Great Chest Workouts: How To Do Push Ups

Push ups are a phenomenal chest workout


by

healthy_blogging

By the time you finish reading this article you're going to know how to ratchet up your strength doing push ups. How do I know? Because the military, rescue workers and athletes of all types use them to build strength, endurance and add definition to the muscles of the chest. Why are push ups so amazing? Push ups (sometimes referred to as "press ups") strengthen the shoulders, triceps, wrists and abdominal muscles, too, making it a very good compound exercise. And they're great for helping you get better numbers on your pressing exercises. But the best thing of all about push ups is that you don't need any equipment to do them. That caught your attention. I KNOW you're interested in learning more about them. So how do you get started? Read on.


How To Perform the Simple Push up


All you'll need for this exercise is a flat, horizontal surface. Place both palms face down on the floor shoulder width apart. Now fully extend your legs behind you, make sure that your feet are close together. Most of your weight will be placed on your upper body, part of your weight will be balanced on the balls of your feet. Keep your abdominal muscles tight and your back straight. Now, lower your body until your chest is within one inch of the floor then use your chest push yourself back up again until your arms lock out. You have just completed one push up. With your palms firmly placed on the floor, lower yourself down again and push yourself back up. The less developed your chest and triceps, the more difficult it will be to do this. If it is particularly hard to push yourself back up, bend your knees and lower yourself to the floor and press yourself back up again. This reduces the amount of work that your chest muscles will have to do.

A person who is in reasonably good shape should be able to perform at least ten reps without stopping. Perform three sets of the exercise. You'll know if you're doing them correctly because you'll feel a soreness in your chest muscles. If you're unable to do more than a few reps at a time, don't be discouraged, it just means that you have some work in front of you. In this case, you may perform less repetitions per set, but you will need to increase the number of sets that you perform. Push ups can be performed several times a week, and work best on chest day as part of a pressing, dips and cable routine.

The simple push up is very easy to perform but there are variations of this exercise, including inclined push ups, declined push ups, triangle push ups, wide push ups, and knuckle push ups. I cover these in future articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Now is the time to get started. So get out there and do something.

"Push Ups For A Great Chest Workout: Push ups Are A Phenomenal Chest Workout" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Cable Crossovers

Is a fantastic exercise for the upper body

by

healthy_blogging


It's important to regularly challenge muscles if we ever want them to become stronger. Today I'm going to discuss the cable crossover exercise which is great for working the chest and other muscles of the upper body.

Performing the cable crossover

You'll need a cable machine for this exercise. Set the weights at an appropriate level. While facing away from the machine, take a handle grip in both hands. Your hands should be at chest level. Plant one foot in front of the other. You'll place most of your weight on your front foot. Now leaning slightly forward at the waist, pull both arms toward each other. You'll do this in an arc motion using the muscles of your chest to perform the action. Stop when your grips are almost touching each other. Hold this position for a 3 second count, while squeezing your chest muscles at the same time. Now reverse the action, moving your arms back to the starting position. You've just completed one rep. For this exercise to be effective, you'll need resistance. Unless you are completely new to exercise training or advised by your doctor to not participate in strenuous exercise, you should set the amount at a reasonable weight. The purpose of this exercise is to work the chest, triceps and shoulder muscles - all of which need strengthening for bench press exercises. Perform ten repetitions then take a break and start again. As you become stronger, you should increase the weights. If your goal is to become larger, go for heavy weights at lower reps. If your aim is to tone the muscle, then perform more repetitions at a lower weight.

That's all for the cable crossover exercise. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading.

"Great Chest Workout: Cable Crossovers Is a fantastic exercise for the upper body" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Tricep Cable Pushdown

Is an exercise that strengthens the upper body

by

healthy_blogging


The cool thing about compound exercises is that they train multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Take the tricep cable extension exercise which is the topic of today's article. As the name implies, you'd probably think that it's a workout for the triceps. And you'd be correct - almost. Actually this exercise trains many major groups including the triceps, shoulders, upper back, abdominals, wrists and chest. As you've probably noticed from reading all of the articles in my Great Chest Workouts series, the best exercises for developing the chest will also be those which recruit other muscles, too.

