Getbig Bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness Forums
Getbig Bodybuilding Boards => Training Q&A => Topic started by: dfresh on February 22, 2012, 02:43:28 PM
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mine is definitely my lagging body part, ive made some strides but it still needs work. currently training HIT style, with 1-2 warm up sets and 2 working sets to failure. ive tried inclines first, db's for a while, pre-exhaust. currently switching things up and doing incline hammer and decline hammer, 2 sets of each of them and chest is done.
always used to do typical higher volume with 12-20 sets for chest and felt i was doing too much, so i took on the "less is more" approach for the past few months. any advice, maybe i'll learn something new! oh and here are a couple current pics. im about 8 weeks into my first cycle of test e at 500mg btw. the top one is more recent, bottom was 2-3 weeks prior. i feel im leaner in the top one, progress! 8)
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll239/chief112008/IMAG0052.jpg)
(http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll239/chief112008/front.jpg)
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learn how to contract your pecs and focus on doing that, forget about the weight involved. slow on the negative, like at least 3 full seconds, and the powerful on the positive. SQUUEEEZZZE the muscle at peak contraction. do a few different exercises. warm up sets are done in the same fashion as i just described, but only do a few reps with a light weight. then jump right into your heavy set. aim for 8-12 reps. stop one rep before hitting failure. just do one good set per exercise. hit the upper, middle, and lower portion. so three exerices, 3 work sets, is good. leave the gym with gas left in the tank but a tight, pumped, stimulated chest. hit the muscle again in 3-5 days. -from personal experience
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I agree... drop your weight for 2-3 weeks and do higher reps and focus on the pec contraction as part of the movement... on chest day, after your workout you should also spent 20-30 minutes posing your pecs (flexing)...
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thanks fellas. yea been really focusing on feeling it work as of late, nice slow negatives as mentioned. i was thinking of going to higher reps, maybe 12-15 for a little while. tbomz that you in your avi?!
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you have a lot of fat on the chest. lose some bf and your pecs will look bigger
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thanks fellas. yea been really focusing on feeling it work as of late, nice slow negatives as mentioned. i was thinking of going to higher reps, maybe 12-15 for a little while. tbomz that you in your avi?!
thats jay cutler after the 2001 mr. O ;D
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you have a lot of fat on the chest. lose some bf and your pecs will look bigger
::)
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thats jay cutler after the 2001 mr. O ;D
haha i see
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you have a lot of fat on the chest. lose some bf and your pecs will look bigger
yes i know this, i dont like to think a lot though :'(
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Something Milos had me try was to pause at the bottom for a count of two, not let the bar touch you, just above, then explode up, flat/incline/decline, works pretty good. Oh I forgot, bring the bar to your throat, actually just above. ;D
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By the looks of your pictures your triceps get the brunt of the work on your pressing movements.
So I would make sure you incorporate some flyes with db's and cables (not cable crossovers). I would also not press on anything less than a slight incline, your lower pecs have more thickness than the upper by quite a bit, thats partially due to your bf% but even if you leaned out the difference would still be noticeable.
Also drop the HIT training for your chest if not completely at least on the flye movements. Some excercises out there just plain dont work for the all out failure sets, flyes are one of them, it will be much easier to focus on form as well as provide more stimulation for your chest.
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By the looks of your pictures your triceps get the brunt of the work on your pressing movements.
So I would make sure you incorporate some flyes with db's and cables (not cable crossovers). I would also not press on anything less than a slight incline, your lower pecs have more thickness than the upper by quite a bit, thats partially due to your bf% but even if you leaned out the difference would still be noticeable.
Also drop the HIT training for your chest if not completely at least on the flye movements. Some excercises out there just plain dont work for the all out failure sets, flyes are one of them, it will be much easier to focus on form as well as provide more stimulation for your chest.
currently not doing any flye movements, but yea i may go a little higher in reps. i dont think i wanna go crazy with too many sets though. and im staying away from flat, incline/decline only for a while. and sadly i used to be caught up in the ego thing and lifted too much weight, hence my triceps being nicely developed :-[
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You don't have to go crazy with the volume, 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps will do.
I dont think your triceps have that much to do with your ego lifting but more with genetics.
Also I would drop the declines.
You could do something like this
1. Seated barbell press LOWERING THE BAR TO YOUR UPPER PECS ( I know you will say that it's a shoulder movement but the way everyone ends up doing it looks more like a high incline bench).
2. incline db press on a slight incline
3. incline flyes with db's or cables on a 45° incline
That's it, real simple 3 movements, not too much volume.
