Get more intense chest workout tips and complete chest workouts…
Intensity is key when you’re working out your chest, or any other muscle group for that matter. In this video, I show you the best chest workout tip that you can do anywhere (even if you’re on the road in a gym that doesn’t have heavy dumbbells).
On a recent business trip, I found myself in the hotel gym in need of a good chest workout but with lousy equipment options to do so. Instead of choosing a bodyweight chest workout routine to follow, I instead opted to use the lighter dumbbells to try and get an intense chest workout.
In this video I show you a chest training tip that allows you to use dumbbells that are almost half the weight of what you usually use on an incline bench press and make them feel super heavy. You perform this chest workout tip by holding the dumbbells in the lowest position of the bench press for a count of one and then pressing them up. On the next rep, you hold the bottom position again…this time for a count of two before pressing up. Next rep, you hold it for a count of three and so on and so forth.
By the time you’ve reached your final rep you should be holding the weights at the lowest position for 10 or 12 seconds before pressing. This should render you almost useless as you reach true muscle failure in your chest workout.
The best part about this chest tip is that it can be applied to any chest workout you do and it doesn’t require heavy weights. Remember, overload can come in many forms. It doesn’t have to always come in the form of heavier and heavier weights. Apply this technique to your next best chest workout and you’ll quickly see why you may want to include this more often.
For more chest exercises and chest workout tips, head to and get the best workout program for men. The ATHLEAN-X Training System is designed to help you look like an athlete by training like an athlete. Most of all, you can do your workouts anywhere – even if you’re stuck in a lousy equipped hotel gym like I was!
For more killer chest workouts and exercises as well as diet and six pack abs training advice be sure to subscribe to our youtube channel at
50 comments
You can do the same with pushups, increase the pause time at the bottom.
Try to pause for a minute. 😉
i'll try this out with body weight training, so simple, yet i haven't even though about it.
Nice bro thanks!
Great freaking tip!!! Try this with push ups as well. Woooooo!
Hi Jeff I hope you have a chance to answer my question, my best friend and I working out together and he is working well and heavy weight with focusing but he never gets bigger, but he is smoking cigarette, dose the smoking effects the muscle growth thank you in advance.
Fantastique! Tomorrow it Will ne done. Thank You!
Sorry for my poor english. But I wanna thank you Jeff of all my heart. I hope you read this. Your videos have helped me in so many ways when it comes to my training. And your videos have also saved my joints, muscles and parts of my body.
I just wanna give you a big THANK YOU for what you do, you're a life saver and a super perfect personal trainer for me on youtube. When I have problems with an exercise I just come here and watch your videos and it ALWAYS helps me out.
Creds to you, my man!
Cool.
Soooooo convenient that Im going to vegas this weekend!
– Awesome !
Do a video on your arm workouts plz!!!!!!!
Jeff, I took this idea and worked up my 10 for 10 workout. Ten exercises each done for 10 reps and held for that strict count going from "one one-thousand" to the eventual 10 count. We did pull-ups, balance split squats (each leg is a set), push-ups, inverted rows w/rings, plate press squats, full extension walk outs, and dumbbell presses. The 8-10 count reps were tough but the second time through was especially wicked. Made for a fun, full-body workout with a nice twist.
Done it today…! Intense!!! Makes You humble …
Cheers!
Thanks for the tips, gonna give this a try next time at a hotel.
Bro planet fitness is like a hotel gym jaja nice tips bro
People needs to start fucking commenting and liking or disliking videos if you like something fucking like it it is not easy to make a fucking video
what type a hater u should be to put thumb down on tip like this…??
Jeff, these videos kick ass my brotha!
Great exercise for the chest with dumbbells.
A tip for push-ups is to squeeze for 2 seconds as hard as you can at the top and then take 2 seconds down and 2 seconds up. If that's still not enough, do a pyramid using this technique. 1 push-up, Rest 5 Secs, 2 push-ups, Rest 5 secs, etc. all the way up to 10, and from 10 down to one if that's still not enough.
Yeah!! You don't have to use heavy weights all the time, this video reminds me that I need to mix different types of workouts, sometimes using light weights..thanks Jeff, you are always so creative!!!!
that is an awesome tip thanks
superb athlean
Hey this is awesome. Now i have resolution for my problems with not enough weights im my home gym. Can you show some tips for back workout with small weight?
Bad ass bro thanks. I'm always in Hotel gyms like that one u were in however there is no bench so I'm forced to use that big red ball in the back to lay back on and do my chest workouts. Thanks again you rock!
This exercise it seem intense, thanks Jeff
G-R-E-A-T Advice, Kudos!
This is insane. You're not only solving my problems but giving me crazy ideas to power my workouts.
itry it is great awsome thnx man
Great video as always, I was wondering what song that is at the end? Does anyone know?
Go Mets!
How often or how many times a week do you work individual muscle groups??
I like doing this during pull /chin ups. I think time under tension is even longer than doing a higher number of fast reps and also have a higher impact on the training of the nervous system that control the muscular movement. Great video like always.
awesome find. Thanks
In the army, and we do something similar with push-ups, holding in the up position (not arching or sagging) all the way to ten so reps and seconds increase so one second after 1, 2 after 2 push-ups etc., and back down, trying to be as strict as possible in the up position. Comments?
Great video again. Thanks for the tips
Did this yesterday at the end of my workout. Didn't make it very long
This would probably work well doing push ups too, wouldn't it?
haha i'm sorry jeff but i find this quite amusing. i think it's great to see you work out like this with what's normally "lightweight" for you but still get that shaking at the 10-th rep. and to see you exercise to failure at that weight really shows the power of this technique! this tip is really something! i love your videos and this training concept is something i know i wouldn't be able to come up with or find someplace else. thanks a lot for your great videos, they help us alot in our training!
Typical hotel gym. Nobody in it.
This is the best Jeff Cavaliere training face ever….
Skin a cat? Noooooo not the kitties!!! 🙁
This guy is the truth
Good advice for making a simple exercise more productive. Nice job!
I have never seen a dumbbell in a hotel gym.
So this is like the opp of static contraction training, instead of holding heavier weights than I normally would in a static position in the easier part of the movrment u use lighter weights in the hardest part of the movement…..smart
who was playing in the background
is it good use that tip for the deadlift? with light weights of course
Wait, 90. That's more than I bench.
To make it harder instead of doing 1 rep after the x amount of hold time do the same # of reps. For example hold 1 sec, do 1 rep, hold 2 sec do 2 reps, hold 3 sec do 3 reps, etc. Just making things a little tougher.