The Most Effective CHEST WORKOUT for MUSCLE GROWTH (Using Science)
Summary
TLDRDr. Miler Wolf, a sports science PhD, presents a comprehensive chest workout based on the latest research. The session focuses on minimizing redundancy, varying rep ranges, and maximizing muscle growth with the right volume and technique. Starting with incline dumbbell press for upper chest, moving to deficit push-ups for lower chest, and finishing with isolation exercises like dumbbell fly for overall hypertrophy. The workout emphasizes proper technique, rest periods, and a strategic exercise order for optimal results.
Takeaways
- 🏋️♂️ A good chest workout should be part of a larger program, with 2-3 sessions per week, each with similar structure to avoid redundancy.
- 🔍 The principle of diminishing returns suggests that each additional set for a muscle group in a single session has less impact, so variety in exercises is crucial.
- 💪 For muscle growth, a rep range of 5 to 50 reps per set is effective, though most training should occur within 5 to 15 reps due to practical limitations.
- 📈 Including a variety of rep ranges in training might provide a slight benefit, enhancing overall hypertrophy.
- 🔄 The number of sets should be maximized for muscle growth within the context of the routine, aiming for 10-20 sets per muscle group per week.
- 🚫 Avoid exercises that overly target the same muscle group with minimal variation, as this can be inefficient.
- 🤸♂️ Close to failure training on each set is important for muscle growth, but the degree of approaching failure can vary throughout the session to manage fatigue.
- 🔑 Effective exercises for muscle growth should be stable, stretch-friendly, and minimize the involvement of non-target muscle groups.
- ⏱ Rest periods between sets should be sufficiently long, generally at least 60 seconds, to maximize muscle growth, with longer rests for more compound exercises.
- 🛠️ Exercise order isn't as crucial for muscle growth, but starting with compound exercises and moving to isolation exercises can be a good strategy.
- 🛑 Good technique is essential for an effective workout, focusing on full range of motion, controlled tempo, and minimizing non-target muscle involvement.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the chest workout presented in the script?
-The main focus of the chest workout is to maximize muscle growth by using a combination of exercises, rep ranges, and techniques based on the most up-to-date scientific research.
Why is it important to limit redundancy in a workout session according to the script?
-Limiting redundancy is important because each additional set for a given muscle group in a single training session has diminishing returns, making the first set the most effective. Redundancy can lead to inefficiency and less overall hypertrophy.
What is the recommended rep range for muscle growth according to the script?
-The recommended rep range for muscle growth is between five reps per set and 50 reps per set, with most training taking place in the 5 to 15 rep range due to practical limitations.
Why might including a variety of rep ranges within a training program be beneficial?
-Including a variety of rep ranges can be beneficial as it may provide a slight boost in muscle growth by targeting different aspects of muscle development and accommodating individual preferences and recovery capabilities.
What is the recommended volume of sets per muscle group in a week according to the script?
-The recommended volume of sets per muscle group in a week is about 10 to 20 sets, but recent evidence suggests that even going up to 40 sets per week might further increase hypertrophy.
How should one approach failure in sets to maximize muscle growth?
-One should go sufficiently close to failure on each set to maximize muscle growth, but start with a bit further from failure earlier in the session and gradually get closer to failure as the session progresses to maintain performance and avoid early fatigue.
What are the key components of good technique for muscle growth mentioned in the script?
-The key components of good technique for muscle growth are focusing on the stretch, using a full range of motion, having a repetition duration of at least around 2 seconds with control in the eccentric phase, and minimizing the involvement of non-target muscle groups.
Why is the incline press considered an effective exercise to start the chest workout session?
-The incline press is considered effective because it targets the upper chest and allows for a full stretch, which is important for muscle growth. It also has been shown to lead to greater upper chest hypertrophy compared to a flat bench press.
What is the role of the deficit push-up in the chest workout routine described in the script?
-The deficit push-up primarily targets the lower chest, effectively stretching and working the muscle group through transverse flexion of the shoulder, and is suitable for higher rep ranges.
Why is the dumbbell fly recommended as an optional third chest exercise in the workout?
-The dumbbell fly is recommended as it is an isolation exercise that targets both the upper and lower chest effectively, allowing for a high rep range and providing a good stretch, which is beneficial for muscle growth.