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You don't have to go crazy with the volume, 3-4 sets of 6-12 reps will do.
I dont think your triceps have that much to do with your ego lifting but more with genetics.
Also I would drop the declines.
You could do something like this
1. Seated barbell press LOWERING THE BAR TO YOUR UPPER PECS ( I know you will say that it's a shoulder movement but the way everyone ends up doing it looks more like a high incline bench).
2. incline db press on a slight incline
3. incline flyes with db's or cables on a 45° incline
That's it, real simple 3 movements, not too much volume.
hmm interesting... have tossed the idea of doing strictly inclines around before, never committed to it though. and no decline huh, its better than flat i feel(and dorian) lol
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hmm interesting... have tossed the idea of doing strictly inclines around before, never committed to it though. and no decline huh, its better than flat i feel(and dorian) lol
Yes it may be better than flat, but in your case seeing that more of your size is in the lower pecs you want to even out your development. Once you get there, then you can bring the declines in.
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Yes it may be better than flat, but in your case seeing that more of your size is in the lower pecs you want to even out your development. Once you get there, then you can bring the declines in.
i hear ya brotha. just want a bigger chest lol. i may give this a try though with only inclines for a while and see how it goes
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Thanks OP for making this thread and thanks to the people answering it
Very helpful
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Not to derail your thread, but what do you do for shoulders? It's clear that you have put in work on your arms and chest, but from these shots it looks like your delts are lagging. Lats drop in nice and low though, showing some promise there. Keep up the work!
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Not to derail your thread, but what do you do for shoulders? It's clear that you have put in work on your arms and chest, but from these shots it looks like your delts are lagging. Lats drop in nice and low though, showing some promise there. Keep up the work!
1 lagging muscle group at a time! :)
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Not to derail your thread, but what do you do for shoulders? It's clear that you have put in work on your arms and chest, but from these shots it looks like your delts are lagging. Lats drop in nice and low though, showing some promise there. Keep up the work!
so you think my chest isnt lagging lol, i definitely feel it is?! how can you tell about my lats from those pics lol? and for shoulders my current routine is db shoulder press, db side lateral raises, rear delt machine, and machine shrugs. thanks for the compliment brotha!
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Thanks OP for making this thread and thanks to the people answering it
Very helpful
yea man just trying to get established on here haha
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1 lagging muscle group at a time! :)
haha gee thanks! :P
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haha gee thanks! :P
not making fun of you...... just suggesting that you focus on 1 thing at a time... good advice for any task in life
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not making fun of you...... just suggesting that you focus on 1 thing at a time... good advice for any task in life
lol na i know, no offense taken bro. chest is getting there, but still a long way to go
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lol na i know, no offense taken bro. chest is getting there, but still a long way to go
"think" about it but don't stress... focus and positive thinking always seems to help muscle growth in the same way it seems to help plant growth (probably just a placebo but so what...)
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not making fun of you...... just suggesting that you focus on 1 thing at a time... good advice for any task in life
Isn't that why we work different bodyparts on different days?
What's the rest of your workouts look like for other bodyparts? What are your goals besides thicker chest?
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many moons ago i was showed a good movement by a competitive bber still use it today works best with flat db u could do it in beginning but better in end when already pump,get comfortable dumbell weight so as u finish movement at top turn hands in so dumbells face each other palms in so it finishes like a flye,,i do it with inclines too ,,so its press and as you reach top turn in dbells squeeze...if ur going to superset can't go wrong with dips/flyes or dips /crossovers at end...
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Isn't that why we work different bodyparts on different days?
What's the rest of your workouts look like for other bodyparts? What are your goals besides thicker chest?
sure... but I tend to put more energy into lagging bodyparts... at least mentally...
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this if what you do:
incline bb press 3x +12
flat smith machine press 3x +12
Incline db flies 3x20
Decline db flies 3x20
Cable crosses 3x20
Seated press with the machine that moves in elliptical motion 3x15
it will change your chest
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this if what you do:
incline bb press 3x +12
flat smith machine press 3x +12
Incline db flies 3x20
Decline db flies 3x20
Cable crosses 3x20
Seated press with the machine that moves in elliptical motion 3x15
it will change your chest
wow lots of volume lol
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Bench Press-5 X 12,10,8,5,12...............add weight each set,drop back down on the last one
Smith Inclines-4 X 12,10,8,6
Flyes-3 X 12,10,8
Dips-1 set to failure with bodyweight
CARDIO AND DIET..................ge t busy!!
