Ask any bodybuilder how he built up his chest, and your answer will vary. Some will credit heavy bench pressing. Others will cite the dumbbell work they enjoy. Some will point at the Hammer Strength machines. Others will tell you that some change to diet, sleep, or AAS patterns caused their positive change which resulted in their chest growth.

Follow up your question with this one: “how important is feel when training the chest”? There is a very good chance that suddenly, the answers will become quite uniform. Nearly all bodybuilders agree that gains in pectoral muscle mass are a result of being able to “feel” the muscle being contracted. Most won’t answer that way, but when given that as an option, most will certainly choose it.

Here are a few tips for getting the most “feel” out of your chest training. Use them liberally in upcoming chest workouts. Don’t deviate too far from what has been working for you. Mix them in, whenever you feel it appropriate, for the best possible results.

Cut back the weight

Reduce the weight you’re using for every exercise by 10 to 20%, and then move much slower through the exercises as you complete the same number of reps. You’ll very likely notice a change in how you feel at the conclusion of each set. Your muscles will be saturated with much more blood than usual. This will lead to more amino acids and nutrients being moved to the muscle group, which will result in more growth. If you’re having a problem “feeling” the movement, simply cut back the weight, and you’ll soon see some improvements!

Raise the reps

If you’re been training heavy and hard, it’s very likely that you’ve gotten stronger. However, you’re probably done very little to increase your mind-muscle connection. Cut back the weight, keep your rep speed constant, and just complete more of them. You’ll activate slow-twitch muscle fibers which normally remain dormant and “un-fired” as you complete your standard 6 to 8 repetition sets. Give it a shot, but return to your heavy routine every third workout to preserve your existing muscle mass which was achieved through the heavier training.

Start your workout with dumbbell flyes

This movement is excellent for activating every possible muscle fiber in the chest. This will make them much more receptive to any and all movements that follow. Another idea is to superset incline dumbbell flyes with incline bench press. Complete the flyes with a light weight, drop the dumbbells, and then complete your 8 to 12 repetitions of bench press. You’ll very likely feel your chest suddenly doing much more of the work, and your triceps and shoulders taking the day off. This is very good for chest growth!

Long, slow stretching

At the conclusion of your chest workout, you should spend 5 to 10 minutes stretching. Pick up a magazine, maybe get a bottled water, and just spend some time establishing that aforementioned mind-muscle connection. Feel the individual muscle fibers burning from the workout you just subjected them to.

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