Bodybuilding Coach Charles Glass’ 4 Exercises For a Thicker, Fuller Chest
When thinking of legendary bodybuilding trainers, Charles Glass often comes to mind. Known as the “Godfather of Bodybuilding,” Glass is meticulous with his training style, teaching two trainees hands-on.
In late December 2024, the former competitive bodybuilder to legendary coach unveiled a chest workout that blends classic movements with modern growth techniques.
Charles Glass’ Chest Workout
Glass encouraged pushing sets to failure. A 2024 meta-analysis of 214 studies showed greater muscle hypertrophy when training close to failure, though it depends on the muscles being trained. (1)
- Hammer Strength Decline Press: 4 x 10-14
- Machine Seated Chest Flye: 4 x 10-14
- Bodyweight Dips: 3 x 8-12
- Smith V-Bar Champagne Press: 3 x 12
[Related: The 13 Best Pre-Workouts]
[Related: What An Evidence-Based Hypertrophy Training Program Looks Like]
Lower Pec Hack & Rocking Flye
“Lift off the pad,” Glass cued his students to bridge their hips and sit at the edge of the seat. Only the upper back against the bench unlocks full range of motion and force output, leading to more gains.
Glass’ trainees performed drop sets to prolong their stimulus. Any stimuli can promote growth; drop sets aren’t necessarily more beneficial than straight sets pushed close to failure but are often more sustainable and easily recovered from.
Glass placed a pad between the shoulder blades on the flye machine for greater chest fiber expansion.
The recruits stretched and flexed their pecs from a high to low arm angle, hitting the lower chest fibers. Glass emphasized lifting the chest to keep it the main focus.
Don’t do] the same thing every time, switch it up.
—Charles Glass
Machine flyes may be safer than dumbbell flyes for training heavier while avoiding injuries.
Modified Dips & V-Grip Champagne Press
Though dips favor the lower chest and triceps, bias the former by leaning forward. Flip the handles out with the assisted dip for a wider grip and greater pec stretch.
“Lift the butt higher than the hands and [engage] the chest,” Glass coached. This angles the body similarly to a bench press. They used the feet-assisted dip machine, aiming for eight to 12 reps to build strength and muscle thickness.
For a “thick and defined look,” the squad performed Smith machine champagne presses sideways on the bench from their upper back. They pressed using a V-bar cable attachment with a close grip to fill the middle pecs. Glass emphasized controlling the movement and using partial reps.
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Reference
- Robinson, Z. P., Pelland, J. C., Remmert, J. F., Refalo, M. C., Jukic, I., Steele, J., & Zourdos, M. C. (2024). Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Series of Meta-Regressions. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 54(9), 2209–2231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-024-02069-2
Featured image: @thecharlesglass on Instagram
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