Your chest is currently the size it needs to be in order to accommodate the demands you have placed upon it in the past. No bigger, no smaller. No stronger, and no weaker. If you want it to become bigger and stronger, then you need to push it farther than you ever have before. Let’s examine a few ways you can make this possible.

Volume is the key
Use more sets than you’re using now. If you are using 4 sets, try 8. If you’re locked in at 10 sets, move up to 14. Granted, if you are already using 30 sets for chest, then perhaps playing with the volume – using more intensity for fewer sets is your key. Whichever direction you are being called (more or fewer sets) – Embrace it!

Compound then isolation
Never start your workout with a few different exercises using dumbbells and cables for pumping and chest isolation. You grow thicker when you use heavy weight – and you will have nothing left in your tank to go heavy if you have already knocked out 12 sets of “pumping” movements. Make the first 2-3 exercises of your workout incline, flat, or decline bench or dumbbell press.

3:1 upper chest ratio
The upper shelves of chests we saw in the early 1990s Golds Gym Venice Beach arose as a result of the very popular ratio of 3 to 1, for 3 incline movements for every 1 flat bench chest movement. Athletes like Chris Cormier and Flex Wheeler has chests that could hold up a glass of water – due to this chest ratio. Give it a shot!

Don’t neglect decline
Much of the mass potential for a truly thick chest arrives as result of a mid to lower chest that is fully developed. But more of the workouts you see in muscle magazines rarely mention decline presses or parallel bar dips, the two movements that really bring out the lower pectoral and accentuate that lower pec line, creating the border from the abdominals. For top to bottom thickness, you need to include four sets of one of these movements – bench press with barbell, dumbbell or smith machine – with each workout.

Failure is the only option
You need to train to failure on more sets in order to push yourself further than you ever have before. Get a training buddy, and add a few forced repetitions to the tail end of the last 2 sets of each movement. Those repetitions will tear muscle fibers you’re not used to tearing – and you’re going to be able to see new gains in muscle and strength as a result!

Last year, Stephen Paea of Oregon State bench pressed a weight of 225 pounds for an incredible 49 repetitions. Yes, that is a weight that most gym rats, focused upon the big heavy lifts, would be happen to move 10 or 12 times, right? Paea’s goal isn’t to be a bodybuilder or powerlifter. Rather, he’d rather make millions of dollars playing defensive tackle in the NFL. The insane bench press strength was just a demonstration he casually delivered to show how much strength and stamina he possessed.

Stamina? What’s that? You’re a bodybuilder. You want to get BIG. You want muscles. You want to be strong. You aren’t worried about running marathons or keeping up with your girlfriend on the elliptical machine, right? You just wanna get big and move some big weight. However, in your one-sided goal, you have probably forgotten about the importance of stamina when lifting. If your muscles cannot obtain the blood (and oxygen!) they need, your set will end much sooner than you should be ending. In other words, you run out of air before you run out of muscle, if that makes sense!

Change this up by completing short, intense burst of cardio such as sprints. In addition to the cardio, you can optimize the amount of oxygen your muscles can enjoy by training in a style that is somewhat similar to the explosive nature of the NFL combine style bench pressing. Try exploding into every repetition. This might go against everything you’ve ever been taught about the importance of training in a slow methodical manner in order to build muscle. But it will to an increase in the amount of weight you can move. This is very similar to powerlifting training, in which athletes will utilize extremely fast ‘speed reps’, moving that bar on the bench press as fast as they can, using less weight.

Bump up your diet as well. If you’re training with intense sprinting for cardio and knocking out plenty of speed reps on the bench press, then you aren’t going to have to worry too much about gaining body fat. Pile on the beef and potatoes to your plate until you find you have the energy to train in this manner while at the same time adding a few pounds to the scale. This new beef on the scale will be new muscle – and will allow you to train for higher repetitions.

Finally, consider the use of a supplement to give you a boost of training energy on chest day. NOS drinks and others using caffeine will give you energy you won’t recognize, and you will train like a madman as a result. Good luck!

The flat bench press is probably the most popular bodybuilding exercise of all time. “Whattya bench?” is asked more than any other question in gyms, and for good reason. The bench press delivers new muscle, strength, and size, and does so quickly. It recruits half of the muscles in the upper body, from chest and triceps, to shoulders and even lats. But you can always make a good thing even better by analyzing your current bench press practices while looking for some means of improvement.

How fast are you completing each repetition?
Do you blast through the reps? Or are they slow and steady? Mix up your speed and you’ll quickly discover you are able to see new muscle fiber recruitment. Slower reps, speed reps, and your normal range should all be used for at least 6 sets each month.

