Effective exercises for the pectoral muscles. All chest exercises for men! Performing dumbbell overhead press

This is the most important part of the body, without which the creation of a beautiful, harmoniously and proportionally developed figure is unthinkable.

It is not without reason that both girls and representatives of the stronger sex gladly pay attention to working out the pectoral muscles - after all, developed muscles in this area perfectly adorn any figure.

Exercises can be divided into basic and isolated. While the former work several areas of the pectoral muscles, the latter are designed to pump specific areas.

Basic exercises

These are exercises that are multi-joint, allowing you to use many muscles. With due diligence, they allow those who do not have it to build up an impressive amount of muscle in the shortest possible time.

The bench press is perhaps the most important chest exercise of all. This is where you should start building large and impressive muscles. This movement also works well on the arms and back, providing rapid muscle growth and strengthening of the upper body.

This exercise is very similar to the barbell press for working the triceps, but its main difference is a wide grip, thanks to which you can maximally involve the pectoral muscles in the work, while removing the load from the rest of the muscles.

Advanced lifters who want to give their chest an unusual challenge can try varying grip widths and using reverse-grip bench presses. This introduction of variety into the training process will allow you to “surprise” the muscles, forcing them to grow further if they have stopped responding with growth to more “standard” methods of working with weights.

In the event that it is not possible to work with a barbell, a dumbbell bench press will be an excellent replacement for this exercise. It is somewhat inferior in efficiency to working with a barbell due to the fact that it involves working with lighter weights. In addition, when performing a dumbbell press, it is more difficult to maintain the balance of your arms with the equipment.

The advantage of this work is its great variability - you can position the dumbbells in space as you like, thereby changing the nature of the load. In addition, the press puts less harmful strain on the wrists due to the fact that the hands can be positioned as naturally as possible during its execution.

This exercise is perfect not only for those who do not have the opportunity to work with a barbell, but also for intermediate and advanced athletes who want to “surprise” their pecs with unusual work.

The Svend press is one of the few named exercises in bodybuilding. Few people know its name, and it is used extremely rarely by athletes. Meanwhile, this is an effective exercise that allows you to pump up your pectoral muscles with a minimum of effort. The only equipment you will need for the Svend press is barbell plates.

Isolation exercises

After the main volume has been created using basic exercises, you can move on to polishing muscle mass and improving the relief. For this, so-called isolation exercises are used. During their execution, flexion and extension occur in only one joint. Each of these movements loads only one muscle. This is what distinguishes isolating exercises from basic exercises, which involve the simultaneous use of many muscles.

An excellent option is lying dumbbell flyes. The only equipment you will need is two weights and a bench or any other suitable horizontal surface. The technique for performing this movement is not difficult, but for beginners it is better to start with light weights in order to develop the correct trajectory of the projectile and avoid injury.

Reductions of the arms in the simulator can be used as the main isolating exercise for everyone who works out in the gym.

By using a special machine, you can achieve the ideal range of motion, thus forcing the target muscles to work properly without unnecessary effort.

The result in this case will not be long in coming and, with the proper level of effort, will be truly impressive.

There are various machines for performing this exercise, which require different loads. For example, there are devices for chest isolation that require a horizontal grip, and there are those that require working with a vertical position of the hands.

If the gym where you work out has several machines, you can try them all and choose the one that suits you best. If there is only one device, feel free to use it, because any of these devices is very effective.

Crossover crossovers are another popular exercise for isolating the chest. There are various ways to do it. The main point that you need to pay attention to at the beginning is the correct choice of the height of the blocks. They can be at chest level, above it or below.

In the first case, the entire height of the chest will be evenly included in the work, and in the second, the lower part will take on the main load. If the blocks are placed from below, the upper pectoral muscles will work mainly.

Most often, crossover crossovers are performed with the handles at the top; this option is the main one, but you can try all three to understand which one you need.

For those who want to isolate their chest in a different way, a pullover is perfect. This exercise can be performed with either dumbbells or a barbell. When performing it, the pectoral muscles receive an excellent stretch.

The pullover provides a challenge that no other exercise can create, it is a unique movement and definitely worth checking out. However, you need to keep in mind that, like all isolation exercises, it is primarily suitable for advanced athletes.

