Logan Franklin's Joint-Friendly Chest Workout

Chest day is always a good investment, but Logan Franklin operates on a philosophy that his tendons and joints shouldn’t be taxed for the gains.

Franklin’s classic physique is honed by an injury-conscious application to classic movements like these four exercises, his standbys for carving well-balanced pecs.

Logan Franklin’s Joint-Friendly Chest Workout

Technique Tips

Pec-Deck Machine

://www.bodybuilding.com/images/2018/june/logan-franklins-friendly-chest-workout-muscletech-1-700xh.jpg”/>

Franklin starts with a fly movement to open up his chest, pre-exhausting his pectorals so he doesn’t have to go heavy later in the workout. He’s looking for longevity in the sport, not wear and tear on his joints and ligaments.

He sits low on the pec-deck machine, allowing his arms to be parallel with his shoulders. He does 2 active warm-up sets, then 4 working sets of 20 reps. He intentionally restricts his range of motion at the back end of the rep to avoid placing excess pressure on his shoulder capsules.

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

://www.bodybuilding.com/images/2018/june/logan-franklins-friendly-chest-workout-muscletech-2-700xh.jpg”/>

After banging out those flyes, Franklin targets his upper chest next. That’s the weaker part of his chest, and the part that he’s obsessed with growing. Hence doing the dumbbell presses on an incline bench, which shifts the emphasis to the upper half of the pectorals. Franklin finds that drawing his shoulders back as he presses keeps the emphasis on his pecs while taking it easy on his shoulders. Depending on how strong he’s feeling that day, he uses 110-120-pound dumbbells for 4 sets of 15-20 reps.

Hammer Strength Bench Press

://www.bodybuilding.com/images/2018/june/logan-franklins-friendly-chest-workout-muscletech-3-700xh.jpg”/>

Franklin jumps to the Hammer Strength bench press machine next. He keeps his elbows low, which allows his shoulders to maintain a more neutral position. Again, his positioning is about restricting wear on his shoulder girdle, especially because he goes heavy here, starting with three plates on each side and progressing to four. He never goes heavier than that, though.

Franklin does 4 sets of 12-15 reps.

Cable Fly

://www.bodybuilding.com/images/2018/june/logan-franklins-friendly-chest-workout-muscletech-4-700xh.jpg”/>

Franklin does the cable fly for his final exercise, but never does a cable “cross-over,” preferring to end his squeeze with matching palms. Again, this avoids extra stress on his shoulder and elbow joints, which may otherwise develop tendinitis over time. Longevity is once again the name of the game for him.

He does 4 sets of 15-20 reps, at weights his body can handle, focusing on the squeeze at the end of his rep.

Gym2k.com Articles