Chest Training: 3 Mistakes to avoid in 2021
If a muscle group can synthesize the passion and enthusiasm of most men who train, that group is the chest. The guys train it with an unbridled will because a well-defined chest reflects physical perfection in everyone's head.
Every Monday is like this, we arrive at the gym, and we can notice the phenomenon; all bench press seats are occupied. Eighty percent of the men present are training chest. The chest is a muscle that plays a fundamental role in both aesthetically and psychologically.
Whether you go to the beach or the pool, having a developed chest is super important, not to mention if you are in competition prep. No physique is complete without massive, dense, streaked pecs that look more like shields protecting the rib cage. Who has never been impressed by Arnold's side chest poses? Or with Franco Columbu's pecs, which seemed to split in half?
In more recent times, it is impossible to forget Markus Ruhl. Worse still would be not to mention the two Texas giants, Johnnie Jackson, and Branch Warren. Johnnie Jackson was the owner of the thickest and most dense pecs of the first decades of the 2000s. It is possible to imagine that if a small-caliber gunshot him, the projectile would not be able to pass through his chest.
But like everything in life, getting dense, thick, giant pectorals requires much hard work and sacrifices. Also, you need to train smart, which means learn the best way to perform and get the most out of your workouts.
It turns out that the vast majority of people who train and want to have a bigger chest do not pay attention to the proper form needed to execute pec exercises. They end up thinking that the more weight, the better.
People have a false idea that there is no way to steal or activate the bench press's pectorals. As we are lying down, with the trunk supported on the bench, there is no way to perform the exercise without forcing the chest muscles altogether.
The biggest mistake. It is necessary to perform the exercise using proper form and a strong connection between mind and muscle. That way, we can activate and stimulate the muscles, and they will respond much more quickly.
Many factors will determine your success in finding the perfect chest; it would be impossible to discuss them all in just one article. Today, we will comment on and solve the three main mistakes made by people when training pectorals. Stay focused.
MISTAKE #1 - DO NOT WARM UP PROPERLY
It is common to see the guys arriving at the gym and already jumping on the bench to start their training. They do not warm-up or stretch before a workout. Always warm up very well before starting your chest or other exercises.
It is essential to warm up properly before starting any training. A light walk of a few minutes serves as a general warm-up. In the case of chest training, we can and must perform a specific warm-up.
Start with very light dumbbells – 10-15 lb - and perform a series of 20 repetitions of each exercise to follow, with no interval between one set and another: side lift, front lift, development, chest flyes, dumbbell bench press, tricep extensions.
After this step, go to the bench and perform two or three sets of 20 repetitions using only the bar. Use short series breaks. Realize that it is necessary to use small weights because the intention here, for now, is just to move the essential muscles and start sending blood to that region. You shouldn't feel tired or exhausted after this warm-up.
The next step is to proceed to the place where you will perform the first exercise. Let's use the incline bench press as an example. If you do your first set with 110 lbs, set up a bar with only 50 or 55 lbs. (50% of the load used in the first set) and do a set of 10 or 12 repetitions. Ready! You are now ready to start your chest training safely.
Many people do not recognize the benefits of a proper warm-up, in addition to injury prevention (only 10% of injuries occur on the spot, that is, you arrive at the gym with everything 100%, and you will do a natural curl. Suddenly your biceps will tear.
In the rest, the injury is being formed little by little, training by training. Every repetition performed using an improper form, and little to no warm-up will accumulate and overload the structure. With time the body cannot stand, and the injury occurs.
It's that story about the guy who always had a little pain in his shoulder. It still hurt, and he never cared. Two years later, he feels a crack in his shoulder, a very severe pain, and goes to the doctor, who finds a ruptured tendon. Often, we don't even feel pain, but the injury is there, settling in. The warm-up helps us to increase performance in training.
With proper warm-up, more blood flows to the joints and muscles. Consequently, the body temperature increases slightly.