A common mistake many beginners make is that they include isolation exercises in their training programs from the very beginning - after all, these movements seem quite interesting and powerful to them, and they are not difficult to perform.

In fact, you need to clearly understand the difference between “base” and “isolation”. If you just want to build bigger pecs, you can generally limit yourself to just basic movements.

You will only need isolation exercises if you want to create clearer contours by visually separating the left half of the chest from the right and outlining their lower and lateral edges. You can include these movements in your training program starting from the second year of training.

Knowing for what purposes this or that movement is intended, you can always make the right choice to provide yourself with the most effective training that will bring excellent results in a short time, and you will not waste time.

Exercise rating

According to information from the website www.bodybuilding.com, here are the 10 most effective and popular exercises that bodybuilders use in their programs to work the pectoral muscles. Note that the sequence in which the list is given is conditional and it does not mean that the tenth exercise is worse than the first or vice versa:

1. Bench press lying on a horizontal bench.
2. Dumbbell bench press lying on a horizontal bench.
3. Bench press on an incline bench.
4. Hummer bench press.
5. Seated bench press on the lower chest.
6. Dumbbell bench press on an incline bench.
7. Dips.
8. Crossover curls on an incline bench.
9. Dumbbell fly on an incline bench.
10. "Butterfly".

Good afternoon, dear readers! Today we will talk about which chest exercises are best to include in your workouts in order to achieve the ideal result. For many men, chest training is a mandatory part of their training program.

But if you are just about to go to the gym or have noticed that training is not making progress, then this article will tell you what exercises will help you achieve the desired relief in the chest area.

The best exercises for the pectoral muscles

Many of you would probably like to know which exercises are the most effective. Below I have made a kind of selection that will help you work through it comprehensively. At the same time, even if the issue of losing weight brought you to the gym, you should not rely only on cardio or “kill” your legs.

This exercise is basic for pumping up the chest and key for training the upper body. If you want to get a powerful chest, then performing a barbell press is a must.

Let’s immediately make a reservation that it is better to do it in the gym with a trainer or partner who will insure you. Especially if you have not trained before or have taken a long break from training due to illness.

Another classic exercise that can be done both in the gym and on the horizontal bar in the yard. When performing it, it is important to observe one condition - turn off the triceps from the work. Therefore, when going down, you need to tilt your body forward and slightly spread your elbows.

The correctness of this movement will be indicated by tension in the lower pectoral muscles. The second part - pull-ups - is performed in the same way, without changing the position of the back.

Another element of training that stretches the chest muscles well, developing their width. The exercise is classified as auxiliary, so it is done after the basic ones. The difference between a pullover on an incline bench is that here you can get even greater muscle stretching than in the classic version.

That's all I wanted to tell you today about exercises for developing the pectoral muscles. Want even more useful information? Subscribe to blog updates! And also don’t forget to share your favorite articles on social networks!

See you soon!

Massive wide chest- the dream of any athlete. Achieving such success is easy. It is important what exactly to train and how to do it. Read more about everything in this article.

Structure of the pectoral muscles

The anatomy of the pectoral muscle is as follows:

• The pectoralis major or major muscle is the most massive. The main purpose of its purpose is to raise the arm and pull it towards the body. It is the largest component of the front part of the body. Accordingly, if an athlete has set himself the goal of having beautiful breasts, then he should work on this muscle first. To increase it, you will need to do exercises with heavy sports equipment.
• The pectoralis minor muscle visually represents a small triangle. Located directly under the large muscle. She is responsible for the movement of the shoulder blades.
• Subclavius ​​muscle. It was not by chance that this name was given to it. It is located between the rib and the collarbone. Its main purpose is to control the collarbone: lifting it down, moving it forward, fixing it necessary to raise the rib.
• The serratus anterior muscle is necessary to control the scapula: carries out its alternation forward (inside) and backward (outside), as well as a rotational movement when raising the arm. Distributes along the lateral part of the entire pectoral muscle group. The protruding teeth are attached to the medial edge of the scapula and the upper ribs.
• The intercostal muscles are the most important. Due to them, a person can fully inhale and exhale. There are two types of this anatomical group: internal and external.
• The hypochondrium muscles are located in the lower part of the ribs. They are also involved in the process of inhalation.
• The diaphragm is the main muscle that ensures proper breathing. It is presented in the form of a muscle-tendon septum located between the thoracic and abdominal cavities.

