Effective Home Workouts for Building Chest Muscles

Shred that chest at home

Regular and targeted chest training is the only way to sculpt the perfect pecs. With the right chest exercise repertoire, you can build a bigger, great looking chest in no time.

Let's check out your chest muscles

The chest muscles consist of two muscles of different sizes – the largest muscle is the musculus pectoralis major which is a fan-shaped structure covering the entire front rib area.It runs from the clavicle and breastbone to the humerus.The pectoralis major is responsible for the motor control of the arms and can pull them towards the body, turn them and spread them apart.His little brother is the pectoralis minor muscle.It rises from the ribs and goes up to the shoulder blade. The minor pec's job is to guide your arms.It also supports the shoulder in lots of movements.Both muscles are also auxiliary breathing muscles.A strong chest therefore makes a major contribution to supplying our body with oxygen.

How to design an effective chest workout

When you're putting together a chest-ripping workout you need to consider two things ­– the intensity and the ‘time under tension'.This is the length of time a muscle is under tension.The intensity required to allow your muscles to grow optimally should be 65 to 85 percent of their maximum strength.

Setting an indicator

If you're working with your own body weight, dumbbell for fitness bands, you need an indicator to work out the correct weight to work with. The best and simplest indicator is identifying the weight you can barely manage during the last repetitions of each set with normal breathing.That's how you know you're training in this optimal range. If you're training on amulti-gym, you should test your maximum strength beforehand.This is the weight you can manage easily when the exercise is done correctly. When you've worked that out, do a few repetitions with a light weight to prepare the muscles.Then choose a weight you think you can only do one rep.Adjust the weight until you have worked out what you can lift during the reps of that exercise.

Take a break

Give your muscles a break of about four minutes between sets.The ‘time under tension' is ideally 30 to 60 seconds.This corresponds to 6 to 15 repetitions each.Studies have shown that three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions are most effective at 70 to 80 percent of maximum strength.Then you choose a weight that you think you can only do one rep.Depending on whether it is too heavy or too light, you then adjust the weight until you have worked out the ideal weight.

Pay attention to the eccentric phase:

Your workouts will be even more effective if you concentrate on the eccentric phase.Eccentric contraction exercises are an important and often overlooked part of strength training. This is when you do sets where you lower the weight. When you lower the weight slowly and with deliberation, you significantly stimulate greater muscle strength.

What equipment is best for building chest muscles?

You'll need a range of equipment to get your chest ripped.

• A dumbbell sets with 3 and 8 kilogram weights.
• Fitness straps are also very versatile.
• If you're serious, a power station or a weight bench with a barbell and weights.

6 exercises for epic pecs

If you train with dumbbells and a fitness band, these exercises are awesome for building a stronger, great looking chest.

1. Bench press with dumbbells

Lie with your back on the floor or, even better, on a weight bench. Take a dumbbell in each hand and hold them over your chest with your arms straight and your palms facing forward.Then bend your arms far to the sides of the body and push them up again.If you've already been working out for a while, you can alternately bend and straighten your arms.

2. Flying with dumbbell

Take a dumbbell in each hand and lie on your back on the floor or on a weight bench.Keep your arms straight over your shoulders with your elbows slightly bent.Tense your core muscles so your back is flat, then lower your arms to your sides until your upper arms and shoulder axis form a line.

3. Covers with dumbbell

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie on your back down on a flat weight bench with your feet on the ground. Then bring your arms straight up, with your elbows slightly bent.Then lower your almost straight arms straight back until they are at head height.Hold briefly and lift vertically again.

4.Push-ups with fitness bands

All variations of push-ups are a great way to shred your chest muscles.They are even more effective if you also work with a training or fitness band. Get into the push-up position,placing thetrainingband across your back and yours hands holding down each end against the floor.Slowly lower your torso until the tip of your nose almost touches the ground then slowly push yourself up against the resistance of the training band.You can vary the resistance depending on your fitness.Aim for 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

5 Bench press with barbell

Lie on your back on the flat or incline bench and hold the barbell a little more than shoulder-width apart. Tense the muscles and lift the barbell, bringing it down steadily to your sternum without actually resting it, then push back up without fully extending your arms. Breathe in when lowering and breathe out when pushing up.

6 Maxing at the multi-gym

multi gym are particularly effective for beginners because the movements are guided. You can really target your pecs with the chest press and the butterfly equipment. Because they’re so controllable and guided, multi-gyms reduce the risk of injury.

Chest muscle workouts for beginners

We advise beginners to train with either dumbbells or on a multi-gym.Pick two to three exercises you want to do in one training session.Before you start, warm up for a few minutes.Below is a guide to designing your pec blasting workout.

