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#6 CHEST - Nasser's Workout
One of the most popular competitors in the IFBB, Nasser El Sonbaty has heaved plenty of weight in his 15 years as a pro. Like most of his peers, he changes his workouts often, but this particular routine is a great example of how he combines presses and flyes for a more intense, and thus more productive, session.
>> “A technique that works well for me is rest/pause,” Nasser explains. “I may do a set of 6–10 reps on an incline dumbbell press, pause for 10 seconds, do another 4–5 reps, rest again and finish with 1–3 reps.”
>> Nasser recommends choosing a heavy weight, but not so heavy that you can’t get at least 6 reps in the set.
FLAT-BENCH DUMBBELL FLYE
START: With a dumbbell in each hand and a slight but unchanging bend in your elbows, lie on a flat bench and allow the weights to travel out and away from your body in a wide arc.
MOVE: Feel the stretch, then contract your pecs to forcefully raise the weights overhead while keeping the angle in your elbows nearly constant.
DECLINE DUMBBELL FLYE
START: When he does the decline press with dumbbells, Nasser will go right into the decline flye as the second half of a compound set. With a weight heavy enough for presses, he doesn’t get a really deep stretch at the bottom but still strives for a decent range of motion. Lie back on a decline bench and hold a pair of dumbbells overhead, keeping your hands in a neutral (palms-facing) position.
MOVE: Maintaining a slight bend in your elbows throughout, power the weights up in a wide arc, keeping constant tension on your chest by not locking out at the top nor allowing the weights
to rest against each other. When lowering the weights, fight gravity to gain the benefit of the negative.
DECLINE DUMBBELL PRESS
START: Lie back on a decline bench and hold the weights directly over your pecs.
MOVE: Resist the negative as you lower the dumbbells until they just touch your lower-chest region. In a forceful movement, power the weights up but don’t lock out. “I think ‘squeeze the pecs’ at the top,” Nasser adds.
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