posted Wed, 01/02/2019 - 19:22
4217
Chest day
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Since I started lifting chest has always been my weakness. I make gains on strength I’m a long lean athletic tall guy my main weakness is the upper region. I’ve done multiple different routines bodybuilding and powerlifting and cant seem to get to grow. Anyone got any new routine to break through this’s plateau
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Flat bench flies, start at a reasonable weight and keep going up the stack until fail. Keep track of it and you will gain strength week over week. I follow that up with dumbbell presses, again start reasonable, utilize full range of motion, work up the stack to fail. You will grow and gain strength.
3 sets of 50 on the Smith machine, but done the way in this video. https://youtu.be/UcIw1uxy0J4 It will protect your shoulders. I wrap a towel around the bar to keep the attachment from slipping.
I had this problem, i don't like incline benches as it takes too much load on my front shoulder, i found out that, cable fly's, squeeze incline excercies or machines when you can squeeze at the top help a lot, try squeezing your upper chest when doing those excercies, i can't squeeze my upper chest when doing incline bp
http://seannal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/standing-incline-cable-fly...
https://www.technogym.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/040ec09b1e...
now this machine helps a lot, try rotating ur body a little to the right and start with the right arm, squeeze at the top with 1 arm when pushing for 2 seconds, don't lock elbow, by isolating your upper chest. this made my upper chest fibers pop out
MightyMatt812I’ll definitely give it a try gotta find something. I had similar injury with shoulder so I really do t wanna go heavy.
BluesThree things build muscles, muscles fiber damage, mechanical tension and local metabolite release or metabolic stress. which basically converts to three things. Muscle damage = heavy lifting, mechanical tension= the use of intensity techniques (drop sets, rest pause, mechanical drop sets, double contraction.... etc), metabolic stress and metabolite release (mTOR) = time under tension, slow eccentric. you should be using all three tactics in your training session to get the adaption response you want which is hypertrophy. So, i would suggest for instance, start with 2 stets of single joint movement with high reps to get the blood pumping in the muscle, then do your heavy lifting with wave reps 7-5-3-7-5-3 with controlled eccentric and explosive concentric on a compound movement, then move on to 4 sets of rest pause rep style with another exercise preferably press machine, and then finish it off with a nice pump movement such as guillotine bar press on the smith with not too heavy weight. i usually do a ladder of 2-3-5-2-3-5-2-3 with 10 second rest in between. that would an equivalent to the 5x5 rep scheme in terms of reps count but with much shorter rest time and a better pump.
Try using dumbbells only for the next 6-8 weeks. Run the rack, starting low and working up to your heaviest weight with slow controlled movement.
You beat me to it. +3
MightyMatt812This is actually what I started doing last week but I can’t go to heavy due to shoulder. last year made the mistake and payed for it. Took several months to recover
I love to use the machine at my gym on chest day. I used to stay on the bench press but I found it to makes me stronger to use the machine. COncentrate on TUT and rep till failure. It offers a greater range of motion and I can go till failure without bothering anyone for a spot.
Add some cable flys and dumbell presses and I feel I get a total chest workout.
AnonThe Smith machine? Becareful with possible shoulder injury.
No, its more like something in the link below. It starts off wide and the movement gets closer as you push. I was set on free wights for so long, the soreness I got after I started using this machine was unlike any free weights. The have a similar machine for incline and shoulder press.
https://www.google.com/search?q=chest+press+machine&safe=active&rlz=1C1C...
jayiskthat is just a regular plate loaded machine which they have for about every body part. they fill up most gyms with them along with the free weights and cable machines. my gym uses hammer strength and Precor plate loaded machines.
Ensure your chest is actually activating and within the correct ROM. See Ben Pakulski's videos on this, they are invaluable.
