Reasons for an underdeveloped chest

[lubawyb612]

So I tried a little of the pre-exhaust tonight as some of you suggested.  Here is how the workout went....


DB Flat Flyes 65s x10  70s x10  75s x8
BB Flat Bench Press  185x12 225x10 275x8 315x8
BB Incline Bench Press 185x10 225x8 275x6
DB Flat Press 85s X 10  95s X 8  105sX7
Pec Deck 120x10 130x9 130x8

So tonight after first doing DB flyes I was able to get a few more reps on my last set of bench press in comparison to my last few weeks.  Not sure if this is bc I started taking creatine again last week after being off of it for the last 2 months.  I dont remember the last time I used pre-exhasut for chest but I figured my reps on bench would drop significantly here? Was I dead wrong for thinking this? 

[WOOO]

well you only did 3 sets of flies... they may just have acted as a warm up

[lubawyb612]

well you only did 3 sets of flies... they may just have acted as a warm up

so do 4 sets of flyes?

[WOOO]

do what you feel...


i had suggested that you only do 4 sets of presses at the very end of your workout.... everything else could be a fly or pull over movement

[lubawyb612]

i had suggested that you only do 4 sets of presses at the very end of your workout.... everything else could be a fly or pull over movement

I might try to hit chest Friday again b4 I leave for vacation on Saturday.  My other vacation this summer I joined a gym for the week but I think Im taking this week off.   So Im going to give this suggestion a try and see how it feels.  Thanx guys...

When you say a mostly fly motion workout with 4 sets of presses at the end....what would you suggest?
how about....

4 sets of DB Flat Flyes
4 sets of DB Incline Flyes
3 sets of High-Pulley Crossover
3 sets of Pec Deck
4 sets of BB Incline Press

[Deicide]

Simple answer to all this: you don't have pec genetics...

Kind of obvious I would think...you benching all that weight and working out for 5 years, you should know by now. Can't change genetics, deal with it...

[Cap]

From personal experience: Check your diet

Training: Keep your pressing movements going but you should really try and keep those shoulders blades together (if you aren't) to put that stretch on the chest and pull the delts out a bit.  I know many big guys who can throw up big weight but they are all front delts and it shows in their build.

[trab]

Since I began lifting about 5 years ago I always felt my chest was lagging behind the rest of my body.  Over the past two years Ive made a lot of progress as far as strength in my chest movements but have not seen much of an improvement in the fullness of my chest.  Ive tried everything that I can think of and now Im just seeking some outside advice.  I started posting my workouts in the training logs recently under "B's Loggg."  This is a decent sampling of what my workouts have been over the past couple years.  One last comment.  I dont know why but I was brainstorming while I was in the shower today about what my problem could be.  I thought to myself I have pretty much always started my week with Chest after a day or two off.  I cant remember if I ever had my Chest workouts positioned in my split so that I had the days off immediately following my chest day.  In other words Im almost always in the gym following my chest day.  Could this inhibit proper recovery?

Pile on the PLates for very short end of range motion and simply hold up as much as you can stand at lock out.
Great benchers DONT NEED GREAT Pec's  .

Just support as much as you can and contract chest till it burns. Keep > the LBS.
This will quickly add thickness, but for aesthetics, you'll need flys, Incs, Declines or dips, pullovers etc.

[lubawyb612]

Simple answer to all this: you don't have pec genetics...

Kind of obvious I would think...you benching all that weight and working out for 5 years, you should know by now. Can't change genetics, deal with it...

wow nice attitude...so in your eyes I should quit trying to improve my chest just bc I have poor genetics.  No shit I have poor genetics. Doesnt mean I cant make progress.

[trab]

wow nice attitude...so in your eyes I should quit trying to improve my chest just bc I have poor genetics.  No shit I have poor genetics. Doesnt mean I cant make progress.

You can make progress. I had NO chest. Now its thick. Pile on the plate on the bar and just hold it.
Get used to more and more onyour bench. You want 220 them 310.. I WILL bench 405 in time 

[lubawyb612]

From personal experience: Check your diet

Im def going to start being more precise with my diet.  I started logging my food today.  Going to up my protein and reduce cals a bit.  Try to lean up a little bit to see if that brings out my chest a little more.

[Cap]

Im def going to start being more precise with my diet.  I started logging my food today.  Going to up my protein and reduce cals a bit.  Try to lean up a little bit to see if that brings out my chest a little more.

Plus, you may find that your calorie expenditure is too great for what you are taking in.  A good workout and a good amount of protein should help.

[Deicide]

Jeez Louise, the guy has been training for years and his chest hasn't reacted to the training; bad genetics, what's so difficult to understand about that?

[lubawyb612]

Jeez Louise, the guy has been training for years and his chest hasn't reacted to the training; bad genetics, what's so difficult to understand about that?

yeah...we've established this already.  Just because I have bad genetics doesn't mean that there isn't room to improve.  Whats your deal man.  How are you helping anything by repeating that I have bad genetics?  If everyone quit just because of a small obstacle, like bad genetics, where the hell would we be?  That is the worst kind of attitude. 