In total, a person is equipped with two groups of muscles - his own pectoral muscles and those related to the shoulder girdle and upper limbs. An athlete who wants to have beautiful breasts should pay due attention to each of them during physical activity.

Training mode

You can effectively work this muscle group at home. This does not mean that such success cannot be achieved. To do this, you need to create the right training plan.

The break between workouts should be 4-5 days:

Even if you follow the correct training regimen, the effect of the exercise may not be observed. This is due to poor nutrition. Athletes should consume protein foods more than ordinary people. This substance in the body is important, especially for muscle growth.

Sports equipment for training

Is it possible to conduct training without special equipment? Yes! But it is unlikely that this type of activity will achieve a positive result.

If an athlete sets a goal to pump up the pectoral muscles, then he will need:

• Barbell. It is better if it is curved. It will be easier for the athlete to hold on to it, and the muscles will work better.
• Dumbbells or weights. Not everyone has such a device at home. As an alternative, two filled bottles of water of any size will do.

The weight of sports equipment is determined arbitrarily, depending on the level of training of the athlete. It is recommended for a beginner to start with 3-5 kilograms.

In addition to this you will also need:

• Rubber mat or sports bench. It will be inconvenient to perform many exercises on a “bare” floor, and the degree of effectiveness will noticeably decrease.
• Comfortable clothing and shoes will be required. It is better to prepare special things intended for sports. A person will feel comfortable in them, and nothing will limit his movements.
• It is advisable to take a bottle of cold water with you to training. Most likely, a person will want to wet his throat during classes.
• Another important component is the selection of musical accompaniment. It is required that the melodies evoke positive emotions in a person and put them in a “working” mood.

So, everything you need for training is ready. Now, you can begin to perform the physical elements that will allow you to achieve perfection.

Home workout program

A home training program should look standard, like any other sporting event:

The total training duration is about 1 hour. You should choose a workout yourself or consult an experienced instructor. The weight of the sports equipment, the type of exercise and the number of repetitions are selected strictly, focusing on the physical capabilities of the person.

Typically, 8 to 16 repetitions of each exercise are performed without a break. In total, it is recommended to perform from 1 to 3 circular approaches.

Options for warming up exercises

Unfortunately, only 5 percent of athletes pay due attention to warming up. The rest of the people are putting their health at risk.

Lack of warm-up can lead to the following negative factors:

• Sprain. This is the most common problem for novice athletes. It appears due to improper preparation of the body for subsequent loads. This is a very unpleasant and painful symptom.
• A more serious problem is joint injury. It happens for a similar reason. This disease requires complex and lengthy rehabilitation.
• If the body is not prepared for sports, this increases the load on the heart. Sometimes, this leads to fainting and dizziness.
• A sudden load on the body can also cause a surge in pressure, this is fraught with hypertension or hypotension.

Take the time to do a warm-up, which lasts from 7 to 15 minutes. This will make exercise more effective and protect the body from unwanted health problems.

Just do a few simple exercises:

• Cardio warm-up. Play upbeat music. Start actively walking or running in place. Try to raise your knees higher. The total execution time is 1 minute.
• Rotate your head clockwise and counterclockwise.
• Rotate your shoulders forward and backward. The total duration of execution is 30 seconds in each direction.
• Elbow rotation. The total duration of execution is 30 seconds in the forward direction, 30 seconds in the backward direction.
• Rotation of the pelvis. The total duration of execution is 30 seconds on the left side and 30 seconds on the right side.
• Rotation of the knees. The total execution time is 30 seconds clockwise and seconds counterclockwise.
• Rotation of the feet in any direction. The total duration of execution is 30 seconds for each leg.
• Tilts of the body towards the legs. The left hand should touch the right leg, and vice versa. The total execution time is 1 minute.
• Spread your legs. Squat down slightly. In this position, turn to the right and left. The total execution time is 1 minute.
• Slow step in place. The total execution time is 1 minute.

