Best Chests Part 1

How Arnold, Haney & Branch Built Theirs

Wanting a big chest is a primal instinct. Many bird species puff up their chests to appear larger and more intimidating to rivals and to attract mates. Chimpanzees do it, and so do we humans. Make no mistake— if you’re a bodybuilder or even a serious weight trainer, you probably want a bigger, thicker set of pecs. To help you out, in this part one of a three-part series we have compiled tips and routines from champion bodybuilders who have built the best chests ever.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

Just as very few people would argue against Tom Platz having the best legs of all time, Arnold’s name instantly comes up whenever the topic of the best chest development ever seen is mentioned. Arnold’s chest was so thick, so full and had so much “pop” to it, that modern fans who didn’t know better would assume photos of his side chest pose had been Photoshopped or otherwise altered digitally to create that unreal appearance. His upper pecs in particular were so thick that he was able to balance a beer stein on them. Was it genetics, sheer hard work with the iron or some combination thereof that resulted in the most iconic chest of all time, one that inspired literally millions of men the world over to start pumping iron? We will never know for sure.

A Foundation of Power

In his early years of bodybuilding, Arnold also competed in weightlifting and powerlifting meets in Austria and Germany. As such, he trained for raw power and would routinely max-out for singles. This laid the foundation for his pro bodybuilding years, when he pressed mostly in the rep range six to 10— and could handle 500 pounds in the flat barbell bench press for six to eight, and 405 on the incline barbell for the same. Barbells were the tool of choice in his prime years of 1968-1975, as few gyms had very heavy dumbbells as we see today.

Rare Techniques

Despite the clear superiority of Arnold’s pecs, there are two things he did that a scant few modern bodybuilders would even dream of. One was that he trained his chest three times every week. Even most who aspired to be his training partners gave up on his high frequency of training after a few weeks, unable to recover and make any gains. Arnold also liked to train chest with back, supersetting chest and back exercises, as he felt the antagonistic nature of the two provided a great stretch for one while the other was working. Most bodybuilders prefer to give both chest and back their own workouts. What worked for Arnold wouldn’t and didn’t necessarily work for too many others— he truly was one of a kind. Yet still, his template of hard work on a handful of basic movements like the barbell flat and incline press, dips, dumbbell pullovers and dumbbell flyes is a can’t-fail recipe for a big chest.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Chest Workout

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Bench Press                            5 sets, 6-10 reps
Flat Bench Flyes                     5 sets, 6-10 reps
Incline Bench Press                6 sets, 6-10 reps
Cable Crossovers                   6 sets, 10-12 reps
Dips                                        5 sets, to failure
Dumbbell Pullovers                5 sets, 10-12 reps

LEE HANEY           

Lee is not only a record-holding eight-time Mr. Olympia (along with Ronnie), but he is also considered by many to be the last of the great “old-school” bodybuilders, a lineage that included the likes of John Grimek, Larry Scott, Sergio and Arnold. The old-school champions had a lot in common when it came to chest, both in terms of development and how they trained it. Haney fit the mold to a T, with a tremendously thick set of pecs perched atop a massive rib cage, and fully developed from top to bottom. And of course, barbell basics were how he built the chest that never ceased to draw gasps from the crowd in his side chest, front lat spread and most-muscular poses. It hardly even seemed to lose any thickness when he threw his arms up for a front double biceps shot. Truly, Lee Haney’s chest was one of the best our sport has ever seen.

Built on Basics

Despite all the high-tech machines available today, Lee still believes anyone who wants a big chest should focus on basic movements. Here is what he has to say on how to build the pecs. “The best mass exercises will always be the same, whether you’re an ectomorph, a mesomorph like me or an endomorph. You should do a flat press with either a barbell or dumbbells, an incline press with a barbell or dumbbells for the upper pecs, and dips for the lower pecs. That’s it! If you focus on just those three foundation movements and work hard for four work sets of eight reps, you can’t go wrong. Once you have some good mass in your chest, you can start adding in a shaping movement like flyes or a cable crossover.”

