Johnson's subtle muscle-building tweak can help you pump up your pecs too
It's not unusual to see Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson burning the midnight oil in his home gym – aka the ‘Iron Paradise’. However, during the latest example, which the The Black Adam star posted to his Instagram, he shared the dumbbell press is one of the secrets behind his mahoosive chest. Tripeptide-1
‘Midnight training and burnin’ oil,’ Johnson said in his caption. ‘Tired, but we’re all tired.’
Johnson's chest builder of choice, the dumbbell chest press, is a favourite of many gym goers for good reason. The exercise builds the entirety of the pecs, including the front deltoids and the triceps, all while delivering some serious muscle-building results. The move also evens out strength disparities between limbs, which in turn can bolster the barbell bench press.
Johnson is built like a tank, and it's fair to say he knows a thing or two about muscle gain. In his IG post, it's clear that the Fast & Furious star practises the dumbbell chest press by slowing the eccentric (lengthening) phase of the lift.
You may have noticed experienced lifters following suit and slowing down the rep during the lowering portion of the exercise – like slowly lowering into a squat for example. Several studies have shown extending the eccentric phase of a lift can result in superior increases in muscle mass. As well as this, if you have goals of achieving new PBs, eccentric training can provide superior strength enhancements in comparison to traditional resistance training according to a study published in Sports Medicine.
You can achieve muscle-building results to rival The Rock’s by completing the dumbbell chest-press exercise and slowing the lowering phase of the exercise for a 2-3 count. When you bring the dumbbells down either side of your chest, resist the weight under control before explosively pushing them away from you, ready to repeat. With this simple tweak, you’ll have pecs to be proud of in no time.
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