The Bodycoach Blog

I often get asked, mostly by guys in the gym about the best way to work the chest and this is what I have to say on the subject. The chest muscles are always overworked in strength training in relation to the back, core and legs. A big chest and pecs are the holy grail to most young and older guys inthe gym, but rarely in life or in sport are the chest muscles used compared to the back.

Endless repetitions of heavy bench press and flys will eventually end up wrecking the shoulders, promote poor posture and result in an unbalanced physique! Look at a boxer or martial arts fighter and they will have a strong powerfull back, great core and solid powerfull legs to deliver all that strength. They will never have a huge chest and will not devote hours to 'bench pressing'

Press ups, dips and boxing on a heavy bag are more than enough to create a strong chest, ensure that chest bias excercises never outweigh the more inportant back, core and leg work. take a look at your training programme and if anymore than 10 mins is spent working the chest change it!

Talk to me about alternative strength training methods.