I hesitate to even write this article for 3 reasons…

One, because it’s one of my SECRET weapons for building a massive chest;

Two, I’ve historically saved it for the EXCLUSIVE privilege of my clients in the Optimum Anabolics Program; and

Three, because any knucklehead who doesn’t follow my instructions to the letter could SERIOUSLY injure himself!

With that said, I’m going to throw caution to the wind and let you in on one of the most advanced chest building exercises you’ll ever use.

But I MUST warn you…

It breaks one of the most important safety rules of working out (although I’ll show you a safe way around this later on)!

Well, here goes…

My guess is that you’re currently busting your ass on the flat and incline bench presses, pressing the bar up in the air from mid-chest level, in an attempt to really pack on some mass to your pecs. But have you ever heard of pressing to the NECK ?

OUCH ! Just thinking of that bar crashing down on my Adam’s apple makes me want to dial 9-1-1 . But first let’s discuss the benefits and then I’ll tell you how to avoid having to dust off your will.

Your pectoralis major actually is made up of four separate divisions which require different movements to effectively train them. While the regular bench press can target the mid-chest area pretty well, it falls short of expectation in developing the upper and interior chest regions.

Failure to properly train these areas can mean a poorly developed chest due to uneven growth.

On the other hand, performing a flat bench pressing movement to the NECK area actually forces your UPPER and INTERIOR , as well as EXTERIOR regions of your chest to pull together like never before in a team effort to REALLY pack on the mass!

Here’s how to do it SAFELY …

ALWAYS use either a Smith Machine with a SPOTTER . IMPORTANT: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ATTEMPT TO USE A REGULAR STRAIGHT BAR, EVEN WITH A SPOTTER AND WHEN YOU USE THE SMITH MACHINE, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS USE A SPOTTER!!!

A spotter should be someone you KNOW understands how to “spot” someone, preferably someone you’ve worked out with before.

If you don’t have a spotter, use a set of DUMBBELLS to be safe.

Keep the amount of weight much LOWER than usual until you learn how to perform the movement properly.

On a FLAT bench (the exercise is actually LESS effective using an incline bench), with a MEDIUM grip, and starting from the “up” position, SLOWLY lower the bar (or dumbbells) to neck level, keeping your elbows pointing out AWAY from the body.

Focusing on contracting your chest muscles, raise the bar/dumbbells as quickly as safely possible back to the start position.

Perform 3 sets of 8-15 reps.

By REALLY hitting these hard to reach areas and ALSO calling upon the larger areas of your chest to perform this movement, you can stimulate MANY more muscle fibers resulting in explosive growth for the entire chest region.

Give it a try, be safe, and oh yeah, one more warning…

This one’s gonna make you hurt the next day!

By The “Muscle Nerd” Jeff Anderson – fitness and bodybuilding expert and author of the Optimum Anabolics program

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