The joints have an increased synovial fluid volume. Therefore, there is less chance of friction between joint cartilages, and even if it does, the area will be well lubricated. Well-warmed muscles have their viscosity reduced. The muscle fibers and bundles slide more easily between themselves, causing less friction and decreasing the chances of injuries.
Given these factors, an adequate warm-up is essential for anyone who wants to have pectorals or any other well-developed muscle.
MISTAKE #2 - BAD FORM AND EXCESSIVE WEIGHT
Here we get into a delicate subject. Proper form to execute an exercise. We have several chest exercises. We have two groups - the bench press and the fly. I include barbell bench presses and their variations (inclined, straight, etc.) Dumbbell presses and their variations and bench presses on machines.
In the fly group, we have fly with dumbbells and their variations (inclined, straight, and declined), fly with cables and their variations (including cross-over there), and pec-decks.
We will focus here on bench presses, as they are the ones that contribute most significantly to the acquisition of muscle mass.
Many think that merely because they are lying down, there is no way to steal in the bench press with their backs resting on the bench.
But there is. It's not new that the ego commands most guys who train weight training. The more weight on the bar, the better and stronger I will get. The staff puts it so much that, in fact, it hardly stimulates your chest.
I see the guys arching their backs, lifting their shoulders, dropping the bar, and hitting their chest to gain momentum on the climb and more. In addition to these scams adding nothing to your result, they can still seriously injure you.
Start by reevaluating your way of execution. When starting the set in any bench press variation, throw your shoulders back and squeeze one scapula against each other.
Keep the shoulder blades (and shoulders) in that position throughout the set. Keep your shoulders as low as possible and pressed against the bench at all times.
The act of lifting the shoulders during the set takes all the tension out of the chest. Keep your back against the bench and focus on contraction. When you reach the final part of the positive, be sure to contract the chest even more before starting to lower the barbell or dumbbells.
Use full range, lowering as much as possible. And, of course, lighten the load if necessary.
MISTAKE #3 - USE OF EXCESSIVE PARTNER HELP
This mistake is capable of making me furious—excessive help. Training with a partner can be very productive, but as long as the partner serves with psychological support, shouting in your ear; or help with just one or two repetitions at the end of the last set of each exercise.
I get agitated when I see a couple of buddies training chest. The guy did a set with 130 lb, did not do so well, did seven alone, and the partner helped to complete three more repetitions. In this scenario, the smartest thing to do would be to lower the weight so that you can perform at least 8 repetitions alone.
But not; little Hercules puts another 20 lbs on each side of the bar, now totaling 150 lbs. As soon as he removes the bar from the rest, his partner places his hands below it. The boy does not do any repetition alone. Save the weight, and the partner still congratulates you! "I helped them all, but it was just a little bit!"
The partner keeps his hands on the bar throughout the set, even if the person doing the bench press does not need help.
These attitudes cause a situation of dependence on the partner at the time of training. Anyone who trains like this is exceptionally insecure when forced to train alone.
Stay in the gym for two hours at peak times and notice how many times someone going to do bench press asks someone else for help. Practically 100% of the time.
BODYBUILDING IS AN INDIVIDUAL SPORT, SHOULD NOT BE PRACTICED IN DOUBLE.
This practice is often related to overweight. Therefore, the guy can say that he lifts 200lbs instead of 120lbs. He can cheat others, but he will never cheat his muscles.
Follow these tips, avoid these three big mistakes, and ensure optimal development of your pectorals.
Bonus - Another mistake you shouldn't make in 2021
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We know that recovery capacity is one of the keys to muscle growth. We need to activate protein synthesis to its maximum. Besides, we need to provide the right supplements to boost protein synthesis to its most efficient levels, supporting muscle growth and recovery.
That is why Dragon Pharma developed Dr. Feaar. A product with clinically tested doses of the 9 essential amino acids (including BCAAs) will activate protein synthesis and provide essential amino acids of the best quality so that your body can amplify the signaling of hypertrophy and accelerate its results.
Don't waste time and start today to change your chest training and supplementation strategy to 2021 your best year!
