There’s nothing else that screams more power and masculinity than a perfectly sculpted, huge, and wide pecs and shoulders.
If you have been trying to gain just that to no avail, this article is for you!
5 Tips to Build Chest Muscles
Here, we’ll look at five basic and simple exercises that will help you get a proper strength foundation, the only real way on how to get a wider chest fast!
1. Push-Ups
Push-ups are very advantageous because of their efficiency in strengthening and bulking up the chest, deltoids, triceps, core, shoulders, and the upper body in general. You can also perform it anywhere without any equipment since you only need your own bodyweight.
However, you cannot reap the benefits of this classic move if you don’t know the proper form and way to do it correctly. Here’s how:
Start by laying down while facing the floor and your body straight with your weight on your toes and hands positioned under your shoulders. Make sure to keep your core tight so that your head is perfectly aligned with your heels and glutes.
Then, lower your body until your chest is about an inch above the ground. Avoid letting your knees touch the floor. Drive up your body by fully extending your arms in a swift and explosive motion. Do this for one minute and rest for 90 seconds before doing another set.
Tip: You can also do 100 reps in one go to really burn the muscle out and get your blood flowing.
2. Barbell Bench Press
Next, we have the barbell bench press, another favorite among bodybuilders and a great muscle builder for the chest area.
Begin by lying with your back on a flat weight bench and holding a barbell on the rack above you at shoulder width using an overhand grip. Then, lift the barbell off the rack by fully extending your arms above your chest.
From this position, inhale and carefully lower the bar to the center of your chest. Explosively lift the bar back again to the starting position as you exhale. This is one repetition. Do ten sets of 10 repetitions each, resting for 1 minute between each set.
Tip: For a nice warm-up set, you can also perform 20 reps while grabbing the bar with a wider grip. To work your muscles better, you can add more weight as you get closer to the final set, during which you will perform ten reps with a heavy load.
3. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
The angle of an incline bench press allows you to emphasize and target the upper chest muscles. This will help you achieve a more carved out and rounded look of your pecs.
First, lie back on a folding weight bench set to a 45-degree angle. Grab a dumbbell in each hand and lift them up to shoulder height with your palms facing away from you.
Exhale as you press the weight up with your arms. Lock your arms out and squeeze your chest. Slowly go back to the starting position. Never allow your elbows to go lower than your shoulders and keep your pecs contracted all throughout.
Perform 2 sets of ten to twelve reps to failure or do 4 sets of 12 reps each, resting for 60 seconds between each set. This is not about the weight but about quality repetitions and correct form.
Tip: To initially get your heart pumping and your blood flowing, grab a challenging weight and do the first ten to twelve reps of the first set explosively. Maintain the same weight for the second set but this time, keep doing reps until failure.
4. Flat Dumbbell Fly
Flys help work more muscle fibers than presses while helping improve your mind-muscle connection.
To perform flat flys, lie down on a flat bench and hold two dumbbells close to your shoulders, palms facing inward. Press until your arms are almost fully extended. This is the starting position.
Move the weights downward to your sides while keeping a slight bend at the elbows. You should feel your chest muscles stretch. Squeeze your chest to return to the starting position.
Perform 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps each with a 60-second rest between each set.
5. Dips
Dips are an underrated form of exercise which focuses on isolating the chest muscles. To do this, grab the bars on a dip station and start with the widest grip you can do. Keep your arms straight and your palms facing inward.
Then, slowly lower your body until your elbows form right angles. Do not let you elbows flare out. Keep your body forward, and your feet kicked back as much as possible.
Perform 4 sets of 12 repetitions each with 1-minute rests in between or perform reps until failure.
Conclusion
With proper nutrition, discipline, and these five basic moves, you are well on your way to achieving and understanding how to get a wider chest!
About Team GV
The Gymventures team has decades of experience between them, ranging across many fields. Some of these include fitness, mixed martial arts, nutrition, building home gyms, gym equipment, and more.