Build Big Manly Meat with this Advanced Chest Workout

When you started working out almost any change in your routine would spur on new gains.  You could do no wrong.  Remember then adding just an extra five lbs on the bench or one extra set caused soreness and growth?  Then as you get more and more use to your typical workouts you get stale.  You plateau.

Yes, the dreaded word, PLATEAU. 

How long have you been doing the same exercises?  In the same order? On the same day?  Using the same weights?  The answer is too long, right?  When was the last time you have man boobs so sore you could not touch them?  A long time?

It is time for a change!

It is time for a change.  Shake it up.  Just to stave off boredom if nothing else.  There are so many ways to structure a workout, both how to split up your muscles groups and how to best blast those muscle groups into growth. Remember every couple months, if not more often, you have to change things up to keep the body guessing.  Otherwise, the body will adapt and slow down progress.

Some of those techniques are:

• Whole Body Power (Low Reps, Heavy Weight)

• Whole Body Endurance (High Reps)

• Whole Body Circuit

• Whole Body Weight Circuits

• Whole Stretch Bad Circuits

• Whole Body Dumbbell Circuits

• Whole Body Barbell Circuits or Complex

• Cardio Low and Slow

• Cardio High-Intensity Interval Training HIIT

• Cardio O2 Max, Steady State Max Speed

• Push, Pull, Legs, 3 Day Split

• Back/Chest, Shoulder/Arms, Legs, 3 Day Split

• And Endless combinations for 3, 4, and 5-day Splits.

There are many different techniques for training on those days:

• Straight Sets

• Straight Sets with varying the rest period.

• Circuit Training

• HIIT, High-Intensity Interval Training

• Supersets

• Tri-Sets

• Giant Sets

• Pre-Exhaustion Supersets

• Post-Exhaustion Supersets

• Power to High Rep Giant Sets

• Drop Sets

• Ladder Sets

• Power Sets

• Low Reps, High Reps

• ETC………

What is my point with all this stuff?  There are endless ways to shock your muscles with growth.  It only takes a little time and effort to educate yourself and combined with imagination to come up with endless routines.

Routines to increase strength, mobility, flexibility, endurance, and explosiveness. 

All are important, all should be apart of your fitness goals. 

You say, “Now Steve, I just want to feel a little better than I feel now.”  I just want to lose a little weight and gain a little strength.

I don’t need all that complicated crap. 

To that, I say you are wrong.

Everyone needs variety and new routines to keep your interest in your workout routines.  I have seen people at the gym doing the same routines week after week and going nowhere.  Are they better off than they would be staying home?  Yes, most certainly, but are they getting the most out of their time at the gym?  I think not.  This includes most of the folks using a personal trainer.  Don’t get me wrong I think personal training is very valuable.

Most of those personal trainers do the exact same routines with their clients repeatedly, with no changes. 

The body needs variety to stay in a constant state of confusion and growth. 

With all that said, a little long winded I must say, this is one type of Chest Workout.  It is called “POST EXHAUST” SUPERSETS.

What does post exhaust mean?

You do a heavy compound exercise, or one with the muscle in a powerful position with as much weight as possible followed immediately with a lighter higher rep exercise to failure.   What this does is to let you use the heaviest weight when your muscle is fresh.  Then you continue to work the muscle in a lighter continuous fashion until total exhausted.  This Chest/Ab Workout is done just that.  Please watch YouTube video for more info from me the hour after I finished the workout.

Warm up for 15 to 30 Min:  I HIIT Run on the Treadmill 1 min fast, 1 min walk recovery.

Then warm up those shoulders, don’t neglect the shoulders, everything revolves around the shoulders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Superset:

1. Flat Bench Dumbbell Press, Heavy 6 to 8 reps. Followed immediately by,

(TIP:  Do not push your elbows out too far to the side, puts stress on the shoulders, also feel as though you are pinching a golf ball between your shoulder blades, to really engage your chest)

              Push Ups to failure, then on knees and failure again.

              3 Supersets

Second Superset:

2. Incline Bench Dumbbell Press, Heavy 6 to 8 reps. Followed immediately by,

Plate Press Incline Press, lighter weight 8 to 12 reps to failure.

3 Supersets

3. Around the World or Snow Angels with Dumbbell. 8 to 10 reps.  Followed by,

Upward Cable Cross to complete failure with one drop weight set.

3 Supersets

That is it for Chest Post Exhaust I followed this with six sets of Abs:

1. Medicine Ball Crunch Get Up: This is done by laying down with a medicine ball held straight above your head, with knees bent, like a crunch.  Then lifting your hands straight up as you sit up and reach the ball to the heavens, looking up to it.  That is one.  Do this with a light enough medicine ball to do 12 to 15 reps.  3 Sets.

2. Windshield Wipers: These are one of my favorite lower and side AB Exercises is Windshield Wipers.  There are two varieties of these.  One is to lie on your back and put your legs straight up as a 90-degree angle.  Then with legs straight and keeping the 90-degree angle wipe your feet down to the left, bring them back up, and down to the right.

   Literally, as you are wiping a glass pane with your legs.  You can do these with bent legs if they are too tough with legs straight.

The other options with these are to lie flat.  Lift your feet 6 to 8 inches off the ground.   Now wipe your feet as far left then to the right as you can.  You will have to roll your hips while you turn left and right, literally wiping the floor as if it is the windshield being cleaned by your legs and feet.  This is a very hard option, but it is a very good lower ab exercise.

3 Sets of either one.

This is not a beginner routine, but one that can be for a beginner or a much advance fitness bodybuilder.  You can vary the load and number of sets by your fitness level.  If you are not able to do it, just cut it down to one superset of each exercise combo or do one superset of three and don’t to the other two.  If any of these exercises bother your shoulders or elbows, reach out to me and we can work out a substitute for it.

Just as an FYI, this week here was my body split:

Monday:  Off Day

Tuesday:  Back and Biceps:  Pull Day.

Wednesday:  Chest and Abs

Thursday:  Total Cardio.  HIIT Run 30 min, 20 min Stationary Bike after

Friday:  Legs

Saturday:  Shoulders and Triceps / Abs

I look forward to more blogs on this website.  It is dedicated to men in the second half of life.  Stay strong, give to all, love with all you have. 

Be a SECOND HALF LION. 

Make your last days better than your first days, your last chapters better than your first.  Be an example to your children and grandchildren about what a man is supposed to be.  Give 100 percent in all you do. I look forward to meeting you and hearing about your wonderful life. 

Please try this and let me know how it works for you.  Please subscribe to the blog and go to my YouTube channel and subscribe for more great lifestyle tips and hacks. 

Warmest Regards,

Steve Crossley, The Second Half Lion