If you really want an eye-catching, superhero physique, then you need a ripped, chiseled chest. Few bodyparts are as critical to your physique. A big, powerful set of pecs helps make your waist look slimmer while also providing unmistakable size to the top of your torso. And no matter what you’re wearing, whether T-shirt or sweater or suit, your chest winds up somewhat noticeable.
Building that big chest also helps round out your overall physique, too. The exercises that attack your chest (think bench presses and flies) also attack your shoulders, helping build out more of your V-taper. And they’ll stimulate your triceps, too, helping to add depth to your arms.
But the big chest you’ve always wanted wasn’t built in a day, and it wasn’t built with the same repetitive exercises over and over and over. It takes time and a smart program to build the perfect chest — and that’s where this four-week program comes in.
What I’ve designed for you is a program that avoids two of the most common mistakes when it comes to chest development. First off, you can’t go into the gym and just do all the bench presses known to man—barbell presses, dumbbell presses, incline presses, and more presses. That’s a recipe to get injured, because you’re putting a ton of stress on the shoulder point. Instead, you need a smart balance of exercise variety, volume, and intensity. You get that with this chest blast.
And second, you can’t expect a superhero chest to appear in a day (unless you’ve been bitten by a radioactive spider). It takes time to pack on serious, properly shaped muscle mass, and that’s what you want for your chest. Stick with this program for four weeks and don’t deviate, and you’ll get those results.
A Quick Anatomy Lesson
Before we get into the program, let’s first understand how your chest works. Your chest actually has two muscle “heads,” each with similar but varying responsibilities. First, there’s the clavicular head, which is essentially your upper chest (and it’s the area of mass that every guy is working for). Then there’s the sternal head, essentially your lower chest.
Your biggest challenge when building your chest will be that clavicular head; it’s often hard to target. Incline presses seem like the easy answer, but they don’t work for everyone. Our workaround; some front-raise-style exercises, since the clavicular head assists in some of that shoulder action.
The sternal head is the larger head of your pecs. Key to developing it: Get a full contraction on all your presses. The sternal head is heavily active in rotating your upper arm bone toward your torso.
Things To Keep In Mind
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You won’t just do bench presses and pushups in this workout. To pack on the chest size you want, you have to manage multiple variables, and also switch them up at smart times.
Intensity
This isn’t as simple as doing 3 sets of 10 reps for an exercise, or 3 sets of 12 reps. You need to push through this workout. One common mistake: Not pushing our muscular fatigue threshold. In general, throughout this workout, make sure the final three reps in every set are a challenge to complete. If you’re doing 10 reps and reracking the bar with ease, you could have gone heavier. You’ll also need to do some power work, training heavy at times. Effort is going to be the main drive for change.
Joint Stress
Joint stress is often the forgotten factor in a workout plan, but it’s also the one thing that can hold you back most. Train too often, or train the wrong way, and you’ll find yourself stuck on the sidelines because of shoulder and elbow injuries. So you need to build a program that offers plenty of rest and keeps your joints from limiting how you grow your muscles.
Other Training
Yes, you want a big bench press, but you can’t just train your chest. You need to train other bodyparts; that’ll help you avoid injuries, build other muscles, and help your chest grow too! So you’ll do exercises that attack your chest specifically a few days a week, but hit plenty of other muscles too.
The Workout
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You’ll train four days a week on this program. Do the Day 1 workout on your first training day, then do train legs the day immediately after that. Follow with a rest day on the third day of your training week, then do our Day 2 workout on your fourth day. Rest or train legs the next day, then do the Day 3 workout; rest for the rest of the week.
Day 1
Neutral Grip Chest Press
Lie on a bench, holding dumbbells directly over your shoulders, core tight. Keeping your palms facing you, bend at the elbows and shoulders, lowering the dumbbells to within an inch of your chest. Press back up. That’s 1 rep; do 4 sets of 6, working to train as heavy as possible. Rest 90 seconds between each set.
