TRAIN YOUR PECS LIKE AN ANIMAL

Train outside like they do on the ''inside'' with Roman Fritz! This chest workout will set your gains free!

I created this Animal chest workout to match the simplicity of the equipment at The Yard, the old-school dumbbells and barbells at Gary Kamil's Fitness City. The workout is harder than hell, and when we shot the video the weather was hotter than hell—112 degrees in the exercise area outside the main gym in Matawan, New Jersey.

When training chest, I never focus on the weight; I envision isolating the contraction of the target muscle. I apply this strict approach to every rep of every set of every exercise I perform during all of my training sessions.

YARD WORK CHEST WORKOUT

I set up my chest routines to alternate or superset between a movement that emphasizes contraction and one that focuses on stretching. The presses, both flat-bench incline, are contraction movements, so I pair them with the dumbbell pullover, a stretching movement to expand the ribcage.

The dips and cable crossovers take aim at the lower pecs. Get a good stretch on the dips and a crazy contraction on the cable crossovers. Think as if you're doing a most-muscular pose, to get those striations at the bottom of the pecs. Dip it 'til you can't go no more!

1

 BARBELL BENCH PRESS

BARBELL BENCH PRESS

At the bottom, stop the movement just above your chest to eliminate all momentum involved in pushing the weight back up. Move the bar by contracting your pecs, with as little involvement of surrounding muscle groups as possible.

2

 DUMBBELL PULL-OVER

DUMBBELL PULL-OVER

Lie crosswise on the bench, with your head hanging over one side and your hips positioned down below bench level on the other side. With your arms extended, lower the dumbbell toward the ground behind your head, taking in a deep breath to ensure maximum expansion of the ribcage. I feel a deep stretching sensation down my whole frontal torso.

From the bottom position, bring the weight back up just above eye level to make sure the tension stays constant on the chest instead of shifting to your triceps.

3

 INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS

INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS

The same principles apply here. After a focused, intense contraction, push the dumbbells above your face. Moving the weights together in an arch-type motion toward the top allows for an even greater contraction than the flat barbell press allows.

4

 BODYWEIGHT DIP

BODYWEIGHT DIP

Shorten the range of motion on this move to emphasize the eccentric aspect of the exercise. Lower yourself as deep down between the parallel bars as possible, but then only allow yourself to rise three-quarters of the way up. This keeps constant tension on the pecs and allows you to focus all of your effort and intensity into the target muscle group.

5

 CABLE CROSS-OVER

CABLE CROSS-OVER

Bring the handles together only until they touch. This ensures that the tension remains in the chest instead of switching to the front deltoids.

TWO REST/PAUSE OPTIONS

Before a given exercise, I set a goal for repetitions and sets—such as 5 sets of 12 reps or 10 sets of 10 reps. I must reach those goals no matter what it takes. I intentionally choose a weight that won't allow me to get through all the sets without hitting muscular failure. The rest/pause technique allows me to reach that rep goal.

EXAMPLE

Set 1: 12 reps
Set 2: 12 reps
Set 3: 9 + 3 reps rest/pause
Set 4: 8 + 4 rest/pause
Set 5: 6 + 6 rest/pause

There are two different ways to incorporate the rest/pause principle: You can either rerack—totally let go of—the weight, or you can hold on to the weight in a position that only puts minimal tension on the target muscle group. This choice depends on the exercise and which is more practical.

I use the second option for dumbbell pullovers in the video. As soon as I feel like I can't perform another rep, I hold the dumbbell above my chest and shift the load onto my triceps and front delts. This gives my pecs a little time to recover—no more than 10 seconds—until I can grind out another couple reps. During some very heavy sets, I might have to take several pauses until I reach the target number of reps.

Reracking the weight would not be practical with pullovers. It wouldn't make sense to let go of the dumbbells, get up from the bench, pick the weights back up, move back into position, and start all over again.

ANIMAL YARD WORKOUT

Don't let the simplicity fool you! This is 30 sets of chest! Let the intensity guide you; use rest/pause, breathing, and concentration. Rest 30-45 seconds between supersets.

• Set 1: 12 reps
• Set 2: 12 reps
• Set 3: 9 + 3 reps rest/pause
• Set 4: 8 + 4 rest/pause
• Set 5: 6 + 6 rest/pause

What is the Best Exercise Order: Maximizing the Mind-Muscle Connection

The order of exercises in your workouts is crucial for stimulating muscles to the fullest. You must establish a mind-muscle connection from the onset of your workout and maintain it throughout. Each repetition must be performed with your mind focused on the contraction of the primary muscle being used.

So, when doing a compound movement such as the bench press, your mind must be focused on the contraction of your chest, or more specifically, the sternal head of the pectoralis major. By sensing the muscle working, you will keep most of the emphasis on it. Otherwise, the assisting muscles, such as the anterior deltoids, and the triceps brachii, will become too involved in the movement, therefore reducing stimulation of the pectoralis major.

Compound Exercises First

To achieve a sufficient mind-muscle connection, you must perform exercises in a certain order. When pairing muscle groups, you should train the larger muscles first, followed by the smaller muscles. Before training each major muscle, you must first perform two warm-up sets of the first exercise for that muscle. The exercise must be a compound movement for larger muscles, and an isolation movement for smaller muscles. The purpose of the warm-up is to increase blood flow to the primary muscle and to establish a certain level of focus.

The first warm-up set should be done with lighter weights to allow for 20 repetitions. For the second warm-up set, slightly heavier weights should be used to decrease the reps to 15. Again, your mind must be focused on feeling the target muscle being worked.

