CPO Functional Chest Workout | Inspired By Athletes, Engineered For Gains
For years I have been a one-dimensional bodybuilder. Sure, this was good enough to obtain my pro card, and I still performed functional training on the side, but they were exclusive of one-another.
I would go to the gym, warm up just a little bit, walk for a few minutes on the step mill. It would take me a few sets to be prepared for my workout, and I would always have nagging injuries.
Related: 3 Best Chest Workouts For Pecs of Steel
Through my athletic trainer friends, I also learned that what works for athletes will work for everyday people in the prevention and treatment of injuries. For example, if by progression you take a woman who has pain walking in her legs and lower back and safely and progressively develop her into being able to do a one-legged plyometric jump to the side, chances are pain in everyday movements will cease to exist.
While Sean Torbati and I were in our week-long workshop at EXOS, the premier training system for professional athletes, it dawned on me...
In essence, you simply start with a progression to activate the core, after completing pillar prep and movement prep, then onto an isolation movement to flood the muscles with blood and nutrients, followed by a heavy machine press to overload the muscles, then finishing with tabata. Without further wait, here is the routine:
Unilateral Dumbbell Chest Press - Progress in weight for 3 sets of 6-10 per arm. Lie on a flat bench. Lift both dumbbells up. While keeping one dumbbell up bring one down and press it up. Then repeat with the other arm. Repeat until desired rep range is met.
Bilateral Flat Dumbbell Chest Press - Progress in weight for 3 sets of 6-10. Standard dumbbell press, but it sounds much cooler this way
Superset - Cable Crossover Fly Finisher. The second half of the cable crossover (please refer to video) with cable crossovers. Standard crossover with cables high, 4 sets of 8-15 reps of each.
Machine Chest Press - Progress in weight for 4 sets of 6-10. Can be Hammer Strength or any machine chest press, flat or incline.
Workout video here - see this workout in action with Lex from Nutrakey!
Finish with Tabata. Read more here.
Tabata examples:
What are you waiting for? Give it a try!
You have nothing to lose except for nagging injuries and lack of mobility. Because being big and strong PLUS being able to move, that's not a game!
I would go to the gym, warm up just a little bit, walk for a few minutes on the step mill. It would take me a few sets to be prepared for my workout, and I would always have nagging injuries.
Related: 3 Best Chest Workouts For Pecs of Steel
Through my athletic trainer friends, I also learned that what works for athletes will work for everyday people in the prevention and treatment of injuries. For example, if by progression you take a woman who has pain walking in her legs and lower back and safely and progressively develop her into being able to do a one-legged plyometric jump to the side, chances are pain in everyday movements will cease to exist.
While Sean Torbati and I were in our week-long workshop at EXOS, the premier training system for professional athletes, it dawned on me...
?If incorporated with hypertrophy training, this can lead to unforeseen gains and longevity in the gym PLUS a highly decreased risk of injury.?
So I went to work. And when completed, the workout was on point, perfect, felt amazing PLUS I had no pain in my delt/pec tie-in, an area that has given me issues for years. And oh yeah, I also gained lean mass by adding Tabata to the end of my workout in addition to this change in training methodology.CPO Training - Core Pump Overload
Any gain with my over 20 years of experience in the gym is a welcome gain. Thus, CPO Training was invented, meaning Core Pump Overload.In essence, you simply start with a progression to activate the core, after completing pillar prep and movement prep, then onto an isolation movement to flood the muscles with blood and nutrients, followed by a heavy machine press to overload the muscles, then finishing with tabata. Without further wait, here is the routine:
- Lacrosse ball on arch of feet
- Ankle roll on Recoveroller
- Ankle flick on Recoveroller
- Calf roll with pin roller
- Hamstring roll with pin roller
- Recoveroller on glutes
- Recoveroller on lower back
- Lacrosse ball on hip
- Recoveroller on lat
- Recoveroller on pec/delt tie-in
- World?s greatest stretch
- Inch worm/walkouts
- Mini-band lateral and linear
- 1 set pushups x 10 not near failure
- 1 set lateral raise x 10 not near failure
- 1 set triceps pressdowns x 10 not near failure
- 1 set lat pulldowns x 10 not near failure
Unilateral Dumbbell Chest Press - Progress in weight for 3 sets of 6-10 per arm. Lie on a flat bench. Lift both dumbbells up. While keeping one dumbbell up bring one down and press it up. Then repeat with the other arm. Repeat until desired rep range is met.
Bilateral Flat Dumbbell Chest Press - Progress in weight for 3 sets of 6-10. Standard dumbbell press, but it sounds much cooler this way
Superset - Cable Crossover Fly Finisher. The second half of the cable crossover (please refer to video) with cable crossovers. Standard crossover with cables high, 4 sets of 8-15 reps of each.
Machine Chest Press - Progress in weight for 4 sets of 6-10. Can be Hammer Strength or any machine chest press, flat or incline.
Workout video here - see this workout in action with Lex from Nutrakey!
[caption id="attachment_18646" align="alignright" width="280"CPO Functional Chest Workout | Core Pump Overload.
Finish with Tabata. Read more here.
- 20 seconds AS HARD AND FAST AS YOU CAN AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL YOU CAN. Try to induce vomiting from output. Go 120.
- 10 seconds recovery
- 20 seconds work
- 10 seconds recovery
- Do this 8 times for a total of 4 minutes post training
Tabata examples:
- What is Tabata | Stationary Bike Example with Doug Miller
- What is Tabata | Marc Lobliner Example Tabata Workout Energy Systems Development (ESD)
The Ticket To The Functional Gains Express
Open your mind and free your gains. This marriage of the greatest training methodology for performance athletes with hypertrophy training will send your gains into overdrive and have you feeling and performing better than you ever imagined possible.What are you waiting for? Give it a try!
You have nothing to lose except for nagging injuries and lack of mobility. Because being big and strong PLUS being able to move, that's not a game!