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Brandon White, one half of the Buff Dudes duo, has recently started a series of videos covering some of the simplest principles behind muscle growth. His beef: most fitness personalities claim to have their own proprietary secrets for success—but in reality, making consistent gains is often the result of simple practices and dedicated work. White previously shared the simple way to really grow your biceps. Now, he's back with a new video highlighting the simple truth behind growing your chest muscles, including his three favorite exercises for a well-developed chest.
Before his any training, White makes sure to properly fuel with a big breakfast. He makes himself a bowl of oatmeal with protein powder, blueberries, and milk. He also makes a protein shake and grabs a banana to have directly after his workout.
"Food is an integral part in helping develop any muscle group," says White.
Yahoo
Men's Health
A Bodybuilder Breaks Down the Simple Principles Behind Building a Big Chest
Emily Shiffer
Thu, January 6, 2022, 11:10 AM·5 min read
Brandon White, one half of the Buff Dudes duo, has recently started a series of videos covering some of the simplest principles behind muscle growth. His beef: most fitness personalities claim to have their own proprietary secrets for success—but in reality, making consistent gains is often the result of simple practices and dedicated work. White previously shared the simple way to really grow your biceps. Now, he's back with a new video highlighting the simple truth behind growing your chest muscles, including his three favorite exercises for a well-developed chest.
Before his any training, White makes sure to properly fuel with a big breakfast. He makes himself a bowl of oatmeal with protein powder, blueberries, and milk. He also makes a protein shake and grabs a banana to have directly after his workout.
"Food is an integral part in helping develop any muscle group," says White.
Scroll to continue with contentAd
Verizon
He hits the gym, and starts with a quick anatomy lesson of the chest, a.k.a. the pectoralis major.
"There are two heads: the sternalcostal head (on the sternum) and the clavicular head (on the clavicle)," says White. "Both insert into the humerus, the anchor. The muscle is going from a stretched position, shortening to bring your arm in all directions." The chest plays a big role in lots of movements—so White says it pays to focus in on the muscle group.
To activate the muscle group in the gym, White shares his three favorite exercises you need to add to your chest day workout.
Exercise 1: Unilateral Cable Fly
White says usually starts his chest days with this exercise.
"To be able to stimulate your chest correctly, you want to make sure you can activate it correctly," says White.
This isolation movement "brings the chest into a stretched position because it's moving or abducting your humerus away from your body, so all of a sudden those fibers are stretched out, and now they have to shorten (or contract) to bring or horizontally adduct your arm inward."
He adds you can cross the center of the body to get in a little extra squeeze. Since this is a unilateral motion, you can also concentrate on one side of your body to really feel that muscle working.
"You're pre-fatiguing, pre-stimulating, pre-exhausting the muscle through something like this before moving on to a bigger motion like a compound movement (like the bench press)," says White.
Exercise 2: Bench Press
This staple exercise utilizes flexion at the shoulder joint and extension at the elbow joint. Since it's a compound movement (an exercise that uses more than one muscle group), you're able to really push lots of weight.
"You're able to go pretty heavy with it because you're not only working your chest, but now you're incorporating the triceps and the anterior delt," says White.
You're also not restricted to the classic barbell bench press on a flat bench. White loves the exercise's versatility—you can go from the flat bench to an incline or decline bench, or even swap the barbell for dumbbells.
"You can not only change the angles of the motion, incorporating more stimulus in different areas and fibers of the pectoralis major, but it also increases the need for stabilization in your hand or grip to make sure you feel it in your chest the best possible way," says White.
Yahoo
Men's Health
A Bodybuilder Breaks Down the Simple Principles Behind Building a Big Chest
Emily Shiffer
Thu, January 6, 2022, 11:10 AM·5 min read
Brandon White, one half of the Buff Dudes duo, has recently started a series of videos covering some of the simplest principles behind muscle growth. His beef: most fitness personalities claim to have their own proprietary secrets for success—but in reality, making consistent gains is often the result of simple practices and dedicated work. White previously shared the simple way to really grow your biceps. Now, he's back with a new video highlighting the simple truth behind growing your chest muscles, including his three favorite exercises for a well-developed chest.
