chest muscle mass

ReaperX

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There are 3 different exercises that I've used that I have added muscle mass to the pecs that have worked really good for me. I figured I'd share this.


1. On incline, flat, decline dumbbell press. I do 8-9 reps with flies. I make sure I pick a weight that I can do maximum 8-9 reps. Once my pecs are fatigued by flies, I just hop right into dumbbell presses with those same dumbbells. I usually crank out 5-6 reps.

Dumbbell flies/dumbbbell presses: 9 filesx7 presses, 8 fliesx6 presses, 8 fliesx6 presses

I do 3 sets per incline, flat, and decline.




2. I've pulled away heavily from the barbell bench press. It overworks the front deltoid muscle, and puts excess strain on the shoulder and elbows. I feel that I only work my pecs 70% with barbell vs. dumbbbell.

Anyways.


I take the barbell load it up with weight then start engaging in TUT (time under tension). I also put my grip wide so my pointer fingers are on the rings, or just slightly outside of them.


Furthermore, I lower the bar to the base of my neck, just slightly below the adam's apple.

I use this tempo which has worked best for me:


2 seconds upward, 5 seconds downward, 2 seconds rest, REPEAT.


I usually do 4 sets per incline, decline, or flat, whatever of the 2 up/5 down/ 2 rest TUT.


I have noticed I've gain much more muscle growth focusing on the negatives and deep stretching.




3. I also do partials. I'll do this on a different week, but use wide grip once again, then lower the bar to the base of my neck and move it upwards 5-6" max so my elbows don't lock out. I rarely anymore lock out my elbows doing bench press. I find it counterproductive. With partials, I do them relatively fast near 15-20 reps.



so there you. give it a whirl.
 
EasyEJL

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interesting tidbit, a recent scientific study showed that optimal rest time for sets of flat bb bench press was 3 minutes. either less or more got lower results. Interestingly as part of the study they also had people at varying rep ranges and whether it was heavy for 6 reps or light for 15 mattered less than the rest time between sets.
 

ReaperX

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honestly, I don't get anything anymore from barbell bench. I could crank out 30 sets with bench and the only thing I'll get from it is jacked up elbows and triceps.


Dumbbells have made a much, much bigger difference.

I stopped the whole ego lifting with the barbell bench press. It got me nowhere.
 

ReaperX

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Plus I've had some people comment I add nothing positive to the board or don't know anything, so there's you go.


tee hee hee
 

ReaperX

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Easy-

I agree with you . The rest time is very important, and from a lot of wha I've been reading (scientific studies) that 2-3 minutes seems to be optimal. Also too they were saying that 8-12 reps is where the most muscle hypertrophy occurs.


I was toying around with Vince Gironda's principles last fall. His 10x10 or something insane like that. I did not really get anything out of that except for overtraining. I feel that the workout program was way too aggressive for me or any normal guy who has a normal life.

If you were pro or had a lot of low stress/free time to eat, that might work better, but I was not in that category.


An interesting aspect of that type of training, where you literally don't rest, is that I hypothesized that it would keep forcing more and more muscle recruitment due to the pre-fatiguing via earlier sets. This in turn would lead to more 'full stimulation' and better muscle growth. This however did not pan out (atleast for me anyway).



My friend trains DC a lot. He's been doing it for 4 years now and is extremely strong and easlily lifting over double his bodyweight while staying lean at 7% BF. He isnt really getting that much bigger, just stronger.



Anyways for me, I've had moderate success with GVT and 5x5. HST would probably fall right under those. I cannot follow a strict established type of workout as some of it does not work for me.


Every exercise I do is typically 4 sets with 8-15 reps.

I usually do 4 exercises, but sometimes 3. I usually rest @ 45 seconds maximum. I am willing to toy around with that. My friends have been getting better results taking longer rest periods. I usually wind up being too impatient to wait that long, but I'm going to try it out.





on a side note: I never really tried a cortisol blocker or reducer before. I think it is getting to the point where it is probably being to a certain degree counter-productive to me and tossing in something like that would really help me out.

Either 1 capsule of Retain2 or 1 capsule of 11-OXO.


Nothing too crazy, just something to taper it out a bit.
 

ReaperX

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Bout damn time :lol:

Yea I wish my gym didn't have circus type DB's. Their so akward to use. I try a machine thats similar to DB bench and incline but it's just not the same. I have to go back to BB. I have also had the best success while useing DB like you mention.

I need a new gym.
some of the equipment needs to be replaced at my gym.


It is really weird because (I just noticed this after going there for over a year) that some of the barbells are not weighted properly. I don't know why this would be, but some of the barbells feel like they are heavier on one side vs. another.


This is another reason for me not to use them. Using a wide grip helps force more on the pecs, but eh, I'm not really going to use barbell anymore. It just trashes the front deltoid too much for me.
 
Distilled Water

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I also use a wider grip on BB too but can only go so heavy because I have to be so carful of my shoudlers.

