Training for size means training for hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy is a process whereby the muscle adapts and changes in response to stress, namely, resistance training.
The higher your body’s muscle composition, the more energy it takes to retain it.
Our bodies strive for efficiency and therefore aim to limit energy expenditure. In other words, your body only wants to grow as much as it absolutely has to.
As your body gets used to particular training methods, it will build up only enough muscle to get you through the particular routine.
In order to ensure consistent muscle growth it is very important to vary your training methods overtime.
This is the best chest workout for mass which will have you busting through plateaus and on your way to fuller and more defined pecs.
For a more in depth understanding about the process of muscle growth check out my post on the science of building muscle.
Power-Building Chest Routine
Hypertrophy comes down to time under tension. The longer period of time you put your muscle under stress, the more of a pump you will get, and the more your muscle will grow.
Now, another point to be noted is that the heavier the weight that you can lift for, say, 10-12 reps, the bigger your chest will be.
Power lifters are focused on the goal of strength while bodybuilders are focused on the goal of hypertrophy.
My two day chest workout is focused on getting the best of both worlds in order to bring you MAXIMUM gains!
If you are looking to gain some size in your chest, there is no better way than to up your training frequency.
Aim to get a 3 day rest in between the two days.
Day 1
Barbell Bench Press: Warm up and 5 sets of 5, 4, 4, 3, 2 reps
Incline Barbell Bench Press: 5 sets of 5, 4, 4, 3, 2 reps
Decline Barbell Bench Press: 5 sets of 5 reps
Weighted Chest Dips: 5 sets of 5 reps
Day 2
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
Flat Dumbbell Press: 4 sets of 8, 10, 12, 15 reps
Dumbbell Flyes: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
Cable Cross Overs: 4 sets of 12 reps drop set on last
Push Ups: 5 sets to failure
Looking to bring out a lagging upper chest? Check out my chest workout for definition which is focused solely on the upper chest.
Day#1
The first day of this mass gaining chest workout will focus on pushing around some heavy ass weight.
With some solid strength gains you will be able to push more weight on your hypertrophy day as well.
Remember that form is key.
Focus on moving the bar slowly in the negative portion and explosively when pushing up.
Aim to get 3 minutes of rest between each set. The long rest period may get boring, but it is important to let your chest recover as to lift maximum weight in the next set as well.
Make sure to keep track of your lifts so you can overcome mental barriers overtime.
Exercise #1: Barbell Bench Press – 5 sets of 5, 4, 4, 3, 2
It is important to warm up. Especially when using heavy weights.
Warming up gets your nervous system ready and allows you to work your way up to a heavier weight effectively.
Start with a relatively light weight and work your way up to your 5 rep max.
I usually work my way up in increments of 10 lbs once I get to my 5 rep max.
Say for example my 5 rep max is 185 lbs. For my next set of 4 reps, I move up to 195 lbs, and so on.
Exercise #2: Incline Barbell Bench Press – 5 sets of 5, 4, 4, 3, 2
At this point you can start with your working sets since your chest is already warmed up.
Your chest will be tired after the flat bench, but don’t let yourself off the hook and really push yourself.
Exercise #3: Decline Barbell Bench Press – 5 sets of 5
Hitting the chest from different angles will be beneficial in developing your chest fully.
The decline bench press is effective at putting focus on the lower part of your chest.
Exercise #4: Chest Dips – 5 sets of 5 (add weight if necessary)
If you haven’t done weighted dips before, it may take some trial and error to figure out the right weight for you to do 5 reps.
Dips will be a great finisher exercise, and will put some added stress on the triceps as well.
I have seen people at the gym do dips with terrible form, so check out the embedded tutorial video to understand how the chest dip slightly differs from the traditional tricep dip.
Day#2
Day 2 of this chest workout is focused around high reps and shorter rest times.
I do this workout usually 3 days after the power lifting day.
Don’t pay attention to the amount of weight.
Focus on the contraction and form.
I usually warm up with a minute of jump rope and push ups.
I like doing the pressing movements with dumbbells because I get a better range of motion and feel a better stretch. If you prefer barbells feel free to switch.
Aim to get a 30-45 second rest in between sets.
Exercise#1 Incline Dumbbell Press – 4 sets of 15, 12, 10, 8
Most people are used to doing the standard 4 sets of 10, or something like that.
Pyramid sets are a great way to implement some change into your routine to promote further hypertrophy.
Start with a relatively low weight and work your way up after each set.
I usually work my way up in increments of 10 lbs. So if I start with 60 lb dumbbells for the set of 15, I move on to 70 lbs for the set of 12 and so on.
Exercise#2 Flat Dumbbell Press – 4 sets of 8, 10, 12, 15
With the flat dumbbell bench press you will work your way down as you move through the sets.
So you will start off with your heaviest weight on the first set and end your final set with the lightest weight.
There is no specific purpose to this other than just to surprise your muscles.
Exercise#3 Dumbbell Flyes – 4 sets of 12-15 reps
Dumbbell flyes provide a great stretch for your chest.
The great Arnold Schwarzenegger himself claimed that flyes were what really widened and expanded his chest.
Flyes are really about feeling the contraction. Don’t sacrifice good form for heavy weight.
Choose a weight you are comfortable with doing 12-15 reps and focus on the time under tension.
I have embedded a video to help you understand the proper form of a dumbbell fly.
Exercise#4 Cable Cross Overs – 4 sets of 12 drop set on last
With cable cross overs it is very easy to get the other muscles involved.
Therefore it is especially important to focus on the stretch and the contraction in the pecs.
On your last set drop all the way down to the lightest weight. This will give you an insane pump.
There are many different variations of this exercise. I have embedded a video to demonstrate the type of form I am most comfortable with.
Exercise#5 Push Ups – 5 Sets to Failure
You know you’ve had a good chest workout when you can barely do any push ups at the end.
If you are able to do more than 10 reps, then you didn’t push yourself hard enough in the previous 4 exercises.
Push ups are a great finisher and they will add to your already insane pump.
If you have trouble doing any push ups then do them on your knees.
To Sum Up
Do this chest workout for 8 weeks and see your pecs expand like never before!
Day 1
Barbell Bench Press: Warm up and 5 sets of 5, 4, 4, 3, 2 reps
Incline Barbell Bench Press: 5 sets of 5, 4, 4, 3, 2 reps
Decline Barbell Bench Press: 5 sets of 5 reps
Weighted Chest Dips: 5 sets of 5 reps
Day 2
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 4 sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
Flat Dumbbell Press: 4 sets of 8, 10, 12, 15 reps
Dumbbell Flyes: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
Cable Cross Overs: 4 sets of 12 reps drop set on last
Push Ups: 5 sets to failure
Pushing yourself in the gym can only take you so far.
You have to EAT BIG to GET BIG.
Getting in those extra quality calories is the only way to put on some quality mass.
I would like to emphasize the importance of quality calories. Don’t go overboard by eating all sorts of junk. That will get you putting on a whole lot of fat which is what you don’t want.
When I am trying to put on size I keep my diet as is with the addition of two 700 calorie protein shakes.
The shake consists of 1 cup milk, 3/4th cup oats, 1 scoop protein, 1 tablespoon peanut butter. Just blend up all those ingredients and you will have yourself a nutritional powerhouse of a shake.
With the addition of these two shakes per day I am able to gain up to 2 lbs per week.
Eventually, what you put in is what you will get out of it.
Putting on size can be more difficult for some people than others. The key is in understanding your body and figuring out what works for you.
This is best chest workout for mass because it increases training frequency and incorporates techniques from both power lifting and bodybuilding.
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