Before his any training, White makes sure to properly fuel with a big breakfast. He makes himself a bowl of oatmeal with protein powder, blueberries, and milk. He also makes a protein shake and grabs a banana to have directly after his workout.
"Food is an integral part in helping develop any muscle group," says White.
Scroll to continue with contentAd
Verizon
He hits the gym, and starts with a quick anatomy lesson of the chest, a.k.a. the pectoralis major.
"There are two heads: the sternalcostal head (on the sternum) and the clavicular head (on the clavicle)," says White. "Both insert into the humerus, the anchor. The muscle is going from a stretched position, shortening to bring your arm in all directions." The chest plays a big role in lots of movements—so White says it pays to focus in on the muscle group.
To activate the muscle group in the gym, White shares his three favorite exercises you need to add to your chest day workout.
Exercise 1: Unilateral Cable Fly
White says usually starts his chest days with this exercise.
"To be able to stimulate your chest correctly, you want to make sure you can activate it correctly," says White.
This isolation movement "brings the chest into a stretched position because it's moving or abducting your humerus away from your body, so all of a sudden those fibers are stretched out, and now they have to shorten (or contract) to bring or horizontally adduct your arm inward."
He adds you can cross the center of the body to get in a little extra squeeze. Since this is a unilateral motion, you can also concentrate on one side of your body to really feel that muscle working.
"You're pre-fatiguing, pre-stimulating, pre-exhausting the muscle through something like this before moving on to a bigger motion like a compound movement (like the bench press)," says White.
Exercise 2: Bench Press
This staple exercise utilizes flexion at the shoulder joint and extension at the elbow joint. Since it's a compound movement (an exercise that uses more than one muscle group), you're able to really push lots of weight.
"You're able to go pretty heavy with it because you're not only working your chest, but now you're incorporating the triceps and the anterior delt," says White.
You're also not restricted to the classic barbell bench press on a flat bench. White loves the exercise's versatility—you can go from the flat bench to an incline or decline bench, or even swap the barbell for dumbbells.
"You can not only change the angles of the motion, incorporating more stimulus in different areas and fibers of the pectoralis major, but it also increases the need for stabilization in your hand or grip to make sure you feel it in your chest the best possible way," says White.
However, he notes that benching can be hard on the rotator cuff, a group of muscles that help dynamically stabilize the shoulder joint... so you'll sacrifice stability for mobility. There is a group of muscles that works to help stabilize it in the scapula, including: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and the subscapularis. White notes that if these muscles are weak or not warmed up, they won't be able to activate and stabilize as well as they could. So to do this, work on external rotation using a resistance band before you bench.
One final thing White hits on is the angle of your hands and elbows, especially when you're using a barbell. Your anatomy and comfort should dictate the proper hand grip and elbow placement for the best activation in your chest—not what your favorite fitness personality online recommends.
"Take it very light (just the bar), to see how you can activate your chest the best. Maybe you flare your elbows a little bit wider, maybe it's tucking them in. Maybe it's getting a wider grip or more narrow grip. Whatever it is, find out what works best for you," says White.
Exercise 3: Standing Underhand Fly
White credits this exercise for strengthening a weak part in his upper chest, the clavicular head in his pectoralis major.
"When you bring or flex your shoulder upward and inward, those chest fibers are really going to help out with that motion. They're going to have to shorten to contract, and that is going to activate them like crazy," says White.
He adds that you should go very light with this exercise, and feel the activation and what the muscle is actually doing. You should also retract your shoulders and really depress them to put your chest in a better position to do most of the work. Get a good squeeze and contraction at the top.
White explains the one thing that a lot of other fitness personalities don't want to talk about when it comes to chest muscle development: your body doesn't necessarily want a big chest.
"In fact, it's going to work against you in building a lot of muscle because it takes a lot of energy to produce and maintain that muscle. It's going to want to put a lot of things before building muscle," says White.
To combat that challenge, it's going to take a lot of work, dedication and consistency.