This complex contains cardio, static and dynamic exercises. It allows you to maximally prepare each part of the body for the main workout.

Exercises to develop the pectoral muscles

Training the pectoral muscles is necessary for absolutely every person, no matter whether he is an athlete or not. Large and firm breasts will make him look stronger and more powerful. Thus, he will look more attractive in the eyes of women and will command respect from other representatives of the stronger sex.

But to achieve such a result you will have to work. Next we will talk about basic exercises that will make you “work” your chest muscles.

Push-up– the most useful exercise for men. It is not for nothing that boys in school, soldiers in the army and all people related to sports activities are forced to do it. It has a positive effect on all the muscles of the chest, back, and forearm.

How to do it correctly:

A beginner may initially have problems performing this exercise. It is recommended to first do it leaning on a windowsill, table or bench.

Narrow push-ups

The difference between narrow and regular push-ups is only in changing the position of the hands. In the second option, they should be located strictly under the chest. This body position increases the load on the triceps.

Another version of this exercise is push-ups on stools. The devices must be placed shoulder width apart. You can use any low surface as a footrest: a sofa, chair, stool or armchair.

The exercise is performed in the same way. The difference is that the depth of release of the body increases. Accordingly, the load on the entire body increases.

Push-ups on books are performed in the same way.

How to do it correctly:

Sports equipment is ready. Now you need to make a rectangle out of it.

Two stacks of books should be at shoulder level, and the second pair at foot level. The approximate distance between them is 5-7 centimeters. It’s not difficult to guess that these are the supports on which push-ups will be performed.

Experienced athletes often practice paused push-ups. In other words, they are called locked push-ups. Their main goal is to increase the load on all muscle groups.

How to do it correctly:

Most likely, it will be difficult for beginners to withstand such a pause. It is recommended to start with the maximum available time and gradually increase it.

Reduction and extension of arms in prone position

Purpose of the exercise– make the upper and inner parts of the pectoral muscles work. With regular training, your breasts will acquire a beautiful, sculpted outline.

How to do it correctly:

This exercise is often called the “butterfly”. Each movement should be smooth and slow, only in this case the entire muscle group will be worked out.

Exercises on the horizontal bar

In order to pump up, you must visit the gym! This opinion has long been erroneous. Sports fields have suitable equipment. For example, a horizontal bar.

How to do it correctly:

If you need to pump up your chest, then you should use a narrow grip.

Ring exercises

How to do it correctly:

This is a more difficult exercise compared to the one performed on the bar. This is due to the fact that the rings are unstable.

Exercises with dumbbells

There is one effective exercise with dumbbells. It allows you to pump up the upper chest muscles and deltoid muscle bundles.

How to do it correctly:

During such a workout, tension should be clearly felt in the chest and arms. The back, abs and back of the head remain uninvolved.

Barbell exercises

The upper chest and deltoid muscle can be pumped up in another way. For this you will need a barbell.

How to do it correctly:

• Lie down on a bench at an incline.
• Take the barbell in your hands at chest level.
• Raise it towards the back of your head.

It is worth considering that the sharper the angle, the more effectively the chest muscles will be worked.

The serratus anterior and minor muscle groups can be pumped up through exercises with dumbbells.

How to do it correctly:

Pay close attention to how you feel during your workout. It requires that there be tension in the central chest and upper arms and forearms.

Strengthening the upper pectoral muscles

The upper part of the chest creates an attractive image. The most effective way to pump it up is to do incline push-ups.

Incline push-up- This is an exercise aimed at preparing a specific area of ​​the chest - the upper muscles of the chest. With regular push-ups, the load is directed not only to the chest, but also to the back, arms and shoulders. With this option, all the emphasis goes to the top.

How to do it correctly:

This version of the exercise is quite difficult to perform. But it is very effective. A positive result can be seen after just one month of regular training.

How to pump up the lower chest?

A person who wants to have beautiful pectoral muscles must remember that to achieve success, he needs to regularly train absolutely all muscle groups, including the lower minor. Certain exercises will allow you to achieve a positive result.

