A question asked frequently concerning training and angle variation is whether you can add more muscle size by using more angles to exercises for each muscle group. The answer to this question is that this is not necessary. Most bodybuilders have the misguided notion that by adding more angles, sets and repetitions their physique will be enhanced by recruiting all the muscle fibres. Here is an example I got from a lifter in the gym on his chest workout routine. His workout includes the flat bench presses, incline presses, dumbbell flat presses, cable crossovers, dips, the fly machine and decline presses, using 4 sets of 10 reps. According to him, he might be under the illusion that he is doing a great job. He is entirely wrong. The first mistake he is making is replicating exercises such as the bench press and dumbbell flat press which are similar. It is not necessary to repeat exact exercises like the cable crossovers and fly’s twice in a workout. This kind of chest training routine is an absolute mess. He not only over-exercised, but he duplicated some of the workouts doing more reps and sets unnecessarily for the training he was undertaking. Just remember that the focus is to stimulate the muscle.

Are you seeking muscle hypertrophy? If you are then you need to stick to the core basics of the workout without overtraining. The flat press, chins, close-grip bench press, shoulder press, squats, dead lifts, overhead extensions and straight bar curls are some of the examples included in the basics. There are various fancy movements – power movements known also as compound movements designed to add muscle mass, which may change the direction of the stress applied to the muscle although the results received are optimal. The only way to determine whether all the muscle fibres are recruited or not depends on the poundage and intensity applied.

Set out below are two examples on the best routines to apply for chest workouts. In the first example, use the flat press, incline dumbbell press, incline dumbbell fly’s and seated pec dec machine each for a number of 4 sets of 10 repetitions respectively. You will realize that this routine will not produce the desired growth. It is not only overtraining but it is also a time waster. With the right poundage and intensity, the flat press exercise would be the only exercise needed.

The second example which also produces the desired growth is where you use the flat press and incline press for only 3 sets of 8 repetitions respectively. This is a more productive workout for chest development because the entire chest muscle gets stimulated when using the flat press. Since it is one muscle it is able to contract at once in this way completing the training. When you add the incline press this helps to shift some focus to the upper chest but this needs to be limited as the flat bench press also targets the upper chest.

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