2 sets per exercise for size?

[Drlong]

So I have been doing some research and there are different parts of the chest apparently you must work unless you want a weird looking chest. So is 2 sets per exercise enough? If I go three sets per exercise it will be no doubt I will overtrain. Is 2 sets per exercise enough to still gain mass?

Here is my chest workout I do twice a week

CHEST (2 sets - 8 reps each exercise)

Incline barbell bench press

Dumbbell incline bench press

Flat bench barbell press

Dumbbell flys

Decline barbell bench press

Decline dumbbell bench press

 

[HardB0iled]

How often do you do chest?

 

[Drlong]

How often do you do chest?

2 times a week

 

[mrgoomba]

Why are you doing both db and bb for incline and decline. Just do one... The movement is the same.

Also no need to do decline. 90% of people have an under developed upper chest and dominate lower.

The pec is actually just one muscle, but emphasizing angle does help grow specific parts.

Just do an incline movement, flat movement, a fly, and a dip.

 

[Drlong]

Why are you doing both db and bb for incline and decline. Just do one... The movement is the same.

Also no need to do decline. 90% of people have an under developed upper chest and dominate lower.

The pec is actually just one muscle, but emphasizing angle does help grow specific parts.

Just do an incline movement, flat movement, a fly, and a dip.

I've done extensive research on this and it's the closest to the best routine I know and all I need to know if 2 sets per exercise is enough

 

[mrgoomba]

I've done extensive research on this and it's the closest to the best routine I know and all I need to know if 2 sets per exercise is enough

Someone else can chime in then. It's not a good chest routine though. don't stress over sets. 2 working sets is fine, just log the workouts and progressive overload.

 

[Drlong]

Someone else can chime in then. It's not a good chest routine though. don't stress over sets. 2 working sets is fine, just log the workouts and progressive overload.

Well I would like to hear your advice

 

[B5150]

Why are you doing both db and bb for incline and decline. Just do one... The movement is the same.

Also no need to do decline. 90% of people have an under developed upper chest and dominate lower.

The pec is actually just one muscle, but emphasizing angle does help grow specific parts.

Just do an incline movement, flat movement, a fly, and a dip.

Actually some studies suggest that decline press recruits far greater pectoral muscle and produces far greater muscle development.

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[Drlong]

Actually some studies suggest that decline press recruits far greater pectoral muscle and produces far greater muscle development.

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So you saying my routine looks good? You see anything wrong with it? What's your opinion on 2 sets per exercise

 

[B5150]

My only observation is that it's quite the challenge to produce maximum intensity from every angle for so many sets at every training episode.

IMHO I'd reduce the exercises/angles in half in order to potentiate greater intensity for each exercise/angle throughout multiple sets.

Then rotate exercises/angles on different training days.

I don't believe there is a golden rule that you have to hit every angle every training session.

Additionally IME reduced frequency can allow for greater recovery between sessions allowing for increased intensity for each session.

I believe doing all that work twice a week is over training and hindering progress. Growth takes place in your kitchen and your bed.

 

[Drlong]

2 sets each exercise enough for muscle growth?

So I have been doing some research and there are different parts of the chest apparently you must work unless you want a weird looking chest. So is 2 sets per exercise enough? If I go three sets per exercise it will be no doubt I will overtrain. Is 2 sets per exercise enough to still gain mass?

 

[ELROCK]

You are not going to overtrain by doing 3 sets per exercise. Personally, I do 4 sets of 4 exercises per muscle group. And it no where near overtraining for me. I workout 5 days a week. If you are getting extra sore in a muscle group then wait an EXTRA day to hit that group again.

 

[HardB0iled]

I'm guessing you're young and in the "beginner" stage of lifting. 2x a week is fine as you don't need as much recovery time as a more experienced lifter or an older guy. I would do as David suggests though and reduce the number of exercises/angles each workout and focus more on the focus and intensity of each exercise. Your sets and reps are increased for an exercise in a single session but your total volume for the week remains about the same.

 

[Gutterpump]

OP - Have you ever tried reverse grip chest presses? DB or BB. I'd research those as well.

