Beginner's Guide to Strength Training: Beginner's Guide to Strength Training - The Chest

Beginner's Guide to Strength Training
Beginner's Guide to Strength Training - The Chest
| Your Muscles  | The Chest Muscles  | Pushups  | Chest Press  | Chest Flies  | Choosing Chest Exercises  | Take the Quiz!

	from Paige Waehner In the past couple of weeks, you've learned so much, it's hard to believe there's anything left to talk about. But, there's always more to learn about strength training and this week, we'll go beyond the rather dry world of principles and guidelines and get into the heart of strength training. More specifically, we'll get started with the specifics about muscle groups and common exercises for each one. This week, we'll focus on the chest and you'll get a chance to practice three exercises, all with very detailed instructions. First, you'll learn a bit more about your muscles and how they work.
Your Muscles
	Your Muscles
	When you start lifting weights, it's important to have at least a general idea of how your muscles operate. For each exercise you do, your muscles will play a specific role depending on the movement. There are muscles that initiate the movement and there are also muscles that will help stabilize the body, even if they aren't directly involved. There are even muscles that will completely relax to allow the opposing muscle to work. Below are the different roles your muscles can play: 1. Prime movers. A prime mover is the muscle that initiates the movement you're doing. For example, when you're doing a biceps curl, the biceps would be the primer mover. The prime mover is also the target muscle of the exercise. 2. Antagonists. The antagonist is the muscle opposing the prime mover. This muscle will relax when the prime mover is working. So, using the biceps curl example, the triceps are the opposing muscle group and will relax. 3. Synergists. Some muscles will be synergists, or muscles that help the prime mover work better by stabilizing the body. During a bicep curl, the shoulders may help stabilize the upper body so that nothing else moves except the elbow joint. Knowing these simple actions can help you focus on the exercises you're doing and better understand which muscles are working and how to get the most out of each exercise. Aside from these roles muscles can play, it's also important to know the different types of movements. Some are more complex, involving multiple joints and muscles. These are known as compound exercises and include exercises like squats, lunges or pushups - all of which involve a variety of muscles. Compound exercises usually burn more calories because they involve more muscles - the more muscles you can recruit during an exercise, the more calories you'll burn. Other exercises are simpler, known as isolation exercises and involve only one joint, such as a biceps curl. Isolation moves can strengthen a specific area, which is great if you have muscular imbalances or you're trying to heal an injury caused by an imbalance. Using both movements will give you a well-rounded routine.
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The Chest Muscles
	The Chest Muscles
	One of the largest muscle groups in the upper body, the chest muscles are made up of the pectoralis major and, underneath that, the pectoralis minor. The pectoralis major which is the larger muscle, actually has two parts - an upper portion (called the clavicular head) and the lower portion (called the sternal head). Now, just because there are two different areas of the chest, that doesn't mean you can separate them. Any chest exercise you do will work the entire area but, some exercises will stimulate the chest in different ways. For example, a chest press involves the entire pectoralis major with a focus on the lower portion of the chest. By moving to an incline position, you still work the entire pectoralis major, but now the focus shifts to the upper portion of the chest. That's one reason there are so many variations for each exercise - by changing the movement, the angle and/or the type of resistance, you'll recruit different muscle fibers and challenge your body in new ways. The chest muscles are responsible for moving the arms across the body and up and down, as well as other movements like rotation and flexion. Most chest exercises will involve pushing the arms away from the body or the body away from the arms. Below are three of the most common chest exercises along with detailed step-by-step instructions and variations on each move.
