Men tend to spend hours training their chest and often forget about training the rest of their bodies. Whats the use of having a strong chest if the rest of your body looks out of shape?
• Shaping your chest is also another important point that shouldn't be forgotten. There are exercises that accentuate your cleavage, others that work the whole pec muscle in general. Inclines and declines also make a huge difference to your training. Train all areas of your chest rather than just the one chest exercise.
• For those of you who find it uncomfortable laying down on benches, why not use machines instead. Pec Decs, Seated Machine Bench Presses etc offer a seated benches which have adjustable seat pads. This keeps your lower back nice and secure.
• If you find yourself in an awkward situation where your flat bench isn't adjustable and your feet can't touch the ground when laying down, bend your legs and place your feet on the end of the bench.
• Note: Always perform a warm up before your workout, a cool down after and then your stretches.
Push-ups
Lie face down. Have your hands forwards, flat on the floor, slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Keep your tummy firm and body straight. This exercise can be performed either from your toes or from your knees.
Push ups from your toes -
Push up keeping your body straight, midsection firm, do not let your hips sag, keep your legs straight out behind you with only your hands and toes touching the floor. Lower your body down again so it is nearly touching the floor then push youself back up again. Continue until you have completed the required amount of reps.
Great for Beginners - Push ups from your knees -
Push up keeping your body straight, midsection firm, do not let your hips sag. Have your knees touching the floor with your feet bent up behind you. When you lower your body from the top position your chest should almost touch the floor. Then push yourself back up again repeating the exercise until you have completed the set.
Lying Dumbbell Flyes
You will need a flat bench and dumbbells for this exercise. Lie on your back on a flat bench, holding one dumbbell in each hand. Push the dumbbells up to meet directly above your chest, so they are at arms length. Your palms should be facing each other and your elbows slightly bent. Keeping your arms slightly bent throughout the exercise, lower the dumbbells out to your sides until you feel a stretch across your chest. Slowly return your dumbbells to starting position. Repeat this exercise until you have completed your set.