How is your form?
Many lifters will do anything possible to get that weight up. Others will maintain some semblance of good form while moving the weight. The truth is that some people will grow no matter what kind of repetitions they are using, everyone will grow using intelligent, consistently good form. And you’ll avoid injuries too!

What repetition range are you using?
A rep range of 1-5 will build strength. A rep range of 5 to 8 will build thick muscle. Going 10 to 15 adds cuts & endurance. Going above 15 reps makes it more of an exercise in cardio than in muscle building. Choose accordingly based upon your own personal goals.

Do you vary the benches you use?
Using the same bench for years will limit your results, as your chest muscles will become accustomed to the same range of bar movement. This will stifle growth. Try new benches in your gym, or at other gyms. You’ll be surprised at how your body responds!

How much has your lift improved in the last year?
Look at what has happened as a result of your training for the last 12 months. Did you grow bigger and/or stronger? If the answer is no, then it’s time to add some volume, bump your calories, or simply start training with some greater intensity if you want to see some satisfactory results!

How is your rotator cuff health?
If your AC and RC joints are giving you trouble, then your best bet (in terms of long-term bodybuilding viability and sustainability) is to walk away from the flat bench press for 1-2 months. Training “through” an issue will never allow it to heal. Your muscles will bounce back very quickly in 8 weeks once you do hit the exercise again.

Are you using incline movements as well?
Flat bench press alone will not build up a chest. Incline movements should be included on each chest day as well!

Do shoulders & triceps dominate?
If your chest is taking the back seat to your shoulder and triceps muscles during your workout, then it might be time to use some isolation chest movements FIRST. This will ensure you are able to use the pectoral muscles to get the work done – and they’ll see the results and growth as a result!

This guy shows you how to stunt, watch as he rides a wheelie on his CBR 954RR while doing the bench press, INSANE!

Are you ready to design your own muscle building workout program which will allow you to get leaner while adding muscle at the same time? Your ideal routine will be based upon your goals and the equipment you have available at your home or commercial gym. Let’s move through the steps required to build such a successful routine.

First you will have to ensure you are hitting all of your major muscle groups. Select exercises for chest (bench press or dumbbell press of flat or incline variety), back (deadlifts and lat pulldowns), shoulders (military press and DB side raises), biceps (curls), triceps (cable pressdowns), thighs (squats, leg press and leg extensions), hamstrings (lying leg curls), and calves (calf raises of seated or sled variety).

Split up these muscle groups so that they are spread out over the week. Common routine splits involve Monday (chest), Tuesday (back), Wednesday (shoulders), Thursday (arms) and Friday (legs).

Next you will want to select the right set & repetition range for these exercises. You will wish to use about 12 sets per day per muscle group. Each set should include 8 to 12 repetitions of the particular exercise. Going heavier results in adding strength and ‘bulk’ but not necessarily getting any leaner. Going higher than 15 or 18 reps per set means you are probably not building up any new levels of appreciable muscle mass.

Finally, you will want to put it all together in a cohesive workout plan that you can use consistently. Just showing up is half the battle when it comes to making your best possible gains. You do that, and you are going to see the benefits you desire, even as you learn to use proper intensity and training techniques. You don’t have to be perfect in the gym, but you do have to show up consistently!

Don’t forget the importance of nutrition, cardiovascular exercise and supplementation when looking to get lean with your new muscle workout program. Train for 20 to 30 minutes, 4-5 times each week with the treadmill or elliptical machine. Cut back your fat and carb intake while keeping your proteins high, all while enjoying plenty of water and fiber. Supplements such as ECA (25 mg ephedrine, 200 mg caffeine, and 350 mg aspirin) are also extremely effective for fat burning. Above all, an overall commitment to shedding fat through a balanced training and diet routine is what will work best!

Half of success in the gym is just showing up. Repeat that. You can be the most disorganized, clueless and uneducated trainer in the world… but if you show up and work your tail off 5 days a week, you will see much better results than the kids who is a walking encyclopedia on weight training principles who only shows up for moderate weight training 2 or 3 times a week when his schedule allows for it. This isn’t to say that you should ever take it easy on yourself in the gym – but it does mean that hard work and just being there throwing around the iron is half the battle.

Any kind of weight training routine you are using is going to deliver some kind of results to you. They may not be perfect, they may not be ideal, but you will see positive muscle growth if you are consistently showing up and lifting. You can show up and train your individual body parts 6 days a week, giving each muscle group a dedicated day (or just morning session) and without a doubt, you will grow some new muscle. But you will also have to make sacrifices in other areas of you life which may not be ideal. Nobody wants to miss seeing their children grow up because they’re living in the gym, right?