Performing the Tricep Cable Pushdown

You'll need a cable tricep pushdown machine for this exercise. Using an overhand grip, grasp the bars in both hands. Stand shoulder width apart. Make sure to keep your back straight and abs tight. Now push the weight down to your waist until your elbows lock out at the bottom of the move. You'll be using muscles in your chest, arms, back, abdominals, wrists and shoulders to do this. Once you've locked out at the bottom of the move, return to the starting position. The bars should stop at chest level. Beginners should start out with light weights and go for high repetitions, advanced and experienced trainers should lift heavier weights.

Another way to do the tricep cable pushdown is to stand with one foot just in front of the other. This is a stance that some people prefer because it allows them to maintain balance while performing the exercise. Some people may do this as they increase the amount of weight that they use.

This is an exercise that can be done on back, shoulder or even chest day. It may take a little getting used to at first but stick with it and you'll notice results.

That's all for the tricep cable pushdown. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website. Thanks for reading.

"Great Chest Workout: Tricep Cable Pushdown Is An Exercise That Strengthens The Upper Body" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Dumbbell Bent Over Rows

For those who are serious about building strength and putting on muscle.


by

healthy_blogging

Have you ever wondered how bodybuilders and powerlifters have such huge chest muscles? They put in a lot of hours doing exercises that strengthen and build the muscles of the chest. In this article I'm going to talk about the bent over row which is an excellent exercise that works a host of different muscles. The dumbbell bent over row not only helps develop a great chest, it brings proportion to the entire upper body.

Performing the One Arm Dumbbell Bent Over Row

There are a couple of ways to do this exercise. You can either use a barbell, or dumbbells. Today, I'm going to discuss the one arm bent over dumbbell row technique. This is an exercise that is important for beginners and experienced lifters. But when you first starting out, use light weights so that you can learn proper form and prevent injury. Okay, let's get started.







For this variation of the bent over row, you'll need a dumbbell and a bench. Grab a dumbbell. Now, place one knee on the bench while firmly planting the other leg on the floor. Place your left hand on the bench and lean forward. Now grab a dumbbell in your right hand. Now, while keeping your back in a straight line, abs tight and eyes looking straight ahead, bring the dumbbell to your chest. Now lower it down to within an inch of the floor. You've just completed one rep. Perform four to six reps using your right arm then switch to your left arm. Gradually increase the weight by 2.5 to 5 pound increments each week. You can also make them more challenging by performing them without a bench or using a barbell.

The bent over row is a very intense exercise and you will definitely benefit from doing them. The reason why they're so important is that in addition to your chest muscles, the bent over dumbbell row works your lower back, traps, biceps, wrist and abdominals. So they're ideal for the chest and as an added bonus they help give you the classic V shape definition. You can perform the bent over row on chest or back day alongside your benches (chest day) or deadlifts (back day).


Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts website. Thanks for reading.

"Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts: How To Do Dumbbell Bent Over Rows" copyright 2010, 2011 Great Chest and Whole Body Workouts. All Rights Reserved.

"healthy_blogging" is the property of "Living Fit, Healthy and Happy" and all of its affiliated websites. All Rights Reserved.

How To Do Pec Decks

Peck Deck Is An Intense Exercise for the Chest and Shoulders

by

healthy_blogging

Although benching is by far the most popular chest building exercise, the pec deck is a very effective workout for developing a great chest. It's also easy to perform and very safe for beginners.

How to do the pec deck exercise

You'll need a stationary pec deck machine. Sit down with your back braced against the back support. Grasp the hand grips. Your palms should be extended away from your body. Now using your chest muscles move your arms in an arc motion until your palms are facing each other. Squeeze your chest muscles together. Then bring your arms back to the starting position. This is one rep. You should feel some stretch in your pectoral muscles while this happens. It's important to keep your back straight while doing this exercise.

The pec deck is an exercise that doesn't take a lot of time to master. It is a good way for beginners to develop upper body strength. As you become stronger, increase the weights and reduce the rest period between sets. There is also a one hand pec deck exercise that can place emphasis on one side of the chest at a time. You would grasp one hand bar and in the same motion as described above, bring your arm around to the front of your body.

That's all for this article. Look forward to more articles on my Great Chest Workouts website.

"Pec Decks For A Great Chest Is an intense exercise for the chest and shoulders" copyright 2010 Great Chest Workouts. All Rights Reserved.