Chest exercises

Because there are so many great chest exercises it has always been my favourite muscle to train. Not only is there a huge variation of bodyweight exercises to do for the muscle but it also seems to respond so quickly to both strength and muscle building. In fact, I think the reason that bodyweight chest exercises such as press ups form the foundation of so many conditioning programs from elite forces to boxing and Muay Thai is because years of experience has shown just how quickly strength and fitness can be built up with training programs that incorporate them.

Which chest exercises you do really depends on what your goals are. Anyone who wants to develop muscular endurance and fitness would choose the basic exercises such as standard and incline press ups as it is only with these that you could build up to the high reps required.

The chest exercises for a basic endurance program.

Standard press up

Set 1 – 20-30 reps, Set 2 – 20-30 reps, Set 3 – As many reps as is possible.

Incline press up

Set 1 – 15-20 reps, Set 2 – 15- 20 reps,Set 3 – As many reps as possible.

Dips

Set 1 – 15 – 20 reps, Set 2 – 15 – 20 reps, Set 3 – As many reps as possible.

Note, for muscular endurance there is no limit to the number of reps that you should do as it depends on how much muscular endurance is required and it is not uncommon for many athletes to regularly do sets of 100 Standard press ups.

The only recommendation is that you choose the easier bodyweight exercises such as standard and incline press ups as the more advanced versions are to difficult to allow you to build up to the high number of reps required for endurance.

Strength

To build the strength for gymnastics, parkour, or any activity that requires a high strength to bodyweight ratio the best chest exercises are the hip, planche and elevated wall press ups because they are very demanding and therefore keep the reps in the 1-6 range needed to build strength.

For these activities it is also a good idea to include explosive press ups like clapping, Muay Thai and Aztec press ups which are fantastic for developing the explosive power needed to move your body at incredible speeds..

The chest exercises for a basic strength program.

Hip press up

Set 1 – 6 reps, Set 2 – 6 reps, Set 3 – 6 reps

Elevated wall press up

Set 1 – 6 reps, Set 2 – 6 reps, Set 3 – As many as possible

Planche press up

Set 1 – 6 reps, Set 2 – 6 reps, Set 3 – As many as possible

Note, the planche press up is one of the most difficult bodyweight exercises that you can do and most people are not capable of doing even 1 rep without months of training. Therefore, the planche press up is mastered through a series of progressions and you need to choose the progression that you are capable of doing for 6 reps and build up to the full planche press up slowly over several months.

muscle

For muscle building which requires reps in the 6-10 range the best chest exercises are ones such as the wide grip dip, crucifix and elevated wall press up but the best for building muscle is the chest rollout especially if you keep the tension on the pecs throughout the movement.

The chest exercises for a basic muscle building program.

Elevated wall press up

Set 1 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 2 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 3 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 6 – 10 reps

Hip press up

Set 1 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 2 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 3 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 6 – 10 reps

Chest rollout

Set 1 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 2 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 3 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 6 – 10 reps

Wide grip dip

Set 1 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 2 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 3 – 6 – 10 reps, Set 4 – 6 – 10 reps

Fat burning and man boob prevention

If you suffer form fat deposits around the chest area which is causing your pecs to look saggy or giving you the dreaded man boobs you will have more success at eradicating the problem with bodyweight chest exercises than weight training.

The reason is because your body is designed to protect you from damage and injury at all times.

Therefore, when you use your own body as the resistance for your chest exercises your body will quickly adapt and burn the fat that adds to the weight you are lifting but provides no assistance.

The result is the exercise becomes easier and therefore less likely to hurt or injure you. This benefit is not provided with weight training because the weight being lifted is not your body but an inanimate object and removing the fatty tissue from around the chest will not result in making the exercise easier or less likely to injure you.

If you doubt what I am saying think about this

There is a reason why most marathon runners are little more than skin and bone and sprinters are bursting with muscle and power.

The reason?

You do not need big muscles to run marathons; in fact the weight of big muscles makes the job harder.

But you do need big powerful muscles to sprint fast which is why a sprinters body provides them.

The result

Their bodies have done what the human body is brilliant at, they have adapted to make the job easier and reduced the risk of being hurt or injured.