How does the script suggest managing rest times between sets to maximize muscle growth?
-The script suggests resting for at least 60 seconds between sets for most exercises, and up to 2 to 3 minutes for more compound exercises. Resting sufficiently long ensures that performance can be maintained set to set and hypertrophy can be maximized.
Outlines
💪 Effective Chest Workout Design
The paragraph introduces a comprehensive chest workout routine designed by Dr. Miler Wolf, a sports science PhD, focusing on the most effective exercises based on scientific research. It emphasizes the importance of context within a whole program, limiting redundancy to avoid diminishing returns, and varying rep ranges for muscle growth. The session is structured to include 5 to 15 sets per muscle group, with a gradual approach to failure to maximize hypertrophy. The paragraph also highlights the significance of choosing the right exercises for muscle growth, ensuring they are stable, stretch-friendly, and minimize the involvement of non-target muscles.
📈 Maximizing Muscle Growth Through Set and Rest Strategies
This section discusses the optimal strategies for maximizing muscle growth during chest workouts. It covers the importance of selecting the right rep ranges (5 to 15 reps per set) and set volumes (10 to 20 sets per week for each muscle group). The paragraph also addresses the benefits of varying rest times between sets, with longer rests for compound exercises, and the potential for shorter rests to compensate for higher volume. Additionally, it touches on the role of exercise order in a workout, suggesting starting with compound exercises and ending with isolation ones, although it notes that exercise order may not significantly affect muscle growth. The paragraph concludes with the importance of good technique, including full range of motion, controlled tempo, and minimizing non-target muscle involvement.
🏋️♂️ Science-Based Chest Workout Routine
The final paragraph presents a detailed chest workout routine based on the principles discussed earlier. It starts with an incline press to target the upper chest, followed by a deficit push-up for the lower chest, and an optional dumbbell fly or machine fly for isolation work. The routine is designed to hit different parts of the chest with varying exercises and rep ranges, ensuring a comprehensive stimulus. The paragraph also provides alternative exercises for those who may not have access to certain equipment or who may find certain movements challenging. It concludes with a checklist to ensure the workout meets all the criteria for an effective chest session, including targeting different functions of the chest, using a variety of exercises and rep ranges, and maintaining good technique throughout.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Chest Workout
💡Diminishing Returns
💡Rep Range
💡Volume
💡Failure
💡Exercise Selection
💡Rest Periods
💡Exercise Order
💡Technique
💡Hypertrophy
💡Isolation Exercises
Highlights
Dr. Miler Wolf presents a science-based chest workout designed for optimal muscle growth.
The workout is contextualized within a weekly training program of 2 to 3 chest sessions.
Limiting redundancy in workouts is crucial for maximizing muscle growth and avoiding diminishing returns.
A variety of rep ranges (5 to 50 reps) can be effective for muscle growth, with practical limitations around 12 to 15 reps for comfort.
The session aims for 10 to 20 sets per muscle group per week, with evidence suggesting up to 40 sets could further enhance hypertrophy.
Approaching failure on sets is essential for muscle growth, with a gradual increase in intensity throughout the workout.
Effective exercises for muscle growth should be stable, stretch-friendly, and minimize the involvement of non-target muscles.
Rest periods between sets should be at least 60 seconds for compound exercises and up to 3 minutes for optimal recovery.
Exercise order may not significantly impact muscle growth, but starting with compound exercises is recommended.
Good technique is vital, focusing on stretch, controlled tempo, and minimizing non-target muscle involvement.
The workout begins with an incline press to target the upper chest, with 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 10 reps.
A 45° incline is recommended for the incline press based on research showing greater upper chest hypertrophy.
Deficit push-ups are introduced to target the lower chest, with 3 to 5 sets of higher reps for stretch and intensity.
Alternatives to deficit push-ups include flat dumbbell press and machine exercises for varied training.
An optional third exercise, such as dumbbell fly, is suggested for additional volume and rep range variety.
The dumbbell fly is considered an ultimate chest stretcher, targeting both upper and lower pectorals effectively.
The workout concludes with a checklist ensuring it meets criteria for an effective chest workout based on current scientific research.