"A lot of these guys will make a video and say do these three to four exercises and you're gonna get a chest like me. That's a bunch of bullsh*t," says White. "That's definitely not how it works. It's going to take years to build a big chest, especially because everyone's genetics are a little bit different. It's going to be unique to you. You just have to put the time and dedication into it. That's when you're going to reap the rewards."
Bodybuilding News Source.
Before his any training, White makes sure to properly fuel with a big breakfast. He makes himself a bowl of oatmeal with protein powder, blueberries, and milk. He also makes a protein shake and grabs a banana to have directly after his workout.
"Food is an integral part in helping develop any muscle group," says White.
Yahoo
Men's Health
A Bodybuilder Breaks Down the Simple Principles Behind Building a Big Chest
Emily Shiffer
Thu, January 6, 2022, 11:10 AM·5 min read
Brandon White, one half of the Buff Dudes duo, has recently started a series of videos covering some of the simplest principles behind muscle growth. His beef: most fitness personalities claim to have their own proprietary secrets for success—but in reality, making consistent gains is often the result of simple practices and dedicated work. White previously shared the simple way to really grow your biceps. Now, he's back with a new video highlighting the simple truth behind growing your chest muscles, including his three favorite exercises for a well-developed chest.
Before his any training, White makes sure to properly fuel with a big breakfast. He makes himself a bowl of oatmeal with protein powder, blueberries, and milk. He also makes a protein shake and grabs a banana to have directly after his workout.
"Food is an integral part in helping develop any muscle group," says White.
Scroll to continue with contentAd
Verizon
He hits the gym, and starts with a quick anatomy lesson of the chest, a.k.a. the pectoralis major.
"There are two heads: the sternalcostal head (on the sternum) and the clavicular head (on the clavicle)," says White. "Both insert into the humerus, the anchor. The muscle is going from a stretched position, shortening to bring your arm in all directions." The chest plays a big role in lots of movements—so White says it pays to focus in on the muscle group.
To activate the muscle group in the gym, White shares his three favorite exercises you need to add to your chest day workout.
Exercise 1: Unilateral Cable Fly
White says usually starts his chest days with this exercise.
"To be able to stimulate your chest correctly, you want to make sure you can activate it correctly," says White.
This isolation movement "brings the chest into a stretched position because it's moving or abducting your humerus away from your body, so all of a sudden those fibers are stretched out, and now they have to shorten (or contract) to bring or horizontally adduct your arm inward."
He adds you can cross the center of the body to get in a little extra squeeze. Since this is a unilateral motion, you can also concentrate on one side of your body to really feel that muscle working.
"You're pre-fatiguing, pre-stimulating, pre-exhausting the muscle through something like this before moving on to a bigger motion like a compound movement (like the bench press)," says White.
Exercise 2: Bench Press
This staple exercise utilizes flexion at the shoulder joint and extension at the elbow joint. Since it's a compound movement (an exercise that uses more than one muscle group), you're able to really push lots of weight.
"You're able to go pretty heavy with it because you're not only working your chest, but now you're incorporating the triceps and the anterior delt," says White.
You're also not restricted to the classic barbell bench press on a flat bench. White loves the exercise's versatility—you can go from the flat bench to an incline or decline bench, or even swap the barbell for dumbbells.
"You can not only change the angles of the motion, incorporating more stimulus in different areas and fibers of the pectoralis major, but it also increases the need for stabilization in your hand or grip to make sure you feel it in your chest the best possible way," says White.
Yahoo
Men's Health
A Bodybuilder Breaks Down the Simple Principles Behind Building a Big Chest
Emily Shiffer
Thu, January 6, 2022, 11:10 AM·5 min read
Brandon White, one half of the Buff Dudes duo, has recently started a series of videos covering some of the simplest principles behind muscle growth. His beef: most fitness personalities claim to have their own proprietary secrets for success—but in reality, making consistent gains is often the result of simple practices and dedicated work. White previously shared the simple way to really grow your biceps. Now, he's back with a new video highlighting the simple truth behind growing your chest muscles, including his three favorite exercises for a well-developed chest.
Before his any training, White makes sure to properly fuel with a big breakfast. He makes himself a bowl of oatmeal with protein powder, blueberries, and milk. He also makes a protein shake and grabs a banana to have directly after his workout.
