Fourteen years ago, he helped transform Robert Downey, Jr. into the iconic Iron Man. Now, trainer Ted Ryce is helping anyone looking to get a superhero makeover. 

Mr Ryce, who also trains celebrities like Ricky Martin and high-power executives like Richard Branson, detailed seven chest exercises he uses with his male clients to reproduce the sculpted physique Mr Downey, now 59, showed off in his hit film. 

His workouts, geared toward men in their forties and fifties – such as Mr Downey was when training – target the pectoralis major muscle, the fan-shaped muscle underneath the chest tissue. 

Made up of three sections — upper, middle, and lower chest — the upper chest is the most neglected, Mr Ryce said.

And while he said chest muscles are one of the most frequently trained, he added most people don’t know the right moves to perform to target every section. 

Mr Ryce’s upper body exercises, meant to build the muscular arms of Hollywood’s sexiest men, are designed to relieve tension and stress in the shoulder muscles, making them especially suited to older adults who may have injuries or physical limitations but still want to bulk up. 

Below, DailyMail.com breaks down the seven exercises Mr Ryce says are backed by science to achieve a superhero body. 

Incline Bench Press

The secret to this upper chest and shoulder exercise is in the name. Lifting the weight bench to an incline of 30 to 45 degrees, allowing the bar to be lined up right above the eyes, which mitigates the risk of dropping the barbell or missing the hook to replace it.

He also recommends squeezing the shoulder blades together into the bench for stabilization while lowering the bar down to your chest to reduce stress on the shoulders. 

Your feet should be pressed into the ground in front of you, pushing down constantly, which engages the leg muscles even when they’re not the muscle groups being targeted.

He said: ‘The strength coach Charles Poliquin said, “You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe.”’

‘And what that means to me is, you’ve got to have a nice, stable position to explode from. That’s what all this does – very important.’

Incline Dumbbell Press

Similar to the previous exercise, the incline dumbbell press works out the upper chest and shoulders. Lifting the bench to a 30- to 45-degree incline enhances the chest workout while protecting the shoulders.

He said: ‘This is not just a chest exercise, it’s a full-body exercise.’

Keeping the body tight at all times will help keep you from wiggling back and forth on the bench under the weight as you bring your arms from straight above your head down to chest-level. 

While dumbbells provide a greater range of motion, keeping the body firmly in place is key to preventing dropping the weights or risking injury.

Meanwhile, instead of allowing the elbows to flare out to the side, Mr Ryce recommends keeping the elbows bent at a smaller angle, around 45 degrees.

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Barbell Bench Press

Considered the best overall chest exercise, the barbell bench press targets the middle chest muscles using a full range of motion.

It is nearly identical to the incline beach press, but in this move you are reclined completely flat. 

Laying down on the weight bench, Mr Ryce recommends squeezing the shoulder blades together while pressing the feet firmly against the ground.

To minimize any wrist pain, he keeps his wrists straight in line with his forearms, not bent backward, when wrapping his hands around the barbell.

Then he slowly moves the bar down to his chest and back up until his arm are straight above him.  

Dumbbell Bench Press

Similar to the barbell bench press, the dumbbell bench press allows for a wider range of motion. That also means that stability is key, and engaging all muscle groups while lying down and keeping feet firmly planted is paramount for safety.

Mr Ryce begins sitting upright on the bench and holds the dumbbells propped on his quads. As he lays back, he lifts the dumbbells in what becomes the first rep.

‘What you want is your elbows staying within a 30-to 45-degree angle,’ he said.

‘I see a lot of people [whose elbows] are either too close or have their elbows out too wide. You want to be at that sweet spot.’

Then you bring the dumbbells from above your head to your sides level with the chest. 

Cable Chest Fly

The cable chest fly engages the whole pectoralis muscle. It’s a standard bodybuilding move, and people typically maintain a staggered stance so that one leg is slightly in front of the other. 

Mr Ryce, however, prefers to keep his legs parallel, firmly planted and engaged.

He said: ‘The most important part is what’s happening at your upper body. You want to grab the handles and make sure you start in a position of strength.’

When the arms pull back, it’s important to keep a relatively straight line from one elbow across the top of the shoulders to the other elbow so as not to overextend the arms behind you.

Then, as he is slightly bent forward at the waist, he pulls his arms in his front of him until they meet just below chest level.

Chest Dips

This bodyweight dip builds up the lower chest. The exercise requires two parallel bars, pressing the palms down firmly, and lifting yourself up so the arms are straight and feet are off the ground. Then, slowly bend the elbows so they flare out slightly at the sides.

As he does the exercise, Mr Ryce leans forward slightly.

He said: ‘It takes stress off the shoulder joint. Putting yourself deep in that shoulder extension position, most people don’t have enough shoulder extension movement ability to do this exercise in a way that doesn’t jack up your shoulder joint.

‘I stopped doing dips for, like, 10 years until I started doing them this way… Try this technique the way I showed you where you’re leaning forward, letting your shoulder blades come together, and you’re pushing up strong at the top, keeping your abs tight, feet together.’

Band-Resisted Push-Ups

These resistance band push-ups are best for the end of your workout, Mr Ryce says.

He uses a resistance band that fits his height and arm length. 

A proper-sized resistance band stays tight throughout the pushup, whereas a band that is too long will get loose when your chest approaches the floor.

The trainer said: ‘You should start with the lightest resistance and then work your way up because what will happen is that eventually, the bands will get too hard to use, they’ll be too difficult. 

‘They’ll feel easy at the beginning and just incredibly difficult at the end, depending on the level of resistance you use.’

The band should go behind the body, with each end hooked around each thumb. Once in position, Mr Ryce then lowers himself down and lifts himself up as in a regular pushup. 

This move has similar benefits as the bench press but can be done anywhere, from the gym to a hotel room to a movie set.