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Lagging chest

zcol94

zcol94

Well-known member
Everything else grows so quickly, is there some sort of special lift I can do to make it growwwww?
 
Lol. Well im assuming you're talking about something other than Barbell Bench Press.... Try using dumbbells for benching, as well as for flies. If youre like me, my front delts do a lot of the work in the regular bench press which is great for my shoulders, but not so good for the chest.... Dips are probably most effective for me, but on any bench press variation i find my delts come less into play least on a decline, most on an incline. Also u can try having the bar move up and down a bit closer to ur stomach (just a lil) as opposed to aligned with ur nips lol
 
I do flat bench, db incline, db flat flies then low pulley flies on chest day, I try to keep every day to 4 or. 5 exercises, am I not doing enough, and chest dips, I've tried to do them but I'm not sure if I have the form right or not
 
Ya i would just look it up on google or something but u can have the dip be a mostly tricep exercise, as it seems to be on the seated dip machine; or if u lean forward more u really change the focus to the chest with the added benefit of strengthening stabilizer muscles while balancing. Also what is ur set/rep range looking like and how long has it been there? It may be beneficial to increase the weight/drop the reps down a lot, even if just for a few weeks. If you have been using the same routine for quite a while any variation will probably give you good results actually
 
Well I'm kinda make my own routine, I do 2. Weeks at 12-15 reps then 2 weeks at 10-12 then 2 weeks 6-8 then 2 weeks 3-5, then I start over, I've seen tons of growth with doing this, but my chest is just too small, in my opinion
 
Ok. Doesnt seem too bad a routine except that 2 weeks might be a little too soon to constantly change. Maybe bump it up to 4-6 depending on when ur progress starts to dip. I also think dips are just as important as bench press, but in these (and all other) exercises form is the key. Ive seen a fair # of guys who can bench press more than me even though it looks like I bench twice as much as whatever they do. For bodybuilders at least, the weight is just a means to an end. Since ur primarily looking for size right now, stick to a 4-6 rep range for a while, load up the bar, and start dipping. You can also consider loading up the bar too much and lowering it as slow as possible (with spotter of course) Forced negs are good for hypertrophy just dont do em too much
 
I have no option for a spotter, I lift at 4 am.. No body wants to wake up, but maybe switching to 4 weeks instead of 2 will help? Ill try that out and see how it works, I'm on my 3-5 rep range right now so it will fit your recommendations
 
Cool let me know how it goes. Also make sure you do squats and deadlifts. The thighs are the biggest muscles in ur body, so even just squats alone will serve as the catalyst for ur body to naturally produce more hormones (growth hormone + more if im not mistaken). Back when i thought i could get a good body without having to do squat, when i would reach a plateau, id go and squat and wouldnt u know my bench would go up a week later. Add deadlifts, maybe cleans and u are set. Proper form tho, if you cant find sum1 to show u correct form, hold off til u can pay for a training session or something. Even squatting with no weight is good tho.
 
I do rack pulls instead of dead lifts ( is that ok?)

And I. Leg day I do tag squats front squats leg press rdls and leg curls, is that too much for legs?.... My squat is sky rocketing
 
crestcreeper said:
Cool let me know how it goes. Also make sure you do squats and deadlifts. The thighs are the biggest muscles in ur body, so even just squats alone will serve as the catalyst for ur body to naturally produce more hormones (growth hormone + more if im not mistaken). Back when i thought i could get a good body without having to do squat, when i would reach a plateau, id go and squat and wouldnt u know my bench would go up a week later. Add deadlifts, maybe cleans and u are set. Proper form tho, if you cant find sum1 to show u correct form, hold off til u can pay for a training session or something. Even squatting with no weight is good tho.
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Acute rises in anabolic hormones don't equate to much as these need to be chronically elevated to see true merits and these rises tend to level off after a short period.
 
