chest workout plan at gym

 Chest Workout Plan for Men

The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise where the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the Pectoralis major, the anterior deltoids, and the triceps, among other stabilizing muscles. A barbell is generally used to hold the weight, but a pair of dumbbells can also be used.

The barbell bench press is one of three lifts in the sport of powerlifting alongside the deadlift and the squat. These are the only lifts in the sport of Paralympic powerlifting. The bench press is an upper body mass-building exercise that stresses some of the body’s largest muscles, including chest, triceps, shoulders, front deltoids, and upper back. It is also used extensively in weight training, bodybuilding, and other types of training to develop the chest muscles. Bench press strength is important in combat sports as it tightly correlates to punching power. To improve upper body strength, power, and endurance for athletic, occupational, and functional performance as well as muscle development, the barbell bench press is frequently used. 

Movement

The person performing the exercise lies on their back on a flat bench with a barbell grasped in both hands. They lower the barbell to chest level until it touches the chest, then press the barbell upwards, extending the arms until the elbows are locked out. This is one repetition (rep).

Powerlifting: Take position on a flat bench with body weight resting on buttocks and upper traps, an arched back and feet driven into the floor. Movement requires the weight to be taken at full arm's length, lowered to upper torso, paused, and then lifted to starting position. Optimizing performance for powerlifting entails the powerlifter following and practicing certain techniques, such as arching, inhaling deeply, and actively pressing their feet into the floor to utilize all body parts in the lift and ensure weight distribution through the back and legs and into the floor.

History

The bench press has evolved over the years, from floor, bridge, and belly toss variations to the methods used by bodybuilders and powerlifters today. It became popular from the late 1950s onwards. Despite the fact the parallel dip is safer (the dip does not require spotters or safety bars, in the 1950s the bench press took over the dip in popularity and became the standard fare for chest exercises.

At first the strict floor press was the most popular method. In 1899, using a barbell with 48 centimeters (19 in) discs (plates), George, inventor of the barbell hack squat, rolled a barbell over his face (which was turned to the side) and performed a strict floor press with 164 kilograms (362 L b). This stood as a record for 18 years until Joe Nord quest broke it by 1 kilogram (2.2 L b) in 1916.

Around this time, new methods started gaining ground. Lifters began to discover that strong glutes could help them get the bar from the ground to overhead. They would lie on the floor and position the bar over their abdomen, then perform an explosive glute bridge movement, catapulting the bar upwards and catching it at lockout.

Lifting techniques, training, and drugs have improved over the years and the bench press record lift has grown from 164 kilograms (362 L b) to 355 kilograms (783 L b) (raw, record held by Julius Maddox) in approximately 100 years.

The bench press is used as a test of upper-body explosive strength during the NFL combine, where prospective NFL draft picks attempt to get as many reps of 225 L b as possible.

Muscles

A conventional bench press uses the pectoralis major, front deltoids, and triceps brachii to horizontally adduct the shoulder. While flat bench pressing, the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles are activated. The exercise also uses the triceps and anconeus to extend the elbows. The triceps are most crucial around the end of the press to help complete and lock out the elbows. With the right form, parts of the deltoids will be used to help make the lift, including the anterior deltoids. Wider hand spacing places a greater emphasis on shoulder flexion and narrower hand spacing utilizes more elbow extension. Because of this, wider hand spacing is associated with training the pectorals and narrower hand spacing is associated with training the triceps. Both close and wide hand spacing train the deltoid area.

In addition to the major phasic (dynamic) muscles, the bench press also uses tonic (stabilizing) muscles, including the scapular stabilizers (serratus anterior, middle, and inferior trapezius), humeral head stabilizers (rotator cuff muscles), and core (transverse abdominis, obliques, multifidus, erector spinae, quadratus lumborum.)

10 Week Chest Size & Bench Press Strength Workout

This ten week training cycle is designed to not only boost your barbell bench press prowess but also pack on slabs of muscle mass to your upper and lower chest.

Workout Description

This is a workout for late beginners and intermediate lifters designed to help pack on additional chest muscle mass while also bringing up your bench press strength. You will be alternating between volume rep weeks and heavy singles.

• Week 1 - 8 sets x 8 reps @ 55% of current one rep max
• Week 2 - 8 singles @ 87.5% of current one rep max
• Week 3 - 7 sets x 7 sets @ 62.5% of current one rep max
• Week 4 - 7 singles @ 90% of current one rep max
• Week 5 - 6 sets x 6 reps @ 70% of current one rep max
• Week 6 - 6 singles @ 92.5% of current one rep max
• Week 7 - 5 sets x 5 reps @ 77.5% of current one rep max
• Week 8 - 5 singles @ 95% of current one rep max
• Week 9 - 4 sets x 4 reps @ 85% of current one rep max
• Week 10 - Max attempt

How to perform your max attempt

Perform your warmup sets, then move on to singles as follows:

• 85% of current one rep max for a single
• 92.5% of current one rep max for a single
• 102.5% of current one rep max for a single

If you are able to hit 102.5%, try another max attempt at 105% of your current one rep max. If successful, try a third and final attempt with 107.5%.

Workout notes

Alternate between close grip benches and dumbbell benches every other week. Do the same for incline dumbbell and barbell bench presses.

Add weight to flyes/pec dec, skullcrushers, and trice extensions when possible.

After week 10, take a deload or light week before started the cycle over again.

On training days when you are performing singles, rest at least 2 minutes between each set. On rep work training days, rest 1.5 to 2 minutes between sets.