Once that is sorted, try more volume, more frequency and test it.
jayisk-Incline bench press,
-DB or cable incline flys,
- floor press using a smith machine-use a lighter weight 10 to 15 reps and pause when your triceps hit the ground and explode back up..,like the smith machine on this cause it doesn't bother your shoulders, keeps you in a good groove, and dont have to waste time setting a power rack up
- if you have access to a 2 board do flat bench press off the 2 board as an overload exercise with heavy weight going for 3 sets of 1 to 3 reps..,
- dips.., if your elbows can handle it add a plate or dumbbell to them
- band pull-apart go for 100 reps total at the end of the workout.
good form and full range of motion on all exercises.
just a quick tip, try reverse grip incline bench and flat bench.
be careful though if your not used to reverse grip, start with a low weight as you will not be able to lift as much reverse. Also be sure you have a good grip the bar tends to feel awkward in reverse and can slip out of your hands directly on to your throat.
Me too helps much more when I’m lean. Incline bench and dumbbell bench and tap them together at the top and on the last few reps on your heavy sets when bring the weight down once your elbows get to 90 degrees go slowly and hold for a split second when your elbows get below your back it you understand what I mean. I can really feel it in that area of my chest when I do that. Low, middle and high cable flys help too.
Common theme in almost all the posts.... mind muscle connection and proper form. Doing the “best” routine is going to produce little results without proper form and mind muscle connection. Ive had way better results then before i started implementing makwa’s forums on mind muscle connection and TUT.
RustyhookerWhats your routine on chest? Blitz the chest if its the weak spot. But i need a starting point of your attack currently
MightyMatt812I’ve been keeping it sort of simple I’ll start flat bench pyramid up to 3rm hit few sets pyramid back down. Dumbbell fly’s, weighted dips ,incline dumbbells, pullovers
RustyhookerI like pyramids as well. But getting stuck hit 6weeks of drop sets. Work your pyramid to the top then drop set. Try 45 seconds between starts...90 seconds max on way up and down. If im going for strength gains the rest for me is bout 2 mins with heavy weights. But that 45 to 90 rest is brutal. Great to shock the system.
Honestly, i switch lift style every 6 weeks from pyramids to drops, supersets, run the rack, strength.
Find out what works and do more of it! Find out what doesn't and eliminate it! It may sound simplistic but it's a good way to start making gains. Everyone is different. Heavy weights work for some; higher reps for others. Find your zone and stay in it!
Often times it is not the routine but it actually boils down to proper form. If I had a dollar for everyone I have seen who thinks they are doing bench or curls the proper way I would have retired long ago. You need to understand the mechanics of the exercise and how that relates to developing the muscle Learn how the muscle works and what it actually does and then execute the exercise properly is the first battle in getting your muscles to grow. Screw that up and you don't have a chance. I have found this to be an invaluable resource about learning how the muscle works and interacts and how to properly set up the movement for maximum recruitment of that muscle. Then we can get into TUT and routines but if you aren't doing the exercise properly in the first place than all of that really doesn't matter.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0736092269/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpag...
I gave up telling and showing people how to do an exercise properly. They ask me I show them and the next day they are doing the same damn thing the way they have always been doing. Effort in futility trying to help. I just chuckle knowing they will be lifting the same weight and looking just the same years from now.
jayiskI try to explain to people at the gym ..,try being the key word.,that they are doing either an exercise or a movement. So say lat pull-down. just a basic overview.
-exercise--- you keep your body tight, use a weight that you can use proper form, and pull the weight down to upper chest. Making sure there is minimal body movement and you use the proper muscles while squeezing your back. you need to be feeling the muscles involved in this exercise. then let the weight return back up slowly and under control. Usually around 10 reps depending on your goals.
-movement--you put to much weight.,usually trying for the whole stack. Some people stand on the seat first and use straps and actually slide back into the seat while putting their legs in position.You do not keep your body tight and in position. you lean back and pull with everything you got not doing a full range of motion..looks like someone parasailing in the water. Then they let the weight just return back while keeping no control of it.
a lot of people do movements when doing back exercises and never feel their actual back muscles being activated.
movements have there place like with a cheat curl with a straight bar. but it is intended to be that way to overload the muscle while cheating with form.
every exercise needs for you to leave your ego at the door and pick a weight that isn't too heavy and your form needs to be on point to where you can actually feel the muscle the exercise is intended for.
