4 Must –Do Exercises For Chest

4 Must –Do Exercises for chest to Build a great chest isn't rocket science but needs lot of dedication and hard work like any other body part. Barbell bench press is one of the staple exercises to build huge chest and intensity is the key. We can also use reverse grip decline bench press along with inclined barbell bench press to vary the routine.

The 4 must –do exercises for chest, which I suggest to vary one’s routine are as follows:

Inclined Bench Press     5 Sets of 6 – 8 Reps

Reverse Grip Decline Bench Press      4 Sets of 6 Reps

Dumbbell Fly’s        4 Sets of 6 Reps

Machine Fly’s     5 Sets of 6 – 8 Reps

Aesthetics VS Mass Monsters

There was a time when bodybuilding was celebrated and had its glories days, I can say up until the early 90’s.  It wasn't in terms of prize money, big stage or the huge publicity. It was then, that we all could relate their physique to that of herculean physique. These physiques classified by broad shoulders, thick back, small waist and huge chest all in proportion with one another.         

 

Steve reeves, Reg Park, Bill pearl, Larry Scott, Arnold, Franco, Frank Zane just to name a few all were classic physiques and at the same time they were phenomenally strong. Today’s bodybuilding lacks symmetry and aesthetics which was the trademark of golden days of bodybuilding. Now that even Arnold has showed his displeasure and voiced out his opinion about judging and sad state of bodybuilding. Hopefully changes will be made and physiques with Aesthetics look will be rewarded.

Total Body Stretching

Stretching is a vital aspect in your daily workout, if you are trying to maximize your muscular development and fitness. People who already invest say ten minutes a day stretching need not worry to read this article. Stretching helps you strengthen & develop quickness, endurance and most importantly flexibility. Stretching is awesome activity that can be used to avoid injuries and muscle damage. Ever wondered why martial artist emphasize on stretching? Not just to do those fancy kicks. Yes stretching is what makes them develop speed, power and balance.  Those round house kicks are not only great to watch but are also very powerful. Best example would be martial arts expert & Hollywood action star Jean clued Van damme also known as “muscles from Brussels”. 

First important thing one must do is to thoroughly warm-up before stretching. Stretching a cold muscle is not a good idea, muscles are like rubber band. If you stretch a rubber band when it’s cold, it won’t stretch beyond a certain point and it breaks, same applies to muscles. So way to stretch is to warm-up first, then do the stretching exercise followed by your workout or you can do post- workout stretching. The best thing about post-workout stretching is that your muscles are already warmed-up and trained so need not bother about improper warm-up.

One of the most misconception about stretching is it’s mistook for warm-up. Now warm-up and stretching are two different things, Stretching is not warming up! It is, however, a very important part of warming up. Warming up is elevating the body temperature to a specific degree say about 1.5 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit. Stretching is beneficial in avoiding injury to joints, muscles, and tendons, reduce muscular soreness and muscular tension. Helps develop kinesthetic senses, enhances physical fitness. If you stretch too aggressively, it reduces flexibility and can cause injury, thus the way to stretch correctly is to avoid the pain threshold. Help yourself in a position where the target muscle feels tight but still comfortable and hold this position for 10-20 seconds, and then release the stretch. Once you’re done with earlier discussed way of stretching then move further to bit intensify the stretching technique. Stretch the same muscle group again for say around 20 to 30 seconds but focus on greater relaxation; it helps loosen up the muscles. 2-3 circuits of this system of stretching are enough to warm-up and cool down your body. Some of the body parts you can stretch before starting any weight training would be: Achilles tendon, Hamstrings, Adductors, Hip flexors, Lateral torso. We’ll try implementing these techniques in your daily quest for fitness and trust me will notice a different.          

Quick circuit workout

I hear people all the time that they don’t have time to workout be it at home or at the gym. I refuse to agree with that and believe that everyone has at least 1 hour in a day and they can work out. However if you are extremely busy then do try this quick circuit training workout. It would hardly take 15 to 20 minutes and will make you fit and strong.

Here is what you do:

Do 10 reps of 6 sets of wide and close grip pull ups alternating with wide and close grip push ups.