As they say, half done. Some gym goers fail pump up your chest precisely because this muscle segment chronically lags behind them. But in order for the chest to gain muscle mass, become truly powerful, beautiful and balanced, it also needs to be given width and work out the middle. These are the aspects of building pectoral muscles that I will talk about in this part of my article.
How to make chest wide
And in this case, I was again out of luck. I am naturally tall, skinny, but rather broad-shouldered, and my chest is also broad. On the one hand, this is certainly not bad, but on the other ...
All my efforts pump up your chest crashed about the problem of insufficient elaboration of the contours of this muscle group. In addition to the top of the chest, it was very difficult for me to outline the outer outline of the chest. For a long time I could not give it a finished look and pack the wide chest that I inherited from nature into the armor of ideally shaped muscles. I suffered especially strongly with the bottom of the chest, I could not stretch it across the entire width and close its outer borders, make a clear undercut, resting, as it should be on the serratus muscles.
But, since I have always been theoretically savvy, the answer to the question: in width I knew very well. Of course, a pullover. Thanks to this exercise, as all the books of grandfather Joe Weider claimed, the great Arnold Schwarzenegger swung his chest to unimaginable sizes. And I included this exercise in my training program.
Years have passed since then, but I still see people in the gym trying to do something with their pecs with a pullover.
Namely, something, because it will not work to expand, let alone pump up the chest with a pullover on a horizontal bench. And there are three reasons for this:
REASON 1 | The width of the chest, as well as the width of the shoulders, is a matter of genetic potential, and nothing more. If by nature the chest is narrow, it will not be possible to expand it. The most striking example of this is Phil Heath, the seven-time Mr. Olympia. The insufficient width of his chest is especially noticeable against the background of gigantic hands. But, as we know, this unfortunate miscalculation of nature did not prevent him from gaining muscle mass and becoming the best bodybuilder on the planet six times. A logical question arises: “Why then bathe with the width of the chest?”
REASON 2 | The impression of simplicity and ease of making a pullover is highly deceptive. This is a rather difficult and traumatic exercise. At least some stretching effect from its use can only be obtained by working with a heavy dumbbell. But the more weight a gym visitor uses, the more discomfort he feels from a pullover. Shoulder and elbow joints receive an unusual and very tangible load. If a heavy dumbbell is replaced with a lighter one, then the theoretically possible effect of performing a pullover will simply disappear.
REASON 3 | But, if you still believe that with the help of a pullover you can expand your chest, then this exercise must be done by combining it into a superset with deep squats. Moreover, in this duet of exercises, 10–15 slow squats are first performed, and then the pullover itself. The idea of this bundle sounds like this: the first, heavy exercise with a barbell fills the lungs with oxygen and momentarily increases the volume of the chest. Pullover, performed second, stretches the chest filled with air in width.
Unfortunately, I did not manage to get any tangible dividends from performing a pullover on a horizontal bench. pump up chest, or at least improve its shape, I could not use it. But when I began to do the pullover exercise on a bench with a reverse slope, I felt its charm in all its glory.
When I stopped fooling myself with the old advice of Joe Weider and approached building a wide chest from the practical side, it turned out that the solution to this problem was in front of my eyes all this time. It's just that the mind, clouded by the training programs of bodybuilding stars, refused to accept it.
But one day I realized that I feel the maximum stretch of my pectoral muscles during the dumbbell press. Moreover, the lower I lower my hands, the more they stretch. How simple it is, right?
Therefore, I corrected my dumbbell press technique, and as a result I got an excellent exercise that allows the chest to simultaneously gain muscle mass and stretch it across. I have already described in more detail the technique for performing the dumbbell press, I will not repeat myself. I advise you to read it.
But, one little secret trick that I spied on one of the eminent bodybuilders helped me to make my chest really wide. And it consists in using a super-innovative device called a gymnastic mat for dumbbell presses. It was a joke, but seriously, it all looks extremely simple, but extremely effective:
I take a rubber gym mat and fold it repeatedly so that it becomes a flat but tall roll that fits between my shoulder blades. And during the bench press with dumbbells, I put it on the bench, and then I lie down on top.
Thus, already at the start of the exercise, my chest is in a more stretched position than usual, since the body, lying on a folded rubber mat, turns out to be raised up. Speaking humanly, I artificially lengthen the trajectory of movement by the height of the convolution.
It may seem like absolute bullshit until you try it yourself. An additional 5-6 cm of height, a rolled rug, makes the pectoral muscles involuntarily stretch in width and reluctantly acquire an ideal shape.
In addition to the horizontal press, I periodically use this secret mat in all dumbbell and machine pressing movements to lengthen the trajectory of movement and force the muscles of the chest to stretch further. Thus, the only exercise I use for targeted muscle building and chest expansion was and remains the dumbbell bench press on a horizontal bench.
How to outline the bottom of the chest
I also managed to solve the problem with giving the correct shape to the lower segment of the pectoral muscles, although this took a lot of time. Three great chest exercises helped me with this:
Dumbbell press upside down
In my opinion, this exercise will give odds to any others, because it allows you to direct the load exactly on target and at the same time not only builds the muscle mass of the lower pectoral muscles, but stretches it in width.
