Build Chest Muscles

Build Chest Muscles

Outside of the arms one of the most sought after muscle groups would be the chest muscles. That is what inspired me to write this article about how to build chest muscles in the fastest and easiest way possible. Many people consider it important to build Chest muscles because they are part of the so called T-shirt muscles that are often evident when clothed. I want to talk about some key principles that will help you build chest muscles fast but I will not cover the mechanics of specific exercises in detail because that information is readily available and it is outside the scope of this article.

Most guys think of the bench press when they think of building chest muscles. That is a nice start but not the be all end all of your chest workout. I think at the core of every chest workout there has to be a form of the bench press. Over all the bench press is the best upper body exercise you can perform but you don't have to lift tons of weight to build chest muscles. However you can build chest muscles better using the bench with a few key tips.

1. Your arms should be slightly wider than your shoulder width: Many guys take wide grips and this will limit your range of motion and deprive you of much needed muscle fiber contractions to get the most you can out of the bench press exercise.

2. Arching is Awesome: OK don't go crazy with this but it will help to move your butt up a bit and put a slight arch in your back raising your chest a bit. The result is more focus on your chest doing the bench press exercise.

3. Don't like to bench: OK I was one of the guys who did not like to bench either and I started lifting so long ago that there was a debate over if this exercise was absolutely essential. That debate is pretty much over now and the bench is held in high regards by all. Now lets talk about why many guys don't like the bench because it boils down to one thing. You will give favor to your best exercises every time. The best way to get better at the bench is to bench often even using lighter weight and getting good with the form of the exercise. I also think you can improve a lot by incorporating more of the supporting muscles into your workout. One example is that if you find it difficult to start the bench then you probably need to work on your anterior deltoids more with military presses or if you find locking out at the end of the movement hard then you might need to work triceps more with triceps pushdowns as an example. The bench press is a great compound exercise and you can improve it a lot by focusing on those supporting muscle groups and before you know it you will have a great synergy between the supporting and the chest muscles and you will love the bench press.

OK beyond the bench press a lot of people forget the need to incorporate Flyes into their workout. These are exercises where you will spread your arms wide and bring them together in a flexing motion. Flyes are a wonderful way to add depth and shape as you build your chest muscles. Cable flyes are very good because of the constant tension on the chest muscles so after performing bench remember to incorporate them into your chest workout. Another important point is to concentrate and learn to focus and flex hard at the end of this movement and use it to build that mind and muscle connection. There are situations where cable flyes are not available so you can use dumbbell flyes as well.

Lastly an old school trick that can help build chest muscles is pull overs. Pull overs will help to properly shape the ribs and create a wonderful appearance of depth in that lower pectoral area that many people are looking to gain in their chest muscles. I personally don't see them as a chest muscle exercise but I have used them along with breath squats extensively as I started working out and they are great to enhance the appearance of the chest muscles you have built.

So there you have some great ideas to help you get the most out of your chest workouts and get you on the right track by focusing on building chest muscles from every direction that you can. Start with your pressing movements ( Bench press ) first because it will get the most muscle fibers involved and remember the flyes and pullovers to attack your chest from all directions. You don't have to lift super heavy just lift with intensity and try to get your chest workout done in 12 sets or 30 minutes either one that comes first. This will keep blood pumping into your chest and send a firm message to your body that you are looking to build chest muscles fast!