A great upper body with a chiseled chest is every bodybuilding enthusiast’s dream come true. And perfecting a few bench press variations can make this dream come true.
A great looking chest is what most gym goers long for. Developing a great looking chest in certainly not a child’s play. It requires the 3 S. Now you might be wondering what exactly is a 3 S?
The 3 S – Strength, Stamina, and Stability
Strength
You require strength because gradually you would want to increase weight for your chest exercises. A bigger and great looking chest demands bigger weights, which requires great strength.
Stamina
You require stamina because with increasing weights, it is not easy to do the number of repetitions that you might be doing with lighter weights. So stamina is a very important factor if you need to perform the required reps for your chest exercise.
Stability
You require stability in the movement because when the weights increase and you get exhausted with each coming repetition, you tend to lose balance during exercise movements. You have to especially be careful while using barbells with heavy weights on them, because any imbalance during such movements may lead to serious injuries.
Now that you are all set on the concept of 3 S, let’s have a look at 3 different bench press variations for a strong, big and great looking chest.
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Looking for the perfect exercise with an excellent output in the form of a great upper chest? Then the incline bench press should be your pick. With your back on the bench, you have to hold a pair of dumbbells above your shoulders. Please ensure that your arms are fully extended for this position. For movement – lower the dumbbells towards your chest and extend them upwards again. You may perform this exercise with a barbell once you master the dumbbell bench press. Using a barbell for bench press is an excellent way to develop your chest.
Remember, that each dumbbell must be properly balanced by each arm. This not only increases your core strength but also gives you the benefit of zero muscular imbalances. An angle of 30-45 degrees works well in case of an incline bench press.
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The decline bench press is an effective chest movement that you can perform to work on your lower part of the pectoral muscles. An angle of around 30 degrees works well for this exercise. When you lay with your back on the bench, ensure that your must be firmly secured on the padding. With the dumbbells held up straight, the movement requires you to lower the dumbbells slowly towards your lower chest. You may also use barbells for this exercise but do it only if you can maintain stability. Because even the slightest imbalance may cause injury. So it is recommended to use a lighter weight in the beginning for gaining control of balance and movement.
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This is an amazing exercise for a great looking chiseled chest. The grip length is short in this exercise. You have to grip the bar close or at shoulder width, depending on your level of mobility. The bar, in the close grip bench press, should never be placed on your fingers. It must be placed upon your palms. The interesting part is that this type of movement is immensely helpful in developing great looking triceps.
There are many more bench press variations that are very useful for a great chest workout, like – Flat Bench Press, Reverse-Grip Bench Press, Eccentric Bench Press, Floor Press, and Resistance Band Bench Press etc.
So all you need to do is stay focused on the 3 S, perform the bench press exercise movements properly, and most importantly – Never Quit!