The conclusion suggests itself, you want gain muscle mass and pump up your chest - forget about the barbell, press the dumbbells!
Push-ups on the uneven bars
This is as old as the world, but still an effective exercise, I unfortunately do not use it as often as I would like. Having injured my elbow many years ago, I have to be extremely careful in exercises that put a lot of stress on my elbows. But if you don’t have such a problem, push-ups on the uneven bars must be included in your pectoral muscle training program.
Thanks to technological progress, this movement in many gyms can be performed not on the usual "old school" bars, but in a more comfortable and modern gravitron simulator. But the performance efficiency chest exercises for mass this does not decrease. On the contrary, due to the fixation of the body, performing push-ups in the gravitron, you can focus on work exclusively in the lower, most stretching phase of the pectoral muscles.
Reduction of hands under the chest in a crossover while standing
But in this exercise, I come off 100%. I love this machine, and consider it the best for targeted work on individual parts of the pectoral muscles. In the crossover, you can work equally well on the top, and on the middle, and on the bottom of the pectoral muscles. The main thing is to understand how to direct the load exactly to the right place.
When I try pump up your chest and I’m working on the formation of the lower section, I do the information in the crossover exactly as shown in the picture: I stand exactly in the plane of the simulator, without tilting and bring my hands together exclusively under the chest.
My chest mass training program, with an emphasis on the lower segment:
| Exercises | Approaches | repetitions |
| incline dumbbell press | 5-6 | 10-12 |
| push-ups on bars | 3-4 | 12-14 |
| reduction of the upper blocks while standing in a crossover under the chest | 3-4 | 10-12 |
Conclusion: in order to give the pectoral muscles an ideal shape, it is necessary to include exercises aimed at developing the lower segment in your chest training complex for mass.
How to pump up the middle of the chest
In my opinion, this muscle section is the easiest and fastest to build. The muscles of the middle of the chest are small in size and quickly respond to the load, since they practically do not work in ordinary life. And besides, the developed middle of the chest adds width and power to it. All professional bodybuilders know this, so they work out this part of the pectoral muscles almost as actively as the upper segment.
There are few exercises for pumping up the middle of the chest, they are all similar and use the same principle - bringing the hands together in front of the chest. The most effective in this case will be the information of the hands in the butterfly simulator or in the crossover. At the initial stage of work on the middle of the chest, these two exercises will be quite enough.
But after a while this was not enough for me, and I found two more excellent exercises for developing the muscles of the middle of the chest. They not only help gain weight, but also make the muscles work in an unusual, stressful way, giving the chest a more refined outline.
Reduction of hands in a crossover lying
I haven’t done classic chest raises with dumbbells for a long time, since this exercise, in my opinion, is much more effective. Due to the fact that the force vector in this movement is not directed downward, as in the case of dumbbells, but along an arc, the load on the chest muscles is maintained throughout the entire trajectory of movement. pump up chest and adding muscle mass to her with this exercise becomes much easier.
But that's not the point. I, once again, modified the usual exercise, added a little zest and increased its effectiveness specifically for the middle of the chest. And the whole trick is that in the upper part of the trajectory, when the handles of the lower cables are already in contact in front of the chest, I turn my hands from a parallel position into one line and wind them up for each other. The load on the middle of the chest increases many times, and becomes peak.
Dumbbell bench press with a narrow parallel grip
Unfortunately, I recently started doing this exercise, having once again peeped it from the inventor Charles Glass. A very unusual, slightly difficult, but quite effective exercise. In addition to the fact that this modification of the bench press allows gain muscle mass the middle of the chest, it still actively affects the upper segment of the pectoral muscles, if performed on an inclined bench.
And in order not to waste your attention on the description of the technique for its implementation, I suggest watching the video. This is Sean Rhoden's training 4 days before the performance at the Mr. Olympia - 2016:
My chest training program with emphasis on the middle segment:
Sometimes I get bored of training my chest muscles the old fashioned way, doing one exercise after another. So I do a shock chest workout, breaking up the usual set of exercises into several supersets, combining two exercises into them.
But I select them with meaning, so that the first movement is stretching, the second, on the contrary, is reducing. For example, I combine the dumbbell bench press on an incline bench with the reduction of arms in a lying crossover, and the bench press in a free-weight simulator with a “butterfly”. I combine push-ups on the uneven bars again with a crossover, but I only work with an eye exclusively on the bottom of the chest. There can be many such options, the main thing is to follow the correct execution technique in each of them.
I hope that after reading my long story, you will find the answer to the question of how to pump up your chest and become one step closer to creating the perfect body. May the force be with you. And mass.
Before revealing the secrets of pumping an impressive chest, it is necessary to find out the factors why many, even professional athletes, pectoral muscles are significantly behind in development against the background of general muscles.
