Chest Training – How To Feel your Pecs Work
February 15, 2010 by "Big Jim" · Leave a Comment
By Nick Nilsson
Got No Chest? How to Feel Your Pecs Actually WORK When You Do Chest Training
Note: This article is an excerpt from Nick’s new book “The Best Chest Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of”…53 unique exercises and weight training techniques for the chest. If you’re looking to break through a plateau, get some training variety or just have some fun in your training again definitely check this book out!
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One of the most common training questions I get with regards to chest training is simply not being able to feel the pecs working at all when doing chest exercises!
And when you can’t feel the pecs working, you know darn well that actual muscle development is simply NOT going to happen.
So enough about the problem…how do you FIX it?
I’ve got a number of techniques for you to try out, some of which may work better than others for you.
But they should get you well on your way towards the chest development you’re looking for.
1. Pre-Exhaust Training
When performing a movement like the bench press, the pecs are definitely involved but can be easily pushed into a secondary role by the front delts and the triceps.
So instead of doing a regular bench press movement, you will instead do 6 to 8 reps of dumbell flyes (an isolation movement for the chest) THEN immediately go right to the bench press.
The idea here is to “pre-exhaust” your pecs so that when you do the bench press, your pecs are the weakest link and the shoulders and triceps then push the chest harder than it would normally be pushed.
When you have to stop, it’s going to be pec fatigue that ends the set while the shoulders and triceps are still relatively fresh.
2. Feeling The Flye
Now, the pre-exhaust training is all well and good…but what if you can’t feel your pecs even doing FLYES? Pre-exhaust won’t be much help.
The first thing you need to do is get off the flat bench and onto a Swiss Ball.
Get into position on the ball and wrap your entire back AROUND the ball. Don’t just put your shoulders on the ball and keep your body straight, like many people are taught with the ball.
To get the most out of flyes, you need to open up your rib cage and get your shoulders back (which helps focus the tension on the pecs instead of the shoulders).
The ball is PERFECT for this position. So lay back on the ball, wrap your back around it and consciously force your shoulders back and down.
THEN do a dumbell flye.
Imagine on the way down like you’re trying to push your chest up to the ceiling. And imagine on the way up that you’re wrapping your arms around a big tree.
When doing flyes, don’t hold the dumbells perfectly parallel to each other…hold them at about a 45 degree angle to your body (thumb end in closer to the head – pinky side outwards). This takes stress off the shoulders and helps keep tension on the pecs.
3. Tilt the Dumbells
When doing dumbell presses (either on the ball or the bench), tilt the dumbells down and in…if the dumbells were pitchers or water, it would look like you’re pouring them on yourself.
This tilt (and make sure and keep that tilt through the whole exercise) keeps tension on the pecs. If you keep them horizontal or tilting outwards, the tension goes to the shoulders.
4. Concentration Flyes
These are done standing, in a bent-over position, with light weight. They’re a great exercise for developing that “feel” in the chest. They won’t build a chest – just assist in getting that connection.
Grab the dumbell and bend over a bit.
Now, keeping your arm slightly bent but stiff (no movement other than at the shoulder), bring the dumbell up and across your body as though trying to touch it to your opposite shoulder.
Because your arm is hanging down and the dumbell is coming across your body, it takes the front delt pretty much completely out of it, forcing the pec to do all the work. Hold at the top and SQUEEZE the pec hard.
Remember to go light on this one – it’s not about building but developing that mind-muscle connection. And be absolutely sure you’re NOT bending your elbow – the movement must occur only at the shoulder.
5. The Rolled-Up Towel Trick
This is a technique I came up with to force the shoulders down and back (as I mentioned with the flyes above) and get the pecs involved in the bench press. This is done on the flat bench.
Roll up a towel and lay it lengthwise down the centerline of the bench. Set it on the bench right between where your shoulder blades will be. Your head should be on a flat section and your butt should be on a flat section.
Lay down on the bench, feeling the towel run right down your spine. This elevation immediately forces your shoulders back and down (the proper position for benching and feeling it in your chest).
It’s not particularly comfortable but it’s a great teaching tool to force your body into the proper position.
6. Stop Trying To Go So Heavy
Half the time, you’re probably just trying to go too heavy on the chest exercise and you just lose the feel for the exercise. Back off on the weight and feel the pecs working rather than focusing on blasting up the weight.
When you load the exercise heavy, your body immediately turns to its strongest movers. If your chest isn’t part of that A team, it won’t be called upon.
