If you want big chest muscles, then you’ve most likely heard that bench press is the way to go. The bench press is by far the most popular exercise in the gym and what people often look at to see how strong you are. While the bench press is effective, this is a ridiculous thought. The bench press will help build your upper body, but it doesn’t determine your overall level of strength. Not only that, but many people arch their back when they’re doing heavy weights on the bench press, which doesn’t give you an accurate read anyway. Another misconception with the bench press is that you should go all the way down to your chest. If you do that, you’re working out your back more than your chest. Try it now without a weight. You can feel the difference. To maximize the bench press exercise for strength and size gains, you should be stopping the descent of the bar at six inches above your chest.

That said, bench press is not the best way to get a bigger chest. The best way to earn a bigger chest is by doing squeezer exercises. Squeezers mean that you can feel your pectoral muscles squeezing together as you’re performing the exercise. As with most exercises, you need to feel what the exercises are doing in your muscles. And in case you don’t already know, you must breathe. Without proper breathing, you won’t accomplish much.

One good example of a squeezer exercise is flyes. This is when you take two dumbbells, lay on a bench, and move the weights as though you’re hugging a tree. These might not look as flashy as the bench press, but they will give you better results. Speaking of dumbbells, it’s much more effective to do dumbbell bench that standard bench. You will recruit more muscles. This will help build more of your upper body.

Another good exercise for building your chest is the pec deck. You usually don’t want to do too many machines. They’re not nearly as effective as dumbbells, and if you’re looking for serious strength, they’re just going to waste your time. However, they are good for maintenance. The pec deck is one of those rare machines that can hang with the free weights. This is because you can squeeze your pecs by using very heavy weights and without danger. This is definitely an exercise you want to add to your routine. This machine can often be found in any gym.

There is another chest exercise that is very effective, but many people don’t know about. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure it has a name. But, it’s extremely effective. Take a dumbbell and hold it vertically. Start with it up against your chest while you’re standing. From there, push out while focusing on your pecs. Do about twelve reps. As you get more comfortable and begin to feel the burn in all the right spots, move up in weight. Before you know it, you’ll be using an 80 – 100 lb. dumbbell and blowing up that chest as if it were filled with helium.

Stick to the exercises above to bulk up your chest.

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