Workout 31: Chest
Chest Exercises
1. Flat Bench Press
Caution: In order to protect yourself, it is best to have a spotter help you.
- 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.
2. Decline Bench Press
Caution: In order to protect yourself, it is best to have a spotter help you.
- Start by securing your legs under the brace at the bottom of the decline bench and lie down.
- Using an overhand medium-width grip, lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over your chest with your arms full 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.
3. Incline Dumbbell Press
- 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. Note: Ideally, lowering the weights should take about twice as long as raising them.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed number 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.
4. Weighted Incline Prayer
Caution: This movement requires a great deal of balance so if you lack balance or are suffering from an injury that affects your balance, use your own bodyweight without while holding onto a fixed object.
- Stand with your torso upright and hold one dumbbell in each hand at arm's length.
- Step forward with your right foot (about 2 feet or so) as you lower your body down and squat through your hips. Make sure that your left foot remains stationary and that you are maintaining your balance. Do not allow your right knee to move beyond your toes as you come down. Keep your front shin perpendicular to the ground.
- Using mainly the heel of your foot, drive yourself back up to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement for your left leg.
5. Dumbbell Around The World
- Start off lying flat down on an incline bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand next to your thighs with palm.s facing up.
- Take the dumbbells and create a semi-circle by rotating them up over your head with the motion staying parallel.
- Return back to the starting position.
6. High To Low Cable Fly
- Move the pulleys to the highest position and select the same resistance for each D-handle.
- Stand between both pulleys with your arms extended out to your sides. Grasp both handles with an overhand grip while keeping your feet aligned with the pulleys.
- Remaining upright and keeping a slight bend in your elbows, pull your arms close together in front of your body.
- After a pause at the peak contraction, return your arms back to the starting position.
7. Low To High Cable Fly
- Place the pulleys at the lowest position and select the same resistance level for each one.
- Stand between both pulleys with your arms extended out to your sides. Grasp both handles with an underhand grip so that your palms are facing forward and move one foot forward.
- Start with your hands below your waist and your arms fully extended.
- Keep a slight bend in your elbows as you raise your arms upward and towards the middle of your torso. Make sure that you are flexing your chest. Your hands should end up being directly in front of your chest.
8. In And Out Push-Up
- Starting out in a regular push-up position, lower the body until the elbows are bent 90 degrees and chest is one to two inches from the ground.
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Exhale, pressing up explosively so that the hands leave the ground. While in the air, bring the hands slightly in and back landing in close-grip push-up position, lowering down smoothly.
- Exhale, pressing up explosively so that the hands leave the ground again and widening the grip again to go back into a regular push-up.