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Fitness Tips for Summer

By Rick Gusler

Workout Tips for Pecs

When trying to develop a super chest, the first mistake that most make is to try too hard, doing too many exercises, sets and reps. It is far easier than that, and here are a few tips:

Think Positive Thoughts - To get the chest you've always dreamed of, you must think positive. You must first conceive, then believe, and you will then achieve.

Get Strong - How do you get strong? By utilizing a basic training technique called progressive resistance. Simply put, this means you handle more weights or do more reps every workout. Do this week after week, month after month, until you reach your maximum strength. Record all your workouts and try to do at least one extra rep each chest workout. Imagine you are doing three sets of incline presses. The first is your warm-up set of 10 reps. Add weight and do a second set of 10 more reps. Then add weight and do your final set to absolute failure (when you can't push another one out), and record that final set number. On your next workout, work to exceed that “absolute failure” set by one rep. Once you have done this, increase the weight (as little as one pound).

Train Your Pecs From Two Angles - Use both the incline and decline bench when doing chest presses. Why? While flat-bench chest presses are fine, most men want more than a flat chest. Incline chest press and a variety of decline chest press exercises (i.e., dips) strengthen and sculpt your chest. The best routine is to train the pecs once every five to seven days and perform three sets each of inclines and declines using the progressive resistance technique described earlier. Do these religiously and your chest will grow, plus you will get strong, which is necessary to get powerful looking pecs. 

Eat Properly - You can train your pecs hard and heavy for years, but you won't grow if you're not eating properly. Try to consume about one gram of protein of body weight daily. Eat whole foods focusing on lean proteins, as well as vegetables, fresh fruit, flax seed oil, flax seed powder (for fiber), rice, potatoes, yams and squash. Avoid wheat as much as you can (pasta, bread, cereal, etc.), because this is one of the most allergenic foods on the planet. The gluten in wheat can irritate your intestinal lining and cause you to poorly absorb your food. Vegetables and fresh fruits should be your first choice of carbohydrates. You may also consume rice, potatoes and yams unless you are overweight, in which case you should limit the starches until your weight (body fat) drops to an appropriate level.

Supplement Your Diet - I like natural supplements - whey protein and or egg white protein. There are very few supplements on the market today that are completely safe. If you choose to take a manufactured supplement, check with your doctor. Many manufactured supplements can increase blood pressure and cause negative physical changes and/or hair loss. Really think twice about these.

My final tip for a better chest is to flex those pecs. Flex daily and you will have better control over this muscle group. And the better you can control your pecs, the easier it is to isolate them when you exercise. A big, sculpted chest is one of the top reasons people bodysculpt - use the tips above and see dramatic improvements to your chest development.


Growth in the Gym

Remember how difficult it was to learn an exercise for the first time? Whether it was squats or bench presses, the bar was probably moving in a somewhat jerky motion, and your limbs were likely a bit wobbly from the new movement.

But that was then. By now, you've probably mastered most of the best body-sculpting exercises and are the picture-perfect form at your gym. This month, we shake things up a bit by introducing a totally new way to complete tried-and-true movements. The result is a shock to the system that can propel your body to new levels of physical-strength development.

Using chains in the gym is a great way to grow. Although it'll make you a bit conspicuous, this dynamic chains technique can help you make great strides in your training. The quantity of muscles affected in these multi-joint movements will also save you time in the gym. The effect on the entire core is something you need to experience to believe. You'll appreciate it a day or two afterward, judging by the post-workout soreness.

Let's Get Started

At the gym, lower the bar on the Smith Machine to the third notch. You want it high enough that you'll hover just above the floor but not drag your knuckles on it. Drape the chains over it and adjust them so that equal halves hang on either side of the bar. Clip the carabiners to the ends and the handles. You should be looking at two handles hanging from chains at the same depth.

Stand before the bar and hold your arms at a natural push-up angle. Remember that proper elbow flexion for a chest push-up is 90 degrees. Adjust the chains so they're as wide as the space between your hands. This angle is important - too wide and you'll flounder to stay up, too narrow and your triceps will be awkwardly emphasized and the movement will feel very unnatural.

First, core stability is everything. Keep your abs tight and don't let your back sag. Start on your knees if you have to. You'll feel the magic of stabilizing muscles as your hands try to shake in all directions to adapt to this new demand. Try to complete the movement in a natural, steady motion.

Push-ups can be altered in many ways to keep the body challenged. With a spotter, put your feet up on an exercise ball and continue. What you're performing is roughly the equivalent of a bench press. So to mimic an incline press, raise your feet on a support such as a flat bench. The greater the angle, the more the load shifts toward the upper chest and shoulders. On the flip side, keep your feet low but raise your upper body to perform a decline push-up for the lower chest area. Raise the bar above waist-level in this case. By now you realize not just your chest is being hit. Although you'll get a powerful burn in the pectoral region, you'll also feel these moves in your shoulders, arms, back and abs.

Other Exercises You Can Do:

Besides various types of push-ups, a couple of other moves are worth a try.

Pull-ups: With your feet out in front of you and a wide grip on the chains, pull your bodyweight up. You'll activate your biceps, but to truly focus on the back, squeeze your shoulder blades together. This activates the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius and teres major muscles.

Dip: Similar to the acrobatic rings, the chains allow superior triceps development over the traditional dip. Begin with your feet in front of you on the floor and progress to your feet up on a bench, and eventually with no support at all. This is definitely an advanced exercise.

The exercises are tough, but you can have some fun with them, too. The multi-joint moves demand everything you've got. The work is hard, but the results are big.

Rick Gusler is a certified personal trainer and diet nutritionist who serves his clients through Gusler Body Sculpting and Fitness Center in central Denver. To schedule a free consultation or to learn more about the Gusler method of body sculpting please contact Rick at 303.860.7131 or visit him online at www.guslerbodysculpting.com.