Every Monday, when you enter the gym, the same picture appears - yawning emptiness in the cardio area, no soul on the leg extension, and the power racks are also referenced. In return, whole host of athletes like little busy bees circling the benches in the free-weight area, because Monday is breast day. So that you are not the next one, who gleefully walks around the handle bank, but always have an alternative in the quiver, we present you five effective exercises for your breast training.
1. Bench press
Well, without any bench press, we can not do it, because one thing is clear - bench press is the most effective exercise for the chest and also trains other major muscle groups such as the shoulder and triceps because of its multi-joint practice. So whenever you get a free push bank on a Monday, it is advisable not to miss this opportunity. Due to its complexity, bench press is one of the supreme disciplines of power sports and, from a technical point of view, very susceptible to mistakes. At the beginning, lie down flat on the bench, place your feet on the floor and position your eyes at the level of the bar. These grab a little more than shoulder width, breathe in, lift the weight out and slowly lower it to the sternum. Then you move the dumbbell up in a slight arc to create a natural movement for the shoulder. Overall, make sure that the arms are at about 45 ° to the upper body, so that the chest can work optimally and the shoulder is not overloaded.
2. Incline press with the dumbbell
Similar to the big brother with the barbell, the design of the dumbbell bench press is technically sophisticated. The difference, however, is that due to the use of dumbbells, much more coordination is needed to perform the exercise cleanly and safely. Furthermore, the load shifts from the chest to the shoulder as the angle of the bank increases, which is why it should not be set too steeply. In order to optimally load the upper part of the breast, which is primarily aimed at the incline press, an angle of attack of 20 ° to a maximum of 40 ° is recommended. At 45 ° and more chest training degenerates primarily to shoulder training, which is not the point of the matter. Thus, it is also important to position the upper arms at 45 ° to the body to relieve the shoulder joint and focus on the chest. It is also important that you take advantage of the full range of motion that your shoulder offers you, without overstretching it, which can happen if you use too heavy a weight. As always, you have to choose a weight that can be moved 8 to 12 times.
3. Negative bench press
Negative bench press is the counterpart to incline bench press with respect to chest exercise, since in this case the focus is placed on the lower chest area. Like the flat bench and the oblique bench press, this exercise can be done with both dumbbells and the barbell, so that the chest workout can be varied in any case. Basically, the design of the Negativbankdrückens resembles that of the flat band back, but it should be noted that this exercise should be initially learned due to the unfamiliar reclining position with light weight. In this regard, it is particularly important to lower the bar, which must be much more controlled so that the weight does not come to rest in the area of the neck. Accordingly, slowly lower the bar and place it on the center of the sternum to get the most favorable angle for pushing up.
4. Flying with the dumbbell
In contrast to the variations of the band back, in whose implementation always several muscle groups are involved, it is in the so-called dumbbells with the dumbbell is an isolation exercise that focuses solely on the chest. To perform, lay yourself flat on a bench and stretch your arms up so the dumbbells are parallel to each other. Then slowly lower your arms to the side until your chest is maximally stretched, and then bring them slowly back up to the starting position. Above all, it is important that you keep a slight angle between your upper arm and forearm during the entire movement in order to protect the shoulder joint. In addition, it is essential that this exercise is performed very slowly, controlled and without momentum, because in this context, it is not primarily about the moving weight but the muscle feeling. Furthermore, it is advisable to turn the dumbbells slightly inwards during the positive movement phase, in order to achieve a separate contraction of the muscle origin on the sternum, thus stressing it specifically and thereby making breast training more effective.
5. Coatings with the dumbbell
Although the dumbbell covers are often underestimated by many exercisers and thus treated a little stepmotherly during breast training, but executed correctly, they can enrich your breast training enormously, because in addition to the large pectoral muscle (M.pectoralis major), the anterior sawing muscle (M.serratus anterior), specifically load. To perform the exercise properly without a partner in training, position a dumbbell upright at the head of a flat bench so you can park your workout weight on it. Now lie down flat on the bench, put your feet on the floor, grab with both arms to your workout weight and lift it. When performing, make sure that the elbow joint is at a slight angle to prevent forcing in with the triceps, so that the load is no longer primarily on the large pectoral muscle and the sawing muscle.
Variety creates more fun in breast training
In addition to the effectiveness of the selected exercises, the fun and the associated motivation as the decisive factor for success are the nuts and bolts of breast training. Accordingly, it is important to exchange exercises selectively and thus not only to provide new stimuli, but also for variety, which can be particularly helpful if the performance stagnates. In any case, the basic component for breast training is the performance of one to two complex pressure exercises, as only these are able to functionally balance the target muscles. Insulation exercises such as flying and cover-ups follow the basic exercises in order to stress the chest again and thus make the chest workout as effective as possible.
