The Battle Continues! Chest Workout
Whats up guys. So earlier this morning I trained chest which as many of you probably know has always been a struggle for me. At the end of the day, I'm not mad about it. There will always be certain areas in my physique that lack in terms of shape, strength etc. The sport of bodybuilding, whether competitive or not just works that way. We don't get to determine how muscles develop, or what we excel or lack in. Sure we can continue working on things just as I continue to work on my chest, but there will always be some things we're better or worse at.
That being said, I decided today that I would seriously start implementing some strength training into my chest routines, at least at the beginning of them to really work on my strength when it comes to the bench press. A lot of you have probably heard of a "5X5" program before, and that's exactly what I began implementing today. If you aren't familiar, essentially what it involves is of 5 sets of 5 reps with the goal in mind to gradually increase the weight each week. So for today, I stuck to 235lbs and was able to manage all 5 sets in the same controlled fashion. Being that these sets are mean to be extremely heavy, you want to make sure to give yourself 2-3 minutes between sets to fully recover!
If you are reading this and saw my post on Instagram earlier, you'll notice I have red cuffs around my elbows. These cuffs are designed to provide extra elbow support as well as a slight "pop" out of the bottom portion of the rep. Being I experience constant elbow cracking, stability issues these cuffs give me the little bit of extra support I need to feel confident and comfortable on the bench press. I got them from an extremely reputable company called "Slingshot" by world famous power lifter Mark Bell. The website URL is as follows www.markbellslingshot.com.
So back to the workout.. After completing my five sets of five reps I went on into my regular style of training geared towards bodybuilding. I'll leave the full workout below for you guys to try ! If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out ! All coaching inquires can email me directly at confessoreconditoning@gmail.com. Hope you guys enjoy your weekend !
1) 5x5 @ 235lbs 70-75% of 1RM
2) Incline dumbbell press 4x 10-12 reps
3) Cable cross over medium height 4 x 12 -15 reps (Drop set immediately after 3rd set)
4) Decline machine press 4 x 10 - 12 reps
5) Seated Calve raises 3 x 20 reps ( I train calves in the high rep range a few times a week on non leg days)