Pushups
	Pushups
	Pushups are probably one of the most common exercises targeting the chest. The traditional pushup is a compound movement. The prime mover is the pectoralis major (the lower portion) and the other muscles that help in this exercise include the lower chest, the shoulders and the triceps. Pushups require upper body strength but, even more important, enough ab strength to keep from straining the lower back. Step by Step: Pushups on the Knees Get down onto all fours and place the hands a little wider than the shoulders. Walk the knees back far enough that your body is in a straight line from the head all the way down to the back of the knees. Keeping this position, bend the elbows and lower the torso down towards the floor. Lower as far as you can or until the elbows are at about 90-degree angles. Push back up to the starting position without locking the elbow joints. Do's and Don'ts Do: Contract the abs to keep the back straight Do: Lower the hips to keep the body straight Do: Keep the neck straight Do: Keep the upper body directly over the arms Don't: Push the chin forward as you lower down Don't: Arch the back Don't: Sag through the shoulders or chest Variations: Wall pushups Incline pushups on the knees Pushups on the knees Pushups on the toes Decline pushups on the ball More Chest Exercises
Chest Press
	Chest Press
	The chest press is very similar to a pushup except that you're pushing the arms away from the chest instead of pushing the body away from the arms. Like the pushup, the chest press is a compound exercise involving the joints of the arms and shoulders. The prime mover is the lower chest and the helper muscles are the upper chest, the shoulders and the triceps. The chest includes larger muscles, which means you can usually use heavier weights. But, you are limited by the strength of the arms as well so, if you're a beginner, you may need to start with lighter weights to get your form down and to allow your arms to get stronger. Step by Step: Chest Press Lie down on the floor with the knees bent. Hold light-medium weights in both hands and begin the movement with the arms straight up towards the ceiling, elbows soft (not locked) and directly over the chest. Your knuckles should point to the ceiling and your palms should face away from you. Bend the elbows and lower the arms down until the backs of your arms just graze the floor. At this point, your elbows should be bent at about 90-degrees and your arms should look like a goal post with the hands in a direct line from the elbows. Feel your chest contract as you push the arms straight again. As your hands come back up, you'll bring the weights close together, but they won't touch. Doing this move on a step or bench will allow you to get a fuller range of motion, but you never want to drop the arms lower than the shoulders because you want to keep the work in the chest area. Do's and Don'ts Do: Keep the abs contracted so that you don't arch the lower back. Do: Keep the arms straight up over the chest. Do: Keep the forearms perpendicular to the floor at the bottom of the movement. Don't: Lock the elbow joints. Don't: Grip the weights too hard as that can add stress to the hands and forearms. Variations Chest press on the ball Barbell chest press Incline chest press Alternating chest press More Chest Exercises
Chest Flies
	Chest Flies
	The chest fly is different from the previous exercises because it's an isolation movement, involving the shoulder joint. The prime mover is the lower chest and the helper muscles include the lower chest, the shoulders and the biceps. You will typically use a lighter weight here than you would with the chest press. The reason is that your arms are straighter, which adds a longer lever to the move and will require more control as you lower the weights. Step by Step: Chest Flies Lie down on the floor with the knees bent. Hold light-medium weights in both hands and begin the movement with the arms straight up towards the ceiling, elbows soft (not locked) and directly over the chest. Your hands should be facing each other, the elbows slightly bent and pointing out to either side, almost as though you're hugging a tree. Keeping that same angle in your elbows, lower the arms down to about shoulder level or until you feel the backs of your arms just graze the floor. At the bottom of the movement, your arms should be open with a slight bend in the elbow, palms facing the ceiling. Squeeze the chest to bring the arms back up, stopping just before the weights touch. Make sure you keep the elbows stable throughout the movement. Do's and Don'ts Do: Keep the abs contracted so that you don't arch the lower back. Do: Keep the movement slow to avoid using momentum. Don't: Bend the elbows. You should keep a slight bend throughout the movement, but the elbows don't bend in this exercise. Don't: Lower the arms too far below the shoulders. You want to keep the focus on the chest. When you drop the arms too low, you involve the shoulders and risk injury because your shoulders are smaller muscles and may not be able to handle the same weight that your chest can. Variations Chest fly on the ball Incline chest fly Chest fly with a band One-armed fly More Chest Exercises
Choosing Chest Exercises
	Choosing Chest Exercises
	When you're setting up your program and you start choosing exercises, you may wonder how many to choose and which ones will work best. These basic guidelines will help you figure out how to choose the best chest exercises for your goals: If you're a beginner, choose one chest exercise you think you can handle. Pushups are more difficult so you start with an easier exercise such as a chest press machine (if you're at the gym) or a chest press with dumbbells. If you're more advanced, you might choose one compound exercise (e.g., a pushup) and an isolation exercise (e.g., chest fly). If you're very advanced or you're working the chest separately from other muscles, choose three or more different moves (e.g., pushups, chest press and chest flies) As you get stronger, you can add more challenging variations such as one-armed moves, alternating the arms or trying a different type of resistance.
Take the Quiz!
	Take the Quiz!
	If you've read through all the information here and think you're ready, take the quiz to see how much you learned.
Paige Waehner About.com Guide to Exercise http://exercise.about.com www.About.com About.com is part of The New York Times Company
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