Transcripts
here's what I think is the most
effective chest workout I've ever
designed according to the most upto-date
scientific
research welcome back Dr Miler wolf here
today PhD in sports science with wolf
coaching taking you through the best
chest workout I can possibly make what
makes for a good workout first any given
training session only exists within the
context of your whole program this
session I'm about to take you through a
exists within the context of you having
two to three chest workouts in a given
week that are roughly similar to what
I'm about to give you next with any
effective workout we want to make sure
we limit redundancy that is to say we
don't do the same thing over and over
again for instance each additional set
we perform for a given muscle group in a
single training session has diminishing
returns so on a set for set basis the
first set you do for a given muscle
group is going to be the most effective
this General principle of diminishing
returns and therefore why you'd want to
limit redundancy in a session was
evidenced in an in-house metanalysis
performed by James creger so we don't
want to be doing a ton of sets or a ton
of exercises for the exact same muscle
groups in the same movement pattern at
the expense of targeting other muscles a
little bit better for instance doing a
flat wide grip bench press followed by a
flat close grip bench press followed by
a flat dumbbell press is a pretty poor
use of your time and fatigue when you
consider that you could just have done a
flat press pressing variation followed
by an incline pressing variation and
gotten better hypertrophy overall so if
a given workout has a ton of the same
exercise done over and over again with
minimal difference between each exercise
that's a bad sign next we want to make
sure we pick maximally effective rep
ranges for muscle growth for muscle
growth provided you take a set
sufficiently close to failure a
repetition range of anywhere between
five reps per set and 50 reps per set is
going to be equally effective however
there are some prac iCal limitations to
going with super high rep work
specifically it's miserable it's a lot
of pain and most people become far less
accurate once they go much past 12 to 15
reps per set for that reason most of our
training will take place in the 5 to 15
rep range however there might be a
slight benefit to including a variety of
rep ranges within your training so not
just training heavy or just training
light but using a combination of
different rep ranges next we want to
make sure that we're using the amount of
sets that will Max imiz muscle growth in
the context of your routine so making
sure that if we do a similar session two
to three times in a given week that
overall adds up to a very effective
weekly volume for a really solid
starting spot your two to 3 weekly
sessions should lead to about 10 to 20
sets for each muscle group that you're
trying to grow however some more recent
evidence suggest that even going all the
way up to say 20 to 40 sets per week for
muscle group might further increase
hypertrophy and so for this session
we'll be aiming to hit no most muscle
groups with between 5 and 15 sets per
muscle depending on how much you're
focusing on your chest specifically how
much volume you can recover from and
more next we want to make sure we're
going sufficiently close to failure on
each set to maximize muscle growth a met
regression by Robinson colleagues showed
that as you take a set closer to failure
the muscle growth you get from that set
also increases however because you do
see additional fatigue from going closer
to failure it may be a good idea to go a
little bit further from failure earlier
in a session and a little bit closer to
failure later in that session so that
overall you're still maintaining a good
amount of performance throughout the
session and not getting gassed out or
too fatigued too early in the session
and so generally for exercises you're
performing earlier in the session and on
earlier sets within an exercise will
stay a little bit further from failure
and gradually inch closer to failure
with each additional set and each
exercise next a huge part of a good
walkout is picking the most effective
exercises for different muscle groups
you're trying to Target I have a whole
series on this exact topic and there's a
video for the chest somewhere up here
but here's a quick breakdown of what I
look for in a good muscle growth
exercise first the exercise should be
sufficiently stable that the target
muscle group is the limiting factor we
want to be targeting one of the
functions of the muscle group we're
trying to Target it's important that the
target muscle is the limiting factor and
the reason why you have to end the set
the exercise we pick for muscle growth
should likely also be stretch friendly
and that can be broken down into one
getting a good stretch on the target
muscle group in the exercise two having
plenty of tension in that stretch
position and three the exercise we pick
being length and partial friendly so if
you want to increase the emphasis on
that stretch position you can do so
safely wherever possible we also want to
minimize the involvement of other
non-target muscle groups so if for
example we can sit down or lie down as
opposed to standing up that might reduce
the involvement of non-pet muscle groups
