Monster Chest Day – Pounding Your Pecs Into Oblivion Using Dumbbells

There are some body parts that do not require overthinking and a whole shitload of new techniques being incorporated into to train properly. Your chest is one of them and to the best way to attack it more or less the same way you did way back when – with the basic exercises covering the entire pectoral muscles.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look at different ways to improve on those four staple movements, and by that we mean flat, incline and decline presses and flyes. Using a barbell for presses is great and has its plusses. But it also has a few downsides, if you will.

The motion is very taxing on your shoulders and especially if you want to put up a little extra weight. Then you also have to worry about a spotter and not having the bar crush your windpipe if there’s an accident. So an alternative is to use dumbbells.

Because you have a little flexibility using them, the shoulder that is giving you a hard time can get slightly less strain. We’re not telling you to do one arm different than the other, but even the slightest difference can be a game changer if that rep is the one to tear your rotator cuff or labrum.

By using dumbbells, you also have a greater range of motion and can come a inch or more deeper at the bottom of each rep. That adds up and can really be beneficial to tighten up that difficult area closest to your sides.

Then there is the safety factor. If you’re at the bottom of a rep without a spotter and can’t push it up, there is an option to let go of the weights and have them hit the floor from a not-so-high distance. Just be careful there’s no jerk-off standing nearby talking on his cell phone with his foot in your crosshairs.

By using dumbbells on a decline bench, you get the rarity of a much wider range of motion that the short-armed barbell version of this important exercise. Don’t overlook that factor.

Lastly, flyes are a great finisher after all of those presses. So make sure you use a weight that is sufficient for 12 reps and just leave your feet flat on the ground. Those fancy legs up on the bench or dangling in mid-air crossed stuff will only keep you off balance and result in a stupid lower back injury.