What Exercise Do You Start Chest With

[colindep]

What exercise do you use to start your chest workout? I know its kind of a stupid question but I've always started with flat bench but I'm wondering what kind of success people have with other exercises.

 

[gdbear65]

incline bench - my upper pecs need a lot of work

 

[ShakesAllDay]

I start with incline DB.

 

[dlew308]

incline db

 

[SnapmoneyR2]

I change it every week, been training so long if I do the same workout two weeks in a row my body adapts and I will not be sore in wk3.

I rotate something like this

Wk1
Incline DB
2
Flat BB
3
Weighted Dips
4
Flat DB
5
Repeat

 

[lennoxchi]

believe it or not....warm up with db flys

 

[dsade]

Furious masturbation.

Assuming you mean warmups, I usually start and end with Dips.

Not counting warmups, I start with whatever area needs the most work (upper, middle, lower).

 

[warnerve]

Furious masturbation.

Absolutely kills my workout if i do it within like 3 hours of going to the gym. Interesting idea of doing dips first though; i've never done them anything but last

 

[vince spider]

incline benches all the way, :thumbsup:
flat benches:dump:
since i stopped flt benching about 4 or 5 months ago my chest started improving

 

[jminis]

A few rotator cuff exercises

 

[satyricon]

bench

most of the good strength coaches say to warm up then do your regular bench work and then alternate assistance work regularly. like bench/inlines/pressdowns or bench/dips/skullcrushers. charles poloquin and also westside have exellent routines you can try.

 

[babolat]

Push Ups!!

 

[Chad]

cable fly.

 

[Mega NRG Man]

Straight bench. I like to get it out of the way first.

 

[RenegadeRows]

Flat bench - the main exercise for chest. You need all your strength for it

 

[Iron Warrior]

I start with the dumbell presses. As a side note to dsade's comment, I like my masturbation post-workout

 

[zbtboy]

A few rotator cuff exercises

x2. This makes a world of difference for me.

 

[rpen22]

I change it every week...

Same here; I like to switch it up every workout.

 

[hman85]

i switch between flys and incline to start sometimes starting with flys really makes it burn

 

[SMOKEPALADIN]

Incline db
start with dips sometimes to change it up

 

[TripDog]

incline bench - my upper pecs need a lot of work

that is one great avy bro:thumbsup: Incline hammer chest press

 

[xjsynx]

Flat bench - the main exercise for chest. You need all your strength for it

Only if you are lowering the bar to your clavicle with your elbows flared out. Other wise, the bench press is a great triceps and shoulder exercise.

I prefer the Incline press for chest development.

 

[dalvare1]

incline DB or cable crossovers. Either way those are always my first two exercises.

 

[meb019]

ive always been starting with flat benching, but i havent been experiencing any substantial chest growth... a lot of good ideas here.

generally the first exercise you do for any muscle has the greatest effect on strengthening and enhancing that body part. to add mass to the upper chest, it seems like incline presses should be a good starting exercise.

but then again, its important to change it up often i guess

 

[pistonpump]

Flat bench - the main exercise for chest. You need all your strength for it

Totally agree.

 

[pistonpump]

I start with the dumbell presses. As a side note to dsade's comment, I like my masturbation post-workout

is that where you get your protien. :rofl: j/k

 

[moflika]

Straight bench. I like to get it out of the way first.

Same here

 

[cjm8232]

incline barbell

 

[Mickfootie]

At the Moment Incline BB Press to help build my upper chest.

I rotate my exercises around however every 3rd session.

 

[biggerthantex]

Regular DB Bench, but like everone else i rotate

 

[camaroguy18]

I guess I'm the only one who's going with decline for starters...I've personally gotten the best gains from it when compared to flat or incline


EDIT: I tried doing 30 degree inclines today with db's and I gotta say I love it! I usually refrained from incline in the past because the fixed angle benches for a bb were always too steep and seemed to work my shoulders more than anything, but I think I've seen the light in using db's now!

 

[Dutchman]

First cable pushdowns and then DIPS. With these my arms and chest are well warmed up.

 

[JZ7757]

flat bb bench, then incline db's, then decline bb, then usually some cable work pulls, then decline macnhine for high reps!

 

[neoborn]

Dips - Bodyweight exercises rule. I figure this is like my goal of doing chins, then once I can do enough chins / dips with BW I'll add some plates on the chain etc.

 

[bics56]

I see a lot of talk about doing incline first for upper chest development...Hasn't it been proven you cannot isolate lower, mid and upper chest? All incline does is bring front delts into the movement more.

 

[EasyEJL]

I see a lot of talk about doing incline first for upper chest development...Hasn't it been proven you cannot isolate lower, mid and upper chest? All incline does is bring front delts into the movement more.

Take a look at this article, it gives a way to isolate mid chest

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1597765

Furious masturbation.

Dsade, he said for chest, not forearm and wrist. Unless you masturbate a lot differently than I do.

 

[bics56]

Here is a good read about benchpressing...study on if you can isolate upper, mid and lower chest


http://www.angelfire.com/tx/APATX/artilces/Variations_In_The_Bench_Press.html

 

[gdbear65]

Here is a good read about benchpressing...study on if you can isolate upper, mid and lower chest


http://www.angelfire.com/tx/APATX/artilces/Variations_In_The_Bench_Press.html

Not much new in there, but a good read nonetheless.

 

[JZ7757]

^ i need pictures in all that text to help capture my attention behond 1 paragraph!

 

[CryingEmo]

cable fly.

I can't believe I missed this. :rofl:

 

[smoundzou]

almost 90% of the time i start off with either flat bench or flat db bench.. on occation I'll start off with inclines.. Rarely do anything other than Flat, inlcine, and either dips or decline..

 

[g29er]

What exercise do you use to start your chest workout? I know its kind of a stupid question but I've always started with flat bench but I'm wondering what kind of success people have with other exercises.

I love dumb bell flys,,,,they get the blood flowing.

 

[jbono731]

I switch it up from starting with flat to incline, and from barbell to dumbbell. Keep shocking the muscles. Pretty much anybody you will come in contact with that is the least bit informed, will change it up.

 

[CryingEmo]

I switch it up from starting with flat to incline, and from barbell to dumbbell. Keep shocking the muscles. Pretty much anybody you will come in contact with that is the least bit informed, will change it up.

I've read conflicting views on "shocking" the muscles. I think progressive overload is more important...

 

[g29er]

Take a look at this article, it gives a way to isolate mid chest

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1597765



"Your body is built for survival. When doing a bench press it doesn't know that your goal is to build a big chest. All it knows is that a big ass weight is trying to crush you and if you don't lift it you'll die."

Nice article, thanks for posting,and love that quote from it as well.

 

[AE14]

pretty common for me to start with incline bb

 

[jerm]

All these excercises are joke if you aren't doing dips.
Dips are compound, work the chest and the triceps, and are body weight. If you want a big chest you need strong triceps which means doing dips.

 

[hman85]

Yeah but i never start with dips, i usually finnish with them

 

[VolcomX311]

I rotate from flat/incline bench, or flat/incline db. The only thing I never "start" on is decline anything.

 

[LilPsychotic]

I start with any of the above mentioned. It depends on how I feel, and what kind of mood I'm in. Lately a nagging shoulder injury has been forcing me to warm up w/ rotator cuff exercises or cable flys. If I want to go straight for the juggular I start with incline barbell.