Steve Cook's 6-Exercise Chest-Building Workout
If you
want to construct a better chest, you need to look beyond the bench
press. Steve Cook, owner of one of the best physiques in the biz, will
show you how he builds without the bench.
Most people think that the flat bench press is the ultimate exercise
for chest building—that no chest-day workout is complete without it.
Although the bench press is a fantastic movement, it's actually much
better for building strength than muscle mass. There just isn't enough
chest isolation to make the bench press the best choice for pec
hypertrophy.
So, you're not going to do any flat bench pressing in this workout.
Instead, you're going to pre-exhaust your chest with some pec-isolation
sets before moving into exercises that recruit other muscles. Finally,
you'll hit a blood-pumping circuit that will set your muscle fibers on
fire.
This workout isn't about the weight; it's about forcing a lot of
blood into your pecs so they can grow. Check your ego at the door.
If you're ready to build a bigger, better-looking chest, I'm ready to teach you how. Let's go get our swole on!
Steve Cook's 6-Exercise Chest-Building Workout
Watch the video - 16:45
Steve Cook's Chest-Building Workout
1
Incline Cable Fly
2 warm up sets of 12-14 reps, 3 working sets of 12-14 reps, 60 sec. rest between sets
2
Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
3 sets of 8-10 reps, last set is a dropset, 90-sec. rest between sets
3
Isolateral dumbbell bench press
3 sets of 8-12 reps per arm, 90-sec. rest between sets
Triset
4
Chest Dip
3 sets of 1 minute, 1 min. rest between sets
Landmine press
3 sets of 1 minute, 1 min. rest between sets
Decline Push-Up
3 sets of 1 minute, 1 min. rest between sets
Incline cable fly
The reason we're doing this exercise first is to isolate and
annihilate the pecs. Align the bench so that when you pull the cables,
your shoulders, elbows, and wrists all move at the same angle.
Incline cable fly
Keep your hands in a supinated position to hit your upper chest a
little more, and try not to let your elbows move. Keep your weight in
your feet and your butt and upper back on the pad.
Increase the weight each set and do every rep. Your chest will be on fire!
Smith machine incline bench press
We're going to use a little tempo on this lift. Lower the weight
for four seconds, then explode up once the bar touches your chest. Use a
slightly closer grip than what you would use on a normal bench press.
Smith machine incline bench press
Because we're pressing, the anterior delts will come in to help
your chest. But because we prefatigued the pecs doing the first
exercise, they'll exhaust long before your delts do.
As it starts getting tougher, keep your feet on the ground and
press your heels into the floor. Don't let your feet or hips move.
Increase weight on each set. When you've finished the last rep on
the final set, remove much of the weight and do a dropset. I like to
take a wide grip for 5-7 reps, a regular grip for 5-7 reps, and a close
grip for 5-7 reps. This technique helps to take the set way past failure
and hits your chest from multiple angles.
Isolateral dumbbell press
I like to throw in unilateral training because most people have a
dominant arm that can take over for the weaker side. When you train one
side at a time, you can be positive that each side is doing the same
amount of work. For this movement, keep your left arm at a 90-degree
angle as you're right arm works. Alternate which arm works first each
set, and increase the weight each set.
Isolateral dumbbell press
Because we're working one arm at a time and holding tension in the
nonworking arm, we're effectively doubling our time under tension, which
is excellent for hypertrophy.
Triset: Chest dip, landmine press, and decline push-up
The final portion of this workout is a triset of chest dips,
landmine press, and decline push-ups. The exercises will work that
lower, outer chest and will force a lot of blood into the muscles. And
because you'll be doing these movements circuit-style, you're heart rate
will be elevated.
For a more chest-dominant dip, lean forward and keep your hips back
and high. Your chest should be about parallel to the floor. Dip below
90 degrees, push up, and then stop just before you lock out to keep
tension on the muscle. Each set, try to do more reps than you did the
previous one.
Triset: Chest dip, landmine press, and decline push-up
When doing the landmine press, wrap both hands around the bar,
bring the bar down to the top of your chest, and press up. Trust me; you
don't need to use a lot of weight. Working for an entire minute is much
tougher than you'd think.
The push-ups may seem foreign, but you'll figure out the movement
pattern as you go along. Keep your butt high. Get as many reps as you
can. When you reach failure, move to a regular push-up.
Do Work, Get Results
Forcing out those last couple of reps when your body tells you it
doesn't want to is when results come. Just because it's not leg or back
day doesn't mean you shouldn't leave the gym totally trashed.
When you walk out of the gym, you should know there's nothing else you could have done.