Dips

Dips- This is an excellent exercise for pumping up the lower pectoral muscles and strengthening the shoulder girdle.

How to do it correctly:

• Fix the hands on the bars.
• Push off with your hands, moving your body up.
• Lock the position.
• Go down.

During training, you need to fulfill one condition - your feet should not touch the ground.

How to pump up a woman's pectoral muscles?

Men go to the gym and do exercises at home in order to become the owner of powerful and strong breasts. Girls dream of elastic forms, but at the same time they do not set out to pump up massive arms. Accordingly, it is required to perform exercises without additional weights.

How to do it correctly:

A woman's breasts will look firm only if the skin is tight and elastic.

To create attractive forms, additional measures need to be taken:

• Take a contrast shower every morning. Alternating massage with hot and cold water increases blood circulation.
• Massage your mammary glands regularly.
• Pay attention to proper nutrition. The more healthy proteins it contains, the stronger the muscles will be.
• Exfoliate regularly. This cosmetic procedure makes the skin more elastic and firm.

From an anatomical point of view, the chest is a large muscle group consisting of many subgroups. From a human point of view, it is the most attractive part of the body, which attracts both men and women equally.

Exercises aimed at increasing and strengthening the muscle group will make this part of the body powerful, fit and beautiful.

This article talks about all the best exercises for the pectoral muscles, with a detailed description of the technique for performing them, all with photos and videos.

Not one of the best, but the best exercise for working the pectoral muscles.

Incline barbell press (30 degree incline)

This exercise is designed to develop strength and mass in the upper pectoral muscles. This exercise uses the highest working weights, which makes it very effective for working the muscles of the pectoral mass. In my opinion, this is the most effective, powerful, on the chest.

Technique:

• The inclination of the bench is no more than 20-30 degrees (this is why an adjustable bench is needed, because on a regular incline bench the inclination is more than 45 degrees, this significantly reduces the effectiveness of this exercise).
• Lie down on a bench and raise your legs onto the bench so that there is no bridge; when you lift your legs, your back will immediately press against the bench, thereby making the exercise even more difficult.
• Take a grip slightly wider than your shoulders, remove the bar from the racks and lower it down.

Important: do not touch the barbell to your chest at the lowest point and do not straighten your arms completely at the highest point.

This is done so that the maximum tension of the pectoral muscles is maintained at the lower point, and the triceps are not activated at the upper point. Thus, the chest is constantly tense.

You can try to perform this exercise in a Smith machine (Smith machine).

Because there the barbell is fixed (it moves up and down along a given path), it will be easier for you to learn the technique of performing this exercise, I perform this exercise right here, therefore I recommend it!

Incline Dumbbell Press

This exercise is an effective exercise for developing volume and giving the chest muscles a good shape. Just like the barbell bench press, it develops the muscles of the upper shoulder girdle in general well, although the main emphasis of the load is on the upper chest. When pressing dumbbells, do not shorten the amplitude. Stretching in the lower position is mandatory. And for this you need to choose a heavy but manageable weight of dumbbells. The incline is usually the same as in incline barbell presses, 20-30 degrees.

Bench press on a horizontal bench

Technique:

Lie down on the bench.

• In the starting position, the bar is in front of the eyes.
• During the exercise, the body should maintain contact with the bench at three points: feet firmly planted on the floor, buttocks firmly pressed against the bench, and upper back also pressed firmly against the bench.
• At the same time, the back naturally arches in the area between the shoulder blades and buttocks.
• Grip the barbell shoulder-width apart at an even distance from the ends of the bar.
• Remove the weight from the racks and, while maintaining control of the weight, slowly lower it to the center of your chest.
• With a powerful but controlled movement, return the bar to its starting position.
• Work with full range of motion, don't sacrifice it to use heavy weight.

There is a “classic” bench press, used to develop chest muscles, and a “lifter” bench press, which allows you to press much larger weights per repetition.

• The goal of doing a “lifter” press is to start pressing more, and learn to engage the chest, triceps, lats and anterior deltoids at the same time!
• But for bodybuilding, of course, only the classic bench press, because our goal is not to lift a huge weight for 1 repetition, but to work the muscle as much as possible.

