The Body Sculpting Bible for Women (65 page)

FAQ:

How does the chest maneuver work with this exercise?

ANSWER:

Because your anterior deltoids are in direct alignment with the line of movement, it is pretty difficult to take them out of this movement. The positive thing about this exercise is the fact that the triceps are not involved. When you take the triceps out of the movement, it becomes a very powerful way of helping to isolate stimulation in the chest muscles.

Incline Dumbbell Fly

This exercise is virtually identical to the flat dumbbell fly with the exception that it will focus on the upper chest muscles. Remember that no matter what anyone tells you, it is impossible to avoid hitting muscles located in the same muscle groups. For example, if you are focusing on you upper chest muscles, you will inevitably be stimulating the mid-chest muscles as well. It is great to zone in on the exact muscles you desire to train, but don’t be surprised when nearby muscles are also feeling the work.

PROPER ALIGNMENT

Sit back on an incline bench with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and flat on the floor.

Make sure your shoulders are flat against the pad and your chest is out.

Using your thighs to help you get the dumbbells up to your arms, clean the dumbbells one at a time and hold them at shoulder width. Your back of your hands will be facing behind you.

Bend your elbows slightly to prevent stress at the biceps tendon.

TECHNIQUE AND FORM

Inhale while you lower your arms together in a wide arc. You should go until you feel a stretch in your chest. Your elbow joints will remain stationary, as the movement occurs solely at the shoulder joints.

Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement.

Now, exhale and return your arms to the starting position, using the same arc of movement.

Hold the upright position for a second and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Chest Dip

The chest dip is a great muscle-enhancing exercise that focuses on the lower chest and serratus muscles. Unlike the triceps dip, where you keep your body in a straight vertical line, the chest dip requires that you bend forward to isolate the chest muscles.

Don’t worry if you can’t do a dip on your own—most people can’t. Our model in the pictures on the next page is using a Gravitron to help support her weight.

PROPER ALIGNMENT

With this exercise, you’ll want to bend at the knees, lock your feet and bend forward as you lower yourself. You must stay bent over to keep the focus of resistance in the chest muscles. These three steps will help transfer most of the resistance to the chest muscles and avoid triceps muscle recruitment. To do this, you will need a dip station or machine. If you are working out in your home, we suggest you purchase an inexpensive dip unit from one of the sports-related retail chains or a wholesale fitness supply store. In a wholesale store, you can usually negotiate a lower price and the quality of the apparatus is usually much better. Look in your local yellow pages for a store nearest you.

Place your hands on the parallel bars as you position yourself for postural alignment.