Walk into the gym on any Monday night, and you’re likely to see the majority of guys working like crazy in an effort to build up their pecs. So why is it that chest usually leads off the training week? Well, because big pecs are a classic indicator of strength and athleticism. Just look at the Terminator, Rocky, and Superman, and it’s easy to see why most men covet massive, thick, and striated pectorals.
The funny thing is, despite all of the hard work, very few get to display the kind of chest that you’d find on the likes of Golden Age bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Frank Zane. That’s because building perfect pecs isn’t as easy as lying on a bench and mindlessly pressing humongous weights. It takes a well-thought-out, progressive, and meticulous approach that carefully avoids the following mistakes.
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Edgar Artiga
Error 1: Failing to Set the Torso Correctly
This is, in my opinion, the most common reason people fail to build the kind of chest they desire. Before even beginning any set of presses or flyes, make sure to raise the ribcage, slightly arch the lower back, and shrug the shoulders down and back. This position must be held from the beginning to end of each set.
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gilaxia / Getty Images
Error 2: Utilizing Too Few Reps Per Set
For some reason, most guys worry more about how much weight they are lifting than about how they’re lifting it when it comes to chest training. While it’s fun to test one’s strength on occasion with a single or double on the bench or incline press, this will do little to stimulate actual muscle growth. Most of the time, I advise 7-12 reps per set in perfect form if your main goal is huge pecs.
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Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Error 3: Too Much (Barbell) Bench Pressing
There’s no doubt that the barbell bench press is an awesome pec-building exercise. After all, some of the best chests of all time were sculpted by “big benchers.” However, I feel most trainees rely on this movement too much, which can not only hold back muscular development, but also cause overuse injuries that lead to major shoulder issues. Make sure to use a wide variety of exercises in your chest program, including flyes, dips, and pullovers, as well dumbbell and machine work.
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Per Bernal
Error 4: Not Emphasizing the Negatives
In an effort to put up bigger weights, many guys let the barbell or dumbbells quickly drop to their chests so a nice rebound can occur from the bottom. Not only can this cause muscle tears and/or rib cage injuries, but it will also rob you of the most effective portion (as far as hypertrophy is concerned) of every rep. Make sure to emphasize the negative (eccentric) potion of every rep by lowering the weight over two to five seconds for maximum pec development.
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Westend61 / Getty
Error 5: Missing the Angles
If you are aware of my many articles and how I coach my students, then you know how big I am on changing up the angles of push/pull in order to hit a muscle in its entirety and recruit all sets of motor unit pools. When it comes to training the chest you can press/flye from a decline all the way to a very high incline, with so many angles in between. Vary these angles to knock off every muscle fiber and to make training more interesting.
