 Improving the chest is one of the primary goals for most men that workout. The back however always seems to be ignored and this will only lead to problems in the future.
In these pre-set workouts we have a look at combining chest and back exercises in the same workout. A good looking and muscular back is not only sexy but it also gives you the all round toned look.
Many men aim to just workout the chest and the abdominal muscles these are the men that end up with back injuries and shoulder injuries etc.
When you are working out it is imperative that you do a total body workout. We have split the chest and back workout programs into beginner, intermediate and advanced. If you really are a beginner then please start on these exercises otherwise you may cause yourself some injuries.
Before we jump into the exercises lets look at some important tips when exercising the chest:
- Always keep your midsection firm.
- When using a bench to perform chest exercises always make sure your lower back is pushed into the bench.
- Never hold your breathe when performing chest exercises, this will lead to reduced performance. At the hardest point of the exercise breathe out.
- Shaping your chest is also another important point. There are exercises that accentuate your cleavage, others that work the whole pec muscle in general. Train all areas of your chest.
Beginner Workout
Beginners should do the following chest/back exercises for 4 weeks and then they should move on to the intermediate exercises. If you are exercising more than just the shoulders in your current workout then do the shoulders at the beginning of your workout. The idea is to slowly use heavier weights but with less repetitions. Below is how you should set out your weeks:
Week 1: 1 set 12 repetitions.
Week 2: 2 sets 12 repetitions.
Week 3: 2 sets 10 repetitions with heavier weights.
Week 4: 2 sets 8 repetitions with heavier weights.
Exercise 1: PRONATED LAT PULL DOWN
Take hold of a lat-pulldown bat with an overhand grip and about shoulders width apart. Moving ONLY your arms and not your body pull the bar down to your chest, this is done by squeezing the shoulder blades together. Pause for one second and then slowly and controlled return to the starting position.
Exercise 2: 45 DEGREE DUMBBELL ROW
You will need some space for this exercise. Set an incline bench up to a 45 degree angle. Now go and get some dumbbells and lie chest down on the bench. Your arms should hang straight down and you should turn your palms so they are facing each other.
Now bend your elbows and lift your upper arms as high as you can by squeezing your should blades together. Pause and then slowly lower to the weights. This is one repetition.
Exercise 3: FLAT BENCH FLY
Get yourself a pair of dumbbells and like on your back on a bench. Now bend you hips and knees to 90 degrees and put your feet in the air. Hold the dumbbells over your chest with elbows slightly bent. Now slowly lower the dumbbells down and and slightly back until your arms are parallel to the floor. You should then pause and return to the starting position.
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