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Bench Press-5 X 12,10,8,5,12...............add weight each set,drop back down on the last one
Smith Inclines-4 X 12,10,8,6
Flyes-3 X 12,10,8
Dips-1 set to failure with bodyweight
CARDIO AND DIET..................ge t busy!!
this is good advice
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wow lots of volume lol
Volume never kill anyone. 18 sets is not that much. Back in arnolds time people did 40 and had better chest than today.
Never be afraid of volume ;)
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Volume never kill anyone. 18 sets is not that much. Back in arnolds time people did 40 and had better chest than today.
Never be afraid of volume ;)
yea i always used to do higher volume, 12-20 sets, but my ego was in the way most of the time :-\. have been doing HIT style for a little while now, and may go back to volume
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yea i always used to do higher volume, 12-20 sets, but my ego was in the way most of the time :-\. have been doing HIT style for a little while now, and may go back to volume
say no more...there is your problem. Stop HIT asap. Add some volume, slow and deliberate movements, squeeze and hold the contraction, drive some blood into the muscle and rest less. No need to rest more than 30-45 secs for flies f.eg. Higher reps, non of that 6 reps bs. It will work, guarantee.
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say no more...there is your problem. Stop HIT asap. Add some volume, slow and deliberate movements, squeeze and hold the contraction, drive some blood into the muscle and rest less. No need to rest more than 30-45 secs for flies f.eg. Higher reps, non of that 6 reps bs. It will work, guarantee.
ive considered higher reps before but never really stuck to it, may have to give it a try. thanks brotha
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monday...universal chest day. report.
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monday...universal chest day. report.
nah... i rotate days... they never fall on the same days of the week unless I skip a day... today is an off day for me.. already did 30 minutes of elliptical and will hit it for another hour at least tonight
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I do legs on Mondays just to avoid the teen benchers working out in a gang for two hours on benches alone! :D
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I do legs on Mondays just to avoid the teen benchers working out in a gang for two hours on benches alone! :D
good move wes,,,,i do legs sat in afternoon gym is quiet and i can let loose ,,weekend warriors never do legs,,,
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good move wes,,,,i do legs sat in afternoon gym is quiet and i can let loose ,,weekend warriors never do legs,,,
i train chest and bis on Satuday and Legs on Sunday. The only 2 days when i can train in peace.
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Flat BB press 4x 6-8
Flat Flyes 3x10-15
Incline BB 4 X 8-10
Incline Flyes 3 x 10-15
Push ups 1-2 sets to failure.
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Some good advice here. I would always suggest someone performing a more complete routine. I think there is alot of underdeveloped chests among bodybuilders in general (Pro's included). Good idea starting with a incline pressing movment. If shoulders and tris take over to much on barbells hit flat with dumbells. Dip's are one of the best chest builders out there. Not arguing against those who get good results with more volume but I think adding more and more sets is a excuse to take the pedal off the intensity. Sometimes to improve a week area just takes a proper program, better focus, and execution/form. Here is two examples you can follow. Two sets dont ussally feel like enough but as you increase weight the intensity follows.
Incline dumbell presse's 10-8-8
Flat dumbell presse's 2x8
Dip's weighted 2x8
Incline flye's 2x8
Or
Incline barbell presses 10-8-6
Flat barbell presses 2x6
Decline barell presses 2x8
Peck deck 2x8-10
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good advice here thanks everyone
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good advice here thanks everyone
seems everyone here is close or about same 3-5 exercises 10-15 sets avg,u could piece together few workouts here and move and rotate different exercises depending on whats working...pretty much every exercise works well for chest .and u don't have to be a great bencher to have a great chest,...
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yea bro no doubt, good brahs in here
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seems everyone here is close or about same 3-5 exercises 10-15 sets avg,u could piece together few workouts here and move and rotate different exercises depending on whats working...pretty much every exercise works well for chest .and u don't have to be a great bencher to have a great chest,...
Good post!
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I've been working to bring up my upper chest:
DB incline 4 sets
Hammer incline 4 sets or smith incline 4 sets
BB flat 4 sets
DB incline flies 4 sets
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Today I did:
Bench Press: 1 restpause set 9/5/3 reps, not to failure 1 hard rep left for each miniset
Incline db bench: warm-up set then a set of 8 to failure
flat db bench: set of 9 to failure
decline db: set of 7 to failure
flat bench cable flyes: set of 8
The decline db bench sucked, needed someone to hand me the dumbbells lol don't really like that
Triceps were too tired to do the flies with even a tiny amount of weight so in future im probably going to drop the decline db bench so I can pay more attention to the flyes
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I've been working to bring up my upper chest:
DB incline 4 sets
Hammer incline 4 sets or smith incline 4 sets
BB flat 4 sets
DB incline flies 4 sets
old school movement have to be careful bench to neck/collarbone on smith machine.