Remember that there are only three real reasons why the majority of trainees do not have impressive pecs:
- Firstly, the athlete cannot qualitatively feel the work of muscle fibers when performing a chest exercise. It turns out a bad neuromuscular connection, the brain cannot 100% turn on the pectoral muscles and make microtraumas of muscle fibers.
- Secondly, how can we talk about growth and overcompensation when there is no increase in training weights and the body does not receive stress, which is the main reason for the growth of muscle fibers.
- Third, most athletes incorrectly emphasize the load, always training only certain parts of the pectoral muscles.
For the rest of the reasons, just forget, they are not justified and invented by theorists of glossy magazines to force you to buy another newfangled supplement that will definitely bring your muscle development to a new level.
Surely you have a question, but what about the technical nuances of the exercise, because it plays an important role in the development of a certain muscle structure. The answer to this question lies in the first paragraph, which knowingly occupies the initial position. Why do you need a technique when performing an exercise in order to qualitatively load muscle fibers. However, if there is no neuromuscular connection, no technical tricks will make your pecs grow.
Proper technique is necessary so that the brain can select the optimal range of motion and qualitatively reduce the training muscle. Using the right technique, you make it easier for your brain and give it the opportunity to optimally bring the muscles to failure point. Naturally, the consequence of such an attitude to training is an increase in muscle mass and strength.
Therefore, the exercise technique and the ability to correctly contract muscle fibers are concepts that cannot exist separately. What conclusion can we draw from the above:
- correct technical skills with poor neuromuscular communication will not help you qualitatively reduce a working muscle group;
- a good neuromuscular connection, even with a satisfactory exercise technique, will bring your muscles to failure and trigger the mechanism of overcompensation and growth.
Without understanding the above points, it simply does not make sense to describe the instructions for increasing the pectoral muscles. Because athletes will apply new recommendations without correcting the simple fundamental mistakes that will not give the opportunity to increase muscle size.
How to solve the above problems that inhibit the growth of the pectoral muscles of 90% of training athletes?
- All exercises aimed at developing the pectoral muscles should be performed with perfect technique.
- Daily visualization before bed.
You need to conduct daily training of the neuromuscular system. Before going to bed, do an imaginary exercise without additional weights for 5 minutes. This is necessary in order to learn how to properly include muscles in the work. At the same time, the effect is stunning, your brain will learn to contract the muscle group in a highly efficient way at the time of the exercise.
No progression in training loads!
There is a well-known and indisputable axiom of iron sports that in order to start the growth mechanism, it is necessary to systematically increase training weights. This is what 90% of athletes cannot understand and put into practice. The bulk makes an ambiguous increase in the bench press and then trains with this weight throughout the year. Naturally, growth is out of the question.
You can ignore all the other rules and still increase muscle mass by adding 1 kilogram per month to the bench press. Believe me, you will grow even if the technical moment is a deuce.
You can change the intensity of training in different ways: increasing the weight of the projectile, reducing rest between sets, increasing or decreasing the number of approaches and repetitions. But until you bench press 140-150 kilograms, cyclic weight gain is considered the main anabolic for you.
Focus on the lagging areas of the chest muscles!
If you really want to have a chest like Arnold Schwarzenegger, then you need to start focusing on the lagging sections of the pectoral muscles, and forget about the strengths of your chest, which allow you to work with the largest training weights.
Naturally, this is the upper and inner part of the chest muscles. It is these areas that betray the volume of the breast and, due to their genetic location, react poorly to a progressive load.
Remember that 70% of your time should be spent on training the upper chest and only 30% on working out the powerful bottom.
Now take a look at how you and the bulk of the gym goers train, accented bench presses on a horizontal bench and many other exercises aimed at developing the lower part of the chest. As a result, a hypertrophied bottom and a very underdeveloped upper chest are obtained.
In this state of affairs, the final refusal to train will lead to sagging of the pectoral muscle, which will greatly spoil the appearance of the physique. To prevent this from happening, always focus on the upper chest and pay less attention to the lower chest.
What exercises should be used to develop an impressive chest?
All exercises for training the chest can be divided into two groups:
- Presses- performed in simulators, with a barbell or dumbbells.
- Wiring- which can also be performed with dumbbells and a crossover.
Effective chest exercises at home
Naturally, first of all, it is necessary to focus on basic exercises, and the decisive one among them for pumping up the chest is.
The technical nuances of doing the bench press on an incline bench!
- Firstly, the inclined angle of the bench should be 30 degrees. This position will allow you to qualitatively work out the top of the pectoral muscles and minimize the participation of triceps and deltas. Make the angle sharper and the triceps and deltas will immediately begin to steal the load. The horizontal position will connect the lower chest to active work, and the upper part will remain unused.
- Secondly, it is necessary to adjust the correct setting of the hands on the neck. The grip should be slightly narrower than average. This position will provide a greater range of motion and will make it possible to better engage the top of the pectoral muscles in the work.
- Third, perform the movement within the amplitude. In practice, this means incomplete extension of the elbow joint in order to turn off the participation of the triceps and provide the pectoral muscles with maximum contraction throughout the entire exercise.
