Chest Presses

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Guidelines for all chest pressing movements
(unless specifically stated otherwise)

wide foot-stance for stability (medium for pushups)
keep hands just outside of shoulder-width and wrists directly above the elbows; forearms should remain vertical throughout, perpendicular to the ground where you are strongest in the range (especially at the bottom)
at the top, pull shoulders back, then let elbows follow (almost 2 separate movements)
at the bottom, retract shoulder blades together and contract everything in the back
contract the pecs hard to come back up and bring the humerus across the body; focus on squeezing the elbows towards each other across the midline
when sitting / lying against a support (a bench for example), focus on pushing the body / trunk backwards into it (as opposed to pushing the weight away from the body)
contract glutes and abs throughout to avoid any lower back arch
when performing incline pressing movements, pay extra attention to avoiding any arching of the lower back

Barbell Bench Press – Flat / Incline / Decline

Note that the wrists are directly above the elbows

Shove hands ‘inwards’ throughout (‘intent’).

Dumbbell Bench Press – Flat / Incline / Decline

Note that the chest is up, though there is no arch in the lower back

bring hands up only until directly inline with shoulders at the top (don’t come inside them)
max stretch of chest at the bottom (should result in elbows coming well below shoulders)

Clavicular Barbell Bench Press

choose a lighter weight than you would typically use for an incline bench press
grab bar in position that ensures wrists will be directly above elbows at the bottom
bring barbell right down to throat with elbows up high
at the bottom, pause / get a good stretch (2-3 seconds) while attempting to pull shoulder blades back and elbows to the ground
‘attempt’ intent (shove inwards throughout)
if not really feeling the exercise in the pecs, instead of pushing the bar straight up and down (90º) try moving it at a ‘slightly’ forward angle (80 – 85º or so)

Dumbbell Bench Press with internal rotation
– Flat / Incline / Decline

Internally rotated at the bottom

palms facing shoulders at the bottom
finish at the top with hands neutral

Dumbbell Bench Press with external rotation
– Flat / Incline / Decline

Rotating during the ascent

begin with a neutral grip at the bottom
twist into an internally rotated position at the top
keep hands outside of elbows throughout

Machine Chest Press – Flat / Incline / Decline

neutral elbow position (about shoulder height)
initiate from the ‘outer’ pec
try to ‘shove’ handles / hands towards each other throughout (‘intent’)

One-Arm Hammer Strength – Flat / Incline / Decline

use the relaxed arm to stabilize the body to prevent any twisting of the torso

Pushups – Flat / Incline / Decline

Note that the hands are directly below the elbows

space hands just outside of shoulders & shift weight forward over the top (maintain this)
come all the way down until the chest touches the floor
push the ground away to come back up (don’t try to ‘lift’ body up)
‘shove’ hands inwards (intent) throughout and keep back flat
maintain contracted glutes and abs locked to keep core tight (no sagging of the hips)

Plyometric Pushups – Flat / Incline / Decline

Note that the body remains rigid / in a straight line from head to toes

for beginners or intermediate trainees: perform pushing off a flat bench (as depicted in the image above)
for advanced trainees: perform as directed from the floor (no bench) + for an additional optional level of difficulty if able to push-up hard enough, try clapping your hands together quickly on the ascent
place hands, just outside of shoulder-width apart with legs straight out behind so that the body forms a rigid horizontal line from head to toes
come all the way down until the chest touches the bench / ground
explode up as high as possible so that hands and torso are no longer in contact with the bench / floor (attempt to maximize the distance achieved at the top each time)
squeeze chest when extending arms (‘shove’ inwards while concurrently exploding away)
consciously remain in control of the negative as hands regain contact with the bench/floor

Cable Press

Note that it’s fine to place one front of the other if needed to maintain stability

Unless directed otherwise, position cables to just below shoulder height (arms should be slightly below parallel to ground at the bottom of the movement)
take a big step forward
execute by pressing the weights directly in front
be extra focused on keeping the core tight to remain stabilized throughout
if / once you are using a weight that makes it extremely difficult for you to remain stable, it’s okay to perform seated on a bench with a back support for assistance.

Dumbbell Press-Fly – Flat / Incline / Decline

on the way down, rotate the palms into a neutral grip (palms facing) and descend per a standard ‘dumbbell fly’ with slightly bent elbows.
on the way up, press the weight up per a standard ‘dumbbell press’

Dumbbell Floor Presses with Bands

Neutral-Grip depicted here

place a band flat across the ground; lie down on top of it (back to ground) so it aligns with the pecs from underneath
ask a training partner or someone else to raise the ends of the band straight up so it is stretched somewhat; fully extend arms and grasp the band at the highest point each hand can reach
maintaining a firm grip of the band so that it remains stretched at it’s current level, have training partner place a dumbbell in each hand
at the top of the movement, pronate the hands (turn them inwards)

Machine Floor Presses

Neutral-Grip with bands depicted here

when laying on the band / ground, make sure the band aligns with the pecs from underneath
focus on being explosive from the bottom, and really reach for the roof at the top, squeezing hard

Seated Incline Clean & Press

Neutral-Grip depicted here

At the top after sitting up using the core

This exercise is best used as a finishing exercise
Start Position: sit tall (not with your back against the pad) with palms facing each other & dumbbells resting on thighs
Step 1: lie back, then press / lower the weights, touching them briefly to the shoulders at the bottom
Step 2: immediately, holding the dumbbells stable using the biceps, contract abs to sit up with control returning momentarily to the start position.

Exercise Execution

Ham / Glute Specific Exercises

Chest Flyes

The Core-40 Exercises

Front Delt Movements