So, you’ve taken the leap into weight training, and now you’re pondering the age-old question:
“How many times should I pump up my pecs each week to maximize gains?”
Ah, the mysteries of the iron temple! But fear not, my aspiring muscle maven, for I shall shed some light on this pressing matter.
Before we embark on this journey of chest-building enlightenment, let’s get one thing straight: no amount of chest workouts can work miracles if your diet resembles a junkyard buffet and your sleep is as elusive as Bigfoot.
So, my friend, make sure you’re fueling your body with nutritious sustenance and granting it ample rest before expecting Zeus-like gains.
Now, let’s unlock the secret chest-training code and unveil the answer to your burning question:
The number of times you should devote yourself to chest-centric endeavors depends on your goals. If you’re yearning for chiseled pectoral mountains, then flex those muscles twice a week, ideally at different times of the day, and vary your exercise routine for optimal results.
Remember, dear chest enthusiast, muscles need time to recover and repair themselves. So, be kind to your pecs and grant them sufficient rest between sessions. They deserve a break, just like you deserve a cheat meal after leg day.
But wait, I’m not done yet! Here are some whimsical suggestions for your weekly chest-training adventures:
For novices venturing into the realm of weightlifting, aim for 2 to 3 chest workouts a week. Build a solid foundation, my friend, before embarking on more audacious feats.
If you’ve been lifting with the tenacity of a fire-breathing dragon for some time, escalate your chest game to the next level. Bump up your sessions to a glorious 3 to 4 times a week and revel in the glory of your newfound gains.
Ah, but you, valiant warrior, crave even more chest-sculpting intensity. If you find yourself amongst the ranks of the seasoned lifters, prepare for battle with a resounding 4 to 5 chest workouts per week. Remember, though, with great power comes the need for great rest and recovery.
Now, let’s address the age-old question that plagues newcomers to the iron paradise: “Why do I feel like I’ve been pummeled by an angry herd of wildebeests after my workouts?”
Picture this: you’re squatting like a majestic weightlifting swan, focusing on those legs of yours. Yet, when the soreness settles in, it’s not just your legs screaming in protest.
Your lower back and abs join the symphony of discomfort. But fret not, my friend! This secondary pain is as natural as a squirrel hoarding acorns for winter.
You see, when you engage in compound exercises like squats, various supporting muscle groups come into play. It’s a full-body extravaganza!
So, while your primary target may be your legs, those unsung heroes like your lower back and abs pitch in to lend a helping hand—or, in this case, an achy back and abs.
Moreover, let’s not forget about conditioning. If you’re a fledgling gym-goer, your body might need some time to adjust to the newfound joys of hoisting weights. It can take around 6 to 8 weeks before the sweet embrace of soreness graces your muscles.
So, my dear fitness aficionado, fear not the embrace of soreness during your maiden voyages in the realm of exercise. It’s a rite of passage, a testament to your commitment and hard work.
It’s best to wait at least 2 days between chest workouts.
This allows your chest muscles to fully recover and helps prevent overtraining.
As a result, you can perform each workout more intensely and see better results in less time.
If possible, try waiting 3 or 4 days before doing another chest exercise.
Overdoing it on chest day could lead to poor performance on other exercises down the line.
Avoid training your chest two days in a row; take an active rest day instead.
One way to do that is by completing back-to-back workouts (i.e., back followed by chest).
For example, you can hit your back first thing Monday morning then head over to do chest after lunch.
When you come back from lunch, be sure to rehydrate and eat something with carbohydrates to help replenish energy stores.
You’ll also want to avoid exercising within 24 hours of when you worked out because your body will still be recovering from last week’s session and won’t have enough energy for a second one so soon after.
And if you’re not sure how long to space chest workouts, then wait a few weeks and ask a professional.
Once you establish your routine, it should become much easier to tell which days are ideal for hitting the chest again as opposed to those where all forms of working out should be avoided.
When it comes to chest workouts, it’s important to remember that volume is key.
Your goal on chest day should be to hit your pectorals from every angle possible, using as many different rep schemes and types of sets as you can muster.