[trab]

yeah...we've established this already.  Just because I have bad genetics doesn't mean that there isn't room to improve.  Whats your deal man.  How are you helping anything by repeating that I have bad genetics?  If everyone quit just because of a small obstacle, like bad genetics, where the hell would we be?  That is the worst kind of attitude. 

Get the poundage up. What do you bench?

[lubawyb612]

Get the poundage up. What do you bench?

right now my last set is at 315 in the 5-7 rep range.  Earlier this summer when I was doing some different things my last set was at 355 for the same reps

[WOOO]

yeah...we've established this already.  Just because I have bad genetics doesn't mean that there isn't room to improve.  Whats your deal man.  How are you helping anything by repeating that I have bad genetics?  If everyone quit just because of a small obstacle, like bad genetics, where the hell would we be?  That is the worst kind of attitude. 

piss on the negatives

set a goal for yourself

post a picture on the training log board of your chest today

then post a new training and nutritional plan

then repost a picture in 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1year... it takes time to improve, but if you follow up at intervals I bet we will all see the changes

[Cap]

Weight seriously isn't everything with chest IMO.  You need to bench to focus on chest more than delts, which most don't.  I see guys with no chest throwing up big weight (315+) with a bounce at the bottom or partial reps.  Doing your chest reps like Dorian Yates should ensure growth within your natural limitations. 

Edit:  How about weighted dips?  How is your hand spacing?  Elbow angles can add stress to delts and take it away from chest.

[trab]

right now my last set is at 315 in the 5-7 rep range.  Earlier this summer when I was doing some different things my last set was at 355 for the same reps

Yeah Caps right, thats plenty of plate to grow some beef, that aint the issue.
Do you get a deep searing burn inthe chest anyway you can?
Thats the key to finding a movment thet hits the spot your tryin  to hit. ANd the standard movments that work for 99% of population may not do it.

I took me Years to find stuff thet made my anterior delts grow, and it was by accident.
Same for my upper back, and Ive just learnt waht gets some results there.
Find that deep burn and copy it. You may find it unloading a boat, digging landscaping, whatever.
What your doing now is plenty heavy, you need hit a different way.
The fun of a trip is - Well,.. the trip itself, lookin out the window... 
Sometime the destination aint near as exciting as we'd thought.

If you can load that muscel just so, it will respond some. Not like Marcus, but it can change.
Are you eating enough?

[lubawyb612]

Do you get a deep searing burn inthe chest anyway you can?
Thats the key to finding a movment thet hits the spot your tryin  to hit. ANd the standard movments that work for 99% of population may not do it.

I

I get the deepest burn from Incline BB Bench and I have been thinking of making it my first movement...eliminating Flat Bench...and adding flat and incline flyes

[trab]

I get the deepest burn from Incline BB Bench and I have been thinking of making it my first movement...eliminating Flat Bench...and adding flat and incline flyes

If it burns, its hittin it. dont be afraid to try odd stuff. Pullovers? Dips? Keep track of what cause a deep pain in the muscle. Add one at a time so you know.

[WOOO]

I get the deepest burn from Incline BB Bench and I have been thinking of making it my first movement...eliminating Flat Bench...and adding flat and incline flyes

as I have previously posted, I do exactly what you have outlined... I haven't done flat bench in over 5 years... I do incline bench, followed by flat DB press, etc

[Deicide]

yeah...we've established this already.  Just because I have bad genetics doesn't mean that there isn't room to improve.  Whats your deal man.  How are you helping anything by repeating that I have bad genetics?  If everyone quit just because of a small obstacle, like bad genetics, where the hell would we be?  That is the worst kind of attitude. 

I never suggested quitting but you may just have to make peace with certain things, or at least become less disgruntled.

Incidentally that is hardly what I would call a small obstacle.

[lubawyb612]

I never suggested quitting but you may just have to make peace with certain things, or at least become less disgruntled.

Incidentally that is hardly what I would call a small obstacle.

Im not disgruntled at all...not until someone brings a negative attitude when all Im trying to do is get some helpful information to progress.  And if you think having bad chest genetics is a major obstacle in life...I feel horrible for you.

[Deicide]

Im not disgruntled at all...not until someone brings a negative attitude when all Im trying to do is get some helpful information to progress.  And if you think having bad chest genetics is a major obstacle in life...I feel horrible for you.

You have misunderstood me; but take it from me; I have horrible genetics on virtually every body part, some worse than others. I work hard and do my best to make progress but I realise I will never be a massive animal. I used to be obsessed with bodybuilding but realising my limitations it didn't make sense to put so much time into it. There is a lot more to life than bb. My attitude is if I make gains I make them and if I don't I don't. I work hard and that's that.

I don't bench much but I can tell you what has helped me; proper technique. I use a very wide grip to ensure that the triceps aren't being worked too heavily and that my pecs are doing the work. I make sure that the bar touches my pecs, no half rep bouncing nonsense. Most of all I make sure that benching is a workout for the pectoralis and not the anterior delta, something many here have already mentioned. I have made good progress this way; try less weight with near perfect technique, maybe that will help. Anyway goodluck....