"Food is an integral part in helping develop any muscle group," says White.
Scroll to continue with contentAd
Verizon
He hits the gym, and starts with a quick anatomy lesson of the chest, a.k.a. the pectoralis major.
"There are two heads: the sternalcostal head (on the sternum) and the clavicular head (on the clavicle)," says White. "Both insert into the humerus, the anchor. The muscle is going from a stretched position, shortening to bring your arm in all directions." The chest plays a big role in lots of movements—so White says it pays to focus in on the muscle group.
To activate the muscle group in the gym, White shares his three favorite exercises you need to add to your chest day workout.
Exercise 1: Unilateral Cable Fly
White says usually starts his chest days with this exercise.
"To be able to stimulate your chest correctly, you want to make sure you can activate it correctly," says White.
This isolation movement "brings the chest into a stretched position because it's moving or abducting your humerus away from your body, so all of a sudden those fibers are stretched out, and now they have to shorten (or contract) to bring or horizontally adduct your arm inward."
He adds you can cross the center of the body to get in a little extra squeeze. Since this is a unilateral motion, you can also concentrate on one side of your body to really feel that muscle working.
"You're pre-fatiguing, pre-stimulating, pre-exhausting the muscle through something like this before moving on to a bigger motion like a compound movement (like the bench press)," says White.
Exercise 2: Bench Press
This staple exercise utilizes flexion at the shoulder joint and extension at the elbow joint. Since it's a compound movement (an exercise that uses more than one muscle group), you're able to really push lots of weight.
"You're able to go pretty heavy with it because you're not only working your chest, but now you're incorporating the triceps and the anterior delt," says White.
You're also not restricted to the classic barbell bench press on a flat bench. White loves the exercise's versatility—you can go from the flat bench to an incline or decline bench, or even swap the barbell for dumbbells.
"You can not only change the angles of the motion, incorporating more stimulus in different areas and fibers of the pectoralis major, but it also increases the need for stabilization in your hand or grip to make sure you feel it in your chest the best possible way," says White.
However, he notes that benching can be hard on the rotator cuff, a group of muscles that help dynamically stabilize the shoulder joint... so you'll sacrifice stability for mobility. There is a group of muscles that works to help stabilize it in the scapula, including: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor and the subscapularis. White notes that if these muscles are weak or not warmed up, they won't be able to activate and stabilize as well as they could. So to do this, work on external rotation using a resistance band before you bench.
One final thing White hits on is the angle of your hands and elbows, especially when you're using a barbell. Your anatomy and comfort should dictate the proper hand grip and elbow placement for the best activation in your chest—not what your favorite fitness personality online recommends.
"Take it very light (just the bar), to see how you can activate your chest the best. Maybe you flare your elbows a little bit wider, maybe it's tucking them in. Maybe it's getting a wider grip or more narrow grip. Whatever it is, find out what works best for you," says White.
Exercise 3: Standing Underhand Fly
White credits this exercise for strengthening a weak part in his upper chest, the clavicular head in his pectoralis major.
"When you bring or flex your shoulder upward and inward, those chest fibers are really going to help out with that motion. They're going to have to shorten to contract, and that is going to activate them like crazy," says White.
He adds that you should go very light with this exercise, and feel the activation and what the muscle is actually doing. You should also retract your shoulders and really depress them to put your chest in a better position to do most of the work. Get a good squeeze and contraction at the top.
White explains the one thing that a lot of other fitness personalities don't want to talk about when it comes to chest muscle development: your body doesn't necessarily want a big chest.
"In fact, it's going to work against you in building a lot of muscle because it takes a lot of energy to produce and maintain that muscle. It's going to want to put a lot of things before building muscle," says White.
To combat that challenge, it's going to take a lot of work, dedication and consistency.
"A lot of these guys will make a video and say do these three to four exercises and you're gonna get a chest like me. That's a bunch of bullsh*t," says White. "That's definitely not how it works. It's going to take years to build a big chest, especially because everyone's genetics are a little bit different. It's going to be unique to you. You just have to put the time and dedication into it. That's when you're going to reap the rewards."
Bodybuilding News Source.
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