If you don’t have a ton of time, but wish to see some great results, then you should consider the use of a 3-day per week training routine. You would be training your entire body on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or you could choose a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday routine. Let’s examine how such a routine would look.

• Bench press: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Incline chest flyes: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Deadlift: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Lat pulldowns: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Biceps curls: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Triceps press downs: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Shoulder military press: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Dumbbell side raises: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Squats: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Leg extensions: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Leg curls: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions
• Calf machine raises: 2 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions

If you work hard during the week, you might be in luck! You can train on Friday and Sunday nights, which wouldn’t interfere with your work too much, and you’d only need to schedule ONE single workout in during your busy week.

For 4 weeks, let’s forget everything you ever learned about lifting weight, bodybuilding, powerlifting, and nutrition. Pretend you are an outright newbie. You are going to be introduced to three primary lifts, and you are going to hit them like there’s no tomorrow. You’ll get a fourth day each week, so don’t fret like you’re going to lose all your arms in a month. But what you will most likely gain is a new level of thickness and strength in your legs, back and chest. Ready to get started?

Squat
It’s Monday, and that means its squat day. Today you will knock out about 10 sets of painful squats of varying rep ranges, then you will stretch, walk for a bit, and call it a day! Your first set should include 15 repetitions with a light weight. Then slowly move backwards to 12, 10, 8, 8, 6, 5 all the way down to 1 rep max on your final and 10th set. Use a spotter, train hard and heavy, and then get out of the gym!

Deadlift
Your deadlift day will follow your squat format. Let’s stick with a total of 8 sets of deadlifts, stretched out over 45 minutes and employing everything from 12 rep range down to single and doubles (1 and 2 rep maxes per set). Wear a back brace and warm up thoroughly. Pump the heavy metal or rap thru your headset, and just dedicate yourself to picking up and dropping this insane weight with solid form. Eight total sets moving from 12 reps to 2 reps per set is ideal!

Bench Press
Using a spotter to ensure you don’t kill yourself, follow the same format that worked for you so far today. Ten total sets of flat and incline bench press, moving from 10 reps per set down to 1-2 reps per set. Train for strength and performance, and move the weight with the knowledge you will be done in 45 minutes – so leave it all on the gym floor. Training with maximum intensity is an absolute requirement!

You will also assign a 4th day each week to a machine-only workout in which you avoid the free weights as well as any exercises which target your back, chest, or legs. This will essentially be a shoulder, arms, and calves training day, with some ab work tossed in for good measure. You’re not trying to make gains to these muscle groups during this month of training. You’re only aiming to maintain them with these movements. However, if you are hitting the squat, deadlift, and bench press with the maximum intensity, then it’s very possible you will see some gains to this area regardless of if you are targeting them or not.

Are you ready to achieve a lifetime best level of leanness, while at the same time building muscle? The six day fat burning routine is a nice combination of weight training & cardiovascular exercise designed to boost the metabolism and fat burning processes of the body, while at the same time keeping existing level of, and even building new levels of muscle.

You will be hitting the gym six times per week. You will be using what is known as a push-pull routine. Monday, Wednesday and Friday will be dedicated to the pushing muscle groups – chest, triceps, shoulders and quadriceps. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday you will be completing the pulling movements, involving such body parts as back, biceps, and hamstrings. Let’s look at some sample push/pull workout routines, keeping in mind that you can vary the exercises as long as you are still adequately stimulating each muscle group.

Push Workout

• Bench Press: 3 sets of 6-10 repetitions.
• Incline DB Press: 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
• Barbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8-20 repetitions.
• Skullcrushers for Triceps: 3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
• Barbell Squats: 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions.

Pull Workout

• Deadlift: 3 sets of 6-10 repetitions.
• Barbell Row: 3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
• Biceps Curl: 3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.
• Leg Curls: 3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.

Spend as little time as possible resting between each set. Count to 30, or even 45 seconds on the heavier compound movements, then get right back on the machine. These workouts should be completed in 40 minutes, maximum. Remember, you are not trying to train each muscle group to the point of failure. This would actually be counter-productive to your goals, as you would not be ready to train that muscle group again for 48 hours. Rather, you are working to draw a large amount of blood into the region, then move on to something else. Push, pull. Repeat 3 times, then rest on Sunday!

After you complete each day’s workout session – brief but intense – you may be ready to go home and relax. But you’re only halfway done with the day’s workout! Abs & cardio will wrap up your day. 20 minutes of each – with an intensity that can best be described at insanity. You don’t count the abs exercises – you simply bounce around the ab stations with little to no rest for 20 minutes straight. Every day. After that, it’s time for at least 20 minutes of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise of your choosing. Then it’s time to rest, grow, and recover from your six-day fat burning workout routine!

