Number of Sets You Do for Chest?

[YellowJacket]

Just a random question to kick start some interest back in this area.... what amount of total sets you do for chest? and how many exercises is that? And how are the gains ?

 

[TMack40]

Here is my chest routine, this is just sample as I tend to train very instinctively and rarely then do the exact same workout twice:

Sets/Exercise

3/Incline db press
2/Superset incline flye with incline db press
2/Incline flye
3/Decline bb (sometimes with a drop set)
2/Cable crossover from top
2/Cable crossover from bottom
Dips till I cant move

So thats somewhere in the range of 16 sets depending on how many sets of dips I do. Like I said I vary my workouts week to week but this is pretty typical. I dont flat bench much becuase it aggrevates my shoulder and I also think incline exercises are superior. Im sure ill get some **** for the cables but I think if you do them heavy and all out there just as valid as an exercise as anything else. Those ones from the bottom really kill my lower pecs.

Ive been seeing some pretty consistent gains with a routine like this. My chest is a bit lagging but its coming up slowly. Id like to hear everyone elses routines.....

 

[Biggs]

My chest seems to respond best to around 9-10 sets of 6-8 (sometimes 10) reps. Size and strength gains have been steady with this method, but my body overall though seems to respond best to pretty much the same: higher set volume with mid to lower rep ranges, each bodypart every 5 days or so. I just can't do the one working set bullshit, doesn't do anything for me... but more frequency in terms of something like HST doesn't do diddly shiot either. Luckily I've found that happy median that really seems to produce the best gains for my body type. Anyone else?

 

[Lifeguard]

For most of my chest gains I used to do this...

Pyramid up the weight about 5 pounds each setfor the first 2-3 sets and then go with the heaviest weight I could for the last 2-3 sets

Flat Bench: warm up and then 4-5 sets (6-8 reps)

Incline DB press: 4-5 sets (6-8 reps)

Incline flyes: 3-4 sets (8-10 reps)

And thats it.

I would alternate the exercises beween the barbell and DB equivalents

 

And then once a month I would do sets of push-ups to failiure for an hour

 

LG.

 

[sage]

i would probably say i work my chest slightly too much. i approx bang out the same amount of sets that i do with legs. and also, i work em' every 6th day. i mean, i feel my body's pretty symetrical and i do not have a real lagging part over another. however if i had to pick up a body part to bring up slightly, it would be the chest. that being said, here's my present routine (changes, whether it be angles, order of exercises, reps...every 3 week/4 workouts or so)

(after thourough warmup with lighter dumbells)
4 sets incline barbell (10-8-8-6 reps, or there about)
2 sets incline db (10-8)
2 flat barbell (8-8)
2 decline db (6-6)
1 flat db (8)
3-4 sets weighted dips (6 to 8 reps, drop weight and do until bodyweight til failure)
3 sets hammer strenth vertical incline chest press OR 2 sets of a inlcine fly movement

thats approx 18 sets, trying to hit pretty much all angel at least for a single set.

 

[jweave23]

I do:

3 sets of 10 BB Press

3 sets of 10 DB Incline

3 sets of 10 DB Incline fly

That's it, 9 sets. I alternate between DB's and BB's for presses, and machine and DB's for flys. When I can do 10 reps each set with comfort, I add weight and continue until I get back to 10 nice reps, and so on. About every 4-6 weeks I throw in dips at the end, just squeezing out as many as I can get.

 

[bigpetefox]

I only use 4 exercises @ 4 sets for everything..

Flat bench (bar or dumbells)

Incline barbell press

Flat bench dumbell flyes

Cable crossovers/ dips, depends on where I am as far as dieting for a show, or just beatin' my pecs to death..

12 sets total, with 10-12 rep range

 

 

[scotty2]

12 sets "off", 16 sets "on". Consist of flat/incline barbell, flat/incline dumbell(whichever not done on barbell), decline fly or cable croosover. When "on" will superset the last 2.

 

[coolie]

i do 4 exercises. three sets for each, i might add a set or two to a particular exercise if i feel like it.

 

[Bean]

off cycle i'm doing:

flat barbell/dumbell press 4x8-10
incline barbell/dumbell press 3x8-10
close-grip press 3x8-10

this is 10 sets

close-grip hits the tri's yes i know; but it still hits the chest...

on cycle i did:
flat press, 4x6
incline press, 3x6
close-grip, 3x8
flyes, 3x10
DE-day flat press, 3x10
DE-day incline press, 3x10
DE-day decline press, 3x10

the DE presses were done on session 3 after 3 days rest from session 1... and they were not done to failure

this is 22 sets total