are effective exercises that you can do without equipment. Pushups, for example, is an excellent exercise.
You may think that pumping iron is more effective, but try to do 40 pushups. If you can’t it is a good starting off point. Over time, you will have great chest muscles and you will be way past just 40 pushups.
Pay Attention to the Speed of Your Reps
Everyone counts their reps, however, they pay little attention to the speed of their reps. It is a good idea to take two full seconds during the lowering phase, hold for one second at the bottom, and take a full two seconds when going up.
The Best Workouts
There are 2 different workout routines that you can use, alternating each one.
Workout 1
This workout can be done on two separate days each week.
1. Bench Press With a Closed Grip: On a weight bench, lie down flat with your feet planted on the floor. With your hands 14 inches apart, grip the bar. Take the weight down, and lower it to your chest. Be sure to keep it under control by holding your elbows close to your body. Push the bar from your chest back to full elbow extension. You should do 5 sets of 6 reps of this exercise.
2. Dumbbell Floor Press: Lie on the floor with your knees bent. Hold the dumbbells over your head, using a shoulder-wide grip. Keeping them under control, lower the weights so that your elbows are near the side of your body until you rest them on the ground. Take a pause, and press the weights back to their original position with great force. You should do 3 sets of 8 reps.
3. Front Plate Raise: Stand straight up and hold a plate at waist height, keeping your palms facing each other. Lift the plate in front of your body, then up over your head. While keeping control of the plate, lower it to the original position. Do 3 sets of 8 reps.
4. Pushup: Most people know how to do a pushup, however, some people don’t do them properly. Start out in the proper push up position, with your elbows extended and your hands shoulder width apart. Keeping your elbows close to your body, lower your chest to the floor, but don’t touch it. Press down and go back to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 20 pushups.
5. Single Leg Mountain Climber: Start out in the top pushup position, with only one foot on the ground. Hop that foot up in between your hands. Return the foot back to its original position, and repeat. Do 2 sets of 10 hops for each leg.
Workout 2
Before you perform this workout, make sure that your chest is no longer sore from doing workout 1.
1. Decline Bench Press: Lie flat on a decline bench, with your feet higher than your head. Grip the bar with your hands shoulder length apart. Keeping your elbows by your body, lower the bar down slowly to your chest. This will help you maximize control. Press the bar from your chest back up to full extension. You can do 5 sets of 5 reps.
2. Weighted Dips: Using a dip bar, hold your body in the air and keep your elbows extended. Lower your body until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle. Take a second, and press your body back to its original position, with great force. Do 3 sets of 10 reps. This is also a great exercise for your triceps.
3. Dumbbell Bench Press: Lie down on the bench with your feel planted firmly on the floor. Hold the dumbbells over your chest, using a shoulder-width grip. Lower the weights, keeping them under control by keeping your elbows near the sides of your body. Pause, and press the weight back to the original position with great force. Do 3 sets of 8 reps.
4. Dumbbell flyes: Lie down on a bench. Grasp two dumbbells and support them above your chest with your arms in a slightly bent position. Lower the dumbbells to your side until you feel your chest muscles are being stretched. Hold for two seconds while keeping your elbows fixed in a slightly bent position. Bring the dumbbells back together in wide hugging motion until the dumbbells are almost together. You should do 3 sets of 10 reps.
5. Judo Pushup: Begin this exercise in a pushup position. Your hips should be held high with your feet apart and your head facing down. Bend your elbows, and lower your head and chest down to the ground. Bring your head up and keep your hips close to the ground. Finally, press your hips back up to the original position while dropping your head. You should do 3 sets of 10 reps.
In order to start seeing results quickly, it is important that you remain dedicated to your exercise and nutrition plan. It is best to work out 5 times a week, taking two days off to rest.
If you don’t, you can do damage to your muscles, which will take several days to repair. This can set your workout schedule way back. If you stick to your program and use the proper supplements, you should be able to start seeing your first results in 4 to 6 weeks.
Related post: Chest And Triceps Workout Routine For HUGE Gains (+ Tips)
Original Source: How You Can Build A Strong Chest (2 Workouts Included!)
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