A well-developed chest enhances overall aesthetics and can improve posture, breathing, functional strength, and athletic performance. The 2024 Arnold Classic (AC) champion Wesley Vissers shared the 3 chest exercises he employs for hypertrophy on June 9, 2024:
Wesley Vissers’ 3 Favorites Exercises For a Barrell Chest
[Related: Wesley Vissers’ Top 3 Exercises to Build Golden Era Biceps]
These exercises help train and develop the whole chest.
Check it out below:
[Related: A Guide to the Best Pre-Workouts]
1. Pec Deck Flye
Vissers initially began his chest workouts with compound movements, such as barbell or dumbbell presses. However, as he grew stronger, he had to lift increasingly heavier weights, which led to secondary muscle recruitment and joint strain.
The 31-year-old Vissers now favors beginning his chest workouts with pec deck flyes to isolate the inner chest and help develop coveted striations. This approach pre-exhausts the chest, eliminating the need to lift excessively heavy in subsequent compound exercises.
Vissers trains through his full range of motion (ROM), pausing in the fully stretched and contracted positions. He recommends performing three to four sets of 15 or more reps of pec deck flyes.
2. Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
This exercise targets the upper chest, a lagging muscle group for many lifters. The Smith machine’s locking mechanism ensures safety while lifting heavy, which is beneficial when training solo.
You must train close to failure to stimulate muscle growth.
Vissers recommends touching the bar to the chest at the bottom of each rep for an optimal stretch. However, he advises against locking out the elbows at the top to minimize joint strain.
The Dutch bodybuilder suggests a minimal incline on the bench press (one setting above flat) to load the upper chest while limiting anterior deltoid activation. This approach aligns with a study that found that inclines greater than 45 degrees significantly increase front delt activation and decrease pectoralis major recruitment. (1)
3. Machine Chest Press
Vissers places an ab mat at the base of the backrest, promoting a slight arch in the lower back to bias the lower and middle chest. He recommends a machine with a converging line of pull, where the handles move closer together during concentrics and farther apart during eccentrics for a deep chest stretch in the bottom position.
Vissers prescribes two to three sets of the incline bench press and the machine chest press, aiming for 10 to 12 reps.
2024 Olympia
Vissers is next scheduled to compete at the 2024 Classic Physique Olympia (Oct. 10-13) in Las Vegas, NV, where he will face a formidable lineup that includes Ramon Queiroz and reigning five-time Olympia champion Chris Bumstead.
References
- Rodríguez-Ridao D, Antequera-Vique JA, Martín-Fuentes I, Muyor JM. Effect of Five Bench Inclinations on the Electromyographic Activity of the Pectoralis Major, Anterior Deltoid, and Triceps Brachii during the Bench Press Exercise. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(19):7339. Published 2020 Oct 8. doi:10.3390/ijerph17197339
Featured image: @wesleyvissers on Instagram
