Volume Chest Workout Routine - With Drop Sets and Negatives

With Monday being the international day for benching, it's no secret that a big chest is something that the majority of guys go after.

You see them doing set after set of bench and every variation... But you never see them get any bigger.

Related - The Only Chest Day Workout You'll Ever Need

This chest workout routine is a high-volume workout that includes both dropsets and 3-second negatives. If you're looking for something new to try, this chest workout should be your first choice.

This routine has growth in mind and the selection of exercises are very effective. All of the extra work you will put into these sets causes massive micro trauma to the muscles, priming them for growth.

Selling out to this exercise and giving everything you have is the name of the game for this workout. A good warm-up and cool-down, along with pushing yourself to the limit on each set is critical.

Ensuring your contractions are tight and doing the full range of motion will push your body to its max, allowing it to get bigger and stronger.

The Chest Workout

This workout can be done twice a week with 72 hours of rest between them. There are no shortcuts here, and you certainly can't rush perfection.

1.) Dumbbell Bench Press

Dumbbell bench is great for other stabilizer muscles and you can safely get a better stretch on your pec.

Be sure to work both of your arms equally, not letting one overpower the other. When finishing your last set, be sure to jump into your burnout set as fast as possible.

Start off by completing 4 sets of 10 reps. Immediately after your 4th set, grab dumbbells that are 50% of your working weight and complete one burnout set until failure.

2.) Incline Bench Press

Incline bench press has helped me directly carryover a bigger barbell bench press, so take these seriously.

Press in the same fashion you do with a barbell, making sure you get a great contraction. When finishing your last set, jump into your burnout set as fast as possible.

Start off by completing 4 sets of 12 reps. Immediately follow up with a last set at 50% of your working weight and complete one burnout set until failure.

3.) Pec Deck and Incline Dumbbell Flye Superset

Supersets are demanding and quite fun. Push yourself to the limit when doing these.

Complete 15 reps on the pec deck and superset that with 15 reps of incline dumbbell flyes. Repeat for four sets.

4.) Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip

Having troubles with your shoulders with a barbell bench press? Using dumbbells and pressing with a neutral grip allows you to work around any injuries without compromising the quality of your workout.

Find the most natural feeling grip and run with it, ensuring you maintain proper form and get a good contraction each rep.

Complete four sets of 15 reps.

5.) Dips

Dips are a great tricep and chest exercise. Keeping proper form and saving those shoulders are a must.

Using a dip machine or bodyweight dips, complete four sets of 12 reps with a 3-second negative.

6.) Close Grip Bench Press and Close-Hand Push-Up Superset

One of the easier supersets to complete due to not having to hog equipment, you will be begging to stop.

Complete 10 reps on close grip bench and hop down to the floor and do close-hand push-ups until failure. Repeat for three sets.

Getting the Most Out of Your Workout

Instead of spinning your wheels at the gym day in and day out, let's go over some things that will help you get the most out of your workouts.

Diet

What sort of article would this be if I didn't say something about cleaning up your diet? I'm not saying you have to get rid of all of the guilty pleasures you have, you just have to sprinkle them in with some good foods.

Take my 80/20 rule that I learned from this big hairy ugly guy... It works. 80% of your food should come from wholesome fresh foods; your chicken, beef, pork, whatever. Eat your rice, sweet potatoes, and greens and wash it down with a cookie or two.

You and I both know that eating a family bag of chips is easy, but is it worth not making progress towards your fitness goals?

Form

Practicing good form and not ego lifting is where it's at. These professional bodybuilders and powerlifters didn't just start out by deadlifting 800 pounds; they worked their way up.

Start at a reasonable weight and work on increasing the weight every time you walk into the gym. Sure, you may be doing dumbbell bench with 35s right now, but consistency and pushing yourself will put you into the 100s in no time.

Consistency

I mentioned being consistent above, and that's what really gets the fitness goals accomplished.

Each day you walk into that gym, treat it as your last time. You put in the effort, you'll reap the rewards.

You can't expect to lose weight if you only occasionally eat right or if you only occasionally hit the gym. Make this a ritual and turn it into something that you can do every day without a hitch.

It will be hard, it will suck most days, but being consistent will get you where you want to be.

Wrapping it Up

Look, this isn't just a workout; it's a way of life. Treat your body right and do these moves right.

Eat better foods and use a TDEE calculator to see how much you really need to eat to make your goals happen.

Consistently do these things and put forth more effort than you think is needed, you'll thank me later.