Did you ever wonder how celebrities and body builders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Lou Ferrigno got those bulging chest muscles developed and protruding? You may notice that their chest is as solid as a rock and may seem powerful enough to support the weight of an 18 wheeler hauler. Well, the answer to your wondering is chest exercises. If you want your chest muscles lean, mean, and muscular and accompanied with power and strength, then you simply need to exercise these muscles. Here are some effective chest exercises that you can do to build up your chest.
- Stretch before you work out. Before engaging in any type of exercise that will place some strain and stress on a specific muscle group, you will want to stretch it out first. You don’t want to pull a muscle doing your first push up, right? To avoid potential injuries, always stretch your muscles first. For the chest muscles, you will want to breathe deeply in and out as a start. Another stretch you can do is to contract and expand your chest muscles by holding your arms out wide and stretching it out all the way to the back in a horizontal fashion. If possible, do some cardio before the chest exercises as well.
- Pushups. The most basic way to strengthen and mold your chest muscles is through the traditional pushups. To do it properly, lay flat on the floor on your stomach. Use both your hands and feet to lift you up from the floor. Make sure that the legs are stretched straight out and your arms are leveled and wide enough to tense your chest muscles as you do your repetitions. Do 3 sets of pushups with about 20 to 30 reps for beginners and 100 to 200 reps once you get the hang of it. If you want maximum results quickly, do this every day. You can even raise the difficult by placing a chair where your feet can rest on. Elevating your legs will make it more challenging thus, working your chest muscles even more.
- Bench press. The traditional bench press is another way to make your chest look lean and mean. For optimal results, place an acceptable weight on the barbell resting on the bench. Make sure both sides are carrying equal weight. Lie flat on your back on the bench with your feet flat on the floor. Hold the barbell at a wide stance where you will be able to get equal weight on both arms. Your arms should be positioned as wide and as leveled as a pushup. Lift the barbell and bring it down to your chest. Hold the position for a second and lift the barbell up. Make sure to breathe properly. Inhale as you lift the barbell and exhale as you bring it down to your chest. Add more weight and repetitions to achieve maximum results. If your gym has a machine press, then consider augmenting this exercise by doing a couple of sets on that as well.
- Peck decks. The peck deck machine is a weightlifting tool you can use to shape your chest muscles in the center and at the pecks or wings. This should be done in cohesion with bench presses to achieve the Arnold type chest muscles. Do it properly by sitting on the peck decks with your feet flat on the floor. Put your arms up and position it at the each side where the bars will be. Grasp the bars with each hand and pull it towards the center of your chest. Inhale as you do it. Hold the position for a second and release, exhaling as you do so.
These are the three basic chest exercises you can do to work out your chest muscles. Add more weight, reps, and sets as you go along. You may want to consult a trainer to help teach you the correct form and to provide you a nice workout plan to help develop your chest muscles.
source
http://www.howtodothings.com/health-fitness/how-to-build-your-chest-muscles-by-doing-chest-exercise