7. Don’t Grip So Hard
One of the things I’ve noticed with chest exercises is that the harder you grip the bar/handles, the more the tension gets moved to the shoulders and triceps.
Try easing up on your grip a little – not to the extent that you make the exercise dangerous, but back off on the death grip and see if you feel a difference.
8. “Shocking” High-Rep Training
This is best done on the very first set of your workout with NO warm-up. You’re going to just be using a moderate weight, so don’t worry about not doing a huge warm-up. If you have a decent amount of training experience, you’ll be just fine.
We’re going to literally “shock” your chest muscles into responding here. Load the bar with (or select dumbells) a weight you’d normally be able to get about 12 to 15 “strict” reps in your regular workout.
Now lay down and CRANK OUT as many reps as you can with that weight as fast as you possibly can. Don’t worry if your form isn’t perfect…just hammer the reps out.
And when I say crank, I mean CRANK…don’t bounce the bar off your chest or anything but you must quite simply EXPLODE out of the bottom of every single rep…and don’t even think about slowing down to get the negative.
The idea here is very rapidly call upon every available muscle fiber worked by that exercise to contribute an emergency situation, especially the power-oriented type 2 muscle fibers.
And this emergency idea is why you’re not going to do a warm-up…we want it to be a TRUE emergency situation where you go from zero to kablammo!
ONE set of this is all you need. Because once you do that first set, not only will the entire area be fatigued, you won’t be able to get nearly as many reps and it won’t have the same emergency effect on your body.
9. Static Contraction Holds and Pushes
This can be done on almost ANY chest exercise…though it doesn’t work too well on dumbell flyes or presses. It works best on cable crossovers or pec deck, where the tension is greatest at the top, when the arms are close together. It’s also pretty good on barbell bench.
A straight static hold means just hold that contracted position for as long as you possibly can. Then fight the negative all the way to the bottom.
This systematically exhausts all the muscle fibers of the chest AND gives you time to really get your mind into the muscle, shifting your arm and body position during the hold until you really feel it targeting the pecs. By taking this time, you get to feel what you don’t normally get during a standard exercise.
And those pushes I mentioned?
As you’re holding that static contraction, have a partner push down on the weight stack (if you’re on a pec deck). Just a quick push is all you need. This sets off a stretch reflex in the pecs, activating even more muscle fibers. It’s basically another emergency situation.
When using cable crossovers, have your partner put their hands in between yours and push outwards really quick. If you’re doing a static hold in the top position of the barbell bench, have them push down on the bar really quick while you maintain the hold.
A couple of these pushes is all you need.
10. Cable or Band Push-Ups
This technique combines two type of resistance – a bodyweight push-up and direct outwards-pulling resistance of cables or bands. When you put them together, it’s CRAZY how much tension you’ll get on your pecs.
(spoiler alert – this is an exercise taken directly from Nick’s book!)
It’s like combining a static hold with a dynamic exercise – two types of tension, both targeted on the pecs.
For the cable version, set two handles on the low pulleys and use a light weight. Kneel down holding both handles.
Now set your fists on the floor in the push-up position. Straighten out your body and start doing push-ups.
The cables will be trying to pull your hands directly out to the sides. Your pecs have to fight this outwards-pulling tension. When you add in the push-ups, you’ll feel these even more in the chest than you usually would, simply because your pecs are ALREADY working by holding the cables in place.
It’s a two-for-one exercise that will light up your pecs FAST.
You can easily accomplish the same thing with bands by hitching a couple of bands to solid objects out to the sides of you. The just hold the bands in your fists or loop around your wrists, make sure you get tension in them, then do the push-ups.
YOUR CHEST WILL BE TOAST…
I have to say, if you’ve not really felt your pecs before, these techniques should get you seriously moving in the right direction. I would recommend taking a few “chest” days and just trying all these techniques to see which ones work best for you.
About the Author:
Nick Nilsson, also known as the “Mad Scientist of Exercise,” has been training and innovating unique and powerful new exercises and training techniques for more than 18 years. He’s published 9 books on weight training, including his most recent – “The Best Chest Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of”
Visit his site now to learn more about how this book can take your weight training chest development and pressing strength to a whole new level AND grab your FREE sample chest exercises!
Best Weight Training Tips for Beginners
May 10, 2009 by "Big Jim" · Leave a Comment
Best Weight Training Tips for Beginners
These are some of the best muscle building weight training tips for beginners. You should follow these guidelines to get you started on the right track help you to get the most out of your muscle building weight training routine.