Attention: if you were vigilant, you probably already noticed that in the video an open grip is used, due to an injury to the athlete’s hand. Carefully avoid doing this, the grip should be closed!

Dips (with emphasis on chest)

Dips are an excellent basic exercise for the outer and lower chest muscles.

Technique:

• Sit on wide bars (palms facing each other).
• Ideally, the bars should diverge slightly to the sides so that your elbows also seem to look a little to the sides.
• Bend your legs at an angle of 90 degrees at the knees, and constantly maintain this angle.
• Bend your head slightly down to slightly round your back and thereby focus on contracting the chest muscles.
• As you inhale, slowly lower yourself down, tilt your body forward, and move your pelvis back (to engage the chest muscles, not the arm muscles). As you exhale, push up and return to the starting position.

Raises of arms on inclined or horizontal benches

This is a formative exercise for the upper chest.

Technique:

• After squeezing the dumbbells, try very slowly, without losing balance, to lower them with straight arms down towards the pelvis.
• Performing chest exercises in this movement plane puts a good load on the upper pectoral muscles, especially in a stretched position. Amplitude is full. Stretching in the lower position is mandatory.

Bench inclinations can be very different. From negative (-30 degrees) to classic positive (35 -45 degrees). It is recommended to alternate bends and, most importantly, not to chase weight.

Crossover at the top block

The best chest shaping exercise to complete your workout.

However, in the first year of training you should forget about it until you have gained a sufficient amount of muscle mass. The exercise stretches the upper pectoral muscles as much as possible without loading the joints.

It is performed both standing and on an inclined bench.

In the latter version, the most difficult to grow area of ​​the “collar” (the middle upper part of the pecs next to the neck) is extremely loaded. The pace of this chest exercise is slow (carefully controlled).

In the contracted position, a pause is made for peak muscle contraction.

In principle, this exercise is performed from both the upper and lower rollers.

Actually, that's all. I hope you found it interesting and informative. Until next time.

Please note: This video below is provided as an advertisement:

Hello again, comrade Contreras! Or rather, not like that. Hello, the results of studies that provide a scientific basis for determining the best (not in words, but in deeds) chest exercises. In mine, I have already managed to tell you about the most effective, from a scientific point of view, triceps. And today it’s time to tell you how to properly train your chest and what exercises are best suited for this. This information can be accepted or rejected, but you should not ignore it.

Introduction

If you don’t know who Señor Contreras is and what kind of research he did, I’ll tell you. This is a very famous fitness trainer, writer, researcher . He is constantly developing new exercises and training programs. Changes them beyond recognition, comes up with unusual, progressive and more effective ways to transform the body. In other words, Bret Contreras is a pioneer, a fitness rebel, fanatically dedicated to the sport, but armed with modern scientific equipment.

So, in 2010, he conducted research that split the bodybuilding world. Using an electromyograph medical device, he experimentally found out which exercises involve the maximum number of muscle fibers and are the most effective in terms of muscle gain. muscle mass for each muscle group.

Everything would be fine, but the results he obtained came into serious conflict with the dogmas, axioms and rules accepted in bodybuilding.

The conclusions voiced by Contreras are not the absolute truth, but as it turns out, many sports stars are already widely using them to gain muscle mass and give it an ideal shape.

That's all in a nutshell. It's time to move on to chest exercises, which our restless fitness guru has awarded the status of the very best. No, not everything, one more thing: in his research, Contreras determines not so much the best exercises for the entire muscle group, but the best for its most important, mass-forming and forming segment.

For the biceps, this is the outer, largest bundle, responsible for increasing the muscle mass of the entire biceps muscle. For the triceps, this is a long bundle, and for the pectoral muscles, this is the top of the chest. Therefore, today's top five best chest exercises can easily be called a hit parade of exercises for the upper pectoral muscles. So:

1. Incline Dumbbell Upside Down Press

I'm certainly not a fitness guru. But I realized long ago that this chest exercise gives the most noticeable increase in muscle mass in the upper segment, even without medical devices. I just took one exercise after another, started with it, did it, and listened to my feelings.