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old school movement have to be careful bench to neck/collarbone on smith machine.
Yea been doing these a lot lately. I do them on the incline tho
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Yea been doing these a lot lately. I do them on the incline tho
should have specified its a flat bench movement .
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should have specified its a flat bench movement .
right aka guillotine press. i do them on the incline with a smith as well, great stretch across the chest.
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right aka guillotine press. i do them on the incline with a smith as well, great stretch across the chest.
yeah,,,
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chest doesnt really seem to be growing...ahh this is ridiculous! :-[
my routine has been incline smith, incline db, then either cables, flyes, or one of those supersetted with decline push ups. 12ish sets and 6-12 reps
it seems like no matter what i do i just cant make progress in this area....frustrating as hell. hopefully tren will help lol
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chest doesnt really seem to be growing...ahh this is ridiculous! :-[
my routine has been incline smith, incline db, then either cables, flyes, or one of those supersetted with decline push ups. 12ish sets and 6-12 reps
it seems like no matter what i do i just cant make progress in this area....frustrating as hell. hopefully tren will help lol
dude... your original post on the subject was like 2 weeks ago... it takes years to build muscle... you're just another junky now... your chest will never be big enough...
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dude... your original post on the subject was like 2 weeks ago... it takes years to build muscle... you're just another junky now... your chest will never be big enough...
i know but seems like it hasnt grown in a long long time :-\
guess its because hormones havent been in the equation up until recently :D
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i know but seems like it hasnt grown in a long long time :-\
guess its because hormones havent been in the equation up until recently :D
you need to think healthy... who gives a shit how big your chest is? why not just train, be healthy, be happy and let the chips fall where they may? not trying to sound evangelical; i don't care if people do gear... i just think it's a silly way to spend your life
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you need to think healthy... who gives a shit how big your chest is? why not just train, be healthy, be happy and let the chips fall where they may? not trying to sound evangelical; i don't care if people do gear... i just think it's a silly way to spend your life
just one of those "never satisfied with" types of things ya know. i feel it has gotten slightly better in the past 6 months or so, but just doesnt seem to fill out. eh what ya gonna do..alls i can do is keep plugging away i guess
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chest doesnt really seem to be growing...ahh this is ridiculous! :-[
my routine has been incline smith, incline db, then either cables, flyes, or one of those supersetted with decline push ups. 12ish sets and 6-12 reps
it seems like no matter what i do i just cant make progress in this area....frustrating as hell. hopefully tren will help lol
Alternate the Incline Smiths and Dumbbell Inclines from week to week.........doing them both in one session is redundant.
Cable Flyes = junk movement if you have poor pecs,and pushups are a no no.......use weights.
Try this:
Pre-Exhaust Super-Set:
Dumbell Flyes-4 x 12,10,8,15 (add weight drop reps as you go,then on the last one lower weight and do 15 reps)
Wide Grip Bench Press:
4 x 10-12
Do these with no rest between the two exercises,then rest 60 seconds and repeat,rest again,repeat.......only 60 seconds between Super-Sets,fuck the big poundages work your pecs.
Smith Inclines:
4 X 12,10,8,12
On the Smith Inclines,do one full rep,followed by one half rep from the top,this will equal one rep...........use a weight that will allow this even if it`s 100 pounds.
Your pecs will grow from this trust me.
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as usual, wes has good advice...
but give it 6 months to work!!!!!
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Alternayte the Incline Smiths and Dumbell Inclines from week to week.........doing them both in one session is redundant.
Cable flyes = junk movement if you have no pecs,and pushups are a no no.......use weights.
Try this:
Pre-Exhaust Super-Set:
Dumbell Flyes-4 x 12,10,8,15 (add weight drop reps as you go,then on the last one lower weight and do 15 reps)
Wide Grip Bench Press:
4 x 10-12
Do these with no rest between the two exercises,then rest 60 seconds and repeat,rest again,repeat.......only 60 seconds,fuck the big poundages work your pecs.
Smith Inclines:
4 X 12,10,8,12
On the Smith Inclines,do one full rep,followed by one half rep from the top,this will equal one rep...........use a weight that will allow this even if it`s 100 pounds.
Your pecs will grow from this trust me.
thanks wes..i'll give this a try for a while
now on the smith incline...i would do a rep then what do you mean a half rep from the top, from extended position lower half way down then back up? you lost me there lol
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you do a full rep, then bend your elbows again about 20 degrees and squeeze your chest again... pumps like a guy
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you do a full rep, then bend your elbows again about 20 degrees and squeeze your chest again... pumps like a ####
Exactly.......great way to increase time under tension.