1. A warm up of ten to fifteen minutes should be sufficient. It does not matter what you do to warm up, you just need to get your heart pumping. Also, you should move all parts of your body to loosen up. Cardio types of exercises are excellent for warm up. By doing this you will prevent injuries to the muscles by raising your body temperature.
2. You will need to do your workout as smoothly and efficiently as possible while weight training. By working out in a fast or jerky manner, you can cause muscle injuries because of the unnecessary strain being placed on your muscles.
3. Do not hold your breath while weight training. Make sure you freely breathe throughout the exercise workout and the timing of when you breathe in or out during does not matter.
4. Select a weight that you are comfortable with and one that tires the muscles out within 8-10 repetitions.
5. Focus and concentrate on your workout and do not forget to count repetitions. One set done properly will benefit you more than doing two or three sets the incorrect way.
6. Avoid focusing your workout on just a few muscle groups by balancing your muscle building weight training workout. You will need to work all your muscle groups for the greatest benefit.
7. Do just one set of 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, being done slowly and using the right technique, is when most people can get their optimal results.
8. Your muscles will need at least 48 hours to recover after a vigorous weight training workout. Within this time, your muscles are recovering and growing. For maximum benefit, you should try to workout once every 3 days. Also to help in muscle growth, you should drink a good body building supplement after your weight training workout.
It is important that you follow these muscle building weight training tips to ensure that you get the correct weight training info needed to build your body as well as self confidence!
Check-out the Muscle Building and Fat Loss website for more information, details and programs that will help you build your self-esteem through best muscle building, weight training and fat loss programs. This site has the most comprehensive and proven weight training info available.–> www.WeightTrainingInfo.com
Get Sexy With Muscle Toning
May 6, 2009 by "Big Jim" · Leave a Comment
Get Sexy With Muscle Toning
Muscle toning is basically the partial contraction of a muscle in a relaxed state, so your muscles are contacting a bit on their own even when you are completely relaxed. The idea to muscle toning is to do less volume of sets, but work out your muscles more often.
Your goal for muscle toning is to avoid damaging the muscles. If you get sore the following day, back off some the next time that you work those same muscles. You should do 3-4 sets of anywhere between 3-10 reps for muscle tone. I chose 2 exercises per body part.
Not many people understand how effective low reps are for muscle tone. Low reps create harder contractions and over time, your muscle will display better tone.
Make sure to work your muscles often when going for tone. This is an overlooked tip that will quickly accelerate your ability to increase tone in a worked muscle. The way to increase this is to contract you muscles hard on a frequent basis.
Again…you want to avoid muscle damage, otherwise you will over-train the muscle if you work it soon.
If you do a set to failure you are essentially “training your muscle to fail”. This induces a large amount of damage, which is great for muscle mass but bad for muscle tone.
A three day split is a common routine for muscle mass because it works well. A three day split simply means that all the muscles in your body are worked in three different workouts.
So what a lot of people do is work chest, shoulders, and triceps on one day…back and biceps on another day…and legs and abs on the third day. The fantastic thing here is that since you are working only a few body parts in each workout, you can focus on blitzing each muscle group. .
The two day split muscle tone workout routine. Since you want to work each muscle group more often when going for tone, you should try to split you workout over two days instead of three. The great thing here is that you don’t need much recovery time when you don’t damage the muscles.
So you should have a good idea on how to setup a great workout routine for muscle toning. Remember, if you are going for tone, keep the volume of lifting low and work each muscle frequently. Since your time in the weight room should be brief, spend the extra time hitting cardio hard to burn off all that excess body fat to reveal your sexy toned muscles.
Check-out the Muscle Building and Fat Loss website for more information, details and programs that will help you build your self-esteem through best muscle building, toning and fat loss plans. This site has the most comprehensive and proven weight training info available.–> www.WeightTrainingInfo.com
Beginning a Muscle Building Weight Lifting Routine
May 1, 2009 by "Big Jim" · Leave a Comment
Beginning a Muscle Building Weight
Lifting Routine
You should think about starting a weight lifting muscle building routine if you find yourself having a difficult time getting the results you want by doing cardio exclusively. A serious weight lifting routine will help you add muscle mass and actually improve your body’s fat burning power.
Why Lean Muscle Mass Is Crucial
For men the advantages of gaining muscle mass are apparent. Most men secretly desire big muscles and a fit body not only because it is appealing to themselves, but because it is attractive to women as well. On the other hand, because of the fear that it will make them look big or bulky, most women avoid gaining muscle mass. This fear is unfounded and completely not true. Gaining lean muscle makes women look toned, sculpted, and lean. Rather than thinking about looking like a female bodybuilder, you should picture the body of an athlete or fitness model.
