ASK MERLIN With Eric “Merlin” Broser – Mistakes when training chest

Q. Coach Broser – you have always been noted for your outstanding pectoral development. In your opinion, what are the top 3 mistakes people make when training their chest?

A. Thank you for the compliment! I am glad you posed this question to me, as I get quite frustrated at the gym watching so many aspiring bodybuilders make the same common errors when training their chests. Hopefully what I am about to say will help more and more lifters achieve the full, thick, and dense pecs they work so hard for!

Mistake #1: Failure to set the torso correctly before each set.

This is absolutely vital when it comes to maximally effective chest training. Before beginning any set of presses or flyes you must make sure to shrug your shoulders downward, while at the same time pushing them back into the bench. In addition, the rib cage should be held high while the lower back keeps a slight arch. This position must be maintained from the first repetition to the last if you want your pec fibers to receive the stimulation necessary to grow bigger and stronger.

Mistake #2: Using an improper range of motion.

This very common error usually occurs because when it comes to chest training, most lifters focus too intensely on how much weight is on the bar, rather than the quality of each repetition. Pressing a bar, or pair of dumbbells, only halfway down does little to engage the pecs (while primarily working anterior delts and triceps). You must make sure to go low enough so that the pecs reach a fully stretched position – the point at which they will contribute most strongly to the concentric (positive) contraction. In addition, it is best to not completely lock your elbows at the top of a press, which will only serve to take tension off your chest and further stimulate/exhaust the triceps.

Mistake #3: Not enough time under tension (TUT).

If you want to build pure strength and power, then by all means utilize explosive reps in the range of 1-5 per set. However, if your primary goal is hypertrophy, you need to keep the target muscle under tension for at least 40 seconds during all your working sets. Again, because too many trainees want to impress their social media fans (or gym goers in their immediate vicinity) with how much weight they can bench or Hammer press, they often fail to exhaust nothing more than their joints and nervous system, while leaving the pecs largely underworked. The best chests have been constructed using sets in the range of 8-12 repetitions, while taking between 4 and 5 seconds to complete each individual rep.

Don’t let your ego stop you from building a massive chest!