For example, you might do a set of incline bench presses for 5-8 reps at one time, then immediately follow with a set of dumbbell flyes for 10-12 reps—keeping your rest periods to about 2 minutes between exercises at most.
This way, while some fibers are recovering, others will still be fatigued so they can get in some quality stimulation while their chance arises.
Over time, aim to rotate between all sorts of pressing movements: flat barbell/dumbbell/incline/decline bench press; neutral grip shoulder press; pushups; board presses; close grip bench press…the list goes on! The more varied your pressing options, the better.
When it comes to bodybuilding and working out, there is no such thing as over-training.
When you train your chest, try and hit every aspect of it.
This means getting in both flat bench and incline presses, plus working on different angles for your dips.
The more you do, the better results you’ll see, so don’t hold back when training your chest!
On average, I’d recommend doing 5-6 exercises for the chest.
If you have limited time, just get in some heavy sets with low reps.
Remember that strength matters most, so if you need to sacrifice a few repetitions per set to get stronger, then go ahead and do that.
As long as you feel like each workout leaves you sore (the night after), then chances are it was effective enough.
Chest press and cable crossovers are two other exercises that are going to hit the muscle fibers differently.
For maximum muscle gains out of a chest session getting in 5-6 different chest exercises targeting the different muscle groups in the chest is a great way to ensure more muscle size.
Just don’t forget to a few days of rest each week.
Any exercise you do too much of isn’t good for you.
That’s because your body adapts to any kind of exercise, and once it does, it gets comfortable with that routine.
So when you’re doing push-ups every day or multiple times a day, your body doesn’t think anything is different than its normal routine, which is why it doesn’t want to get stronger.
It just wants to maintain what it already has.
Plus, your joints take a lot of pressure from doing so many reps so often, so daily push-ups could actually lead to injuries down the road.
In addition, push-ups work out similar muscles as regular weightlifting—chest, triceps, and shoulders—so if you were going to work out chest only twice a week in a gym session, would two days per week be enough?
Do at least three days per week if not four or five depending on how dedicated you are.
Once again though, don’t overdo it.
I recently posted a video to youtube when I did 1000 push-ups in one day.
The reason I did this was actually because of me not being a big fan of sit-ups. Let me explain.
I often have this chat with my clients about how I’m not a big fan of sit-ups and crunches when we talk about getting abs and improving core strength.
And I tell them what I’m telling you now, push-ups are a far better exercise for your core than crunches.
The reason is when you do a push with good from your core is braced and hard, you are holding a plank position while you go through the movement.
They accept this fact but then as “So how many push-ups should I do?”
To which I say “100. Do 100 push-ups every other day and you’ll improve your core strength.”
No one likes to hear that and they all make the same excuse, 100 a day too hard.
So to prove them wrong I did 1000 in one day. All before lunch. Check out the video below.
Doing any exercise every day isn’t a great idea, you need to let your muscles rest.
But if you’re serious about getting big chest muscles, then you should consider doing chest workouts on non-consecutive days.
You want to build some chest muscle quickly, do 4 sets of 20 repetitions of pushups for 3-4 days per week.
However, if you want to keep your workout routine simple and sustainable, then do 2-3 sets of 25 pushups for three or four days per week.
Be sure to add two minutes between each set.
You will increase both strength and endurance by taking longer breaks between reps.
And don’t forget, even though 100 pushups is quite a lot, there are many other exercises you can use for building bigger pecs.
For example, dips will work as well as pushups—if not better!
This exercise puts less stress on your shoulders and helps build up larger triceps muscles at the same time.
Also, try bench pressing—it works out multiple muscle groups in one go.
In order to bulk up your arms, you need to place more emphasis on doing exercises that target your biceps and triceps muscles.
For instance, if you want bigger biceps, then perform dumbbell curls at least twice a week in addition to push-ups.
If you want bigger triceps, then do close-grip bench presses or overhead extensions in addition to push-ups.
The intensity of these exercises should be higher than when you are doing push-ups alone (although both can be done in one session).
