Exercise technique is a completely different issue.
There are things we need to be doing to work this important muscle group effectively. Not surprisingly, these rules can be applied to your other workouts as well.
- Warming up comes first in your workout and it should be first on your list of things to do. (duh). Start out with about 50% of your working weight on the first two exercises you will be doing. Two sets of ten will get the blood flowing into your chest muscles, preparing them for the abuse ahead.
- Next some light stretching, both before and in between you’re your work sets. That’s right – in between. If your plan calls for sets of 5 reps with 3 minutes rest in between them, use that time to loosen up both your chest muscles, and the antagonistic muscle groups. You’ll see a decreased incidence of injuries, and the increased confidence that comes from the “loose” feeling during your chest exercises.
pectoral front view
When you are actually doing your work sets, there are a few things to remember as well.
- A complete range of motion is crucial, or you will reduce the effectiveness of what could otherwise be a killer chest workout. Make sure you take each movement from the fully contracted, to the full stretch position to develop the muscles throughout the range of motion, and also to give the connective tissues stretching and stress. They count too.
- The speed with which you are lifting has a great effect upon the muscles. If you think about it, ten reps done at a 2×2 tempo is putting the muscle under tension only half as much as the same set with the same weight done with a 4×4 tempo. These is a lot of debate surrounding this issue, but there is no denying that it does make a difference. You can try out different tempos to see which one works best for you, or you can do what the pros do: vary your tempos on a regular basis from workout to workout.
- Loading up the bar with as much iron as you can move may seem like the best way to get the most from your workout routine – but it’s not. It is better to vary your loading parameters from workout to workout, and from season to season. You wouldn’t expect to increase endurance, flexibility and max strength all at once, right? Choose the load that matches your current goal.
- Vary your workout routine on a regular basis. You should be changing something every two weeks, and completely re-vamping your workouts at least once every two months.
There you have it, the basics of a good chest work out for the chest or any other muscle group. Incorporate these techniques into your schedule, and you should see positive changes.
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