Aimless repping no longer cuts it. If you want a bigger chest you need to get scientific with your gym time.
While most men hit the bench (and do almost nothing else) to build a bigger chest, our workout takes a smarter approach and fuses two scientifically-tested workouts to add size to you pectorals faster than ever. Alternate between our two sessions and you’ll have pecs that pop in no time at all.
Why You Need to Build a Bigger Chest
There is a good reason that Mondays are known as international chest day, most guys realise that defining and sculpting their chest will obviously help them look ripped. But benching has a bigger benefit than just how you look. All that pushing will help you whenever your lifting or pushing objects in your daily life, which includes everything from barbells to broken-down cars.
How to Start Building a Bigger Chest
Before you start building though, you need to lay the foundation for growth, and put simply, strength is the only true shortcut to size. Fusing old-school German volume training (a weightlifting staple) with innovative tabata protocols will maximise the flow of blood to your muscles for hyper-efficient results.
Remember to rest for two days before taking on the next session.
In the second session, you’ll be manipulating the fibrous tissues around your muscles, which can make or break your results. Your next gym workout allows for greater fascial stretching before hitting the pectoralis major (for depth) and minor (width) to boost expansion in all directions.
Rest for two days before going back to session one. A bigger chest is 28 days away.
Top Tips To Upgrade Your Chest Day
You’ll find the lab-tested sessions further down, but if you want to up your chest day even further, here are a selection of our biggest hitting chest articles.
1. 4 quick tips to bench more on chest day
2. Work your abs and chest with a single dumbbell
3. 5 chest exercises you’re not doing, but should be
4. Smoke your chest and arms with this 3-move finisher
5. The Reasons why your chest isn’t growing
How to Build a Bigger Chest at Home
Before we get started, it’s important to know that you don’t need a well-equipped gym or training space in order to build a bigger chest efficiently. Armed with the right know-how — you’ve come to the right place — you can use training methodologies from the likes of CrossFit, calisthenics and bodybuilding to build an impressive chest with little to no kit. Here’s a few to get you started…
Hands Elevated Press-up
Place your hands on a box and step back into a strong plank position. Bend at the elbows to lower your chest to the box, pause, then press back up explosively. Good for high-rep burnout and building strength for floor press-ups.
Typewriter Press-up
Place your hands wider than usual. Shift to the right and bend that elbow to lower your chest. Keeping your chest close to the ground, shift to the left, straightening your right arm while bending the left. Move side to side.
Band-resisted Press-up
Cross a resistance band across your back, looping your thumbs through each end. Assume the press-up position. Lower yourself, then press up, pushing explosively against the resistance of the band to activate the muscles in your upper body.
Session One
Sets: 10
Reps: 6
Rest: 60 secs
Lie back on a flat bench holding a barbell in the rack above you with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Lift the bar off the rack and position it above your chest with arms fully extended. From the starting position, breathe in and lower the bar slowly until it skims the middle of your chest. Push the bar back to the starting position explosively as you breathe out. That’s one rep.
Repeat the following four-move press-up circuit twice to force blood into your pecs, providing them with nutrients and improving your posture to iron out any imbalances. This circuit can be done almost anywhere.
Sets: 1
Reps: 60 secs
Rest: 90 secs
Get down into a press-up position with your hands placed so your fingers are pointing towards your toes. Lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground then explosively drive up by fully extending your arms.
Sets: 1
Reps: 60 secs
Rest: 90 secs
Set up with your weight supported on your toes and hands beneath your shoulders, body straight. Take care to keep your core locked so a straight line forms between your head, glutes and heels. Lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground then explosively drive up by fully extending your arms.
Sets: 1
Reps: 60 secs
Rest: 90 secs
Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on a bench, with your feet planted on the floor. Bend your arms and lower your body until your chest touches the bench. Push your body back up to the starting position.
Sets: 1
Reps: 60 secs
Rest: 90 secs
Get in a press-up position, with your hands shoulder-width apart and back straight. Lower until your chest almost touches the floor then push up explosively, clapping your hands together before going straight into the next press-up.
Session 2
Sets: 1 each side
Reps: Until time
Rest: 60 secs
While standing, place your hand behind you and push into your lower back. Pull your shoulders back and push your chest out. Return to the start position.
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Rest: 60 secs
Lie back on a bench set to a 45-degree angle and lift the weights up to shoulder height, palms facing away from you. Breathe out as you press up with both arms. Lock out your arms and squeeze your chest before returning slowly to the start position.
Sets: 3
Reps: 12
Rest: 60 secs
Lie down on a flat bench holding two dumbbells at your shoulders with your palms facing inwards. Press the dumbbells up until your arms are almost fully extended. This is your starting position. From here, with a slight bend in your arms, arc the weights down to your sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Squeeze your pecs to return the weights to the start position by reversing the movement.
Sets: 3
Reps: 12
Rest: 60 secs
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie on an incline bench. Start with your arms extended directly above you and then slowly lower them out to the side, keeping a slight bend at the elbow. Reverse the action and bring your arms above you again, then repeat.
Sets: 4
Reps: 12
Rest: 60 secs
Grab the bars of a dip station with your palms facing inward and your arms straight. Slowly lower until your elbows are at right angles, ensuring they stay tucked against your body and don’t flare out. Drive yourself back up to the top and repeat.
Via Men’s Health
