Supine Cable Flyes are a great substitute for the Bench Press

When bodybuilders are asked what is the best exercise for chest the answer is invariably the bench press, often thought of as the king of chest exercises. However, studies have found that the for the bench press your pecs are worked 60 - 80 percent less than the triceps and anterior(front) deltoids which translates to the pecs only perform 20% of the work during the bench press, hardly an impressive amount. In contrast supine cable flyes focus almost entirely on the pectoral muscles. Try a few sets and you will be surprised as to how effective this exercise is for blasting your pecs.


Here's how to perform the exercise:
Lie in the supine position on a flat bench between two pulleys set at shoulder level. Take a supinated or curl grip on the cables and begin with your arms spread wide and elbows straight. Leading with your elbows, pull your forearms up and close together as possible over your chest. Keep your forearms parallel and do not lead with your hands. Squeeze your pecs tightly in the fully contracted position and then lower back down slowly to the starting position and repeat for 3 - 4 sets of 10 - 15 reps.

Change Your Routine Routinely for Maximum Gains

Here's another great question from a bodybuilder who is frustrated and working to break through a plateau. Remember the key to maximizing your progress is for your muscles NOT be used to the same old routine. You must change your routine around constantly so your muscles are being worked in a different way for maximum stimulation.

Hello Mr. Illinois: I'm a mid-level competitive bodybuilder who loves blasting my chest. Recently gains in my bench presses have really slowed down resulting in decreased muscularity and strength. I'm still working hard at the same routine that has produced results in the past. But I seem to have hit a plateau or even regressed a bit. What should I do?
Steve F. Burlington, WI

Answer: Hi Steve. The key to your problem is in the "same routine" part of your question. You're doing the same old thing that your muscles are used to. So how can you expect to make gains? What you need to do is to shake up your routine and shock your muscles into growth. There are numerous ways to do this. Super sets, giant sets, micro-loading, or just plain weight and set variations should all do the trick. Remember your muscles continually need new stimulus to grow.

For starters try using a different weight and rep combination for your bench presses. Then progress to working new chest exercises into your workout You'll be surprised as to how well your muscles will respond to the change. Good Luck.

Ingredients for a Great Chest Workout

Today I will be working my favorite body part, chest. To me nothing makes you feel more virile and powerful than the pump you feel after working chest. I start out with bench presses 4 - 5 sets including one warm-up set. When bench pressing focus on using your chest muscles to push the weight. Bring the bar down slowly then explode upwards once the bar touches your chest. Never bounce the weight or arch your back as cheating does not increase your muscle mass or strength and you will also leave yourself at risk for shoulder and back injury.

The next chest exercise is one of my favorites, inclines presses. No muscle burn feels better to me then the deep muscle ache you feel during a hard worked set of inclines. A well developed upper chest gives you that powerful table-top look that people really admire. I usually perform 3 - 4 sets of 8 - 12 hard fought reps. That does the trick for me. If you do these correctly you should have a difficult time even lifting the bar after the last set.

I complete my chest workout with either dumbbell flyes or cable crossovers. When performing dumbbell flyes your motion should be similar to that of you hugging a tree. But be careful and don't extend to far down at the bottom of the movement as you leave yourself vulnerable to shoulder injury. Same with cable crossovers, use a moderate weight and flex your pecs at the peak of the movement. Don't overload the weight as you will also expose yourself to injury.

When your done working with the weights spend a few minutes flexing your pecs in front of a mirror to really bring out the cuts and striations with this isometric exercise.