Training tips for a massive chest and more pushing power!
IFBB professional Johnnie Jackson is considered one of the strongest bodybuilders in the world. For example, he bench presses over 250kg, deadlifts over 370kg and squats around 360kg. These are of course impressive strength values when you consider that Johnnie is actually a full-time professional bodybuilder and not a powerlifter. From time to time you can also see Johnnie away from the bodybuilding stage! And that's on the "powerlifting stage"!
Johnnie says: "If someone wants to find out how strong a person is, they usually ask about their bench press performance."
If someone bench presses a lot or is the best "bench presser" in the gym, they usually command the most respect. Johnnie recommends that anyone who wants to build a massive chest should do heavy bench presses. In his opinion, heavy bench presses stretch and contract the entire pectoralis (chest muscle) extremely hard. And Johnnie proves that a heavy bench press helps to achieve a world-class chest whenever he is on the bodybuilding stage. In the following article, we'll tell you how he managed to build his world-class chest and what tips and tricks he recommends to improve your bench press performance.
1st tip: Pay attention to your foot position
Before you want to perform a bench press set, you should make sure that both feet are firmly planted on the floor. The best position is when your heels are in line with your hips. Many people think that you can develop the most strength when bench pressing if only your toes are on the floor.
This is a misconception!
Your feet should always rest firmly on the floor! This creates a kinetic chain (= you use your legs when you press!). This means you can use much heavier weights than if you only press with your chest. When bench pressing, Johnnie recommends a grip that is at least shoulder-width (or wider). During the press itself, you should form a slight hollow back. This stretches the chest muscles even further and therefore trains them even better!
2nd tip: consciously use the negative phase
As previously mentioned, Johnnie recommends heavy bench presses for maximum chest muscle mass. However, Johnnie also believes that you should consciously use the negative phase of each repetition when bench pressing. To explain: during the bench press, a large number of muscle fibers in the chest are already activated during the upward movement. However, studies have shown that even more muscle fibers are activated during the downward phase (negative phase). As a result, the chest muscles naturally have to adapt even more to the load. And this inevitably means more muscle growth!
Johnnie recommends a simple trick for those who lack the feeling for the negative repetition:
- The downward movement should always be twice as long as the upward movement. This means that if you need 1 second for the upward movement, the downward movement should take at least 2 seconds (or longer).
3rd tip: chest press on the floor
Johnnie recommends this old-school method to anyone who wants to handle more weight on the bench. You can't perform a complete movement with floor chest presses, but the part that most people consider to be the heaviest (the upper third) is trained effectively! Floor chest presses only allow you to perform about 2/3 of the regular bench press movement. This can help you to improve the "dead spot" in the bench press (= pushing through the arms).
4th tip: Pre workout supplements
The pre-workout meal can go a long way to improving your training performance. Johnnie says he never goes into a workout without the following supplements:
Johnnie is of the opinion that arginine improves the removal of ammonia (which is produced during training) due to the improved blood circulation. Creatine provides more energy reserves during training and caffeine makes you mentally and physically more alert.
5th tip: Post workout supplements
It's no secret that the body has the most anabolic window of the whole day after training. This is when muscle cells are particularly receptive to nutrients. Johnnie recommends fast proteins and carbohydrates after training. You can also (according to Johnnie) add amino acids. Those who strictly adhere to drinking their shake after training will experience the best results in terms of muscle building.
Johnnie never leaves the gym without his post-workout shake!
Second helpings?
Ok, here's Johnnie Jackson's recommended workout plan for a massive chest:
- 5 sets of bench presses (2 of which should be warm-up sets) with heavy weight
- 2 sets of floor chest presses with medium weight
- 3 sets of dumbbell incline bench presses with heavy weight
- 3 sets of dumbbell flyes with heavy weight
Source: Bodybuilding.com