2 workouts to grow big chest muscles in under 10 minutes with no equipment
It's beach body season, finally! But don't let the body you worked hard on last year by not getting a good pump before you head down to the seaside – these three chest workouts will un-flatten your pecs and pump up your arms and shoulders in under 10 minutes so you can look as good as you're supposed to without your shirt on.
What's a pump, you might ask?
Pump is when your muscles swell up due to blood rushing into them which makes them look bigger. This is the sort-of look bodybuilders have after a workout – and you can look the same by activating the muscles right before you take your top off.
Quick workouts such as the ones below will get you pumped in no time; better still, they use no equipment so you can do them in your hotel room or right down on the beach, which will make you look good for more than one reason. After all, people who exercise are generally more appealing than those who don't, so if you work out on the beach, you'll show everyone you're a workout-type of person.
10-min chest workout (no equipment) by velikaans
This is an excellent workout to get your pecs pumping! Velikaans' workout uses 6-rep sets – after six repetitions, you take a 15-second break before you move on to the next exercise/set.
As the uploader says, "You can do it every day or 3 days a week. Just 10 minutes a day is enough. DO NOT BE AVERAGE! - BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF!" Sounds encouraging if you ask me!
Here is the breakdown of the workout:
10-minute follow-along home chest pump workout by Abnormal Beings
It should come as no surprise that the second workout also incorporates many different versions of push-ups – it's the best bodyweight workout to get an upper-body pump without any home gym equipment.
The reason why this video was chosen is because Abnormal Beings explains all the exercises carefully and offers a less demanding option when available. Can't do standard push-ups? It'll be easier if you drop down your knees. You can always train your core and start doing full push-ups when your abdominal area is strong enough.
5 Must-Do Chest Building Exercises for Better Workouts
For many lifters, chest day is a Monday ritual. For others, creating the perfect upper-body blend of strength, hypertrophy, mobility, and pec definition can be classified as an art form.
Which of the wide range of chest exercises work the absolute best? Usually, when we think of heavy chest workouts, most peoples' minds automatically turn to the bench press. But there are a host of heavy-hitting options besides this old-school classic—most of which fall into a pair of categories, presses and flys—that will allow your to hit all the right angles and give you a solid chest contraction and pec squeeze.
Here, Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. and celebrity trainer and MH Advisory Board member Don Saladi no break down their top five must-do moves that you should include in your chest training.
The 5 Must-Do Chest Building Exercises Machine Press
Once thought of as a training day last resort or afterthought, chest machines have improved drastically over the years (one in particular being the Hammer Strength incline press machine). Samuel and Saladi o say that machine presses now provide plenty of pectoral punch to include them in your chest training, especially if the rest of your training is focused on free weights and 'functional' movements.
What makes machine presses beneficial? One reason, according to Salvation, is that the machine’s fixed motion allows you to push a heavier load past your normal limit in a more stable environment, creating a safer exercise during those fatigue-plagued supersets. Machines also make for a better and safer option to incorporate rest-pause sets.
Alternating Incline Dumbbell Press
Sometimes this exercise might feel too easy during the first few reps that you forget how effective it can be—until you build up the time under tension to create a fantastic chest challenge. Unlike the traditional incline dumbbell press, in which both arms move simultaneously, this variation's staggered movement allows you to double the time under tension each set. If building muscle is your goal, that’s a good thing.
Cable Fly
There's really no right or wrong way to do this exercise—high cable, low cable, medium height—each cable fly variation targets a whole set of different muscle fibers. Pro tip from Samuel: Look down at your chest to watch the squeeze.
This isolation movement allows you to maintain constant tension throughout the entire range of motion. Cables are also a more joint-friendly alternative to traditional dumbbell flys, which can be tough on your shoulders.
Pushup
The most basic and universal exercise for your chest is quite possibly the move most often performed incorrectly.
Think of pushups as a moving plank—you want your glutes tight, lats activated while you externally rotate your hands to create as much tension throughout your body as possible. One rep should look like one fluid pressing move. After you've done one perfect rep, make sure you don't flag and drop your hips.
Dumbbell Bench Press
The most effective of all exercises, according to Samuel and Salvation, remains this basic chest classic. What makes the dumbbell press more effective for most general exercisers than the barbell variation is that you're able to focus on the unique aspects of your anatomy, which makes it a safer option to push heavier weight without compromising your shoulder safety. You also don't have to worry about the fixed position of your hands, and since your goal is building muscle, not pressing weight, you can more safely fail on a rep without a spotter.
