The Best Chest Exercise You're Not Doing in the Gym



When it comes to chest exercises, the barbell bench press is one of the most popular exercises you can do in the gym. This exercise uses free weights, or dumbbells and barbells, to work your chest muscles. Even though the barbell bench press is one of the best chest exercises you can do in the gym, it's not necessarily the most effective exercise to do if you're looking to build muscle and add size to your pecs. Here are five chest exercises that you should add to your workout routine that will help you build more size than what you would get from doing barbell bench presses alone.



What most people are doing wrong

Contrary to popular belief, not every muscle can be developed by pressing or pushing a weight away from your body. When it comes to chest training, flyes are one of those muscles and they’re incredibly effective. This exercise targets your pecs without restricting shoulder motion, making it a great choice for anyone who experiences shoulder pain while working out. It also allows you to focus on using just your pecs and triceps (versus smaller supporting muscles), which helps develop more muscle mass overall.



What you should be doing right

To give your pecs a good, full workout, you’ll want to include exercises that emphasize both horizontal and vertical movement. For example, you should include presses and flyes that work your pecs directly. But by also including exercises that incorporate more of your shoulders and triceps, you ensure that all of these muscles are working together to achieve one goal—getting massive! One great exercise to do just that is benching with dumbbells.


An easier way to work your pecs



If you’re trying to bulk up your chest and have been hitting it hard with bench presses, dips, and flyes for weeks without results, look at adding incline dumbbell presses to your routine. If you have access to a pair of these, do them instead of benching when you feel yourself plateauing or getting bored with your usual workout, says Smith. You can also use a Smith machine if you don’t have access to weights that adjust.


Design a split program that covers all your bases




The best chest exercise routine is a split program, where you train your chest one day and then have at least a day or two off before training it again. Muscles can recover quickly from light workouts, but give them a longer break to fully heal up and you’ll have better gains. Exercises that work your chest include bench presses, incline presses, decline presses, dips (with or without weight), and flyes.



Maximize each workout's effectiveness



When you’re working out to build muscle, it’s important to maximize each workout’s effectiveness by training at least four times a week. A study published in Sports Medicine showed that subjects who worked out at least four days a week gained 33 percent more strength and 53 percent more size than subjects who only trained twice a week. By working out at least four days per week, your body will have time to rest and recover between workouts, which allows you to maximize each workout's effectiveness.


So do plan accordingly. Being healthy is a process and it can only be maintained through proper guidelines. always listen to your trainer and if some problem arises do consult your doctor.

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