What’s up gang!

As we get closer to the start date of WBF Season V: 73024752 it is important that we prepare for what is to come. With this in mind I have made a list of every lift in the program and broken them down by category so we can have a look at the lifts, talk about form and focus and really understand what it is we are doing when we start. This is not a beginners or even an intermediate program. Hell, we aren’t even an advanced program. This is totally next level. Totally 730.

Today we begin with chest workouts. The chest workouts that we will be doing in this program are:

Barbell Bench Press
Barbell Incline Bench Press
Barbell Decline Bench Press
Barbell Close Grip Bench Press
Barbell Wide Grip Bench Press
DB Bench Press
DB Incline Bench Press
DB Fly
DB Incline Fly
DB Straight Arm Pull Over
Pec Deck Fly
Svend Press

At this point you should all have most of these lifts down pat, but I want to go through them quickly. Remember, nobody in the world has perfect form so make sure you get yours as close as possible by always looking to learn.

For Barbell bench presses, whether they are flat bench, incline, decline, wide grip or close grip I really think Jim Stoppani’s form video is excellent and I suggest you watch it very carefully….multiple times. Remember, good for is about safety and we all want to lift without getting hurt, but it is also about maximizing the benefits of the lift. If you are going to use bad form you are not only more likely to get hurt, you are also not reaping the intended benefits of the lift you are performing. So here is the Stoppani video for bench press.

For the dumbbell variations of the press I think this video is a great add on to what Stoppani has to say about barbell bench pressing

As for Flyes, we all know how to do them right….but here are a few little things I want to remind you. Never totally lock out your elbows. This takes tension off the muscle and puts it in the joint. This is bad because tension on the muscle is the reason we went to the gym in the first place and no amount of tension on the joint will  yield a stronger joint….quite the contrary, it will eventually hurt your joint.

Also, as with many lifts, know which muscles you are engaging and make sure to contract them at the top of the lift. When you bring the weight, either from the machine or the cables or the weights, to the top of the motion it should come with a hard flex of the pectorals, specifically the area being targeted depending on which way you are doing the lift. That flex at the top of the motion, not just for flyes but for all lifts, is so vitally important it can not be over stated. If you are not doing it then you are leaving more on the table than you are taking with you.

There is a lot of dispute about the straight arm pull over and its effectiveness. I figure that this has to do with people’s bodies being different. I find that building a large and well defined chest is made much easier using this lift. Arnold agrees with me and so here they are in this program. Below is an excellent form video on how to get this lift done properly.

Finally we move to the Svend Press. This unusual and sometimes controversial lift is something I have been toying with the last few months and really believe belongs in this program. Of course, it goes without saying for all lifts to understand your limits and lift the right amount of weight but with the Svend you really need to be mindful. This one can hurt. I have watched dozens of Svend Press videos and this one is, in my opinion, by and far my favorite.

So there you have it. These are the chest lifts that we will be using in WBF Season 5. Get on learning them. I am going to attempt to be ambitious and put up 2 articles tomorrow. The next in the form series which will cover the back lifts as well as an article about RPE. If the RPE Article does not get out tomorrow, keep your eyes peeled for it because it is going to be one of the most important articles I have ever put on this site.

Tick Tock my friends, it is almost grind time!