and finally if you're someone who's time
constrained picking exercises that are
more time efficient like for example a
dumbbell or a stack loaded machine
exercise over something like a barbell
exercise can save you time and allow you
to get more effective training in in
whatever time you have to work out next
up we want to make sure we're resting
sufficiently long between sets to
maximize muscle growth what this means
is that we generally want to rest for at
least 60 seconds between sets of a given
exercise for more compound exercises
like for example a barbell bench press
or L dumo press we may want to rest
closer to 2 to 3 minutes A good rule of
themb is if you feel like you can
perform another set that is similar in
performance to your last set and you're
really pushing yourself hard enough it's
a good sign that you've rested for long
enough with that being said you can make
up for shorter rest Times by just doing
more sets and you will likely see the
same hypertrophy according to a study by
Longo colleagues in 2022 while exercise
order or essentially the order in which
you you do different exercises in your
workout is likely not that important for
muscle growth there might be a couple
things we want to pay attention to
specifically we generally want to start
your workouts with whatever exercises or
muscle Hoops you're trying to specialize
on or emphasize the most secondly we
want to order exercises in a way that
maximizes performance across the whole
session ideally for example if starting
with a dumbbell fly really impacts your
performance on the bench press
afterwards but starting with a bench
press doesn't really impact your
performance on the dumbbuff Fly
afterwards there's a chance that you'd
be better off starting with the barber
lch press followed by the dumbbuff fly A
good rule of thumb if you don't want to
worry about any of this is to generally
start with the more compound exercises
and then gradually move on to the more
isolation type exercises but again
exercise order probably doesn't play a
big role and the final big component of
a really effective workout is good
technique on all exercises and in fact I
was recently involved in a review paper
that looked at exactly this topic good
technique for muscle growth right now
can be broken down to three things first
the range of motion that you use needs
to focus on the stretch at least a
little bit at the very least use a full
range of motion which incorporates that
fully lengthened stretch position or you
can emphasize it further by just doing
the length and half of the repetition
and that's what we call length and
partials the second part of good
technique is having a repetition
duration of at least around 2 seconds
with some control in the Ecentric phase
of a movement and the final component of
good technique is to minimize the
involvement of non-target muscle groups
so that is what makes a good effective
chest workout without further Ado let me
give you what I think is a super
effective science-based chest workout
first off we'll be starting the session
with some sort of incline press if an
inine dumbbell press allows you to get a
full stretch on your chest like you
couldn't possibly get more of a stretch
the inine dumbbell press is a great
option time efficient and a great
movement to start a session with you'll
be doing three to five sets of 5 to 10
repetitions with the first set being
around three reps in reserve gradually
inching closer and closer to one
repetition in the tank by the last set
if you're specializing on your upper
chest or if you're only training your
chest say twice a week feel free to do
closer to five sets or closer to three
sets if you're not specializing or if
you're training your chest more
frequently the inclin thma Press targets
the upper chest and the lower chest
through transverse flexion of the
shoulder and flexion of the shoulder why
are we starting the session with an
incline press
well a recent study by Chavez and
colleagues actually found greater upper
chest hypertrophy with an incline press
at 45° on the Smith machine compared to
a flat Smith machine bench press but
similar lower chest hypertrophy so as
far as overall hypertrophy goes an
incline press might actually be slightly
better for that same reason we'll be
using a 45° incline to Target the upper
chest between sets on the incline mumo
press Take 2 to 3 minutes of rest or
however long is required for you to get
a good performance from set to set
importantly the incline dumbbell press
is stretch friendly you can easily do
partials on this exercise and just drop
the dumbbells if you can't get another
one for a lot of people you can get a
full stretch on the upper chest however
what if you can't or what if you just
don't have sufficiently heavy dumbbells
well here are a couple other good
options the first if you have access to
it is the prime incline chest press this
machine allows you to selectively low to
lengthen position and usually allows
most people to get a full stretch on
their chest as well if you don't have
this Tri a deficit decline push-up this
mimics the positioning of an incline
dumbbell press and allows you to get a
full stretch on your upper chest it's
just potentially a little bit less
stable or involves more other muscle
groups than an Inc condom press after
our upper chest focused exercise we now
have to hit the lower chest and for the