However, according to Saladi o, keep your feet flat on the floor when doing these if you're ultimate goal is building chest muscle. Even though you may think you’re activating your core, you’re instead creating instability that will only hurt your goals.
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Burn fat while building muscle by exercising just once a week - workout plan
Expert explains why enjoying exercise is important
There is no quick fix for growing muscles in the gym, it's a process that takes time. Similarly with burning fat. And finding the time to fit in multiple workouts per week can be hard to sustain, especially with a family or hectic work commitments.
But experts at Barnes have found that by doing a pretty extensive workout routine once per week, people can do both.
Eric Burgers a personal trainer at Barbend, has put together a comprehensive workout plan using just dumbbells and body weight that hits every muscle group in just one session.
He laid out his one-day-a-week workout plan, which includes high-intensity exercises that burn fat and build muscle all at once.
Incline dumbbell press - three sets of six-eight reps
Muscles used: Chest, shoulders, triceps.
The incline dumbbell press is a great compound exercise for targeting your upper chest (pectoralis major), the front of your shoulders (anterior deltoids) as well as your triceps at the back of your arms.
To do this exercise, set up a workout bench to about 30 or 45 degrees and sit down holding the dumbbells upright on each of your thighs. Lay down and hold the dumbbells shoulder-width apart over your chest with a slight bend in your elbows. Slowly control the weights down to your chest and extend your elbows to bring the weights back up to the top to perform a full rep.
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Burn fat while building muscle by exercising just once a week - workout plan
Burn fat while building muscle by exercising just once a week - workout plan (Image: BARBEND) Goblet squats - three sets of six-eight reps
Muscles used: Legs, bum, calves, abs, back
The goblet squat provides great bang for your buck, as it hits multiple muscle groups in one movement, including your quads, hamstrings, glutes (bum), and the stabilising muscles in your back and abs.
To perform the exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed straight ahead and hold a dumbbell close to your chest.
Keeping your back flat and hips back, bend your knees so that your bottom goes just below your knees.
Use your bum and legs to push back up to a standing position to complete a full rep.
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Pull-ups - three sets of eight-12 reps
Muscles used: Back, biceps, abs.
The pull-up relies entirely on using your own body weight as the form of resistance and engages your back (latissimus dorsi), biceps and core.
To do a pull-up, start by standing below the pull-up bar and with your palms facing away from you, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the bar. Lift your feet off the floor so that you are handing from the bar, pull your shoulders back and down and pull yourself up so your chin comes over the bar.
Then control yourself back down to the original hanging position.
For beginners, hanging a resistance band from the bar and looping your feet through it, will reduce some of the resistance and make the exercise easier to do if you are struggling.
A high-intensity workout that burns fat and builds muscle all at once
A high-intensity workout that burns fat and builds muscle all at once (Image: BARBEND) Dumbbell deadlift – three sets of eight-10 reps
Muscles used: Bum, legs, lower back, calves
The deadlift is a staple compound exercise in weightlifting that can often be quite intimidating for beginners as it typically requires a barbell and proper form.
However, using dumbbells can be a much safer and easier way to master the technique while still working your hamstrings, quads, glutes, and core.
To perform the dumbbell deadlift, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. While keeping your hips back and chest up, bend your knees with your back flat and lower the dumbbells over your shins stopping just before touching the floor.
Return to a standing position, making sure to squeeze your glutes throughout the movement for a full rep.
Calorie burning tips
Calorie burning tips (Image: EXPRESS) Dumbbell overhead press - three sets of six-eight reps
Muscles used: Shoulders, triceps, upper back, upper chest, abs
The dumbbell overhead press works a plethora of muscles, with a focus on the three main heads of the shoulders (the posterior, medial and anterior deltoids) as well as hitting your triceps, upper back, shoulders and core.
To perform the overhead press, safely bend down and pick up a pair of dumbbells, one in eachother hand.
Bend your elbows so that you are bringing the weights up to your body and tuck your elbows into your body with your palms facing each other holding the dumbbells.
Push the weights up so they are above your head and then control these down to the starting position for a full rep.