Routine for weak upper chest?

[240 is Back]

Can anyone recommend a good routine for chest day (1 day per week) that really emphasizes upper chest? thanks!

[tbombz]

what o you nomally do for chest ?

i have a weak chest so ive learned how to bets train it, ive tried a million things, big weights, high reps, free wieghts, machine...tried it al and in every combination too.

for me the best way to train chest is somethine  like this

cable crossovers 3-5 sets
flat bench 3-5 sets
machine bench 3-5 sets
machiflys with elbow pads 3-5 sets
decline bench 3-5 sets
cable crossover untill i think im done


the key here is lost of isolation movements andmachiens that make it very easy to fully focus on the chest and gett the best possible pec contraction


for me, this is what works best

[Rimbaud]

I would personally just focus on incline movements. Maybe start with incline bench press & then incline dumbbell presses (vary the angles) & then hit the flyes/pec dec.

[The Apprentice]

incline bb press 5 x 5

[wes]

Smith Inclines to the clavicles.......5 sets,pyramiding up in weight while decreasing reps.

Example:
warmup for 12 reps,then:
8,5,5,10,12

Alternate weekly with Dumbell Inclines for 5 sets of 12,8,5,8,10

Add in a few sets of incline cable flyes and some wide benches for 8-12 reps to finish off.

[tbombz]

do you guys actually feel like you get anything out of ihclines you dont get out of other chest movements?

i never did get anything, but i did them because they are always so highly recommended.

then van bilderass said he thought flat bench was superiror for upper chest and that maybe even declines too... ive stopped doing inclines and focused on other movements.... and yes it definitely is better for me that way.

[wes]

I`ve done inclies and stopped benching in the past for long periods at a time and my chest made gains.

I guess it`s one of those to each his own type deals.

Do what works for you is my advice.

[chaos]

Like Wes said inclines to the clavicles. Alot of people doing inclines bring the bar too far down their chest IMO, high up on the clavicles is the best, IMO. Also when doing incline flyes the same thing applies, bring the DBs together high up over your head, too many people bring them up too far forward, making it an inclined flat flye.

[JasonH]

Concentrate on inclines on a reasonably high incline bench. I find that incline barbell presses at about 30-35 degrees followed by incline dumbell flyes at around 35-45 degrees should work just fine. Heavy as you can go while retaining perfect form and bringing the bar down to touch the upper chest or maybe an inch or two above.

[Meso_z]

Jay highly recommends decline presses for upper chest. when doing them, try to touch your pecs with your chin.

[Rimbaud]

incline bb press 5 x 5

Good call - I love those.

[240 is Back]

great stuff, thanks.

Does rep range affect much?  I go shit heavy for me (down to 4-5 reps at the end with 225).

I have long ass lanky arms

[calfzilla]

To keep things simple I would just start off your chest workout with 3 or 4 sets of heavy dumbell inclines.  Make sure it is heavy enough that you can only get in the 4-8 range.  Then finish the rest of your workout as usual. 

[tbombz]

great stuff, thanks.

Does rep range affect much?  I go shit heavy for me (down to 4-5 reps at the end with 225).

I have long ass lanky arms

yes rep range matters.as a general rtule, lower than 6 is strength with small hypertrophy.  7-11 is mainly hypertrophy with some strength.  above 12 is little hypertophy with no strength(except endurance).

[Rimbaud]

great stuff, thanks.

Does rep range affect much?  I go shit heavy for me (down to 4-5 reps at the end with 225).

I have long ass lanky arms

Experiment...try low, medium, & high reps...you may be shocked.

[wes]

great stuff, thanks.

Does rep range affect much?  I go shit heavy for me (down to 4-5 reps at the end with 225).

I have long ass lanky arms

Refer to my first post in thread for rep range.

[Geo]

Can anyone recommend a good routine for chest day (1 day per week) that really emphasizes upper chest? thanks!

there's no such thing as an "upper chest" !

[calfzilla]

there's no such thing as an "upper chest" !

Markus disagrees. 

[coltrane]

Smith Inclines to the clavicles.......5 sets,pyramiding up in weight while decreasing reps.

Example:
warmup for 12 reps,then:
8,5,5,10,12

Alternate weekly with Dumbell Inclines for 5 sets of 12,8,5,8,10

Add in a few sets of incline cable flyes and some wide benches for 8-12 reps to finish off.

yes, these are excellent and can also be done with a flat postition.   

[LatsMcGee]

Incline DB Presses compound set with Presses to the neck.  10 x 10.  Chest workout is over.

[jpm101]

Might try Pec Decks (the one with the resistance on the elbow pads) while keeping the elbows inline with the upper chest/neck at all times. Followed by wider grip dips, preferred done on a "V" bar. This is an example of the Pre-Exhause system. Can be very effective for most. No rest between Pec decks and dips. Than a 90 to 120 second break between each cycle. Three cycles of 7-9 reps.

Excellent suggestion from LatsMcGree. I am guessing he refers to GVT where the same weight is used on the bar/DB's for the total 100 reps. Most men will just use one exercise, per body part, when doing them.

Either of the two systems are usually done from a 6 to 8 week training cycle, depending on the results. Good Luck.

[coltrane]

Incline DB Presses compound set with Presses to the neck.  10 x 10.  Chest workout is over.

Looks interesting and would like to try it... can you give me some weight suggestions for these sets?  Or at least what you use?   Trying to figure out how much do drop when going to the presses... oh, and 10 reps each movement for a total of 10 sets?

[LatsMcGee]

Looks interesting and would like to try it... can you give me some weight suggestions for these sets?  Or at least what you use?   Trying to figure out how much do drop when going to the presses... oh, and 10 reps each movement for a total of 10 sets?

I would start with your 12 rep max for the first two workouts and work your way to your ten rep max,  if you really like your progress after about 6-8 weeks drop your reps for a period to about 5. 

[pjs]

Can anyone recommend a good routine for chest day (1 day per week) that really emphasizes upper chest? thanks!

Bench pressing.

[Exal]

there's no such thing as an "upper chest" !

Pectoralis Clavicular