+ 2 Best bench techniques to build chest?
I've always had a good build by the grace of God but for years I've cycled on and off trying to build more. I see alot of results as I've worked out over the years but the one workout that I'm not confident with my technique is BENCH PRESS . I have always laid flat on my back, feet flat on the floor and I feel some in my chest but mostly in my triceps. My workout partner is always telling me to arch my back and all that with a wider grip but when I try it that way I can barely do 250 and when I lay flat with a comfortable grip I can get 390. Also I don't know what it is but during warmup with low weight or when I pyramid back down to low weight my arms shake. Not struggling under the weight because it doesn't happen when I slide a couple extra plates on. Any input from you guys would be appreciated.
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AnonThe main thing to keep in mind is take everything you read as an option and tie together what works for you in to a single package. Ive told people for years, that what works for me may not work for you since we are all mentally and physically different. Try different grips, reps and weights to get the desired isolated feel you are looking for. Plus if you're really 6'5", i can only imagine how long your arms are, you'll probably get more out of dumbells then barbells.
This ain't good advice, and it's pretty much advice that gives the recipient an out which leads to limited ability and possibly limited results
It would lead to efficiency, which is the opposite of what he needs
AnonYou looked way to deep into what was said buddy, but this proves the point of everyone being mentally different. If someones advice directly impacts you to the point where you can use it as an out you are weak minded.
You might break that down for us so? How exactly did I look too deeply into it?
I disagree with what you have said because it is human nature to aim for the most efficient route - it makes sense to do so 99.9% of the time
Bodybuilding is counter intuitive in that sense
AnonYou propose my advice/opinion can be used and an out and then throwing in possibilities of limited ability and limited results, if I said wearing a tin foil hat while squatting improves my electrical receptor response and you try it and it doesnt work for you then thats on you. Take information with a grain of salt, because it may not work for you.
That is perhaps the most ridiculous statement I have read this year!
Well done, impressive.
AnonIt was meant to be ridiculous, as a point that you cant grasp. Keep reading and writing, ill be in the gym.
lol
Enjoy!
Two slight modifications to experiment with in your chest exercises
Barbell bench: visualize squeezing your arms, as if you're trying to bring your hands together...really improves the contraction on each rep and I feel like makes the set more intense without changing or increasing the weight (same technique on push-ups, visualize bringing the hands together)
Dips: when doing dips for chest, lean forward and when emphasizing triceps lean back. This change to me is more important than the width of the bars.
i like this response.
The key I found when building a bigger chest was to lower the poundages and to squeeze that contraction at the top and to do slow negatives,I also stopped flat benching and concentrated on incline bench and decline and incline flyes and increased my time under tension,it took along time for me to understand I had to stop ego lifting at the gym to really change the way I thought about bodybuilding and introduced a more productive intense workout to punish the muscles and force serious blood into the targeted area.
Well said bro.
Ive read through quite a few things and the best way to build your chest is not always the bench. I recommend doing a shit load of push ups and every 30 mins at home when you can bust out as many as you can when the ads go on the tv as well and that ll build your chest because when your doing push ups you can feel the muscle and get a really good contraction.
The most important thing to get right first aren't the choice of tools but form on the bench
Get that perfected first. Standing- retract shoulders and bring them down... then engage abs = tight core neutral spine = you will never get rotator issues. Learn how to do that lying on the bench, flat incline decline. Basically ur rotating the upper thoracic but keeping lower thoracic neutral via abs.
Just Use those principles and you will grow
Forget heavy and learn to really engage. Protect your spine/shoulders/form
Never arch your back
Don't go beyond your range of motion
Use tempo
Vary grips but a good rule is start from 4 inches wider than your 90 degree then bring to 90 then close and that actually can be a nice set extender/drop set on bars or dumbbells
X2 - only thing I'd add, learn how to use your legs... driving your feet into the ground generates greater power output.
Start with flys first cable, dumbbell however you want. Do 6-12 sets anywhere in the 8-12+ rep range, focus on really squeezing those chesticles together and forget about weight. Then move on to dumbell presses, again focusing on the muscle using high reps low weight. Do your barbell presses last with a wider grip and completely forget about weight since you will have pre-exhausted yourself. I did this for months when I was stuck and it was awesome. Barbell bench is actually a very high risk exercise since most people focus on pushing tons of weight and really just end up overloading the anterior deltoid leading to shoulder breakdown later on down the road.
Thank you sir I sure appreciate all you knowledgeable guys have to tell me that I will use my head and put to good use .It means alot to have someone give me valuable information I have came along way by the grace of God since I broke my neck in a car wreck in December 2012 so the help to bring me even that much closer to my goals means that much more! Thanks again to you and everyone!
Fellas I sure appreciate the help and yeah I have long arms I'm 6'5 265 . I'm going to do all the exercises you guys are recommending and start in the basement at about 250 when I bench and try to reconstruct my bench and focus on making myself feel all the different muscles and movement that I want to build on.thanks for all the help
I love the barbell bench press, but I'd have to say the dip for chest is a better mass builder.
But if you feel bench in your triceps more than your chest I'd say your grip is too narrow. For a guy your height, I would think your ideal grip--assuming your arms are proportionate--would be middle fingers on the rings. I don't advocate taking any more than a slight arch for bodybuilding purposes, but your buddy has a point about grip width. Since you're so much weaker with a wide grip, that to me means you've become tricep dominant in your bench pressing. I wouldn't even worry about the weight, either, especially when practicing a new technique.
Agreed, use dumbells to get the stretch in the chest, then the flex.
Use different rotations of dumbells to hit different muscles.
Also cable flys are always a great way to target the chest specifially.
My chest didn't start to grow until I stopped doing barbell bench. Dumbell bench and flys of different varieties finally gave me results.