But DB just seem to carve my chest more, I feel them in my whole pea.

What a 120 or 130lb DB is at most gym is the size of my gym's 50's. So you can only imahine how large to 90's-100's are.
 
jminis

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Just curious but do you do both the dumbell routine and barbell routine in the same chest workout?
 

ReaperX

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Just curious but do you do both the dumbell routine and barbell routine in the same chest workout?


No.


I do the dumbbell routine for 3 weeks, then the barbell routine for 3 weeks, then something else, etc, etc.

Doing them both at the same time would be overtraining for me, and most likely lead to shoulder issues.
 

ReaperX

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I was having issues with bringing up my chest. So back in early '07 I started doing like 7 sets of pec-dec flies with the machine to start off my chest work so I'd trash my pecs before hitting the barbell.


my chest workout back in Jan '07 looked something like this:


Pec-dec: 10,10,10,8,8,6,4
Flat Barbell: 12,10,8,8
Incline Barbell: 15,12,10
Dumbbell pullovers: 12,12,12,12


I have changed it up since then as that was excessive for me. Adapting my training for when I was a college student to a full-time stressed out employee doing part-time grad school took a long time for me to figure out.
 

ReaperX

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My body has a tendency to adapt fairly quickly, and it seems to be faster and faster each year. I underestimated the importance of changing up my routines way earlier in the beginning of my bb'ing. This lead to unnecessarly plateaus frequently.
 
pantera101

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I stopped the whole ego lifting with the barbell bench press. It got me nowhere.
Not saying this is you,but i feel a lot of guys at my gym use db's cause of their ego,but lack of strength.It's much harder to tell how much a db weighs,we have the big black rubber coated ones.I also notice many guys who will flat bb bench first,then got to db inc second.I see this a lot,always in this order from different people.I think it's because of how the second variation of bench you do,is never up to par as if you did it first.Just an observation i thought i'd share.
 
pantera101

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Yea I wish my gym didn't have circus type DB's. Their so akward to use.
Are you referring to the black rubber coated db's?Also,I notice my shoulders hurt sometimes with the bb,but it's from using my shoulders to help push.So i concentrate on keeping them rolled back,and to "stay put"The guys with the biggest chest at my gym use mainly bb's.Just saying.
 
pantera101

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It is really weird because (I just noticed this after going there for over a year) that some of the barbells are not weighted properly. I don't know why this would be, but some of the barbells feel like they are heavier on one side vs. another.
Did you check to make sure the bolts were screwed in tight?I always tighten the bolts on bb's before i use them,and at least one side always tightens up,sometimes quite a bit.I have seen the bolts hanging half way out before.One time the bolt to one was on the ground!I guess many people have no clue of this.

I also shake my head at guys that have plates "sliding off the bars"I have pushed them back on for guys before.I don't see how you can't notice these two.My routine is,slide the first plate on,tighten bolt.Then repeat on other side.Then push plates to make sure their still tight after each set,and sometimes check bolts in between too.I don't want little imbalances.I'm kind of ocd on this too.Theirs a clamp at my gym thats smaller than all the others.I never use it.I will walk around to find another bigger one to match.Lol
 
jminis

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No.


I do the dumbbell routine for 3 weeks, then the barbell routine for 3 weeks, then something else, etc, etc.

Doing them both at the same time would be overtraining for me, and most likely lead to shoulder issues.
Gotcha, I didn't think you did as that would be a $hitload of sets for most bb's. I'll have to give it a whirl I'm always down for trying different routines.
 
Distilled Water

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Are you referring to the black rubber coated db's?Also,I notice my shoulders hurt sometimes with the bb,but it's from using my shoulders to help push.So i concentrate on keeping them rolled back,and to "stay put"The guys with the biggest chest at my gym use mainly bb's.Just saying.
They have Black Handles, then its rubber and chrome for the actual weight. They're effing HUGE. Not to mention the grip goes from thin to pretty thick in the middle of the grip makes it really uncomfortable to grip also.

Overall just a terrible DB
 

ReaperX

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Not saying this is you,but i feel a lot of guys at my gym use db's cause of their ego,but lack of strength.It's much harder to tell how much a db weighs,we have the big black rubber coated ones.I also notice many guys who will flat bb bench first,then got to db inc second.I see this a lot,always in this order from different people.I think it's because of how the second variation of bench you do,is never up to par as if you did it first.Just an observation i thought i'd share.

Yeah I agree. My goals are only to increase LBM. I don't have any desire strength wise. If I could get away benching 90lbs and curling 5 lbs and make muscle gains, I'd be perfectly fine with that. However, that is not the case.

For me I always use the lightest possible weight needed. Always. I just make sure the muscle is stimulated enough to grow.





I have no actual use for increasing my strength as I do not compete or play physical sports at the moment, so strength training is not applicable to me. Also too, extremely heavy lifting has landed me tons of injuries.

