A sculpted well defined chest is probably the ultimate sign of masculinity. For ions the male form has been portrayed in sculpture, paintings and artwork with models boasting massive well defined pecs. While most guys may think that they know the basics for building a bigger chest (which they may) what they don’t realize is what they’re doing wrong! Here are the most common chest training mistakes you may not even know you’re doing!
Common Chest Training Mistakes
1. Paying Attention to Weight vs. Form
The
amount of weight you can press on a normal Chest Press is useful for
determining your 1RM (1 rep maximum), but it isn't a good indicator of
your overall chest strength. Trying to lift a lot of weight with bad
form isn't going to help you. Most individuals who are more concerned in
showcasing how much they can press than properly executing the exercise
will overextend their shoulders or have a limited range of motion.
2. Upper Chest Workout
Let's
face it, we work out our chests to achieve that thick bulldog mass of
muscle, but you also need to train the weaker "parts" of the muscle.
From the front of the shoulders, your chest muscles "spread out." The
segment of the muscle farthest from the insertion point at the shoulder
is the thinnest. By using progressive loading and modifying the angle of
the exercise, you may quickly change up your current chest routines. An
incline chest press, for example, hits the muscle from a different
angle, which might assist “work” the upper chest (although all the chest
muscles are engaged with every movement).
3. Excessive reliance on free weights or machines
Machines,
like free weights, can be just as effective. Machines can limit some
functional training advantages by limiting range of motion, but they are
extremely effective at isolating and targeting muscle areas. We
analyzed an ACE-sponsored study a few months ago that found the Pec Dec
to be one of the top three chest exercises for building a bigger chest
and working the chest muscles in general. It should be your goal to
change things up.
4. Excessive training
This
should go without saying, but you'd be amazed how many men (and women)
go to the gym every week and repeat the same routine. If you're not
growing or developing the muscles you desire, it's not because you need
to train them harder; rather, it's because you need to work them better.
You should only workout each muscle group twice a week at the most.
Muscles grow and repair themselves when they are at rest, not when they
are pumping out reps!