lower chest we'll be doing the deficit
push-up the deficit push-up primarily
targets transverse flexion of the
shoulder and therefore targets the lower
chest quite effectively we'll be doing 3
to five sets of 10 to 20 reps or more if
you're too strong for that rep range
taking the first set to about two reps
shy of failure and gradually inching
closer to failure with the last set
being taken to failure generally the
push-up will be more appropriate for
higher reps most people don't have the
means to sufficiently load the push-up
to make it work in a much heavier rep
range within about 10 to 20 because of
the deficit you're using you're able to
fully lengthen the lower chest which
makes it very stretch friendly and if
you wanted to further increase the
emphasis on the stretch position you
could easily easily do length and
partial safely just as for the ink on
noro press try resting for 2 to 3
minutes between sets or however long is
required for you to maintain a good
performance set to set if for some
reason you can't or you don't want to do
deficit push-ups try the flat dumbbell
press instead many of the same benefits
of the incline dumbbell press for the
upper chest apply to the flat dumbbell
press for lower chest alternatively if
you have it the prime machine for flat
chest pressing can be great too and
finally if you want to do further volume
for your chest or for example if you're
only train your chest twice a week you
can get in an optional third chest
exercise for this optional third chest
exercise I would include an isolation
exercise that we can perform for higher
repetitions as a means to get a variety
of rep ranges in within the same session
the exercise I recommend is the dumbbell
fly I think the dumbbell fly is the
ultimate chest stretcher and is
therefore likely a good choice for
muscle growth the dumbbell fly targets
shoulder transfers flexion allowing you
to Target both the upper and lower peack
effectively alternatively if Dumbo flies
give you trouble as far as your
shoulders go or something like that try
the machine fly instead just as for the
other movements mentioned in this video
you can feel free to cut out top portion
of the movement the further increase the
emphasis on the stretch because this is
an isolation movement you may be able to
get away with shorter rest times maybe
closer to 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes between
sets but once again pay attention to
Performance take the first set of this
exercise to about one rep shy of failure
and then gradually in closer and closer
to failure taking the last set or two
two failure following on from the
optional dumo fly or machine fly you can
include any tricep front belt workor you
want let's go through the checklist of
what makes a good session together and
see whether or not this session passes
the test first by including a flat
pressing an incline pressing variation
and potentially a fly we've targeted the
majority of the functions of the chest
we've used different exercises and
different movement patterns and we've
used different rep ranges therefore
limiting redundancy within the session
this makes sure we're getting your upper
chest your lower chest both a good
stimulus we've also included a variety
of rep ranges to potentially get a
slight boost in muscle growth next up as
far as volume goes you're getting about
6 to 14 sets for your chest in the
session in some guard so if you repeat
this twice or three times a week that
takes you from about 12 weekly sets all
the way up to potentially 42 weekly sets
depending on how much of an emphasis
you're placing on your chest in your
routine we've also made sure to train
sufficiently close to failure throughout
the session to maximize hypertrophy
going further from failure earlier in
the session and then gradually going
closer to failure as we reach the end of
the session to mitigate any negative
impact of the fatigue from going too
close to failure on the session overall
by taking somewhere between 90 seconds
of rest and 3 minutes of rest between
each set on each exercise depending on
the ref range involved depending on the
exercise involved we are likely
maximizing hypertrophy next while
exercise order likely doesn't play much
if any role we have tried to Prior PR
ize movements that are best for
hypertrophy putting the incline press
first in the session as potentially the
most effective chest exercise of the
session and then gradually having you
move from more compound exercises to
more isolation type exercises and
finally on all exercises we're hitting
the three major components of good
technique a focus on the stretch a
sufficiently controlled Tempo and
minimizing involvement of non-target
muscle groups that is the smartest chest
workout I can come up with for muscle
building according to the sign at this
point in 2024 if you enjoy the video
leave a comment down below letting me
know if you think this is a good workout
if you think it's terrible let me know
too if you want to see me break down the
best possible workout for any other
muscle group leave a comment down below
and I'll get to it if you'd like me to
coach you consider taking a look at the
link above to see what I offer with that
being said have a great day try this
chest walkout get wo and I'll see you
guys my subscribers in that next one
peace
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