When looking to add muscle, it is possible to gain roughly one pound of muscle per week. By adding this one pound of muscle, your body will burn and extra 50 calories a day while resting because lean muscle actually burns more calories than fat does. It’s a surprise to most to discover that while sleeping or resting your body actually burns calories. The amount of calories you burn while resting is for the most part determined by the amount of lean muscle mass you have on your body. Over the course of a few months you can see how this can truly add together.
Feel Great, Inside and Out
In addition to increasing your fat burning ability and your appearance, a weight lifting muscle building program causes you to feel good!
You’ll be in a happier mood and have a more positive outlook on life in addition to the gain in energy and strength. You’ll find that this even increases over time. The more effort you put in means quicker and more amazing the results which leads to elevated motivation.
Think about feeling fantastic every singe day both mentally and physically! This is feasible for anyone to attain and is the ultimate goal.
You Can Do it!
By starting a weight lifting muscle building routine you can begin on the way to a new body both physically and mentally. If you are unhappy with your current exercise or cardio plan I urge you to give a weight lifting program a try. You will look better than you ever have before and feel tremendous if you really give it a try and stick with it.
What To Do Next
Check-out the Muscle Building and Fat Loss website for more information, details and programs that will help you build your self-esteem through best muscle building and fat loss plans. This site has the most comprehensive and proven weight training info available.–> www.WeightTrainingInfo.com
Effective Muscle Building Training Tips
April 29, 2009 by "Big Jim" · Leave a Comment
Effective Muscle Building Training Tips
When starting a muscle building and fat loss routine, you will see how easy it is to learn. Also, you will have to get yourself in the mindset that you need to work out diligently to achieve muscle growth. If you work out by utilizing some of these basic rules of muscle building, you will see results like you have never imagined.
Muscle Building Tips:
Do not perform more than 10 reps in a session. If you do, you are increasing your inert muscle fibers which have the least chance for muscle growth. To build the muscle you need to select weights knowing that an 11th rep is going beyond the limit that you will need to build muscle.
If you want to gain muscle fast you will have to get your head into the heavy lifting mode. Heavy weights and no more than 10 reps are sufficient.
You should take less time to work out and shorter rests and then move on to the next exercise quicker. It should be no surprise to you if you feel out of shape. You must also get out of your comfort zone.
You should reduce your workout time. If you do more work in less time and you will have increased your work capacity. Work equals the number of sets, reps and weights in your workout. The higher your work capacity, the more muscular you will get.
In your routine, complete only one exercise per muscle group. For instance, if your chest exercise is today, then your first exercise is bench press. Your first set being completed with less weight than the last.
You should complete no more than 3-5 sets per muscle grouping. You will want work the first 1-2 sets at 85 percent effort. The third set at 95 percent maximum effort and the fourth set at 100 percent maximum effort.
It is with this last set that you should do at least 1-2 extra reps or add 5-10 extra pounds than last workout you completed. By doing this you will have ignited your muscles into a growth mode and will be increasing your strength by 5 percent every two weeks.
In conclusion, you should strive for a minimum of 5 percent strength increase every two weeks. The larger muscles will gain somewhat faster than the smaller muscles like the biceps. Within six months, you should be twice as strong as you are now by building muscles with these muscle building training tips.
Check-out the Muscle Building and Fat Loss website for more information, details and programs that will help you build your self-esteem through best muscle building and fat loss plans. This site has the most comprehensive and proven weight training info available.–> www.WeightTrainingInfo.com
The Nutritional Road To Muscle Building
April 28, 2009 by "Big Jim" · Leave a Comment
Your body requires nutrition just as everyone does . In saying this, it is key to get the correct kind of nutrition for it, the proper muscle building nutrition.
The selection of food that you eat, and what it contains is very important to your muscle building training. Any type of food that you eat will contain carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
By building muscle, your weight will increase because muscle is heavier than fat. Fat is something you should NOT desire. Eat less fatty foods, about 20% total. The more protein you consume, the better your workouts will be.
The general standard nutritional intake is 20-40-40. This means that you should consume about 20 percent of fat, and 40 percent of carbohydrates and protein to ensure that you are maintaining your nutritional standards.
Carbohydrates are in foods that are very good for you, including vegetables, oatmeal, and potatoes. Do not not be confused with the carbohydrates that you can get from sugary treats or unhealthy, fattening foods and desserts.
