The Perfect Old-School Chest Workout For Pure Mass and Strength
When it comes to bodybuilding living legends, Arnold is def. one of
them.
Schwarzenegger’s peak physique holds the status of “the best of all the
time”, no one can argue with that. Not only that his overall development
set him apart from many bodybuilding legends of his time, but his iconic
chest was one of the biggest and fullest in all of bodybuilding
history!
1-Cable Crossovers
When performing cable crossovers, Schwarzenegger made sure to give his
chest a hard squeeze and flexing his pecs at the point when his arms
touch, which helped him get that etched in line down the middle of his
chest. You can use the same method with dumbbell flies, of course, simply
bring your hands together at the top of the movement and contract your
pecs as hard as you can.
2-Incline Bench Press
As with any other body part, hitting the muscle from all possible angles
is crucial for its overall development, Arnold was especially creative
with the incline bench press, the ultimate move for emphasising the upper
chest. He would hit his upper pecs from anywhere from 15% to 50%, which
targets the upper muscle fibres even deeper – in order to sculpt even the
smallest muscles that bodybuilders usually neglect.
3- Dumbbell Incline Press
Hitting the upper pecs near the clavicles is very beneficial for
improving muscle development in this region. Now, you can’t actually
single out the top half of the chest muscles (because that would just look
weird). But you can emphasize the upper chest by doing inclines and
contracting the muscle from a different angle.
And that’s why old-school training was so ahead of its time because
bodybuilders knew that utilizing different angles was very effective for
overall muscle development.
But to prove our point, one study using 14 trained males actually did
show an advantage of the incline bench at a 30 to 45-degree angle for
working the upper chest at certain points during the lift when compared to
the flat bench. (2)
Now, dumbbell training requires more stabilization so you won’t be able
to use as much weight. But you will develop and improve your stabilizer
muscles which assist during the movement. And unilateral (affecting one
side) training is very effective for muscle imbalances, isolation,
building core strength, and even rehabilitation purposes. (3)
To perform the dumbbell incline press…
1-Grab two dumbbells and sit on the edge of the incline bench with feet
planted on the floor.
2-Use the end of your left thigh to help you propel the left dumbbell
back while lying down simultaneously; followed by the right dumbbell,
until you’re lying flat against the incline bench.
3-Tuck your elbows in slightly and press the dumbbells straight up and
squeeze your chest muscles.
4-Lower the weight until you feel a slight stretch and repeat
Classic Chest Routine
● Barbell bench press: 5 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
● Flat-bench dumbbell fly: 4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps
● Weighted dip: 4 sets x 12, 10, 8, 6 reps
● Dumbbell pull-over: 4 sets x 15 reps
