After training for almost a decade I can guarantee that you don't have to bench to build a bigger
chest. In fact, I can recall only benching about three to five times in the entire decade of my
journey. So in today's video, I'm going to show you guys how you can build a bigger chest without
benching at all. Let's hop into it. The first thing I want to talk about are the exercises that have
become a staple in my chest/push workouts. And obviously, you probably already know- it is the
entire variation of push-ups, dips, and straight-bar dips. So, we have the whole dynamic of wide,
close, normal, archers, cobras, biceps, upper chest push-ups, decline push-ups, incline push-ups-
the entire array of push-ups, pretty much. So, the next thing to cover would be how did I
used those exercises to build a bigger chest, if many of them are already- from the jump, initially
easy. So, now we're going to be talking about training techniques, modalities and principles.
We'll first start off with principles. The first principle is frequency. How often are you going
to be training chest or push a week? You guys have to be training push or chest, twice a week as a
whole. Any more than that there's just not enough room for recovery. Once a week is not enough
because by the time your chest recovers, you're gonna have to wait like another three to four days
before you hit chest again. So, just remember from the jump- based on your current split right now,
Push, Pull, Legs, Upper or Lower... Hit chest twice. So the whole total of your sets should be about 15 to 25.
Many people go for about 10 to 20. Honestly, my workouts range a bit on the higher end. So about 15
to 25 sets, collectively throughout the whole week that I train chest. And the second principle would
be training intensity or effort. How hard are you guys actually training, when you are training chest?
Or even collectively when you are training in general? You have to be taking most of your sets
to failure, or at least one to two reps in reserve of failure. But let's say you don't want to take
each and every set to failure- I don't take every set to failure. But at least, you have to take the
third or the last set of every exercise that you do, to complete failure. You cannot push anymore.
If we are training push-ups, and push-ups are relatively easy to most people. If you can rep out
30-50 reps clean, and it's still pretty easy for you, you have to get to the point where you are
barely able to complete one. You are barely able to press up for another rep. That's the threshold that
you have to reach in order to stimulate muscle growth. In order to build a bigger chest. If you are
still able to rep out another 10 after you finish 30, there's a problem there. But obviously, this is
based on you doing high reps- you not using any kind of training technique to make the push-ups
more difficult. Which is what we'll get into right now. So, the next thing is training techniques. How
do we make the push-ups more difficult if we can rep out 30 to 100 reps? How do we make that more
difficult? If we want to work within a 6 to 12, or 6 to 15 rep range and reach muscular failure within
that rep range... how do we do that? The first thing would be to slow your reps down. Have a set tempo.
When I was first starting i probably used a 2-2-2 tempo. So, that is two on the eccentric,
two on the isometric, and two seconds on the concentric. You have to slow things down.
Remember, building muscle isn't about finishing the workout as fast as possible. It's about stimulating
the muscles as much as possible, within the given time-frame that you have within that workout. It's
about breaking down the muscle tissue so that we can rebuild and recover in post. The reps and
the sets have to be difficult. I know, push-ups are easy, but you have to have a little bit of
anxiety when you're going into a good set- a really, really difficult set. Anyone who has experience in
weightlifting and free weights know what I mean. You get a little bit of anxiety. You can feel your
heartbeat rising because it's going to take a lot of you to finish that set, and to complete it.
To get that same sensation with push-ups, it has to be difficult. Tempo is one thing. Squeezing on
the concentric is another thing. So, if I'm going up on a push-up, I'm coming down and I'm coming back up.
On this squeeze- squeeze your chest as hard as you can. But to really aim for that anxiety, and that
heartbeat- that nerve, so to speak. It has to be heavy. So that's when we resort to weight plates
or weight vests. If someone is stacking plates on top of you, or you are putting a weight vest
over yourself, then you really have to rise to the occasion. You really have to push yourself
to finish that set. You get to the point where you're like, "Okay, the rep range is eight to twelve.
I might be able to get eight if I use about 40 kg on my back, for example. That's the threshold
that you have to get to, mentally. That's the fear that you have to reach, most of the time. In
addition to all these techniques, you also have one and a half reps. So on a push-up or a dip,
if I'm coming down, I'm doing a half and then I'm coming back up. On a dip- same thing. I'm coming down,
half, all the way back up. Those were the primary exercise techniques that I used to make push-ups
way more difficult than they actually should be. In addition to weight plates and weight vests.
When you use all of that, in compass together, your training will skyrocket. Your gains will skyrocket.
Trust me. And of course, in conjunction with a good diet you're going to see your physique get to the
next level. So, another thing that would lead to a bigger chest and overall a more aesthetic chest,
would be with the incorporation of horizontal adduction. That is the only thing missing from
normal push-ups. Horizontal adduction is one thing that we can't do on the floor or on the bar. With
the use of rings, which will again take your chest your physique to the next level, because you have
that option- because you are in space and bringing the rings together. We have that horizontal
abduction which is going to stimulate and contract the muscles to it's full capacity. You're going to
get the most bang for your buck when using rings. And get this, to take the rings to the next level...
All the training techniques that I listed before, in addition to the weight plates and
the vest. Imagine doing weighted dips, with a one and a half rep, with a 2-2-2 tempo. Imagine
that for a second. I'm imagining it right now with a 20kg plate, and it's hell. Last workout I did,
it was- I think it was a 10 or 20 kg plate with a three pulse, one sway ring dip, If you guys don't
know what a pulse sway dip is- pretty much it's... you come down, pulse three times, and you come up,
you come back down, you sway, and then come back up. That is one rep. And imagine doing that on rings
with a weight belt, with a 10 to 20 kg plate. Now, in terms of how to make the rings most effective
to build your chest, is full range of motion. So, if we're coming down on a normal push-up- you set
up the rings properly- you come down ,as you come up you want to bring those rings together. They
want to touch together or even on flies. As we're coming out, we are coming in, and together. We need
horizontal adduction. We have normal pressing, right? Just like on the bench or on the normal push-up,
and now we have- we are moving in space, bringing everything together. By doing that we have much
more stimulation, and much more contraction with the chest. It's going to be a game-changer. I advise
you guys to invest in a set of rings that you can pretty much chuck on anywhere, and it will really
take your chest to the next level. You will gain tremendously. If you guys are going to use rings,
use the link in the description. I have a ton of sh*t there that I use- from Amazon. Amazon is like
a freaking heaven for cheap stuff. Conclusively, remember that training is specific. If your goal
is to build muscle you can do so without benching. You have access to a lot more things than you
actually think. However,it would be different if your specific goal was to bench four plates.
If you want a bench four plates, you have to bench. Training is specific. If you want to run faster,
you have to run. The fastest runner alive doesn't exclude sprinting in his training regimen. But
yeah, to add on top of this guys, if you're looking for a 3 Year + Program- Calisthenics program.
Take your chest, or your overall physique honestly, to reach pure aesthetics. It's
a 3 Year + Program on my website. kaizenofsoul.com. Check that out. Also, I have
officially released the ebook, which is to most beginners to fully completely introduce fitness
into your life. It pretty much covers everything known or needed, to make fitness a part of who
you are. But yeah, regardless of that I'll see you guys in the next one. And peace out! Easy...