For the majority of the male population, a well-defined and chiseled chest is the most frequently sought after aspect of the human figure.  At the beach, almost every guy is going to suck in and stick out his chest when that hot girl walks by.  Unforunately, their chest deflates when they inevitably have to breath again.  Why do so many people want a great chest, but so few actually have one?  Simply, they have no idea what is required to work it out properly.  Below are so ideas to really activate your pectoral muscle fibers and give you a chest you can be proud of!

First off, we we will look at the anatomy of the chest.  It is formed by two muscles – the pecotralis major and pectoralis minor.  Each muscle needs to be worked equally to develop a well-rounded chest.

The key to any successful training routine has a lot to do with variation.  Muscle fibers quickly adapt to resistance training, which makes each subsequent training session that less beneficial to you if you do the same movements.  Use program 1 for the first week’s workout.  Use program 2 for the following week.  Do this for a combined 6 weeks then overhaul the two workouts completely and start over for another 6 weeks.

Workout 1                            

Flat Bench Press: 4 sets x 10

Incline Dumbbell Flys: 3 x10

Flat Dumbbell Press: 3 x 10

Decline Bench Press: 3 x 10

Workout 2

Incline Bench Press: 4 x 10

Cable Crossovers: 3 x 10

Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 x 10

Flat Dumbbell Flys: 3 x 10

The problem with so much of the health and fitness instruction available on the internet is that it assumes one solution for all body types.  It is very possible the above workout plan doesn’t work for you as well as you would like it to.  Each body is different, and different things will work better for different bodies.  It is your responsibility to try our a variety of exercises to see which produces the best gains.  In the event the above workout routine doesn’t work the way you want, try substituting some of the exercises below into your routine.

1. Pec Deck
2. Clap Pushups
3. Pullovers
4. Incline Cable Flys
5. Chest Dips
6. Depth Pushups

If for whatever the reason, these additional exercises aren’t doing the trick, check your form.  Make sure you are employing a full range of motion, moving the weight slowly up AND down, holding for a full second, and repeating until it hurts (the good kind of hurt from lactic acid buildup in a worked muscle!).  Keep in mind you want to focus almost all of the stress on the chest muscle.  Elimate supporting muscles (triceps, delts, etc.) whenever possible and focus solely on your chest.

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Matt

Co-Founder at Share It Fitness

Matt has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years and has worked with, and helped countless individuals improve their lives. After college, Matt started his fitness career working in the trenches as a personal trainer for a big corporate gym. It was here he saw how impersonal Big Fitness really was. Clients weren't people, they were just sales waiting to be made. After branching out and starting his own personal training business in San Diego, Matt soon developed the idea of Share It Fitness and started our (now highly successful) blog. A fitness junkie himself, Matt knows the importance of incorporating exercise into your life. When he isn't working at Share It Fitness, you can find Matt running, biking, taking yoga, or pumping iron around San Diego.

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