I've been lifting lighter the past year, made better gains, and stayed injury free. So far so good.
 

ReaperX

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Please feel free to give your 'Dude, I got jacked off your suggested workout' testimony if you have one from this.
 
Mulletsoldier

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I still think your BB Press is a surefire way to stop yourself from breathing. Not very wise.
 

ReaperX

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I still think your BB Press is a surefire way to stop yourself from breathing. Not very wise.


I don't stack up the weight on this very much. I usually use much, much lighter weight, with slow negatives/deep stretching.
 
Mulletsoldier

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I don't stack up the weight on this very much. I usually use much, much lighter weight, with slow negatives/deep stretching.
I understand, I just know anything can happen. It's just a bad position for any weight to be in if and when you have an unanticipated failure.

If you reached a point of fatigue in the 'hole' of your rep, your shoulders are in an awkward position and you'd be forced to attempt to roll it off your neck, which would be difficult. If you reach an unanticipated point of fatigue at the top portion, that thing is coming down on your face.

I've had a full labral tear via accident using only 185 on the shoulder press before. So even with light weights things can go down.
 

ReaperX

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I was wondering doing dumbbell flies/presses if going back 'too far' can be counterproductive.



1. Deeper stretching is supposed to induce hyperplasia.

2. The deeper a muscle stretches, the harder it contracts (according to Arnold).


I noticed if I let it pull back too far it also puts strain on my shoulders.

Doing dumbbell presses I actually pull my elbows back further than 90 degrees.

Dumbbell flies I also pull my elbows to the point where they are behind the bench.
 
Mulletsoldier

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I was wondering doing dumbbell flies/presses if going back 'too far' can be counterproductive.



1. Deeper stretching is supposed to induce hyperplasia.

2. The deeper a muscle stretches, the harder it contracts (according to Arnold).


I noticed if I let it pull back too far it also puts strain on my shoulders.

Doing dumbbell presses I actually pull my elbows back further than 90 degrees.

Dumbbell flies I also pull my elbows to the point where they are behind the bench.
What angle your elbows end up at, and whether that's good or not, is dependent on your scapular position prior to the lift. If you're performing BP properly (this applies to DB/BB and flies) you should create a strong base by pinching your scapula together. If this is happening, your elbows will most definitely end up lower than 90 degrees without placing your glenoid-humeral joint at risk. In this way, you treat your shoulders as they should be, an anchor and point of movement in the lift and not a source of direct force.

For example, if you're doing this with flies your shoulders aren't necessarily in danger with a long ROM because they are tight within the scapular base you've created. They are free to move across the plane without risk of tearing because they sit 'in the pocket', so to speak.
 
Mulletsoldier

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P.S. I do my 'extreme' stretching after my workout.
 
pantera101

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I have failed on the bench press a couple times.I set it on my chest and roll it down onto the end of the bench.Franco Colombo misses a lift with 315,he set's the bar on his chest,laughinly tells arnold you made me miss.Lets it sit there for a minute,then pushes it back up.It's not that big of a deal if you fail.If you drop the bar,thats a different story.
 
Mulletsoldier

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I have failed on the bench press a couple times.I set it on my chest and roll it down onto the end of the bench.Franco Colombo misses a lift with 315,he set's the bar on his chest,laughinly tells arnold you made me miss.Lets it sit there for a minute,then pushes it back up.It's not that big of a deal if you fail.If you drop the bar,thats a different story.
Keyword there - chest. Reaper brings it down to his neck. Unfortunately the esophaugus is not as resilient as the sternum/pectoral muscle. And the 315 is also relative to his physique.
 
pantera101

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Keyword there - chest. Reaper brings it down to his neck. Unfortunately the esophaugus is not as resilient as the sternum/pectoral muscle. And the 315 is also relative to his physique.
His physique is 5'5" at 185!I know what you mean though.I always thought of how heavy a heavier weight must feel when i first started,but then realised it feels the same.Just in case your rightfully confused,135x4 max will feel the same as 315x4 max later down the road.Untill it falls on you.I seen it happen on youtube.He even had a spotter.
 
Mulletsoldier

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His physique is 5'5" at 185!I know what you mean though.I always thought of how heavy a heavier weight must feel when i first started,but then realised it feels the same.Just in case your rightfully confused,135x4 max will feel the same as 315x4 max later down the road.Untill it falls on you.I seen it happen on youtube.He even had a spotter.
Which is why I said it's relative to his physique. The point was just that what Reaper is talking about is putting his labrum, and entire glenoid-humeral joint in a very vulnerable position, not to mention his neck.
 
pantera101

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Which is why I said it's relative to his physique. The point was just that what Reaper is talking about is putting his labrum, and entire glenoid-humeral joint in a very vulnerable position, not to mention his neck.
I'm with ya.I think 315 seems pretty impresive for 185 though.He hit 8-10 reps i believe.
 

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