Are you ready to get into the best shape of your life? Let’s examine the top muscle exercises for adding new muscle to your frame!

Squats
The most useful muscle exercise you can do would have to most certainly be squats. They stimulate not only growth on the legs, but all over the body as well. The constant release of growth hormone into the body following a tough training day of squats is unmatched. Always train slowly and safely with squats, warming up with several sets of lighter weight movements to warm up the area. Keep your rep range in the 6 to 12 range for maximum effectiveness.

Deadlift
This is perhaps the most basic and simple movement of all – pick up the weight, and set it down! It is second only to the squat in terms of muscle exercises responsible for building up the most muscle mass. It is also an exercise which can lead to injury if performed incorrectly. Start the movement with hands on the bad about shoulders’ width apart. Slowly pull the weight up to your waist, and then lower it to the ground. Always wear a back brace on the heavier sets.

Bench Press
“How much ya bench?” That question has probably been asked a thousand times of every bodybuilder. It’s the most common measurement of strength that envelops lifters from newbies to experienced veterans. But the measurement is an accurate one. Any bodybuilder who can successfully move “3 wheels”, being 315 pounds, or “four wheels”, 405 pounds, certainly will have the muscle to back it up. Your own bench pressing should be conducted safely and confidently with a weight you can manage and a spotter close by to ensure you aren’t injured as you engage in building new chest muscle.

Military Press
Nothing screams power and presence like a wide set of shoulders. If you seek that legendary V-shape torso, with the wide shoulders and lean waist, then you are going to want to add military presses to your workout routine. Keep your repetitions slow and controlled. Seated on a Smith bench, slowly press the weight up, then bring it down to a point just above your chin. Always warm up the area, and use a repetition range of 8 to 15 to ensure you aren’t going too heavy. An injury to your rotator cuff injury could sideline you for 6 to 8 weeks!

Barbell Curls
Nobody ever asks a bodybuilder to “flex a deltoid”. When a person asks a bodybuilder to “make a muscle”, it usually involves the arms and not the legs. Let’s face it, having big arms is essential, and barbell curls are one of the best muscle exercises for building great arms. Start with your hand shoulder width apart, using a weight you can control for 10 to 12 repetitions. Slowly curl the weight from your waist to your chin in a controlled motion.

There you have it – the top muscle exercises for transforming the current you into a bigger, stronger, and more powerful you. What are you waiting for – it’s time to get pumping!

You’re skinny and lean. You’ve always been this way. If you wished to be a competitive swimmer or perhaps a basketball player, then you’d be ideally build for it. However, you’ve decided you wish to be a bodybuilder – and this certainly doesn’t match your body type. You’ve trained and made some gains, but you’re still skinny – and it’s time for that to change!

The good news is that it can be done. Look at the “before” images of many of today’s top bodybuilders and you’ll see that they were often skinny and weak for years before they discovered the iron. Granted, they often used chemical assistance to move from skinny to world-class bodybuilder, but its very possible for you to move from skinny to “well built regular guy” without the use of steroids. So without any further delay, let’s check out a few hardgainer basics for adding muscle size & strength to your body.

Use the Big Three
Squat, Bench Press & Deadlifts are the exercises you should be using on a daily basis to radically change your physique. They stimulate muscle fibers well beyond the primary and even secondary muscle groups being targeted. They’re not just compound exercises – they are almost “Super compound” movements. You can use only these three movements and you’ll make gains. Use them in conjunction with biceps curls, triceps pressing, shoulder press and calf raises, and you’re in excellent shape. Use the big three as your foundation for all other movements, and build a day around each of them.

Eat Six Times Per Day
You’ll never make incredible muscle gains while only eating 3 times per day. Your body will be unable to assimilate adequate protein to see any real gains. And the required number of calories needed will stretch your tummy beyond belief. Start small, by enjoying 6 very small meals per day. As you train harder and your appetite grows, they will soon become 6 medium to large meals each day, giving your body the calories it needs to grow.

Take a Daily Nap
Your body releases growth hormone not while you’re in the gym – but while you’re healing in bed. Sleep a small amount each day – even if it’s only a 20 minute meditation break on your lunch break – and watch the muscle gains improve and body weight increase.

The bottom line is that as a hardgainer, you are going to find it tougher to build new muscle size and add strength as a result. That’s okay. This spiked metabolic rate will benefit you when it’s time to diet down and get lean one day. In the meantime, use these tricks as the basis for your new muscle gaining plans.