The number of repetitions is necessary to perform from 20 to 30 times for beginners to understand the mind-muscle connection, experienced athletes can do from 6 to 12 repetitions. For the first few years of training, eliminate other barbell presses from your training program completely, because they are not able to affect the upper sections of the pectoral muscles.
When to isolate?
As for isolation exercises, they should only be done after a few multi-joint exercises, when the pecs are already so depleted that they reach failure before the ligaments and joints. Isolation is also included in the training program when progressive addition of weights is not necessary.
Examples of complexes for the development of impressive pectoral muscles:
Now it's time for the truth, you can do as you see fit, or use a truly correct training complex.
- Bench press on an incline bench 4 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
- Incline Dumbbell Press 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
- Wiring with dumbbells 3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
If you are a beginner in iron sports, wiring can be excluded from the training program. Be sure to change the angle of the bench when performing wiring. For example, today you perform on a vertical bench, and the next workout you use a horizontal bench.
How to eat to pump up the pectoral muscles?
Surely everyone understands that training leads to muscle microtrauma, and nutrients contribute to the restoration and hypertrophy of muscle fibers. One factor cannot exist without the other. Right away, properly distribute the nutrients and stick to this scheme until your chest muscles become like an Apollo:
- Proteins - 30%;
- Carbohydrates - 60%;
- Fats - 10%.
Protein, it is necessary to use only animal origin, its component should be 2 grams per kilogram of body weight of the athlete. It is this amino acid set that will provide the injured muscle fibers with the necessary building material.
Carbohydrates, must be strictly complex, which means that you need to eat only cereals, pasta and potatoes. Completely eliminate all confectionery from the diet. The body should have 7 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram.
Fats, consume mainly omega 6 and vegetable fat from olive oil. Completely exclude from the diet, animal fats and fast food.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables between meals. You can take casein protein before bed and ideally use whey protein in the morning. Before training, always drink liquid carbohydrates, this will help increase blood flow to the working muscle.
How to build chest muscles? All just follow the above recommendations and in a year, all the people around you will envy your pectoral muscles. Make a body worthy of your spirit.
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A toned body is just as important for a person as posture, a neat appearance, and good manners. Especially the lack of relief is striking on the beach and pool area. Home workouts are chosen by people whose goal is not to become an athlete at a professional level, but simply want to have a beautifully built body.
Today's topic of the article will be: How to build pectoral muscles at home. Basic information: exercises and technique, programs, sports nutrition.
Anatomy of the pectoral muscles
Each athlete needs an understanding of how his muscle corset is built and exactly how it works in order to correctly develop the relief, mass, muscle proportions, rationally select a set of tasks for the load, and calculate the recovery period of a single group. Since today's topic is devoted to the pectoral muscles, we bring to your attention this section of the article.
In humans, they are located in the same way, regardless of gender differences, with the only difference being that in women they are “covered” by breasts - mammary glands that cannot be increased in size. So: the muscles are divided into two types - superficial and internal. They consist of fractions, which in turn are made up of myofibrils - muscle fibers. Each fiber is divided into sarcomeres, in which the protein is "stored", and more specifically, actin, myosin.
The first group is located closer to the skin. It is called the pectoralis major muscle (musculus pectoralis major): steam room, in the form of a fan, flat, occupies a large area, easily amenable to force. It borders on the delta, anterior dentate (9 pieces - go from the ribs to the shoulder blade), humerus, clavicle, sternum, rectus abdominis. Participates in any pull-ups and turning the palm back to the thigh, bringing the upper limb to the body, raising and lowering.
Under it (on the inside) lies the pectoralis minor - triangular in shape. It is attached to the ribs and shoulder blades, which it moves during contraction, at the top it borders on the oblong subclavian muscle (holds the clavicle bone in the joint). Both types are considered muscles of the shoulder girdle and arms, which athletes train hard, giving the intended relief to the body.
The second group includes its own intercostal muscles: external, internal - participate in inhalation-exhalation. Also included here is the diaphragm: a flat septum consisting of muscle-tendon fibers.
What you need for chest muscle growth
To increase muscle mass, you should load as hard as possible with weight. During training, microtrauma occurs, that is, ruptures of the muscle fiber. The subsequent recovery period should ensure the healing (union) of damaged tissues.
They do not just grow to each other, but connect at the ends behind the gap, or several layers of new cells grow in that place. As a result, each fiber becomes thicker and denser, hypertrophy occurs. That is why muscle volume increases, and the athlete can lift new weight.
For growth, a large range of motion is important, for example, it is not suitable as with a bench press (Read how to do it right). Since the barbell bar cannot increase them, it is better to use another sports tool, such as dumbbells.
Attention should be paid to the position of the body during the task. On a horizontal elevation (bench and the like), the top and bottom of the chest are worked out completely, over the entire area, but slightly touches its middle section.
