Try Barbell Bench Press For The Best Chest Workout For Size

As difficult as losing weight can be, by far the biggest fitness challenge in my opinion is building size. Whether it’s adding muscle to your biceps or triceps, to your thighs or your abs, building up muscle mass can be very difficult. Furthermore, expanding the chest size is one of the hardest parts to build muscle upon and so it can be a very daunting challenge for anyone who wishes to look into it.

It is not however impossible and if you ask me, it isn’t very difficult either once you get into a fixed dedicated work routine – provided you know which exercises to do and which ones give the most benefit.

The Basic Barbell Bench Press

One of the first exercises that come to mind when talking about the chest expansion is the barbell bench press, and there is no doubt as to why that is so. This is perhaps the most effective exercise you can perform to build chest muscle in my opinion, and I also find it gives the fastest results. Performing it is simple and it requires almost no gym equipment, aside from a flat bench and of course a barbell. Of course if you’re starting out and not comfortable with using a barbell directly, you can also use individual weights in each hand, such as dumbbells but naturally this won’t be as effective.

To perform the basic barbell bench press, get into the basic starting position with your back flat on the bench and your head and neck relaxed. Then, using your shoulder and chest muscles, first lower the barbell down towards your chest, and then lift it back up until your arms are straight and steady.

Variations On The Barbell Bench Press

Another way of performing the barbell bench press is by lying down on an inclined bench rather than a fully flat one. In this way, your upper chest muscles get worked out a bit more. There is no doubt however that this is considerably more difficult than a flat barbell bench press and so you should do this only once you’re fully comfortable with the former. Otherwise, the way of performing both bench presses is almost identically the same.

Precautions To Take

Make sure you lift only as much weight as you are comfortable with. You can perform serious injury to yourself if you find you cannot balance the weight you are holding and drop it. Furthermore, you can cause strains in your muscles and serious damage to your shoulders, arms and elbows if you support a weight greater than you are fit for. You can build weights up gradually and there is no rush.

Remember, no matter how much weight you lift, as long as it is suited to your body and stamina, you will see the results. Over time, as you get used to a certain weight you can increase the weigh. Make sure you have someone to supervise you if you are a beginner to the exercise.