Many people think that bench presses in varying angles will create big pics, this is untrue. To realize why this is untrue one most have a working knowledge of the human anatomy. The anterior deltoids and triceps are the prime movers throughout the 2 main portions of the press. The first 50 percent of the press (at any angle) is commanded and powered by the eccentric to concentric motion that the anterior deltoid undergoes. The final 50 percent of the press is taken over (almost 75 percent completely) by the triceps. The only involvement that the pecs get is as a minor stabilizer at the very bottom portion of the repitition. Sure, this will cause some growth, which in turn makes people belief that presses are working their pecs when in reality they are short changing their rest training. Flyes are the key movement to developing big pecs and accelerating one's chest training. Flyes entirely eliminate the tricep and only use minor bicep stabilization. Furthermore, the deltoid is almost completely removed only using the anterior and medial for basic rotation and dynamic stabilization. Flyes also mimic the natural movement of the pecs; antagonistic to to the trapezius, pulling the shoulders across the sternoclavicular girdle. If your chest training is all about presses, you need to re-evaluate your chest training. As a key example of bench presses doing nothing for one's chest, take a look at powerlifters who enter bodybuilding and watch them train. They can move 500+ pounds on a flat bench but when its time for some Incline DB Flyes they struggle with 60 pounds on each arm.
I recommend the following routine to accelerate your chest training:
3 sets of Flat DB Flyes for 6-8 Reps
3 sets of Incline DB Flyes for 6-8 Reps
2 Sets of Cable Crossovers or "Pec Deck" for 6-8 Reps
- HR
