Subject: Stupid-looking KILLER chest exercise...(you'll love it)
This exercise LOOKS absolutely crazy...and kind of stupid, if I'm being honest...but it works EXTREMELY well.
The Dumbbell Flye is a key exercise for targeting the stretch position of the pectoral muscles. However, dumbbell flyes have one major flaw...once you get out of the stretch position, the resistance and tension on the pecs drops off quickly, resulting in very little tension at the top of the movement.
This exercise setup addresses that weakness by adding in what's called "accommodating resistance"...in this case, applied by using your legs strategically to apply resistance towards the top of the movement.
This results in continuous tension on the pecs from full stretch to full contraction and a much more effective movement.
To perform this one, you'll need a couple of barbells and (ideally) something to elevate your upper body on. I'm using a single Step riser in the demo and that works perfectly. It's not 100% necessary but it will improve the movement a lot.
Set the ends of the bars up against something solid. In this case, I've got them braced against the bottom rail of my power rack. These ends don't need to be anchored since you'll be only loading one end of the bars and you'll be gripping on the outside ends of the bars.
I've got the Step riser set in between the ends of the bars and I've got 25 lb plates on the bars (start lighter).
Lie back with your upper back resting on the Step riser then lean over and grab the end of the left bar with both hands. Using the Step riser is very effective as it increases the range of motion and also forces your chest to expand, which helps improve pec isolation and activation.
Get that bar to the top position. If you have a partner or spotter, they can just hand you the ends as well.
Reach over with your right arm (or whichever is your stronger side) and grab the other bar end.
Get that to the top position. Note that my feet are placed right together. This is important for how the accommodating resistance part works. Your knees will be in between the two bars.
Now you're ready to start. Come down under control into the bottom position, getting a good stretch on the pecs. Hold that stretch for a few seconds.
Now reverse the movement, coming back up as you normally would with a flye.
Here's where it gets interesting...
Notice in the previous picture how as I came down into the bottom, I let my knees come out to the sides as well. This is important because as you bring the bars up, they will contact your thighs.
THIS is where you start adding resistance by using your glutes to provide resistance against the bars.
You can gauge exactly how much resistance you want to put against the bar...less when they first contact and more as you come to the top.
Use your glutes to keep that tension on all the way to to the top. When the plates come together at the top, use that block to further contract the pecs isometrically...now you've got a solid block to work against.
Next, is the negative...
As you lower the bars back down, use your glutes to add resistance to the negative as well...essentially using glute power to try and "rip" your hands away from each other as you fight it with the pecs.
Again, apply more resistance at the top, less as you come down, then when the bars are far enough down, they will come away from your thighs completely.
Come all the way to the bottom then repeat.
This looks like it should be easy...especially when you don't have much weight on the ends of the bars...but it's surprisingly tough, especially once you dial in the accommodating resistance and apply constantly adjusted tension on the pecs, ending with a hard peak contraction.
You get NO break from the start of the set to the end of the set.
Keep this pattern going for the entire set of 6-10 reps (aim for 2-3 sets total).
This is a fantastic exercise to finish off your chest after you've completed your heavier training or used as a pre-exhaust or activation exercise for the pecs to ensure they're working when you're doing presses.
It allows you to put strong, continuous, targeted tension on the pecs to help you optimize your chest growth...and all you really need is a couple of bars.
You can watch the full video of this exercise in action here.
Or start from the exercise demo here.
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Want More Killer Chest Training Like This?
I've got three more awesome chest exercises for you here (about halfway down the page)
- Low Pulley Push-Ups
- One Arm Braced Dumbbell Bench Press
- Lying Side Dumbell Flyes.
Enjoy!
Nick Nilsson
The Mad Scientist of Muscle
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https://youtu.be/tyERGYWxhgQ
http://www.fitstep.com/best-chest-exercises/best-chest-exercises.htm
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