 

[Drlong]

2 sets each exercise enough for muscle growth?

You are not going to overtrain by doing 3 sets per exercise. Personally, I do 4 sets of 4 exercises per muscle group. And it no where near overtraining for me. I workout 5 days a week. If you are getting extra sore in a muscle group then wait an EXTRA day to hit that group again.

Here I will show you my workout routine and see if I will use 2 or 3 sets

CHEST ( I do this twice a week)

Incline barbell bench press

Dumbbell incline bench press

Flat bench barbell press

Dumbbell flys

Decline dumbell bench press

Decline dumbbell fly

 

[kenpoengineer]

2 sets each exercise enough for muscle growth?

I would say that routine hits the pecs from every angle. Don't forget to add "time" to the equation, meaning drop the weight back and increase speed at times. Other times, lift heavy and slow the movement. Other times, incorporate pauses before pressing back up.

 

[herderdude]

Simply not true. Your chest is your chest. Your mom and dad have already determined for you if it will be weird looking or not. There are two heads to the pec muscle. Flat and incline usually do the job.

Start with two sets per. If you don't like it, add one set at a time maybe once a month and see how it treats you. I personally would start with three sets per and work toward four, but I believe the body is resilient and volume is key.

Block layers, drywallers, ditch diggers etc work hard and heavy 40, 50, 60 hours a week. You don't see them taking deload weeks. They just feed their family and do it all over again the next day.

 

[B5150]

So I have been doing some research and there are different parts of the chest apparently you must work unless you want a weird looking chest. So is 2 sets per exercise enough? If I go three sets per exercise it will be no doubt I will overtrain. Is 2 sets per exercise enough to still gain mass?

Why the duplicate thread?

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Merged.

 

[B5150]

Simply not true. Your chest is your chest. Your mom and dad have already determined for you if it will be weird looking or not. There are two heads to the pec muscle. Flat and incline usually do the job.

Start with two sets per. If you don't like it, add one set at a time maybe once a month and see how it treats you. I personally would start with three sets per and work toward four, but I believe the body is resilient and volume is key.

Block layers, drywallers, ditch diggers etc work hard and heavy 40, 50, 60 hours a week. You don't see them taking deload weeks. They just feed their family and do it all over again the next day.

Ironically I'll post this again.

Actually some studies suggest that decline press recruits far greater pectoral muscle and produces far greater muscle development.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Gutterpump]

This is why dips work so well for development. Mimics a decline press (and recruits more of the chest).

 

[banjobounce]

Here I will show you my workout routine and see if I will use 2 or 3 sets

CHEST ( I do this twice a week)

Incline barbell bench press

Dumbbell incline bench press

Flat bench barbell press

Dumbbell flys

Decline dumbell bench press

Decline dumbbell fly

I notice that your routine emphasizes the lengthened and middle portion of the strength curve, but there is no overload of the fully shortened position of the pecs anywhere. I would personally substitute cable flies for one of the movements and place it at the beginning or early in the routine to get greater activation throughout the workout. Just my opinion though.

 

[HIT4ME]

OP - you are way over thinking things. Just because you know an exercise, doesn't mean you have to do them all, all of the time. Just because different angles may stress one head more than the other, doesn't mean that they aren't all being stimulated.

Keep it simple. Is 2 sets per exercise enough? That depends on a number of factors. If you are working hard, to failure or beyond, with weights that are above 85% of your 1RM - and doing 2 sets per exercise of all of those exercises, then THAT would be over training IMO. Could you do 3 sets? Yes, if you drop the intensity a little.

With high intensity you will see great improvement with just 2 sets each for 2-3 exercises. Even just focusing on bench presses will cause improvements. One of the most popular routines around is the 5X5 routine, and you only do 1 exercise for 5 sets on that. And not many people will say that won't work.

Mike Mentzer advocated 1 set to failure - and I've seen success with this approach too.

Sets/Reps/exercises are just part of the equation. You are majoring in minors. Work hard, be consistent, look for improvement every week.

