How To Build A Ripped, Rock-Solid Chest

Everyone wants a huge chest, plain and simple.

It is all too common to see inexperienced lifters slaving away
on endless sets of bench presses and cable crossovers in search
of full, thick pecs. The reality is that there is nothing
complicated about building an impressive chest.

The bottom line for huge chest gains is consistency, effort and
steady progression in weight and repetitions.

To stimulate the chest using weights you will be using one of
two motions: a press or a flye. If you want the greatest bang for
your buck from your chest workouts, the true gains lie in your
pressing movements.

Here are the most effective lifts for packing muscle onto the
chest:


1) Flat/Incline/Decline Barbell Bench Press

A standard barbell press is the meat and potatoes of any
effective chest routine. This basic compound movement will allow
you to handle the most weight through the given range of motion.

The incline press will shift more of the stress to the upper
region of the chest while the decline does the opposite,
targeting the lower/outer region. The flat bench press works the
upper and lower regions equally. I highly recommend a standard
barbell press as a basic component of your chest routine.


2) Flat/Incline/Decline Dumbbell Press

Dumbbell presses are another basic and highly effective movement
for stimulating chest development. The main advantage that they
have over the barbell is that they allow you to move through a
more natural range of motion, helping to prevent shoulder
injuries.

They also prevent strength imbalances from occurring since one
arm can't cheat for the other.


3) Wide-Grip Dips

An amazing movement for the chest that is often overlooked. Make
sure to use a wider grip and lean forward to shift the stress
from the triceps onto the pectorals.

If pressing your own body weight is not sufficient then you can
always add resistance using a weight belt.


**Sample Chest Routines**

Chest Routine# 1

Flat Barbell Bench Press: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Wide-Grip Dips: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps

Chest Routine# 2

Incline Barbell Bench Press: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Wide-Grip Dips: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Flat Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps

All sets should stay within the 5-7 rep range and should be
taken to concentric muscular failure. Write down the details of
each workout you perform and focus on progressing in either
weight or reps from week to week.

If you want full, thick pecs, that’s all there is to it!