It is constantly necessary to ensure that the chest works, and not the group of the shoulder girdle, back. Exclude when performing the deflection of the body with a bridge in the lower back. An inclined surface from 15° to 35° increases the load on the upper part of the muscle, and an inclination in the opposite direction increases the lower part. During the 1st set, it is recommended to decrease the angle with each approach until the board is horizontal to the floor.
Separately, it should be noted that any weight gain implies a gradual continuous increase in working weight by 1-5 kg per month. An important factor is the intensity of the training: the technique of performing power tasks, programs and training regimens, speed of execution, rest time (?), number of repetitions, etc. Of the total training time, it is necessary to devote 2/3 of the duration to the upper section, and 1/3 to the lower part of the chest.
Athlete nutrition for mass gain:
- animal protein at the rate of 2 g / 1 kg of human weight
- complex carbohydrates - 7 g / kg.
- vegetable fats
Approximately from the total diet, proteins will make up about 30%, fats will not exceed 10%, and carbohydrates will remain 60% of the total mass. Vegetables, fruits - they must be consumed, you can add sports nutrition: protein, amino acids, etc. The rate of daily protein intake shortens the recovery period.
Is it possible to pump up pectoral muscles at home
Large and small muscles should be trained in different ways, or rather, at different angles and free weights, in order to increase their volume. You will also have to choose the right set of strength exercises. The most suitable are push-ups from the ground, elevation and bench press in the prone position.
In the program, it is necessary to allocate 3-4 days of rest to give the fibers time to recover and increase in volume. Daily workouts do not make sense, but they are generally contraindicated: even professional athletes do a maximum of 5 days in a row and take a break for 2 days.
When choosing a complex with one push-ups from the floor, training is carried out every other day, adding new types of tasks and weight - the free period can last 48-72 hours: the greater the load, the longer they rest, but not more than 5 days in a row for beginners and 3 - for experienced athletes. You need to work out on the scheduled days, regardless of the pain. You may have to adjust the primary weight or start working under your own weight.
In the presence of injuries, first consult a doctor.
What do you need to have
A clear goal, perseverance, the right training schedule are the key to success for self-study at home. A sports fan and a novice athlete should have free time for training (no longer than an hour) and a space where there is a place to exercise.
At will, they acquire elementary sports equipment, but usually, at the initial stage, there is no special need for purchase.
What can be used for training at home
There are no irreplaceable trainers. Such equipment is not always suitable for better pumping of these muscles. And a minimum of devices has everyone who wants to practice at home. Ideally, you can independently build a sports ground in a free corner of your home by purchasing small-sized equipment for an apartment.
If this is not possible, you can get by with improvised materials, for example: instead of a bench, use furniture, make elevations from a stack of books, put a heavy backpack on your back for cargo, use similar tricks.
For training, you need free space, approximately 2 * 2 square meters. m, two stools, you can get a bench or replace it with a solid board (put on chairs for bench presses). In each residential yard or in the nearest educational institution there are horizontal bars, bars.
Experienced athletes who want to gain more muscle mass will later need to buy weight-adjustable dumbbells or go to the nearest gym. Some sports enthusiasts replace such equipment with plastic bottles filled with sand or other heavy material.
Exercises you can use
As mentioned above, various bench presses will be optimal strength tasks,. For 1 set, 4 sets of at least 10 repetitions are done (later adjusted to 20 times), then the mass of the projectile is added. The tasks outlined are suitable for the classical program, they should only be divided into days so that there is no overtraining. Trainings are held on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday - rest or swimming.
For tasks with weight on a horizontal surface, the following are suitable:
- dilution of hands
- thrusts up
A divorce of hands with dumbbells drives away the middle section of the chest. For a home workout, you need furniture without a back. In our example, these will be several stools that are placed side by side so that it is convenient to lie on your back.
Take the starting position: lying on an impromptu horizontal bench, with your feet resting on the floor, in your palms turned towards each other, they hold the load, the hands are brought together above the head, the elbow joints are half-bent. Movement: without sharp jerks, the dumbbells are spread as deeply as possible to the sides, reach down with the elbows, then return to their original position, bringing the instrument back.
To push the dumbbells up, you will need to lie in the same way as in the previous task, but the hands are positioned differently, as if holding a straight barbell bar. The elbows are below the shoulder joints, the palms are turned away from the face, "look" towards the wall. Movement: sharply lift both projectiles up at the same time (control the degree of extension of the elbow joint to exclude injury), smoothly lower it down, reaching deeper with the forearm to the ground.
Experts have proposed the following options for push-ups:
- from a flat surface
- from elevation
- on uneven bars
For the first type, you only need a floor or a flat surface of the earth, where there is enough space for your dimensions. You can add a load on the shoulders (for weighting), tear off your palms on the rise and make one clap (for complication). There are two types of starting position of the hands. Widely spread elbows contribute to the training of the middle part, and pressed to the sides transfer stress to the upper bundles of the pectoral muscles, triceps (), front bundles of deltas.