The chest exercises for a basic fat burning program.

Standard press up

Set 1 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 2 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 3 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 4 – 10 – 16 reps

Incline press up

Set 1 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 2 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 3 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 4 – 10 – 16 reps

Bench Dip

Set 1 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 2 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 3 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 4 – 10 – 16 reps

Triceps or (diamond) press up

Set 1 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 2 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 3 – 10 – 16 reps, Set 4 – 10 – 16 reps

Note,

These programs are just guidelines and the most important thing to remember is that you choose the exercises that allow you to complete the number of reps required for the type of training you are doing. Body adaptation is specific and does not cross over. Therefore, doing 100 standard press ups does not mean that you will be able to do even one planche press up and conversely doing 6 planche press ups does not mean that you can suddenly do 100 standard press ups. Therefore, if you want both muscular endurance and strength you have to train for both and the best way to do it is to do one workout designed around endurance and the next one designed around strength.

How do bodyweight chest exercises and weight training compare?

Both weight training and bodyweight exercises offer benefits but both bring something different to the table.

For muscular endurance and fitness bodyweight chest exercises are unsurpassed because both your core and leg muscles are involved to stabilise the body. The increased number of muscles used means bodyweight exercises effect your breathing far more than lying down bench pressing would do. It can also be more enjoyable than doing countless reps of pressing and peck deck exercises.

For strength training the answer depends on whether you want to build the strength to lift objects or your own body. If you want to be able to press huge amounts of weight or lift up big objects weight training will give you bester results and is the option to choose. If on the other hand you want the strength to be able to move and control your body at will it can only be done with natural chest exercises.

For muscle building if your goal is to build a huge chest and this is your only concern the correct weight training exercises such as the bench press in the 6-10 rep range will give the best results. However, if you want a more natural looking muscular chest such as the type boxers and gymnasts have the right bodyweight chest exercises will be better at producing the look you want.



For fat burning, getting toned and improving man boobs

You will have better results with bodyweight chest exercises than with weight training because of the reason mentioned earlier.

Also keep in mind that whatever training program you follow the two most important factors for success are.

1 Dedication, this is the most important thing you need, without it you can not fulfil your potential what ever exercise you do.

2 Diet, the correct diets for endurance, strength and muscle building are different. Following the right diet will account for up to 80% of the success you have in reaching your training goals whichever type of training you do. It might be a disappointment to some of us but I am afraid it is true. If you don’t follow the right diet for what you want to achieve you will struggle to fulfil your potential.

Conclusion

There are more bodyweight exercises for the chest than any other body part. You can build endurance, strength and muscle growth as long as you choose the chest exercises that allow you to complete the number of stets and reps needed for the goals you have. Whether you should choose weight training or bodyweight exercises depends on personal choice and the goals you have as each one brings something different to the table.

However, remember that

Bodyweight exercises are safer than using weights or machines. You are after all doing the most natural thing in the world, using your own body.

Bodyweight exercises are more practical in real life situations - I have never heard of anyone needing to bench-press in an emergency but I have heard of someone needing to pull themselves up to a high window to rescue a child.

And

Bodyweight chest exercises compliment your sport far better than weights or machines. If you doubt this, ask yourself this question.

In a competition over an army assault course that requires fitness, the ability to pull yourself over high walls, climb ropes and cross balance beams.

Who do you think would win?

The power lifter who has built incredible strength through years of lifting weights.

Or

The gymnast who has built incredible bodyweight strength, balance, and flexibility through years of training, using his body as the resistance.

If you would like to lose up to 2lb of fat each and every week or start building muscle now why not let me train you online on a one to one basis and you will receive your own exercise and nutritional plan designed specifically for you and your individual, age, physical composition, metabolism, lifestyle, and goals. Find out more Here

If you do want to train with weights there are several good sites on the web. Have a look at www.strengthtrainingendeavors.com which is a comprehensive site that educates you about functional strength training, optimal sports fitness nutrition, natural muscle-building, personal fitness training, healthy weight loss, and most importantly, helping you listen to your own body's strength and fitness needs or www.weight lifting info.com for weight training chest exercises.

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