It is important to note that certain variations of push-ups will work better for building muscle in particular areas.
For example, performing them with your hands close together will help develop your triceps.
With proper training and nutrition plans, it is possible to build larger arms over time through weight training.
Just remember not to put too much focus on targeting specific body parts—focus instead on exercises that allow you to use heavier weights for 8-12 repetitions.
Targeting arms specifically means that other muscles in your body won’t get worked as hard or effectively, which means strength gains will be compromised.
Your best bet is to work out all major muscle groups each day using high-intensity weight lifting techniques.
To see results faster, choose compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
Always consider your diet! Working out consistently isn’t enough–you must eat right too!
Eating clean foods such as lean meats, fish, nuts, and fruits will maximize your efforts in the gym because you aren’t taxing your body by consuming food heavy in fat and sugar.
It’s human nature to want to do as much as possible.
We all want a workout that burns fat and encourages muscle growth, and we all want a workout that doesn’t take up too much time.
Is it possible to have a productive chest workout in less than 30 minutes?
The answer is yes, but only if you’re smart about how you plan your exercises.
But how many times should you work out each muscle group each week for optimal gains?
Well, there are many factors involved, including recovery time between workouts.
If you push yourself too hard during one workout, your body won’t be able to bounce back in time for another high-intensity session in the same week.
Remember: Your goal is to reach long-term results—which means regular frequency with occasional variation in intensity.
If your goal is simply to get a good workout in, then, by all means, mix things up. Just don’t overdo it!
If you’re a beginner looking to target your upper chest, you’ll probably want to start off with a decline push-up or incline bench press.
These exercises will help build that coveted V-shape and also strengthen your shoulders.
Inclined movements are designed to target the upper chest.
You can do this by using a seat that allows you to lean back.
Or simply put your feet up on a chair while doing push-ups.
You can use either dumbbells or a barbell for incline presses.
Lie on an incline bench (or ask your gym’s staff to set it up for you).
Grab the weights with palms facing forward and lift them over your chest by straightening your arms.
This is your starting position.
Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, lower weights to the upper chest. Then push back up to complete one rep.
Exhale during positive part of movement only!
Repeat until you have completed all reps that are required.
Decline push-ups are a more difficult variation on a basic push-up.
The decline position, with hands-on a lower surface than feet, engages primarily chest muscles rather than triceps muscles.
To do a decline push-up, place your hands on a bench, box, or chair that is about knee-high and spread your feet shoulder-width apart.
Bend at your elbows and lower your body toward the floor until you reach 90 degrees of bend in your elbows; then straighten to return to starting position.
Push as hard as you can for as many repetitions as possible.
You should feel muscle fatigue quickly after several reps.
Rest, and repeat if desired.
Other lifts that work your upper chest include dips, flies, and pullovers.
While you’re at it, make sure to incorporate plenty of cardio as well as core training too!
After all, great abs go a long way in framing those pecs!
Whatever exercise routine you decide upon, keep moving forward.
And remember if things don’t work out right away – give yourself time to grow!
Oh yes, don’t forget about rest days so your body can recover from its efforts.
Rest is very important because during rest days muscles heal themselves and grow bigger for the next workout.
It can be both.
So let’s take a look at an example:
If you choose to do chest and triceps on Monday, legs, and biceps on Tuesday, shoulders and back on Wednesday, etc. you would generally get better results than working out your entire body in one day.
This is because when you work out one muscle group it generally causes some fatigue, so when you try to work for another muscle group your form may suffer or your intensity will decrease due to that fatigued state.
You should always start with your larger muscles first.
For instance, if you are trying to develop mass then start with squats before doing calf raises for example.
When you are doing supersets make sure not to work opposing muscle groups simultaneously, for instance, don’t do bicep curls while doing shoulder presses, etc.
Always have a plan going into your workout and stick to it!
Having a strategy is important no matter what kind of training you are doing!
For me, though I am a big fan of full-body workouts.
I only do a few sessions of out and out strength training a week so it works for me to do full body sessions.
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