Side extension pectoralis major
It's rare to hear of a youngster who doesn't enjoy working on their pecs, but is never satisfied with where they are now.
The goal every time you train is to get better, to have toned pecs and still be able to do more and heavier bench presses, and with this technique you can do just that! In one fell swoop, your pecs will be transformed, not just bigger, but also in shape, and strength will be taken into account, let's start with the details of this technique.
The barbell bench press
Will you focus on these two things: Improving your chest, and completing a bigger bench press? In fact, if you focus on only one, you will also affect the other.
Although strength is very important for powerlifters, fitness enthusiasts also benefit from the same focus on strength training, with more weight and more help to build muscle. This technique for building pectoral muscles is often used tactfully by powerlifters for powerlifting training, but it can also add thickness and mass to the pectoral muscles, which is why it can be added to a training routine.
Chains attached to the ends of the barbell
Training tip: Add chains
You may have seen this exercise in some foreign videos, where chains are added to the ends of an already heavy barbell. This doesn't just look cool and hardcore, it has many benefits and can help you build strength, especially if you find a bottleneck in your bench press.
Chain barbell bench press
How it works
Chains are a unique form of resistance and also a way to add strength when bench pressing. When the chains are placed on the ends of the barbell, part of the chain remains on the floor and does not add too much weight to the barbell.
When pushing upwards, the chains leave the ground and the weight of the chains is added to the barbell. When the barbell is at its lowest point, the chains are back on the ground and the weight is reduced again.
Chain barbell bench press
what are the benefits of this for the bench press? Assuming a 60kg barbell and a 15kg chain, this is 75kg in total. At the lowest point of weight reduction, that's around 60-65kg used. This is very important, this is when the pecs, shoulders and arms are not in a good position at the lowest point and the less resistance there is, the less chance of injury.
As soon as you push to the highest point, the weight increases until it reaches a maximum of 75 kg, which also means that the muscles have to adapt to the increase in resistance throughout the movement to complete the movement, which adds to the challenge and makes it more effective.
Chain barbell bench press
Why is it effective?
The change in resistance does not only affect strength, the muscle fibres also respond differently as the muscles are contracting during the bench press and the weight on stretch will be less than the actual weight. Through technique, the pectoral muscles will become tighter and thicker and strength will increase.
The lowest point of the chain barbell bench press
What other details are there?
Firstly, determine the weight of the chain and put it on a scale to know how heavy the chain you are going to use is. Don't just pick a random chain or you will find that it is heavier than you think. Don't just wrap the chain around the barbell, if you want to make the workout more effective, make precise use of the chain. This means that the chain should be completely off the ground when lifting the barbell to its highest point, and part of the chain should still be on the ground when the barbell is in front of your chest. There are optional clips to attach the chain to the barbell and special clasps designed for chains that can be tied to the barbell.
The highest point of the chain barbell bench press
How do i start?
If you have never been exposed to this movement before, just use the barbell and chains until you have reached an acceptable state.
Start increasing the weight, including the chain weight, but do not exceed 60% of the 1rm at a time. For example, if the 1rm is 100kg and you are using a 15kg chain, you only need a 45kg barbell + barbell plates to achieve an effective workout.
Upper barbell piece
If you are an experienced player, or even if you are preparing for a competition, you can choose a higher weight and complete double or triple the amount of training than before, but this is not recommended if you have not done chain barbell bench presses before.
If you want to increase your bench press reps for pecs, do 4 sets of 8-12 repetitions per set, starting at 60% of 1rm. Once completed, either perform a barbell bench press without chains or take another training variation.
Pectoral conditioning
Reap the benefits of this chest training routine, and the results can be explosive if you're willing to execute them!