Following the two warm-up sets, you can begin performing the working sets of the first compound exercise. By this point, blood should be accumulating in the target muscle. As long as you maintain a mind-muscle connection during each set, themuscle “pump” should increase in the primary muscle that you are targeting.

The reason for starting your workouts with compound exercises, when training larger muscles, is because you will be able to use heavier weights, as a result of more muscles being involved. Lifting heavier weights will result in more muscle fibers being recruited. However, your goal shouldn’t just be lifting the heaviest weight possible. You must use proper form and focus the workload on the primary muscle being used. This is why you must establish a mind-muscle connection from the get-go, or else the assisting muscles will take away the workload from the prime mover.

Transition to Isolation Exercises

As you progress through your workout for the larger muscle, you should shift away from compound exercises, and on to isolation exercises. If you’re pairing the larger muscle with a smaller muscle, then you would perform isolation movements for the smaller muscle once you’ve completed all the movements for the larger muscle. So, for example, say you were training your pectoralis major (larger muscle group) and triceps brachii (smaller muscle group). Once you’ve performed all the pectoralis major compound and isolation exercises, you would then start to perform isolation exercises for your triceps. The reason why you should only do isolation movements at this point is because you want to keep the focus on the smaller muscle. Most compound exercises would shift the workload away 
from the smaller muscle and towards the large muscle.

12 EXERCISES FOR BEGINNER POWERLIFTERS

Lots of guys want to be big and lift big weight. But you can't expect to go from 12-ounce curls to a 500-pound squat in one day. Here are some strength-building basics you need to know!

When guys make the decision to get fit, the goals aren't always to lose weight. Many newbie dudes have dreams of burly muscles and finally out-benching the captain of their high school football team. (So what if it's been 15 years?) Sorry to burst your hopeful bubble, but you can't go from complete inactivity to a 315-bench in one day. If you have illusions of powerlifting grandeur, you're going to have to start with the basics.

To start, get off your ass and go to the gym. If you're really new and have just started to engage in resistance training, you need a base. That base does not—and probably should not—be based on the power lifts only. The bench press, squat, and deadlift are definitely your bread and butter, but you need to have some meat and potatoes with your iron meal.

I'll help you pack your plate with essential strength-building lifts. Then, once you're through this article, it's time for dessert. Hit the gym and watch the guys who are bigger and stronger than you. Go to a powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting competition and try to rub elbows with some people who are really good. They'll teach you even more.

BASIC LIFTS FOR STRENGTH

Yeah the deadlift, squat, and bench belong in your program, and you can even build your program around them, but they shouldn't be the only movements you perform. Along with the powerlifts, here are some simple exercises that I think are extremely effective for building a strength base.

Do these movements 2-3 times per week for 3-4 sets of 10 reps. Don't get overly concerned with using a lot of weight. Your focus should be on coordination and execution of the lift. Your last rep should look exactly like your first rep. If it doesn't, take some weight off.

UPPER BODY

Bench press
Any sort of pressing movement will make a good base for your program. Presses will hammer your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Don't go in the gym and throw on a bunch of plates. Learn to do the movement right by going light, and keep your entire body tight! Generate force by pressing your heels into the ground and traps into the bench, and keep your elbows tucked.

Military press
You can do this exercise with dumbbells or a barbell. I prefer to do my overhead pressing work standing, but you can sit if you'd like. Overhead presses are fantastic. They'll work your shoulders and triceps and will aid your bench press. If standing, make sure to flex your abs and glutes to stabilize your entire body.

Pull-ups or lat pull-downs
For beginners, I do not suggest learning how to kip like they teach in some CrossFit gyms. It's an OK movement if you want to learn it down the road, but you have to learn some of the basics first to build starting strength. Get on a machine that offers assistance or use a band that will give you assistance. Pull-ups or pull-downs are great for your lats and your biceps.

CurlsThese guys are great for your lats and your upper-middle back. Bent-over rows can also help increase your strength for the deadlift. Because they're a free-weight exercise, bent-over rows also develop your core and lumbar strength.

Who doesn't like doing curls? Some coaches might scoff at me for calling curls a foundational strength exercise, but strong biceps make for strong pulls.

Farmer's walk
This exercise flies under the radar for some reason, but it's a fantastic exercise. Just grab a pair of dumbbells—40s, 60s, or even 100s—and walk with those bad boys in your hands. You'll work your grip, your arms, and even your cardiovascular system.

LOWER BODY

Squats

Squats belong in everybody's program. Your quads, hammies, and glutes will get a workout, but so will your heart, abs, and back. If you're not currently squatting below parallel, drop the load and start focusing on form. You'll get a lot more from deep squats with a proper amount of weight than quarter squats with too much weight.

Deadlift
Deadlifts are perfect for sports or just to kick ass in life. They'll teach you a lot about your body. They'll help you increase muscle mass throughout your entire body, which will them burn more calories so you're less fat, and help you develop total strength.

Lunges
Any form of lunge is great. Lunges work your hams and quads and will stretch your hips out. In lifting weights, we often don't have the opportunity to move around a lot. So a walking lunge is a fantastic, healthy movement.

Leg press, leg curl, leg extensions
There are coaches who have a fit about these machines. Don't worry about that just yet. These exercises can be great accessory movements around your big lifts. However, if extensions hurt your knees, don't do them. That's what's great about exercise: There's always another option!

If you want, do one upper-body day and one lower-body day per week to start out. As you feel better, increase the number of times you go to the gym. You can also change the workouts so that one day you do a squat, one day you do bench press, and one day you do the deadlift. When you're done with those big movements, utilize some of the above assistance movements.