How to Bench Press, the Haney Way

Lee feels the flat barbell bench press, an exercise far less commonly performed by top bodybuilders in modern days, is the key to overall chest mass. He did stress the importance of warming up thoroughly and pyramiding up in weight for safety purposes. “You want to bring the bar down a couple of inches above the sternum, across the nipple line,” he said of the proper technique. “Your reps should resemble a ‘check mark.’ That means an explosive lift followed by a controlled lowering, with no pause at the top or bottom— constant motion and tension on the muscle.”

Lee doesn’t believe in very low reps for bodybuilders. “There is never a reason to max-out for a single, either,” he said. “I did it just a few times in my entire career, and only once in the eight years I was Mr. Olympia. After doing 315 x 8, 405 x 7 and 465 x 3, I put 500 on the bar and did it just to see if I could. It actually went up easier than I thought it would, but I never did it again. The risk of injury just wasn’t worth it.”

Lee Haney’s Chest Workout*

Barbell Bench Press        4-5 x 12-6

Barbell Incline Press        4 x 10-6

Dumbbell Flyes                4 x 12-15

Cable Crossovers            3 x 10-12

*Performed twice weekly

BRANCH WARREN          

Branch is something of a throwback to simpler times in bodybuilding, back when you trained hard and heavy like a beast and let your physique do the talking. At the age of 15, he began training at Metroflex Gym in Arlington, Texas, alongside Ronnie Coleman. As such, it’s no coincidence that he is also known for roaring intensity, freakish power and stacks upon stacks of thick, dense muscle. Branch may be known mostly for his monstrous lower body, but his chest ranks up there with the thickest of his generation. Those slabs of prime beef were built in that most hardcore of gyms with nothing more than tons of rusty iron, Texas grit and plenty of blood, sweat and tears.

Not a Genetic Gift

When Branch started bodybuilding at 15, his legs were already bigger and stronger than most of the men twice his age at the gym. But his chest was flat, and he struggled with 135 pounds on the bench for a few reps. He figured the best way to change that was to copy what the guy in the gym with the best chest was doing— Ronnie Coleman himself. “I did flat, incline and decline presses with barbells one day, and dumbbells the other workout,” Branch recalls. “I kept it pretty heavy for a bodybuilder— five to eight reps.” At last, his chest began to catch up with the rest of his physique. Before he turned 20, his chest was developed enough to win the NPC Teenage Nationals in 1993, beating Jay Cutler for the overall. Branch had also bench-pressed 450 pounds in an official meet, and pressed 585 once in the gym. Since then, during his pro career, he has handled 455 on the incline barbell press and used 200s for dumbbell presses on hundreds of occasions.

Branch on His Form on Chest Day

“I don’t care who approves of my form and who doesn’t. Why would I? I train to build my physique, not to demonstrate perfect technique. Think about who else trained this way in the same gym, and had maybe the best chest of all time— Ronnie. Would I have gotten the same results, going slower and using a lot less weight? I really don’t think so. No matter what anyone thinks, I’m always in control of the weight. The only reason I don’t lock out and squeeze is because it kills my elbows. I’ve already torn both triceps, so I’m not about to put that type of stress on my elbows ever again. And definitely not to please the form police out there, most of whom don’t have much size or strength.”

Chain Dips: a Branch Signature Move

Just as Dorian got everyone doing underhand barbell rows, and Ronnie inspired legions to start lunging across parking lots, Branch Warren will forever be known as the guy who got meatheads around the world dipping with giant chains around their necks— instead of hanging plates or a dumbbell from a dipping belt. Branch only started using chains because they made it easier to do drop sets. “I will do a few reps, take a chain off and keep going, and continue until all the chains are gone,” Branch tells us. “The pump in my chest after that is just ridiculous.”

Branch’s Chest Workout

Incline Barbell Press       3 x 10-12                                

Flat Dumbbell Press        2-3 x 10-12

Seated Machine Press    3 x 12                                     

Pec Deck                         3 x 12

Cable Crossovers            3 x 12

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