Whether you're looking to attract girls without saying a word, or you just want to improve your looks and strength, building up chest muscle is important. By increasing chest muscle mass, men get the attention they want from the ladies and feel more confident and strong. Women prefer powerful men that can protect them, not men with saggy man boobs, right? And let's be honest, you would prefer to have massive pecs too, wouldn't you?

Jokes aside, it's actually much easier than people make it out to be. With the right workout routine and simple changes in diet you can improve your health, looks, self-esteem and confidence in very little time. Getting a routine and sticking to it is important when you are trying to increase muscle mass. While it is difficult to develop the right routine, there are many resources for doing so correctly. Do not breeze through this step! It is critical to lay the right foundation of knowledge, then act on it when learning the right way to build up chest muscle.

There are a variety of exercises you can include in your routine that target chest muscles, ranging from simple push-ups to dips, to the classic bench press. One of the most commonly used exercises for chest muscles is the standard bench press. This traditional exercise is done using weights on a barbell while lying down on the bench with your back flat. The routine is straightforward: firmly grasp the bar (a wide grip is best to develop chest muscles), bring weight down to your chest and lift in a smooth motion until arms are straight, without locking the elbows at the top. This counts as one rep.

Also, using an inclined or declined position will target upper and lower pectoral (chest) muscles quite well. When you are focusing on building up chest muscle you need to remember the other muscle groups as well. Keep this in mind, and be sure to mix up your workouts in the proper amounts and order. Yet another reason many people pay $1,000's for a personal trainer: they do this difficult aspect for you. But, with the right knowledge and info sources online, you can easily get this same advantage over 90% of lifters around you, without spending much at all.

Muscle mass increases as the body repairs damage from increased use, growing to accommodate future resistance. A good way to maximize muscle growth is to workout every other day to give your muscles a day to heal between workouts. You can, however, workout daily as long as you switch emphasis; e.g. Monday, work on chest, shoulders and triceps, then Tuesday, work on legs and abs, and so on. It is vital to remember to write down how many reps you do each workout and what weight you used to help you track your progress. Doing so will allow you to see over time what works for you, and how far you're progressing.

Your body needs more calories when you are working out to be able to build up chest muscle, or any muscles for that matter. Increased amounts of protein are needed to build muscle as well. Your diet should include lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and plenty of water. Foods high in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are especially important as well. Supplementation with multivitamins, essential fatty acids and whey protein is fine, but steroids are unsafe and can damage the body. As with any change you make to your daily life, do your own research, listen to professionals and base your decisions off of people who know the facts like physicians, trainers or professional natural bodybuilders.

Tips for improving chest exercises

1. You need to warm up before lifting to increase your strength and help prevent injury. Do so by doing the standard exercise for the body parts you're working out that day in decreasing reps and increasing weights for five sets, ending up at 50% of your max. For example, if you are working out the chest and biceps, do 10 reps of dumbbell bench press at 10% of your max, then do four more sets, ending up at 2 reps of 50% of your max. This will get your blood flowing without wearing you out.

2. Watch your form:

i. Keep your back straight, and do not use momentum.

ii. Keep your abdominal muscles tight.

iii. Exhale when muscles contract (as you lift).

iv. Inhale as they lengthen (return to starting position).

v. While warming up, get pumped for battle. You're going to be ripped! Mental focus is essential to bodybuilding.

vi. Listen to your body. Skip a day if you're sick or in excessive pain.

3. Focus on smaller repetitions and more weight. Let yourself build up to the desired weights gradually, but start with 5-7 reps, 2 sets per exercise. Each set should push you to your limits, whatever they may be. Over time, those limits will skyrocket, and you'll be massive before you know it!

You can easily build up chest muscle by finding a routine that works for you and sticking with it. Remember to workout intensely, eat a balanced diet, increase your protein intake, and listen to your body. Take notes and go over them before your workout to make sure you are on track. Find a reliable source to help you plan your perfect workouts, and simply follow the steps to success!