Most guys are unaware that if their goal is muscle hypertrophy (to make your muscles bigger), much of that muscle growth is created from the negative portion of the rep, when you’re controlling the resistance against gravity – often the lowering portion of the movement. But the negative can also put a lot of injury-inducing stress on the shoulder joints.
For example, the barbell bench press is one of the most popular chest exercises, yet you constantly see guys grab their shoulder after finishing a set. This movement can be quite dangerous, as you’re compromising the shoulder by compressing the joint capsule. Moreover, when you lie flat on a bench and begin lowering the weight, you disrupt your scapula’s normal biomechanics, which also puts unnecessary stress on the shoulder. Bottom line, if you injure your shoulder or tear your rotator cuff, you’ll be sidelined from training and your results will be halted. The below chest routine minimizes such joint damage while ensuring a brutal pec-exhausting, muscle-building workout.
HOW IT WORKS
For this workout, you’ll warm up with a dynamic bodyweight push up, move onto heavy, high-intensity cable standing moves, then finish with a dynamic exercise that requires stabilization and core integration to truly exhaust your chest. The goal of this workout is to shock your chest by incorporating triple drop sets, negatives, dynamic movements and a level of intensity that can push you through any training plateau.
SPIDERMAN PUSH-UP
From a standard push-up position, as you lower your body, bring your right knee up to your right elbow. On the next rep, do the same to the left. Repeat for reps.
CABLE CROSSOVER NEGATIVES
Set the D-handles to mid-chest level. With a slight bend in the elbows, pull your hands together in a flye motion, squeeze your pecs, then return your hands out to the sides with a 5-second negative on each rep.
STANDING CABLE CHEST PRESS DROP SET
Holding a D-handle in each hand, begin with your elbows bent 90 degrees and pointed out to the sides, palms facing down. Press your hands together out in front of you for eight reps. Immediately drop the weight about 30%, then rep out to failure. Drop the weight another 30% and rep to failure again.
T-PUSH-UP/TUCK PUSH-UP
Do a push-up, then shift your bodyweight onto your left hand and bring your right hand up from the floor so that your body forms a “T” facing to the right. Repeat to the other side. Do another push-up and tuck your left knee into your chest as you press up. Repeat with the right knee.