• Do two to three training sessions a week
• Take a break of at least 48 hours in between
• Do three sets of 12 reps each.
• When working out with dumbbells, choose a weight you can barely manage the twelve repetitions without struggling for breath.
• Do the exercises quickly but continuously.
• Avoid explosive and jerky movements.
• Take a two to three minute break between sets.
• Between chest muscle exercises, exercise other muscle groups.
• If you train on a multi-gym, aim to first train with 70 percent of your maximum strength.
• You can do the butterfly and chest press in one workout, but preferably not one after the other.
• In addition to exercising your chest muscles, you should also exercise your back, legs, and abs.
• After three weeks of regular training, increase the weight of the dumbbell by one to two kilos.
• When you train on a multi-gym, increase to 80 percent of your maximum strength after three weeks of regular training.
• After six weeks, you should see the first tangible and visible results and you can expand your training program

Chest muscle workouts for advanced users

If you have built a solid base and are seeing results after six to eight weeks, it's time to move on to the next level.Depending on the training level, you should then work with 80 to 90 percent of your maximum strength or until what is known as muscle failure.In other words – you smash put reps so hard you can

Chest muscle workouts for beginners

We advise beginners to train with either dumbbells or on a multi-gym.Pick two to three exercises you want to do in one training session.Before you start, warm up for a few minutes.Below is a guide to designing your pec blasting workout.

• Do two to three training sessions a week
• Take a break of at least 48 hours in between
• Do three sets of 12 reps each.
• When working out with dumbbells, choose a weight you can barely manage the twelve repetitions without struggling for breath.
• Do the exercises quickly but continuously.
• Avoid explosive and jerky movements.
• Take a two to three minute break between sets.
• Between chest muscle exercises, exercise other muscle groups.
• If you train on a multi-gym, aim to first train with 70 percent of your maximum strength.
• You can do the butterfly and chest press in one workout, but preferably not one after the other.
• In addition to exercising your chest muscles, you should also exercise your back, legs, and abs.
• After three weeks of regular training, increase the weight of the dumbbell by one to two kilos.
• When you train on a multi-gym, increase to 80 percent of your maximum strength after three weeks of regular training.
• After six weeks, you should see the first tangible and visible results and you can expand your training program

Chest muscle workouts for advanced users

If you have built a solid base and are seeing results after six to eight weeks, it's time to move on to the next level.Depending on the training level, you should then work with 80 to 90 percent of your maximum strength or until what is known as muscle failure.In other words – you smash put reps so hard you can't complete anymore clean sets. Try to do 3 sets with a weight that you can barely do 5 or 6 reps.Remember, the best way to train is with a partner.

Extra tip:

Buy barbells in a set online at gorillasports.com.au

How to target for perfect pecs

After about three months of consistent training, you'll hit a certain level where you need to fine tune your workout to get that epic chest. Here are some bench-pressing tips.

• When you incline the weight bench, you train the upper part of the pectoral muscle.
• If you reduce the distance between your hands when gripping the barbell, you train the inner part of the chest muscles.
• The outer parts of the pectoral muscle in particular benefit a large hand spacing,
• If you lower the dumbbell in the area around the costal arch and bring it back up, the lower muscles of your chest grow.

Maintenance for those awesome chest muscles

If you've smashed your personal goal and don't want to build any more muscle mass, you should focus on maintenance training.Three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions at 70 to 80 percent of maximum strength with a one to two minute break in between are ideal.Two or three exercises for the chest muscles are then sufficient for each workout.Again, please don't forget to work on your back, abdominal and leg muscles as well.This not only prevents an asymmetrical appearance, but also helps avoid muscular imbalances that can lead to injuries.If you want to gain muscle mass again after a while, just hit the professional program again.

t complete anymore clean sets. Try to do 3 sets with a weight that you can barely do 5 or 6 reps.Remember, the best way to train is with a partner.

Extra tip:

Buy barbells in a set online at gorillasports.com.au

How to target for perfect pecs

After about three months of consistent training, you'll hit a certain level where you need to fine tune your workout to get that epic chest. Here are some bench-pressing tips.

• When you incline the weight bench, you train the upper part of the pectoral muscle.
• If you reduce the distance between your hands when gripping the barbell, you train the inner part of the chest muscles.
• The outer parts of the pectoral muscle in particular benefit a large hand spacing,
• If you lower the dumbbell in the area around the costal arch and bring it back up, the lower muscles of your chest grow.

Maintenance for those awesome chest muscles

If you've smashed your personal goal and don't want to build any more muscle mass, you should focus on maintenance training.Three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions at 70 to 80 percent of maximum strength with a one to two minute break in between are ideal.Two or three exercises for the chest muscles are then sufficient for each workout.Again, please don't forget to work on your back, abdominal and leg muscles as well.This not only prevents an asymmetrical appearance, but also helps avoid muscular imbalances that can lead to injuries.If you want to gain muscle mass again after a while, just hit the professional program again.