How To Get Lean Muscle – 3 Exercises to Get That Tight, Ripped Chest
Whenever I walk around town, I find that my most attractive feature is my chest. I've actually gotten compliments on it before and have had drunk girls in clubs come up to me to feel me up, much to the dissatisfaction of my girlfriend. If you're flat-chested, fear not. I started with the exercises to get to where I am now. If you have dumbells and a barbell, you're set. For those who want to learn how to get lean muscle at a faster rate, put these exercises as part of a high intensity workout.
1. Push up
Using your body weight to exercise is convenient and gives you no excuse for having a weak body. I actually do 50 diamond push ups before I have a shower, every day. Make it a habit and you will see changes. Yes, push ups build your arms up, but if you don't have a strong core, then you have no chance of even getting started with doing a proper push up. A proper push up requires a straight back and taut stomach (core) muscles. The chest is what everything is linked to and if it isn't strong enough, you'll never get anywhere.
You all know how to do a push up, right? For the fellas, it's just about keeping that nice, straight back, bending your elbows at 90 degrees. For women, it's the same thing, except if you feel that your upper body is not strong enough yet, you should cross your legs and lean on your knees instead of your toes.
2. Dumbell Flys
The fly is an excellent exercise in the sense that it allows men to pinpoint the parts of their pectorals that are weaker than the rest through slow movement. Using the natural power of gravity, lie down on the floor with a relatively heavy dumbell in each hand. Make sure that you can lift them, but not such that you don't break a sweat.
All you have to do is lift your arms slowly and make the dumbells meet in the middle, right above your chest. If you lie down on a bench instead, you can experiment with different heights and find out just where your pectoral muscles feel weaker. Controlling the dumbells and keeping them hovering parallel to the ground when you bring them back down is part of the effectiveness of this exercise. It's vital that the weights are not too heavy, otherwise you will find you might strain your pectoral muscles. If you're new, just realize that there's learning how to get lean muscle, particuarly in the chest region is not a race. The ones who can control their movements at all times are strongest.
3. Barbell lifts
Barbells lifts are believed to primarily be used to build up the arms, but if you do them properly, they can also be used to build your chest. The opposite to what's expected of this exercise occurs when you let your upper body relax to much and you find that you're leaning forwards when you're doing this exercise. If you still feel that your back is pulled forward by the weight, either choose a lighter weight or strengthen your abs first.
Again, put your ego aside and start off with a weight that you know is reasonable. The goal is to build your chest up, not to show uff. Hold the barbell with your hands shoulder width apart and keep your back straight. Stick your chest out and keep it stuck out all all times when you lift the dumbell by curling your arms up. Your upper arms have to be strong and firm the entire time. If you keep your abdominal muscles clenched during the set, they will naturally strengthen as well. A natural side effect is that your pectoral muscles get stronger if you do this exercise properly.
By doing the push up, barbell lift and dumbbell fly you've just learnt how to get lean muscle in your chest. These lean muscle exercises will strengthen and wake up a dormant chest. Don't be surprised if your shirts start to feel tight after a while. For those who are moving up from body weight exercises to weight lifting, this is an excellent way to do so.