Push-ups from elevations replace a set of exercises on an inclined and horizontal bench and are considered a complicated version of the previous task. They can be made from the edge of the sofa, armchair, on chairs and similar furniture. Method of execution on stools: they are placed in front of the sofa at a distance of body height from the shoulders to the ankles. And between them, the space should be equal to the width of the elbows spread apart, in a straight line.
Then rest your toes on the edge of the sofa from above, put your palms on stools - the position of the torso corresponds to push-ups from the floor, the execution technique is the same, only you need to lower yourself below the level of the seats, bending deeper at the shoulders in order to stretch the fibers of the bundles more strongly. Usually do 4 sets of 20 repetitions with a break of about 2 minutes.
On the uneven bars they are pressed for pumping the upper and lower sections. The elbow bends are bred to the sides wider, with shallow lowering - this way the load on the chest is accentuated, and not on the triceps.
What program to use
The programs described below for pumping each zone focus on all types of push-ups. It is done in three sets of 15 repetitions, later they catch up to 20 times, and the sets consist of 4. It is not recommended to drive yourself into certain limits by blindly performing the average number - the number of repetitions and weight are selected based on their physical capabilities.
Sample exercise program 1
They practice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, leaving 4 days for rest. Between each approach, rest for 1 minute, push up at a slow pace to feel the work of the muscles.
Push up schedule:
- PN: on uneven bars, at an angle, with cotton
- SR: with a stop, from a stack of books, with a lift off the floor
- Fri: incline, stop, uneven bars
Push-up technique:
- On the uneven bars they drive the lower chest, highlighting 15-30 minutes. Starting position: straight arms on the pipes (handles), legs bent and crossed at the shins. Range of motion: shallow descents with a 3 second delay at the end point. It is forbidden to sag deeply, to stick out the elbows to the sides.
- Under an inclination, when the feet are higher than the shoulders - with this task, the upper bundles of the pectoral muscles are pumped. It is performed in two variations: with a stop at the bottom for 2 seconds and with a lift off the ground for clap. Beginners are advised to start with a minimum slope, gradually bringing it to the indicated height.
- With a clap (tearing off the palms): the starting position is “lying emphasis”, the hands are spaced wider than the shoulders. Slowly descend. Then they rise to half the upward movement, sharply push off the surface so high that they have time to clap their hands and put them in place, continue to rise. A difficult power task, start with 2 approaches. The primary number of claps is unlimited. It is always done last because of the severity of the execution.
- With a stop: a classic type of starting position for push-ups from the floor. During the execution, the movement is delayed twice for 3 seconds - halfway down and at the bottom point.
- From a pile of books: make two identical elevations with books 14-15 cm high. The distance between them should be wider than the shoulders, approximately 65-70 cm. They take a “lying emphasis”, put their palms on the edges of the piles. They fall for 8 seconds, approaching as low as possible to the floor, then slowly unbend their arms.
The last three types of tasks are performed for pumping the middle section of the chest.
Program example 2
This complex is designed to develop a relief in order to have an aesthetic taut look. Completed in 1-2 days.
Dumbbell bench press lying on the ground: legs are bent, feet are slightly wider than the hips, arms are perpendicular to the body, elbows are bent, and forearms and hands with a projectile are directed to the ceiling. On exhalation, they lift up, 2 seconds of delay, with a breath they return back. In the process of performing the movement of the arms down, you can not press the triceps to the surface.
Push ups:
- From the floor in the classic version. Performed in 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
- From a horizontal surface (the central inner part is trained). The starting position is the emphasis lying, the palms are already placed at the shoulders, at a distance of about 10-15 cm from one another, and the thumbs are touching. They descend completely, touching the back of the hand, linger for 2 seconds and rise.
- At an angle: the starting position - the legs are thrown onto the edge of the sofa, resting with the fingers, the palms are placed wider than the shoulders, the elbows are kept near the body. Lower-rise slowly, with stops of 3 seconds, doing 12 repetitions in 4 sets. For complication, additional weight is used, but the quantity is not changed.
If finances allow, you can buy a folding athletic bench for your home. It will increase the effectiveness of classes at home.
What to drink from sports nutrition
Let's say right away: before taking additional supplements, you should correctly compose a diet. The ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the athlete's diet is described in the section "What you need for chest muscle growth." We only add that they eat 4-5 times, that is, snacks are required for the 2nd breakfast and afternoon snack. Complex carbohydrates are found in cereals and legumes.
Watch the amount of confectionery eaten - they are too high in calories and can be deposited in the form of cellulite, not mass. For more information on proper nutrition, please see the relevant articles.
As for sports nutrition: they are designed to supplement the gaps in the main diet, if your nutrition is not complete. It is recommended to take after consulting a specialist if regular exercise does not bring results. The following are general guidelines for taking supplements.
For the first 6 months, beginners must strictly adhere to the diet and sleep. From sports nutrition, you can consume fast and slow proteins, which supplement the missing amount of protein for fiber growth. Supplements are useful if the daily schedule is rationally built, exercises are performed technically correctly, and the body has a good rest during sleep.
Gainers are diluted only with drinking water, protein can also be diluted with juice, low-fat milk or kefir.