Bench press on an incline bench, as many still claim, I abandoned many years ago. This is a really cool exercise, but not for the chest. Compared to a barbell bench press, the load on upper segment of the pectoral muscles practically does not increase, but the impact on the anterior delta will increase many times over.

3. Bench press

This exercise for the pectoral muscles is also old and thoroughly forgotten, but nevertheless quite effective. Like the guillotine, this exercise targets the entire chest at once, and is a great way to increase overall muscle mass and build strength.

The high effectiveness of this type of barbell press is due to the following conditions:

• The back support becomes much wider. This makes it easier to perform the movement with more weight than usual.
• Shortened trajectory. Promotes growth of working scales. But the load on the shoulder joints, thanks to this very trajectory, on the contrary, is reduced
• "Clean" robot. As with the guillotine, eliminating the legwork helps put much more stress on the chest muscles.

In theory, everything looks great, but I was never able to try this exercise for chest training in my expensive, modern and “stuffed” gym. We don’t have barbell stands that are low enough to bench press while lying on the floor. But I was afraid to lie down on the floor, crawl under the barbell and press it directly from the floor. For beautiful girls are wandering staggering around the hall with dumbbells in their hands, trying to perform the next fashionable exercise. And try to guess whether such a beauty will stagger past you or drop a dumbbell on her head, unable to wander further.

So I found another way to fulfill Bret Contreras' request and do this exercise. To do this, I installed a bench in a power rack, set the limiters lower and began to press there, in a shortened amplitude, while placing my feet on the bench. Of course, this is just a stripped-down version of the barbell floor press. And if your gym has the opportunity to perform it, do it exactly as recommended.

But I, unable to resist, took and mixed the “guillotine” with a barbell press in a shortened amplitude. I don’t know what Contreras would say if he saw such inconsistency, but I really liked the result. The sensation in the muscles was very strong, especially where it was needed - in the area of ​​​​the collarbones. So I advise you to include this exercise in your chest workout, you won’t regret it.

4. Bringing your hands together in a crossover

When it comes to chest training in a crossover, associations usually arise with bringing together the lower or upper blocks. I periodically do both variations and feel that the chest muscles work great in these exercises. Moreover, by bringing the upper blocks in front of me, I can specifically work the middle of the pectoral muscles, or their lower part. But bringing the lower blocks in front of you loads upper pectoral muscles. Everyone knows this, this is a common truth.

But Contreras disagrees with this. Based on the results of his experiment, he brazenly declares that the upper chest, and the entire muscle as a whole, receives maximum load when the rollers are installed in an intermediate position between the top and bottom, approximately at the level of the chin.

Fortunately, my gym has such a crossover and I, inspired by the results obtained from the “guillotine,” decided to try pumping my chest with this position of the rollers. It would not be correct to say that thanks to this information in the crossover, I was able to improve my shape and gain muscle mass in my upper chest, because I do a whole range of exercises in training. But one thing I can say for sure is that you definitely need to try them. At least to make your pectoral muscles work in a new way.

But what if the crossover in the gym has rollers that are tightly fixed and cannot be moved? Contreras is silent on this matter, but in my opinion, the exercise most similar in biomechanics is the crossover fly while lying on a horizontal bench (analogous to the dumbbell fly).

5. Incline Dumbbell Flyes/Incline Barbell Press

These two chest exercises complete our hit parade, fraternally placed on its last, fifth step. I see no point in describing the technique of performing these well-known movements, because I myself no longer include them in my chest training.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't either. It’s just that, through selective selection, I found out that they don’t give me anything to gain muscle mass in my chest, and I focused on finding more effective exercises. On those, in particular, that top our rating.

But if you feel that these chest exercises are working for you, continue doing them. I know a lot of people who have pumped up massive, wide, and excellent chests by doing these, as Bret Contreras says, ineffective exercises. Science is science, but in the battle for muscle mass, the first place is played by the ability to separate the wheat from the chaff, choosing those exercises that are right for you.

I hope that my next story about the results of scientific research will help you change your training of the pectoral muscles, so that every visit to the gym gives a tangible effect. May the force be with you. And the mass!