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.
| EXERCISE |
SETS |
REPS |
Incline DB Press* 4
(compound set with)
Flat-Bench DB Flye |
4
4 |
6–10
6–10 |
| Decline DB Press 3 6–10
(compound set with)
Decline DB Flye |
4
4 |
6–10
6–10 |
| Standing Cable Crossover** |
2-4 |
8-15 |
* Find a description of this exercise on Chest Omar Workout
** Find a description of this exercise on Chest Dexter Workout
|
‘‘Think ‘squeeze
the pecs’ at the
top of presses
and flyes,”
Nasser says. |
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. |
|