Rodja said:
Acute rises in anabolic hormones don't equate to much as these need to be chronically elevated to see true merits and these rises tend to level off after a short period.
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From what I've seen you post you know a lot... But who mentioned rises in hormones, I understand that the temporary rises in test/ gh from squat mean nothing in terms if over lifts
 
*of other
 
zcol94 said:
From what I've seen you post you know a lot... But who mentioned rises in hormones, I understand that the temporary rises in test/ gh from squat mean nothing in terms if over lifts
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The post I quoted above mentioned the rise in endogenous anabolic hormones.
 
But am I wrong in that they don't matter very much?
 
As far as the rise in hormones...... And how do you feel about rack pulls compared to dead lifts
 
My legs are still sore on my back day. More weight dissent equal more for my back?
 
zcol94 said:
My legs are still sore on my back day. More weight dissent equal more for my back?
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IME, no. Rack pulls have a place, but not an overly prominent one. Snatch-grip deads are better for the back development compared to conventional deads as the grip causes greater upper back involvement.
 
What's your split like?

I've found that keeping 2-3 days between chest and shoulder day help my recovery in those areas more. I also do chest isolation exercises once a week at lower weight and higher reps and do plyo pushups for burn-outs when necessary (really focusing on coming down slow, exploding up, and contracting the chest).
 
zcol94 said:
Everything else grows so quickly, is there some sort of special lift I can do to make it growwwww?
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Dude I had the same problem, everyone else had huge chests but mine was not growing and this is what worked for me:
1. EAT! Whether you want to dirty bulk or clean bulk.. Somewhat of both worked for me but I'm naturally skinny
2. I listened to all these guys on youtube that said dont do more than 12 to 15 sets for chest and I was seeing no results... So I did my own thing and that's when I started seeing results
The workout that worked for me is:
5 sets db chest press heavy! 6 to 10 reps
The next 2 sets are the same exercise but 15 to 20 lbs lighter to failure
Then do incline flys 2 sets back to back then move down a notch and repeat until the bench is all the way flat
Then db incline 4 sets 8-10 reps
Then cable flys (light) but try to get a huge pump by concentrating on the muscle
Sometimes I add in chest dips or the machine wide chest press
Then eating a lot and getting enough rest worked for me!
 
Incline dumbbell press, what's your range of motion look like? Make sure your utilizing all your muscle by going down to the chest and exploding up to fully extended. If you don't your not using your chest but tri's and will never see growth on your chest. Full range of motion+lighter weight= better results/bigger chest then heavier weights+half or quarter range of motion.
 
crestcreeper said:
Lol. Well im assuming you're talking about something other than Barbell Bench Press.... Try using dumbbells for benching, as well as for flies. If youre like me, my front delts do a lot of the work in the regular bench press which is great for my shoulders, but not so good for the chest.... Dips are probably most effective for me, but on any bench press variation i find my delts come less into play least on a decline, most on an incline. Also u can try having the bar move up and down a bit closer to ur stomach (just a lil) as opposed to aligned with ur nips lol
Click to expand...

That's some great advice I'd also recommend dropping weight and reconnect with your chest muscles try that for a few weeks really squeeze the chest at the too of your contractions and don't extend arms all the way up keep it in your chest. Good luck
 
Google the "so you think you can bench" series; you can limit the amount of involvement the delts play during the bench press by retracting the shoulder blades.

I never noticed much from adding in chest flyes and I tend to cringe at the amount of stress my shoulders undergo during the movement. Spinning DB presses and DB presses are staple for me and have done wonders my chest development.
 
Jiigzz said:
Google the "so you think you can bench" series; you can limit the amount of involvement the delts play during the bench press by retracting the shoulder blades.

I never noticed much from adding in chest flyes and I tend to cringe at the amount of stress my shoulders undergo during the movement. Spinning DB presses and DB presses are staple for me and have done wonders my chest development.
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One of the many things that most trainees can learn from powerlifting: how to bench most efficiently and doing so safely.
 
Dips and cable cross overs build my chest best.


FTR I'm not talking about bench strength but pectoral hypertrophy.

I prefer angled dip bars and the constant tension from cables can be brutal if you work them right. Set the cables wide and it is kind of a quasi fly/press.
 
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