So you want a chest like Superman? Building muscle mass is the key to getting that great body you’ve always wanted. Don’t worry if you’ve always been the skinny boy at the back of your class-if you have determination, patience and discipline you too can build chest muscles worthy of a superhero.

If you have started training, you will need to increase your calorie intake every day. You take 3,000 up to 6,000 calories a day-yes, that is a lot of calories but your goal is to gain as much weight fast so you can convert this into big, hard muscles when you hit the gym. Do not use this as an excuse to pig out on junk food and desserts everyday of the week. Your diet should comprise of high protein and low fat food like chicken, lean meat and fish.

For those looking to building muscle mass, the calories of their nutritional plan should have a ratio of 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fat. It would be helpful to know that a gram of fat is equal to nine calories while a gram of protein and carbohydrates are both equal to four calories. You have a small window of indulgence so use it well.

Once you’ve gotten your food plan down, it’s time to concentrate on getting the most out of your chest workout regimen. Begin with good stretching and a light warm up to increase your body’s temperature and improve your session for the day. You will also notice that swimmers have a wide and defined chest area so incorporate swimming into your training program as often as you can.

A program you can use if you are beginning is doing 12 reps and three sets of bench press using 40 lbs weight load, dumbbell flyes and dumbbell pullover using 10 and 20 lbs respectively. After a few weeks, include 30 lbs of inclined bench press and 20 lbs of declined bench press of 12 reps and 3 sets as well. Monitor the progress of your strength and endurance because you will need to lift higher weights gradually while lowering your reps per set if you want to bulk up the chest muscles.

Remember as with any workout program, change the weight load and exercises every few weeks so your body will continue to challenge itself to perform its best. Hitting your chest area with different angles is good training so always incorporate flat, incline and decline movements into your routine. Flyes isolate the pectoralis major (pecs) more than most exercises so be sure to keep coming back to this when you modify your workout periodically.

Even if your aim is to build chest muscles, take care that you don’t over train them and neglect other muscle groups as well. There has never been a superhero with a barrel chest and skinny legs as far as I know. You will do well in setting aside two to three days working on the other parts of your body.

Focus on building muscle mass, eat the right kinds of food and execute the exercises in the correct form– you will soon find yourself with a strong chest so wide you need to enter doors sideways. And last but not the least, don’t forget to enjoy yourself– working out is always a rewarding experience for those who stay the course. Work hard and see the results before you know it.