I've got a treat for you
with this exercise, if you want to fill out your inner
chest and get more "cleavage" of your pecs.
This exercise targets the
inner aspect of the pec fibers very strongly...and with
a heavy press, which is very useful for building...and
with very simple eqiupment (no machines needed...just
a decline bench and a dumbell).
The pecs reach full contraction
when the arm crosses the midline of the body - you can
demonstrate this just sitting at your computer as you
read this by holding your right arm straight out in front
of you then bringing it across your body to the left while
keeping it straight.
Feel that contraction?
THAT is what you're missing
in a regular bench press and THAT is what this exercise
is going to load.
The key with this one is
the angle of your body. You'll be lying perpendicular
on the bench with one arm hooked under the roller pads
at the top and your shoulders tilting down.
Here's the starting setup...dumbell
beside the decline bench. Use a weight you know you can
handle well for normal dumbell presses. I'm using an 85lb
dumbell here, which is pretty moderate for me.
Sit on the bench and reach
down and grab the dumbell.
Set the dumbell on your
thigh then get your other arm hooked underneath the top
roller pad.
As you do this then just
kick the dumbell up into the bench press position.
Now you're in position...your
arm is hooked under and the other arm is in the bottom
of the bench press position. Note how my shoulders are
tilted DOWN at the angle of the bench.
This is KEY to hitting the
inner pec fibers because as you press up, the tilt in
your shoulders makes it SEEM like you're coming up and
across your body, which is what hits that inner aspect.
Press up and hold and squeeze
HARD at the top. This is not a fast power exercise. You
want to do this deliberately and really get that hard
squeeze at the top of the movement where your arm comes
across your body.
Do all your reps on one
side then set the dumbell down on the floor and switch
to the other side.
You can really see the tilt
in the shoulders in this pic. Note how the upper arm is
all the way down and practically touching the bench at
the bottom - the bottom isn't the "money" part
of the exercise...it's the TOP, so make sure you get that
squeeze at the top.
Your bottom shoulder will
come off the bench at the bottom, which is totally fine
because that's the idea with the exercise. The shoulder
comes up as the arm comes up and across.
So if you want to hit that
inner chest, DEFINITELY give this one a try. It's also
going to target your core because of the tilt and the
single-arm pressing.
VIDEO BELOW!