Cable Chest Fly
Stand in the center of a cable machine, grasping a handle in each hand, feet together. Hinge forward slightly at your hips, keeping your core tight. Pull the cables toward each other, as if hugging a tree. Pause, squeeze your chest, then return to the start. That’s 1 rep; do 4 sets of 10. After each set of flies, immediately do a set of 8 pushups. Rest 90 seconds after each set of pushups.
Pullup
Hang from from a pullup bar using an overhand grip just slightly wider than shoulder-width. Squeeze your shoulder blades. Pull your chest to the bar, squeezing at the top of each rep, then lower with control. That’s 1 rep; do 4 sets of 8; resting 90 seconds after each set.
Dumbbell Row
Do 3 sets of 12 reps per arm. Rest 90 seconds after each set.
Triceps Pressdown
Stand grasping a rope or bar attached to a cable column. Tighten your core and glutes and work to keep your torso upright. Keep your elbows by your sides. Moving only at the elbows, press the bar or rope downwards, straightening your arms. Pause; slowly return to the start. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 15. Rest 60 seconds between each set.
Pushup Position Plank
Set up in the top of a pushup position; tighten your core and glutes. Look at the ground. Hold this position for 60 seconds. Do 3 sets; resting 60 seconds between each.
Day 2
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Do 3 sets of 12 reps. Rest 90 seconds after each set.
Front Raise
Stand holding two light dumbbells at your sides, core and glutes tight. Squeeze your shoulder blades. Moving only at the shoulders and keeping your thumbs pointed upward, raise the dumbbells upward in front of you until your wrists and shoulders are nearly parallel; keep a slight bend in your elbows as you do this. Pause, then return to the start. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 10, resting 90 seconds after each set.
Supinated Grip Cable Chest Press
Stand in the middle of a cable setup, grasping a handle in each hand, elbows close to your body. Hinge forward at the waist slightly; tighten your core. Keeping your palms facing your chest, press the cables forward. Return to the start; that’s 1 rep. Do 4 sets of 10 reps, resting 90 seconds between each.
Cable Row
Set up in a cable row station, grasping a V-bar handle with both hands. Tighten your core. Your torso should be perpendicular to the ground. Tighten your shoulder blades, then pull the V-bar to your upper ribcage. Pause, squeeze your back, then return to the start. That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 12. Rest 90 seconds after each set.
Face Pull
Do 4 sets of 15 reps. Rest 60 seconds between each set.
Hammer Curl
Do 4 sets of 15 reps. Rest 60 seconds after each set.
Skullcrushers
Do 4 sets of 15 reps. Rest 60 seconds after each set.
Day 3
Barbell Bench Press
Set up on a bench, holding a loaded barbell directly over your shoulders, arms straight. Keep your glutes and core tight. Bending at the elbows and shoulders, lower the barbell to the bottom of your chest; press back up. That’s 1 rep; do 6 sets of 4 reps, working to train heavy. Rest 150 seconds between each set.
Supinated Grip Cable Chest Press
Stand in the middle of a cable setup, grasping a handle in each hand, elbows close to your body. Hinge forward at the waist slightly; tighten your core. Keeping your palms facing your chest, press the cables forward. Return to the start; that’s 1 rep. Do 4 sets of 10 reps, resting 90 seconds between each.
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Do 3 sets of 12 reps. Rest 90 seconds after each set.
Neutral Grip Pullup
Hang from a pullup or chinup setup grasping a bar that will allow you to let your palms face each other. Tighten your core and squeeze your shoulder blades. Pull your chest toward the bar; pause when you’re as high as you can be. Lower with control. That’s 1 rep; do 4 sets of 10. Rest 90 seconds between each set.
Plyo Pushup
Set up in pushup position. Lower into a pushup; press up explosively so your hands come off the ground. Do 4 sets of 8 reps, resting 90 seconds in between each set.
Dumbbell Biceps Curl
Do 4 sets of 12 reps
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