Try five new ways to build protruding pecs -- no bench necessary
By: Michael Mejia


Guys tend to measure themselves by three criteria: income, sexual prowess, bench press. Why we care about the first two is obvious, but the popularity of the third is a different matter. Sure, the barbell bench press is a great way to build strength and size in your chest muscles, but it's not the only way. And if you're in the weight room to improve your performance in a sport, wearing a groove in the bench won't help much.



"Any chest exercise done on a bench will have little effect on playing-field performance," says Paul Chek, strength consultant to the Chicago Bulls and other professional sports teams. In other words, there is no sporting equivalent to lying on a bench and pushing a weight off your pectorals.



That's why Chek recommends chest exercises done on a therapeutic ball, also known as a Swiss ball. When you balance on a ball, every muscle has to help. If your legs and torso muscles don't do their work, you fall off. That's how your body works on the court or playing field: You have to establish balance before you can generate power.



Even if your sole goal is to build bigger muscles, the ball can help. Muscles in your upper back and your rotator cuffs have to contract to hold your shoulders in place on the ball, which helps them grow bigger and stronger. And if you want a greater range of movement, you can lower the weights a little farther on Swiss-ball chest exercises, giving the pectoral muscles a new stimulus.



These exercises range from fairly easy to really hard. Learn them in the order shown, but take it slowly. And the next time someone tries to challenge your manhood by comparing bench-press stats? Tell him you don't bench, you ball.
Two-Angle Press

Sit on a Swiss ball with a dumbbell in each hand and the weights resting on your thighs. Slowly lie back as you walk your feet forward. Stop when your head, neck, and upper back are in contact with the ball. Your feet should be flat on the floor, your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Lift the weights to your shoulders. Tighten your abs and lower back to stabilize your position, then exhale as you press the dumbbells up and toward each other.



Slowly roll your hips down the ball as if you were doing a squat. When your upper torso is at a 45-degree angle to the floor, slowly lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders. Now roll back to position A for the next repetition. The idea is to lift the weight when your body is in its strongest position, then lower it when your body is in a weaker position. This makes your chest muscles work harder during the lowering portion of the exercise. It also gives some extra work to the upper portion of your pectoral muscles. Do three sets of five to 10 repetitions.
Swiss-Ball Pushup

Lean your entire torso against the ball and place your hands on the floor in front of it. Slowly walk yourself forward on your hands until your legs are up on the ball. How far forward you go is up to you. For an easier pushup, rest your thighs on the ball. For more of a challenge, rest your shins or just your feet on the ball. Tighten all your torso muscles (abdominals, lower back, chest, and upper back) to help stabilize your body. Slowly lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Pause for 2 seconds, then push yourself back up until your arms are straight. You've seen guys do this using a bench; by incorporating a ball, you use your torso muscles to stabilize your body, so you get more out of the exercise. Do three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
Combo Press

Place a set of heavy dumbbells on the floor in front of the therapeutic ball. (A good rule of thumb is to use double the weight you'd normally use for a chest press.) Grasp a pair of lighter dumbbells, using weights that you know you can handle for incline chest presses. Hook your feet under the handles of the heavier dumbbells (they should be positioned about shoulder-width apart), and lie back on the ball, with your upper torso at roughly a 45-degree angle to the floor.



Press the weights straight up from your shoulders, lower them, and do repetitions at this angle until you feel you can manage only one or two more. Roll your body up until your torso is parallel to the floor--you're now in the equivalent of a flat-bench position. Again, do repetitions until you feel you can do only one or two more. Roll back farther until your head is lower than your hips. Now perform repetitions until you absolutely can't do another.



By going from your weakest position to your strongest, you work all the sections of your chest without changing weights. Chek says that the entire set shouldn't last longer than 15 repetitions. Try one set at first, and work up to three.



As you master this exercise, try shifting positions without taking a break in your repetitions. The continuous movement will make this exercise even more challenging for your chest muscles.
Unilateral Dumbbell Press

Grab a pair of dumbbells, lift them to your shoulders, and lie back on the Swiss ball so that your torso is parallel to the floor. Press the weight in your right hand straight up from your shoulder. Pause for a second at the top, then slowly lower the weight to your shoulder. Do the same with the weight in the left hand. That's one repetition. Perform two or three sets of six to eight repetitions.



Note: This exercise is much harder than it looks, so you need to start with light weights. The first time you try it, focus on your abdominal muscles. Feel how hard they have to work to stabilize your body. As your midsection becomes accustomed to the exercise, you'll be able to use more weight.
Stabilizing Pressup

Place your hands on the ball about 12 inches apart, and position yourself so your legs and torso form a straight line, your arms are straight, and your weight is on the balls of your feet and your hands. Bend at the elbows, and very slowly lower your chest toward the ball. Go as low as you can, then push yourself back up to the starting position just as slowly. Try one set of four to six repetitions at first, and do more as your performance improves.
menshealth.com