Today’s workout focuses on chest and abs. For chest, we’ll be targeting the pectoralis major and minor. For abs we’ll hit the six-pack muscle, known as the rectus abdominis. We’ll also hit the obliques, which lie just beyond the rectus. The obliques are those little sliver muscles the point toward your groin. Targeting each of these muscle groups helps you develop a more complete package. That’s true whether you’re a pro or a newbie seeking to improve your physique as much as possible on my 12-Week Lean Muscle Program.

Today’s chest workout begins with incline chest presses. We’re performing them on a machine because that’s a great way to warm up, especially at the beginning of a program when you may be unaccustomed to moves that require stabilizing, especially at the start of a workout. You’ll really feel the muscles of your chest working even if you’re keeping your weights fairly light. Emphasize both the contraction at the top and the stretch at the bottom with lighter weights to ensure that you’re properly warmed up for the heavier compound work to come.

The next move is incline dumbbell flyes. For this move, I want you to emphasize the stretch, keeping your elbow high as you extend your arms. Maintain the bend at your elbows so that you’re always targeting your chest. As you bring the weight up, I want to imagine that you’re hugging a fat person—keep it wide without changing the bend at your elbow. Note that in the video, I do add some pushups even though they are a separate move in this workout. I thought this move would work well for Danielle at this point. Remember that you can always make adjustments.

Dumbbell chest presses are one of the best moves for working the middle of your chest. They force your pecs to work independently so that they develop equally. You’ll likely notice if one side is stronger than the other—it’s not unusual to fail more quickly with one side.

Next up is decline cable flyes. This move works the outer and underside of your pecs, helping you develops detail in this area that ties into your midsection. You’ll finish off your chest work with 3 sets of pushups to failure. Emphasize the stretch and contraction in your pectorals over reps. Really get the most from your target muscles with each pushup.

Then we move onto abs work. Check out my video to see how you should perform oblique crunches. You’ll only perform 1 set of these as we begin this program, and you’ll go to failure with that set. Follow this up with 1 set of tuck crunches performed to failure. Next are bicycle crunches—watch my video carefully to notice the difference between how these moves are performed. Remember that we’re only performing 1 set of each of these three moves during Week 1.

You’ll finish off your core work with 3 variations on plank, performing 1 of each to failure. You’ll begin with regular plank where you’re resting on your forearms, holding your core tight, thinking about pulling your belly button toward your spine. During the second variation you’ll bring your knees in toward the opposite elbow. For the third, you’ll perform side plank, bringing your non-working-side arm through the gap in your working-side arm. Take a look at my video to see how each of these is performed.

Make sure to keep your form tight for all abs work. Feel the contraction in your abs and hold that for a second. Then slowly release, feeling the stretch. Remember that we’re only performing 1 set of each of these abs moves at this point in my 12-week program. We’re going to take up the volume in subsequent weeks, and I want you to be ready for that.

Don’t forget to begin your day with 15 minutes of steady-state cardio. If you didn’t perform this upon waking, then you can finish your day with it. The last will help boost metabolism to keep burning body fat while you sleep.

Workout

Incline chest presses 3 Sets/10-15 Reps Rest 90 seconds and stretch between sets
Incline dumbbell flyes 3 Sets/15 Reps Rest 90 seconds and stretch between sets
Dumbbell chest presses 3 Sets/15 Reps Rest 90 seconds and stretch between sets
Decline cable flyes 3 Sets/10 Reps Rest 90 seconds and stretch between sets
Pushups 3 Sets/Failure Rest 90 seconds between each set
Obliques crunches 3 Sets/Failure 30 - 40 sec rest between each set
Tuck crunches 3 Sets/Failure Rest 30-40 seconds before the next move
Bicycle crunches 1 Sets/20 Reps Rest 30-40 seconds before the next move
Plank 3 Sets/Failure Rest 1 minute between each variation
Variation: Knee to opposite elbow
Variation: Side plank thread the needle

GETHIN’S GO-TO:

What is pain? You’re going to have to endure it if you want to achieve your physique goals. The key is to learn to tolerate pain that provides benefits, helping you achieve your physique goals. Notice how I show Kai and Danielle how to use their breath to maximize the work that helps them achieve their goals.

WHAT SUPP?

PRE-KAGED® supports heightened mental focus and provides your body with ingredients that help stimulate better performance. With the help of PRE-KAGED, you’ll feel laser-focused, pushing to lift more weight than ever before, getting more reps, and remaining focused for the duration of your workout. The product contains caffeine from PurCaf™ Organic Caffeine, fermented BCAAs, pure L-citrulline, patented CarnoSyn® (beta-alanine), and many other ingredients that help drive focus, energy, and strength for far better workouts. DOSE AND TIMING: You should get in 1 scoop of this pre-workout product about 45 minutes before each weight-training workout for optimal results.