Drives me nuts watching guys only moving thier arms when doing lat pull downs or seated cable rows. No stretch at the top. No resistance going back , just letting it drop. Basically i dont know a curl and thats not even the right word. Ive learned not every one wants to work iut. They just want to say they go to the gym.
jayiskThat's why i say i train. At commercial gyms a lot of people have such a poor work ethic their wasting time and in the way. Some others have been going to the gym a long time and now its mainly a social setting. They may have been passionate about training yrs ago but dont want to put in the work now. Don't even break a sweat.
Very few people actually follow any type of training program and just come in and wing it. I just laugh when they tell me their nutrition is on point because if it was they wouldn't look like shit yr after yr.
Peoples form is just as bad on plate loaded machines like Hammer Strength ones. They load it up with a bunch of 45 lb plates and do partials using their whole body. Bench exercises on those machines are the same thing partial range of motion and usually bounce the weight off the bottom. love it when they slide a plate on the inside where you grip to do the exercise.
This is referring to people that say they are BB, PL or claim they workout. Not the people that go yr round to just stay in shape and healthy. But those people actually dont use too much weight and have decent form.
Anon90% of the people that are long time gym goers, look exactly the same as they did 5 years ago.
Truer words have never been spoken brother
jayiskYou are absolutely correct. They didn't get shredded or big and jacked. they look the same or worse.
And they usually lost strength and cant hit their PR in the bench, squat and dead. if they even do them anymore.
that is why i stress to the them the importance of planning your workouts out for an extended period of time and following a program. Think Mawka posted a topic on how to do this.
really drives me nuts when someone says oh yeah i use to bench that but hurt my shoulder. I start to rattle off a list of things they can do to get their bench back up..as long as there is no srs injury..and by the time i get to the 2nd or 3th thing they just walk away. And these are people usually younger than me.
Thats a great book. My sis bought it for me avout a year ago.
AnonStick to the basics
https://youtu.be/o9zCgPtsups
My chest routine for years has been: one week - start on inclines, then flat, then declines using bars. Followed with cable cross overs, cable flyes, pullovers and dips. The next week - the same routine except using dumbbells. I mixed up the weights so that one week I was doing high sets/reps with low weights, and the next week I would train heavy with max weights and low reps/sets. I was aiming for building both strength and muscle endurance. I think my chest is fairly good even now. Like all body parts, you have to be 'cruel' to get them to grow.
Most of athletes have this issue, common problem.
Would recommend to forget about benching on a flat bench and do all press movements incline. Don’t go for a weight that much (even though progressing in weight is also crucial) go for a feeling first even if it means going down in weight, mind and muscle connection is the very important here.
Then build the weight back up.
I had the same problem and I found out that its all about connection between muscle and brain ofc there always will be some weak parts but, imo it’s just how you feel it, try to focus on brain with that muscle and it will grow, I hope you understood my retard english, peace
Same here brother. Some thing i have been responding to is to wear out my dealts pretty good. Then go to incline dumbell press . Running the rack . I hit a weight i can do 12 reps with. I do sets till i can only hit 3 to 5 reps . Drop the weight 5 pounds each dumbell. Same thing sets till i can only hit 3 to 5 reps. Drop the weight. So on like that till im down to half the weight i started with. Then i do the same with flat press. All dumbell work. Slo eccentrics. TUT. I'll super set in with curls or lat pulldowns . Always a pulling/pushing split. No real heavy weights just volume. I dont go heavy. Every time i get stronger i think i'll go to a heavy weight and wind up taking 3 weeks off to nurse a busted shoulder.
Back when I did more BB'ing style workouts I always found the best combination for chest size, lower and upper was just straight forward flat bench press followed by dumbell flyes. Sounds basic but I found the stretch and pump I got between these two exercises very effective in gaining mass and size. Along powerlifting lines, doing heavy doubles and triples on flat bench is very good also.
Heavy double and triples. Ahh to be young again. I increased my bench max 80 lbs in 4 weeks once. Just left my max on it. Every time i walked by it randomly through out the day id just do one rep. About 5 to 7 times a day. Each day i could get one more rep. Never went up in weight. Just more reps. At the end of the month i could rep it 11 reps. Then i fucked my shoulder and learned my lesson. Haha! Good times.
Almost exclusively incline bench.
For ten years.
It’s starting to make a difference. lol gotta work with what god gave ya.