Workout 8: Chest & Forearms
Chest Exercises
- Start by lying back on a flat bench. Use an overhand grip that is wider than your shoulder width to lift the bar from the rack. Hold it directly above you with your arms fully extended.
- Inhale and begin lowering the bar toward your chest until your elbow creates a 90° angle.
- After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you exhale. Focus on using your chest muscles to push up the bar.
- Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion. Hold for a second and then slowly begin lowering the bar.
- Start by securing your legs under the brace at the bottom of the decline bench and lay down.
- Using an overhand medium width grip, lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over your chest with your arms fully extended. Your arms should be perpendicular to the ground.
- As you inhale, lower the bar toward your chest until your elbows reach a 90° angle.
- Pause for a second, then use your chest muscles to push the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in at the contracted position. Hold for a second and then start to lower the bar down slowly.
- Lie back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand atop your thighs. The palms of your hands will be facing each other.
- Then, using your thighs to help push the dumbbells up, lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them at shoulder width.
- Once you have the dumbbells raised to shoulder width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This will be your starting position.
- Be sure to keep full control of the dumbbells at all times. Then breathe out and push the dumbbells up with your chest.
- Lock your arms at the top, hold for a second, and then start slowly lowering the weight. Tip Ideally, lowering the weights should take about twice as long as raising them.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the dumbbells back on your thighs and then on the floor. This is the safest manner to release the dumbbells.
- Pick up the dumbbells and grip them so that so your palms are facing inward. Lie back on an incline bench angled at about 30 degrees, and rest the dumbbells on your hip crease.
- Press the dumbbells out and over you so that your arms are fully extended. Rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing each other.
- Slightly retract your shoulder blades, unlock your elbows, and slowly lower the dumbbells laterally to create a wide arc while maintaining the angle at your elbow. You should feel stretch in your chest.
- Once the dumbbells reach your chest level, reverse the movement while trying not to let the dumbbells touch.
- Place the pulleys on a high position above your head and select the same resistance for each side’s handle.
- Stand between both pulleys and move one foot slightly forward. With an overhand grip, pull your arms together in front of you. Your torso should be leaning slightly forward from your waist.
- With a slight bend in your elbows, extend your arms into a wide arc until you feel a stretch in your chest. Your arms and torso should remain stationary.
- Using the same arc of motion, return your arms back to the starting position.
- Hold for a second at the starting position and repeat the movement.
Forearms Exercises
- Sit at a preacher curl bench. Select an EZ bar and grasp it with your palms facing downward at around shoulder width apart.
- Rest your elbows on the pad. Keep your upper arms stationary while slowly curling the bar up.
- Do not pause, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
- Stand upright and hold a barbell behind your back at the height of your glutes. Your arms should be fully extended with your hands placed shoulder width apart and your palms facing the ground in an overhand grip.
- Keep your feet at shoulder width apart and slowly elevate the barbell by curling your wrist in a semicircular motion toward the ceiling. Your wrists should be the only part moving.
- Hold this position for a second then lower the barbell back down.