MUSCLE BUILDING CHEST & SHOULDER WORKOUT
Use this muscle-building workout to take your chest and shoulder gains to the next level
Zach Atkin's Intra-Workout Supplement Stack
Zach consumes the following supplements to give his body the nutrients it needs to support tough workouts:- 1 scoop Glutamine
- 1 scoop Creatine
- 1 scoop INTRA[R3] intra-workout powder
- 1 scoop SILO[9] EAAs
Zach is wearing HOSSTILE Mini Elbow Sleeves during his workout for added elbow joint support and compression.
Zach's Chest Workout
Plate Loaded Chest Press
Zach begins this exercise by performing a few taster sets, gradually increasing the weight to warm up and get a feel of the weight, knowing when he is at his top set load. For Zach's top set, he performs a drop set. Perform six reps at your maximum load, and drop the weight to perform another six reps then. After this, execute 10+ partial reps to complete the set. Partial reps allow you to focus on those areas where your muscles have not been exhausted yet. You continue to force out reps over a smaller range of motion to increase overall muscle strength and push through that stubborn muscle.
Cable Crossover
Moving onto his second exercise, Zach performs three sets of cable crossovers. Starting at 15 reps, then to 12 reps, and finishing with ten reps. To set yourself up for this exercise correctly, place the handles high enough that they are roughly just above shoulder height when the handles drop. Grasp the first and then the other. When taking tension of the weight, keep your shoulders back and step forward into the resistance with one leg placed in front of the other. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, press the handles down and forward until your hands meet around one foot from your midriff. Watch Zach's form closely - keep the weight controlled and do not swing the weights too fast. Squeeze your chest at the end of the movement and slowly return to the starting position before repeating the exercise.
Incline Smith Machine Press
For Zach's next exercise, he moves onto the smith press. Zach is performing this exercise to target the upper shelf of the chest - a staple exercise if additional thickness here is what you require. Zach performs one top set here and one backoff set. Why is a backoff set beneficial? Adding backoff sets to your training can improve your technique, stamina, and overall physical activity and build new muscle. To perform one appropriately, be sure to reduce the load from your top set and adjust a variation of your lift. Slow down your reps and focus on your technique and time under tension.
Pec Deck Fly
To finish his chest workout, Zach goes into one set of heavy pec deck flyes supersetting this movement with push-ups to failure. When performing these reps, Zach keeps his core engaged and his lower back straight. His body is continuously steady throughout the exercise while keeping the weight controlled. When moving into push-ups, Zach completes partial reps at the end of this exercise to target those not yet exhausted muscle fibers.
Zach's Shoulder Workout
Machine Rear Delt Fly
Zach begins with rear delt flyes going into banned rear delt flyes to warm and exhaust the muscle. He performs this three times to failure. The rear delt fly machine gives a uniform resistance throughout the range of motion. Try not to move anything but your shoulders, and remember to exhale while you exert.
Chest Supported Lateral Raise Superset with Standing Side Lateral Raise
Performing lateral raises with a bench to support your chest stops your body from wanting to swing. To perform this exercise, lie face down on a 30-degree incline bench with your chest supported and chest up. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and let them hang down to both sides. Your arms should be straight with your palms facing each other. Keep your palms facing the floor and focus on the muscle contraction as you raise your arms out to your sides until they reach shoulder height. Return to the starting position under full control. Complete as many reps as possible until failure, then move straight onto standing side raises to exhaust the muscle. Here, you may use partial reps to complete the set.
Spider Crawls
Spider crawls are one of Zach's favorite finishers, and they are not as easy as they appear! This exercise is fantastic for rotator cuff health and was praised and recommended by John "Mountain Dog" Meadows as a great addition to anyone's program if you want to keep healthy shoulders. You will need a short mini band for your hands to place into this exercise. Make sure you are not standing too close to the wall. Put your arms out straight to find the appropriate stance/distance. Spread your hands apart as wide as possible, creating tension with the band. Maintain this tension, crawl your hands down the wall to your waist height, and then back up the wall to just above your head. Perform these down and up the wall three times to complete one set.