 

[wammbamm]

Anybody can work out what may activate the chest more without even going to the gym, hold your right pec with your left hand, now do the bench press motion with your arm at 90 degrees to your body, then do it again with your arm tight to your body what works the chest more ? Now do the same but pushing downwards instead of straight out, I found with my arm tighter to my body and at a decline my chest is activated much more. (Check out Doug Brignole on Ric Drasins youtube channel)
I only do a slight decline personally as I find it awkward to get the dumbbells in position.
For the upper part of the chest I have tried flyes on the floor which worked very well (Scooby on youtube has a video), I am also trying flyes with a cable, pushing the cable across my body, just doing one arm at a time, they seem ok.
But all these exercises are good in one way or another, it's just nice to workout what u think works best, you may find another way works better for you.

Edit: upper part of chest may be described better as the width at the top of the chest, Arnold says flyes are important for the width, and yes the top outer portion of the chest for me is sore after flyes sometimes.

 

[Snow3y]

Give it a shot. I think it will probably work quite well for you OP. I find that simply stimulating the muscle only results in better growth some times - obviously different people need different training styles.

 

[MMAguy]

6-8 reps per set. End it with a huge weight of 4 reps and your muscles will be explode. IMO.

 

[Goblin]

2 sets per exercise ?? LoL unfortunately ALL the crap you read online is written by non natrual lifter, and the natural guys who give advice too look like **** I might add.If you are not using steroids or SARMS or prohormones. You have to work out harder than 2-3 sets to grow buddy. Twice a week is also pointless unless you are 50-60. When you meet someone who looks like the guys in the magazines (or me) and he is doing even just 3 sets of anything... He ain't fullnattybrah lol

 

[lifted67]

It looks like a HST Training variation, T-Nation has an article on this. I used it awhile back 3/week split and had a decent experience with it.

 

[mickc1965]

It looks like a HST Training variation, T-Nation has an article on this. I used it awhile back 3/week split and had a decent experience with it.

Still use HST or at least a hybrid of that and Myo reps with progression still being the fundamental criteria

 

[lifted67]

Still use HST or at least a hybrid of that and Myo reps with progression still being the fundamental criteria

Have you looked into PH3? it's a good advanced protocol.

 

[mickc1965]

Have you looked into PH3? it's a good advanced protocol.

lifted67

Biggest problem with PH3 is I train at home with a power half rack and bench so the accessory exercises are not available to me, I currently do Deadlifts, Squats, Dips, OH Press and Chin varaiations and have recently started benching again so PH3 is probably not best suited to my current set up, interesting programme though. I may research it a bit more to see if it would work with more compound rather than isolation exercises.

 

[lifted67]

lifted67

Biggest problem with PH3 is I train at home with a power half rack and bench so the accessory exercises are not available to me, I currently do Deadlifts, Squats, Dips, OH Press and Chin varaiations and have recently started benching again so PH3 is probably not best suited to my current set up, interesting programme though. I may research it a bit more to see if it would work with more compound rather than isolation exercises.

There aren't many accessory lifts in the protocol tbh. But you'd most likely need some dumbbells too to get the most out of it.

 

[cutandrun]

OP, your chest is not going to look weird training it in only in one spectrum. How your chest "looks" is genetic. A muscle group like delts, then yeah. You have to watch how you hit them. I also think you are trying to through in way too many principles of training in one workout, but to answer your question, yes you can grow by doing 2 sets. There is a lot that goes into it, and Personally I think your volume is too low, but the answer you are looking for is yes.
lifted67 how do you like the bfr side of the workout.

 

[lifted67]

OP, your chest is not going to look weird training it in only in one spectrum. How your chest "looks" is genetic. A muscle group like delts, then yeah. You have to watch how you hit them. I also think you are trying to through in way too many principles of training in one workout, but to answer your question, yes you can grow by doing 2 sets. There is a lot that goes into it, and Personally I think your volume is too low, but the answer you are looking for is yes.
lifted67 how do you like the bfr side of the workout.

Honestly, BFR kicks my ass the pump is so intense and you're super damn sore after your finisher sets. Definitely look into it if you feel like your accessory exercises aren't getting you the results you want.