For most people I see in the gym, the bench press has become more about building an ego than building a quality set of pecs. Rather than worry about how much you can lift, you need to focus your attention on how fully you can train and fatigue the pecs themselves (rather than the arms, shoulders, back, quads, etc.)

Here’s an oldie but a goodie to help get you to isolate your pecs on the flat bench press. It’s a simple technique that can really make a difference in how fully and intensely you’re able to hit the pecs.

Sit upright with perfect posture on the end of a flat bench. Roll your shoulders back and down slightly—almost as if you’re pushing your shoulder blades towards each other. Hold this position as you lay back on the flat bench.

With a shoulder’s width grip and your elbows in, maintain this position throughout the bench press. It may feel awkward at first and you won’t be able to lift as much weight as you’re used to, but you’ll hit your pecs hard and you’ll feel the pump.

You should also add some variation to your chest training. Try blasting your upper chest (the key to that ripped look) with this killer Giant Set:

- Warm-up your pecs thoroughly first.

- Dumbbell Flyes on the Incline Bench. Set the bench at a slight angle of around 30 degrees or so. Be sure to get a full stretch on each rep, and push yourself to failure. I like to use moderately heavy weights here (60 lbs. or so).

- Dumbbell Incline Presses. Go right into these without any rest at all using the same dumbbells you have in your hands from the Flyes. Go deep on each rep, throwing your chest out and upward at the stretch point. Then squeeze hard at the point of full contraction. Go to failure.

- Barbell Incline Press. Now jump right into Barbell Incline Presses with a moderate weight. Your pecs will be substantially fatigued at this point, so you’ll want to have a spotter to help you push out some solid reps. Again go to failure.

- Dumbbell Flyes on the Incline Bench. Drop your original dumbbell weight in half (30 lbs. in my example). Maintain great form and go to failure.

- Dumbbell Incline Presses. Finally, go right into Dumbbell Presses again with the same weight you already have in your hands. No rest. Pump out as many as you can. This final leg of the Giant Set really separates the men from the boys, or the women from the girls as the case may be.

- Take a 90 second rest and repeat entire Giant Set once or twice more if you dare.