Amino acids
There is a complex product of amino acids called BCAAs, which include valine, leucine, isoleucine. It is consumed with food during endurance training to reduce body fat.
Protein
It is always produced in powders, divided into a fast-acting and long-acting product. The first is drunk daily before breakfast to quickly replenish energy and protein reserves for the formation of new cells during the recovery period, after exercise - if fat burning is necessary.
The second - at night, because it replenishes the substances for a long time, for 6-8 hours. Take one and a half hours after dinner. Details: .
Gainer
Powdered combined preparation with the composition of carbohydrates, proteins. It has a quick recovery effect after strength training, increases the rate of fiber growth, and reduces the degree of fatigue. Taking before training for half an hour - gives energy to all cells. You can not drink in the first second day: fat will grow on the sides. All about him:
L-carnitine
It is useful for the cardiovascular system, which receives additional climatic and / or physical stress, for example, summer heat, development of body endurance, burning subcutaneous fat. Both powder and tablets with capsules are produced.
energy products
Available in liquid and powder form. Does not contain sugars, of the components have substances that support the heart. Increase energy during exercise, reduce fatigue.
In the presence of diseases of the digestive system, diabetes and similar deviations in health - all types of supplements are taken after consulting a doctor.
Conclusion
Now you know how to build pectoral muscles at home. You can work out at home, achieve positive results - really. Trainers recommend making the 1st day of the training the hardest, and the subsequent ones to lighten the weight or reduce the repetitions each time.
The basic rule remains the same: before classes, they do a warm-up, at the end they apply stretching exercises. This reduces muscle pain on rest days. If you want to look decent at any age, give your body a couple of hours a week.
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Greetings, dear fans of sports and a healthy lifestyle. Surely, many of you are wondering how to pump up the pectoral muscles at home, without using barbells and dumbbells. It turns out that this can be done, but first you need to decide what you want to see. After a couple of months of training, do you want to see chests like Arnold in his best years in the mirror? Or you want to see beautifully drawn muscles that will draw attention to yourself when you hit the beach.
If you want breasts like iron Arnie, then we are in a hurry to disappoint you and ask you to leave the page. In order for you to have such a chest you need: to have good genetics, use steroids and press the barbell with an unthinkable amount of twenty-five kilogram pancakes on it. If you do not want this, continue reading the article. Having studied all the exercises that we offer, at the end of the article you will find a training program for your chest at home.
How to pump up breasts at home
So, what is needed in order to pump up the chest at home. Firstly, this is proper nutrition, which will promote the growth of your muscles and will not allow the amount of subcutaneous fat in your body to grow. If we allow fat to take over our body, then you will not be able to see your traced pectoral muscles. So start eating right.
Secondly, we need constant training, 2 - 3 times a week, which will include a variety of push-up options for pumping the top and bottom of the chest. This is very important, because by pumping the lower part of the chest, you will have a disproportion, and the chest will not look very aesthetically pleasing. So, we include all the exercises described below in our program.
push ups on books
The first version of push-ups will work out mainly the middle part of the chest. Look at the picture below.
For push-ups, we need 8 books (sheets, so 500 each). We put them at a distance of 60 - 70 centimeters, or whatever is more convenient for you, and begin to slowly push up. We go as low as we can. You should feel a pleasant stretch in your muscles. Spend 6 to 8 seconds lowering. Do 4 sets of 15 reps. The most important thing in the exercise is speed, do everything slowly.
Push-ups with a stop
For the second exercise, we do not need books. It will be simple push-ups, but with one nuance. Having lowered halfway down, stop and linger in this moment for 2 to 3 seconds. Then go down to the end and in this position again linger for 2 - 3 seconds. Do 4 sets of 10 reps.
Explosive pushups
Quite a difficult exercise that requires training. As soon as you master it, feel free to include it in your program. Go down, preferably slowly, starting to rise to the starting position, that there are forces, push off the floor, so that your palms come off the floor. You can do clap, but it is difficult and at first you can not do it.
Do this exercise last, do 2 sets with as many repetitions as you can handle.
We swing the top of the pectoral muscles
The most difficult part of the pectoral muscles to train. Pumping it up at home is very difficult, but possible. There is only one exercise for this, but we can constantly complicate it.
Incline push-ups
The point of these push-ups is to keep your legs above your body, but otherwise they are regular push-ups. But we don’t need regular push-ups, so we’ll complicate it. The first option is push-ups with a pause at the lowest point. stop for 2-3 seconds, and then return to the starting position. The second option is push-ups on books. Well, the third option is explosive push-ups with an inclination.
Do 4 sets of 15-20 reps with different variations.
How to pump up the lower part of the chest
To pump the bottom of the pectoral muscles, we will use everyone's favorite push-ups on the uneven bars. I think it will not be difficult for you to go to the nearest sports ground 2 times a week and devote half an hour to training. And if you have bars at home, then this is very wonderful.