Muscle building nutrition does not totally involve the foods that you eat. How you consume these foods is also very important. Eat up to four regular meals per day.
You should keep a balanced nutrition instead of eating bits of foods all day, or even large quantities of foods all day. Always eat breakfast, and make sure to also eat healthy fruits and vegetables with each meal that you consume.
Remember not to cut fat out of your diet, just avoid any unhealthy fats such as foods containing vegetable oils or corn oils.
Also, you will need to drink a lot of water and nothing with caffeine. Caffeinated drinks not only contain sugars that are bad for you, but they also contain a lot of calories which will make you time at the gym feel pointless. Keeping water by you to hydrate with or a healthy green tea, is always a fantastic idea.
Finally, unprocessed foods are more nutritional than processed . Unprocessed foods include meats, vegetables, and fruits, whereas processed foods include things such as canned meat, frozen dinners, or pizza.
Building your body muscle, while maintaining your nutritional, balanced, diet is a very important thing. To accomplish your muscle building goals, as well as decreasing your fat, you will have to stay on top of what you eat.
By staying healthy and eating regularly, you can keep up your muscle building nutrition the proper way. No matter how much time you spend at your gym, the “fuel” you put into your “tank” is always going to be the key to what makes you run right and look great!
Check-out the Muscle Building and Fat Loss website for more information, details and programs that will help you build your self-esteem through best muscle building and fat loss plans. This site has the most comprehensive and proven weight training info available.–> www.WeightTrainingInfo.com
Muscle Building Tips | Fast Muscle Growth
April 25, 2009 by "Big Jim" · Leave a Comment
Muscle Building Tips | Fast Muscle Growth
Here are some muscle building tips that you can use for fast muscle growth:
Try not perform more than 10 reps in a session. By doing this you are increasing your inert muscle fibers which have the least chance for muscle growth. To build the muscle you need to select weights knowing that an 11th rep is going beyond the limit that you will need to build muscle.
To gain muscle fast you will have to get a mindset into the heavy lifting mode. Heavy weights and no more than 10 reps are sufficient. I would recommend with these workouts that you have another person close by for safety purposes.
Try to reduce your workout time. If you do more work in less time and you will have increased your work capacity. Work equals the number of sets, reps and weights in your workout. The higher your work capacity, the more muscular you will get.
You should take less time to work out and shorter rests and then move on to the next exercise quicker. It should be no surprise to you if you feel out of shape. This plan is the easiest way that you increase your muscle density and take your fitness workout plan to a new level. You must also get out of your comfort zone.
While doing your routine, complete only one exercise per muscle group. For instance, if your chest exercise is today, then your first exercise is bench press. Your first set being completed with less weight than the last. Your goal is to simply ignite your muscles into growth and not beat them to death. So, once you have outperformed your last workout, it is time to move onto the next exercise.
Also, complete no more than 3-5 sets per muscle grouping. You will want work the first 1-2 sets at 85 percent effort. The third set at 95 percent maximum effort and the fourth set at 100 percent maximum effort. Only the last all out set will contribute to the greatest muscle gain. Anything over that simply exhausts the muscle and delays your recovery.
It is with this last set that you should do at least 1-2 extra reps or add 5-10 extra pounds than last workout you completed. By doing this you will have ignited your muscles into a growth mode and will be increasing your strength by 5 percent every two weeks.
In conclusion, you should strive for a minimum of 5 percent strength increase every two weeks. Within six months, you should be twice as strong as you are now by building muscles with this fast muscle growth concept.
Muscle Building and Resting
April 23, 2009 by "Big Jim" · Leave a Comment
Muscle Building and Rest
You cannot convince a beginner muscle builder that his spending 2 hours in the gym every day without rest will not make him a big man, and that is rather frustrating. He would likely end up losing muscle.
I actually understand the beginners thinking. But bodybuilding can put you in bizarro world. Here you get rewarded for a little intense effort followed by a lot of relaxation. And you can get punished severely for too much intense effort in the gym.
It is quite a change from the reality you thought you knew. The reason this occurs lies in the science behind muscle growth.
Now, I’m going to check my email and just pray I don’t find another one notifying me that they have decided to triple up on one of my sample bodybuilding routines and will let me know the “spectacular” results they get from their ultra-aggressive approach. I already know the results – they’ll soon feel weaker, they’ll find the only weight they gain will be a little body fat, they’ll likely get colds and flus as their immune systems are beaten down, etc.
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