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oh so i only press it once, then lower half way...squeeze then lower all the way down?
ive heard of this but iirc you would do a half rep then lower it then do a full rep
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oh so i only press it once, then lower half way...squeeze then lower all the way down?
ive heard of this but iirc you would do a half rep then lower it then do a full rep
the bolded section is 1 rep... rest at the top... if i was counting during these i would do:
lift up (first press does not count)
lower full 2 sec, press 1 sec, half lower 1 sec, half press 1 sec, squeeze 1 sec
repeat...
again... pumps like a mother
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lol ok so press all the way up, then lower half way, then press back up, then lower all the way down and that is your one full rep?!
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lol ok so press all the way up, then lower half way, then press back up, then lower all the way down and that is your one full rep?!
well it's wes' suggestion... but yes that is a full rep for this exercise
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you know what i meant ;D
gonna give this a try for say 6-8 weeks?
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you know what i meant ;D
gonna give this a try for say 6-8 weeks?
that is a good way to see a difference... take pictures and measurements before starting and then focus on those days... it's impossible to not make any progress if you are committed and working your chest to failure (or almost) once per week...
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thanks for the insight man. gonna give it a go and hopefully make some progress!
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and wes you think doing two incline pressing movements is a waste?
i've seen it suggested a lot, especially for bringing up a lagging chest...as usually the upper chest needs work on most people
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and wes you think doing two incline pressing movements is a waste?
i've seen it suggested a lot, especially for bringing up a lagging chest...as usually the upper chest needs work on most people
It`s redundant.........I know a guy who did front press,press behinf neck,dumbell press,machine press,all in one session.
These are all variations of the simple press exercise.
I love DB Inclines,one of my favorite exercises,but I would do them one week,then Smith the next week and so on...........just my opinion,but if you aren`t seeing results by doing them both in the same session,why stay with this scenario?
Get my point bro ? ;)
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lol i hear ya. so when people say focus on inclines, how does this hold true?
if you should only do one incline movement, how can one focus on upper chest?
obviously you can start out with inclines, but you have an interesting yet obvious point nonetheless :D
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the movement he suggested provides focus on the upper chest due to the double pumps...
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the movement he suggested provides focus on the upper chest due to the double pumps...
right. i was just asking because you hear quite often of routines with two, sometimes even three incline movements. would only one incline movement be enough to bring up your upper, or whole chest for that matter was what i was getting at
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lol i hear ya. so when people say focus on inclines, how does this hold true?
if you should only do one incline movement, how can one focus on upper chest?
obviously you can start out with inclines, but you have an interesting yet obvious point nonetheless :D
You put a lot of hard work into that exercise and it will yield results.
I know you dude,you worry a lot................give it an honest effort,bust balls in the gym,and above all,,give it a little time.
After you train,reflect on your workout and honestly ask yourself if you really put your heart and sould into every single rep.........if the answer is no,try harder next time and so on until you can honestly say you gave it 110 % .
It takes time and intensity of effort to bring up lagging bodyparts.....it won`t come overnight but it`ll come over time !! ;)
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You put a lot of hard work into that exercise and it will yield results.
I know you dude,you worry a lot................give it an honest effort,bust balls in the gym,and above all,,give it a little time.
After you train,reflect on your workout and honestly ask yourself if you really put your heart and sould into every single rep.........if the answer is no,try harder next time and so on until you can honestly say you gave it 110 % .
It takes time and intensity of effort to bring up lagging bodyparts.....it won`t come overnight but it`ll come over time !! ;)
will do man, thanks again
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No problem bro.
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best thing i ever did for my chest was dropping all pressing movements entirely since no matter how you do them they are primarily tri/front delt movements with the chest assisting only very slightly.
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Id say stop pissing about worry what exercises/rep ranges to do and smash some decent food down your neck and stop wasting the gear you take. Its not just your chest thats lagging, its everything. Bring it all up together. Get your weight up, bring the weight of your basic compound exercises all up (but still keeping good form and range of motion) and your chest WILL fill out.
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Incline bench.10x5
Gullotine press.10x5
Weighted dips. 10x5
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Incline bench.10x5
Gullotine press.10x5
Weighted dips. 10x5
is this 10 reps/5 sets i take it lol
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is this 10 reps/5 sets i take it lol
Yes, sorry for the gender confusion.
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big chest makes one looks feminine some say ..