Push-ups on the uneven bars
Simple push-ups on the uneven bars. Everyone knows how to do them, everyone was taught at school. We complicate the push-ups on the uneven bars by stopping at the bottom point for 2-3 seconds. We perform 4 sets of 15 - 20 repetitions.
This exercise can be made more difficult by using a weighted vest.
Program for training the pectoral muscles
The article would not be an article if we did not give a training program consisting of all the exercises that we described. See table.
*If you cannot do the number of repetitions that is written in the table, do as many as you can. Don't box yourself in.
Rest between sets should be 45 - 60 seconds. Watch the speed of your push-ups all the time, try to feel your muscles and do push-ups as slowly as possible. The p90x program has a wonderful chest and triceps workout.
We looked at several types of push-ups that will allow you to blow your chest. Try not to skip workouts and you will succeed.
P.S. While the author was writing the article, he did 80 push-ups.
The content of the article:
The question of how to pump up breasts at home in 1 month is very controversial and relevant for many. Opponents of training at home place the main emphasis in their arguments on the lack of professional equipment, the presence of a large number of factors distracting attention from the training process, etc. Let's see if it is possible to build chest muscle mass at home.
It should be recognized that many athletes started with home training. There can be many reasons for this, and we will not dwell on them. But we repeat that many athletes who later became famous began their sports career at home. Of course, then they continued training in the gym, but the foundation was laid precisely at home.
Home chest muscle training
There are muscles in the human body that respond quite well to training at home, and some require a lot of effort to develop. Small muscle groups, such as the arms or forearms, are best trained at home. In turn, with large groups, say, with legs, everything is more difficult.
As you know, for the growth of muscle tissue, a constant increase in working weight is necessary. If this is not the case, then you cannot expect muscle growth either. But this is theoretical, but in practice, during home training, a person will have serious problems with the possibility of installing large scales. It should be remembered that the load must increase constantly.
In the gym, there can be no such problems, since there are sports equipment on which you can fix any necessary weight. At home, you can only have dumbbells and kettlebells, and at best, a barbell.
This is precisely the problem that needs to be solved - you must be able to adjust the working weight from moderate to extra heavy. Today we will consider only training limited conditions. Of course, someone can create their own training room, but in this case everything is much simpler. We are talking only about those people who do not have such opportunities.
So, for a full-fledged home training of chest muscles, you should have several types of sports equipment:
- Type-setting dumbbells from 25 to 40 kilograms;
- bars;
- Bench, preferably adjustable.
Chest Exercise Technique
Now we will consider the technical issue of performing all the exercises possible at home for the development of chest muscles. Let's start with the dumbbell press.
Dumbbell bench press in the prone position
From a technical point of view, the dumbbell press is a more complex movement than the barbell press. You should use less weight in total, as dumbbell presses require more energy. In addition to the main muscles, a sufficiently large number of stabilizing muscles are involved in the work, which is the main reason for the higher technical complexity.
Take sports equipment in your hands and straighten your body, while the dumbbells should be located on the sides. Then rest the edge of the dumbbells on the front surface of the thigh slightly above the knee joint.
Sit on a bench (the shells are located on the hips) and with a powerful movement, tip over backwards, while pushing the shells with your knee joints. After that, spread the elbow joints to the sides, forming a cross. Inhale and squeeze the sports equipment up, exhaling the air. In the upper position of the trajectory, pause, then begin to lower your arms while inhaling.
Push-ups on the uneven bars
Push-ups on the uneven bars involve a large number of muscles and are an excellent basic exercise. As your strength increases, you will need to use weights to increase the working weight. Exhalation should be done during the upward movement (at the moment of exertion), and inhalation during the reverse movement.
The wider your arms are located, the more actively the triceps will participate in the exercise. Also, the load on these muscles can be increased if the elbow joints are not extended in the highest position. If you want to maximize the use of the pectoral muscles, then tilt the body forward. The stronger the slope, the greater the load on the chest muscles.
Dumbbell spread in the prone position
This exercise uses a significantly smaller number of muscles compared to any type of bench press. It is intended only for the muscles of the chest, but it is very difficult to use large weights. When you are in the lowest position of the trajectory (the muscles are stretched), you should pause.
Half-over with dumbbells
Like the previous movement, the half-way is designed for grinding and stretching the muscles, but it is less effective for gaining mass. It is especially useful for young athletes who have not yet reached the age of 25.
Sample chest workout program
It should immediately be said that as the main exercise, you should choose one of the first two exercises, which were described at the beginning of the article. Also, you should choose such a working weight of sports equipment so that you can reach failure in the range of 6 to 12 repetitions. You should do one or two light weight warm-up sets before doing your main sets. The number of repetitions in this case should be in the range from 15 to 20.
And now the complex itself:
- Push-ups on the uneven bars - from 3 to 4 sets with 6-12 repetitions;
- Dumbbell bench press in the prone position - perform 3-4 sets of 6-12 repetitions in each;
- Dumbbell layout - 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions;
- Halfway with dumbbells - three sets of 10-12 repetitions.
For more information on how to pump up breasts at home, see here:
