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Health and Fitness Tips

Workout Tips for Pecs

When trying to develop a super chest, the first mistake that most make is to try too hard, doing too many exercises, sets and reps. It is far easier than that, here are a few tips.

*Think Positive Thoughts - To get the chest you've always dreamed of, you must think positive. You must first conceive, then believe and you will then achieve.

*Get Strong - How do you get strong? By utilizing a basic training technique called progressive resistance. Simply put, this means you handle more weights or do more reps every workout. Do this week after week, month after month, until you reach your maximum strength. Record all your workouts and try to do at least one extra rep each chest workout. Imagine you are doing three sets of incline presses. The first is your warm-up set of 10 reps. Add weight and do a second set of ten more reps. Then add weight and do your final set to absolute failure (you can't push another one out), record that final set number. On your next workout, work to exceed that 'absolute failure' set by 1 rep, once you have done this, increase the weight (as little as one pound).

*Train Your Pecs From Two Angles - Use both the incline and decline bench when doing chest presses. Why? While flat bench chest presses are fine, most men want more than a flat chest. Incline chest press and a variety of decline chest press exercises (i.e. dips) strengthen and sculpt your chest. The best routine is to train the pecs once every 5-7 days and perform three sets each of inclines and declines using the progressive resistance technique described earlier. Do these religiously and your chest will grow, plus you will get strong, which is necessary to get powerful looking pecs.

*Eat Properly - You can train your pecs hard and heavy for years, but you won't grow if you're not eating properly. Try to consume about one gram of protein of body weight daily. Eat whole foods focusing on lean proteins, as well as vegetables, fresh fruit, flax seed oil, flax seed powder (for fiber), rice, potatoes, yams and squash. Avoid wheat as much as you can (pasta, bread, cereal, etc.), because this is one of the most allergenic foods on the planet. The gluten in wheat can irritate your intestinal lining and cause you to poorly absorb your food. Vegetables and fresh fruits should be your first choice of carbohydrates. You may also consume rice, potatoes and yams unless you are overweight, in which case you should limit the starches until your weight (bodyfat) drops to an appropriate level.

*Supplement Your Diet - I like natural supplements - whey protein and or egg white protein. There are very few supplements on the market today that are completely safe. If you choose to take a manufactured supplement, check with your doctor. Many manufactured supplements can increase blood pressure, cause negative physical changes, and/or hair loss - really think twice about these.

My final tip for a better chest is to flex those pecs. Flex daily and you will have better control over this muscle group. And the better you can control your pecs, the easier it is to isolate them when you exercise.

A big sculpted chest is one of the top reasons people bodysculpt - use the tips above and see dramatic improvements to your chest development.

Rick Gusler is a certified personal trainer and diet nutritionist who serves his clients through Gusler Body Sculpting Fitness Center in central Denver. To schedule a free consultation, or to learn more about the Gusler method of body sculpting, spin yoga, or Rick's Boot Camp, please contact him at 303.860.7131 or online at www.guslerbodysculpting.com.

Gusler Body Sculpting Fitness Center, LLC
459 Acoma Street · Denver, Colorado 80204 · 303-860-7131
Hours: Monday-Friday: 6am-8pm · Saturday: Closed · Sunday: Closed

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