Chest Workout
- Thread starter Rock
- Start date
Try sticking to more compound movements..Do barbell incline and flat in the workout and throw the db's in there every third workout to shock them. Also replace the cables with db fly's.
Use these compound movements as the base of all your workouts, use the extra stuff like cables for later on when you shaping or to just change the tempo from time to time.
Just my 2cents
Use these compound movements as the base of all your workouts, use the extra stuff like cables for later on when you shaping or to just change the tempo from time to time.
Just my 2cents
His Grizzness
New member
What's the difference between db flyes and cable flyes? Nothing, they both suck and they are both NOT compound movements like you suggest. Interesting to note, a DB bench and a BB bench are both compound movements.
rationalist
New member
yeah, I got a new flavor for you -- it's called benching.
Get rid of all that crap work and bench as heavy as you possibly can. You will have no regrets.
When I add up all the time I spent doing machines, cables, dumbell-faggotry etc for nothing, versus benching, squatting or deadlifting, it makes me want to cry. . .
I switched to heavy compounds again about a month ago, but this time I took note of how many people said, "Man, you're looking good, looking thick."
Go where the money is bro. This ain't rocket science. It's the art of lifting heavier rocks than you did yesterday. That's it.
I think you already see how most of the responses to your post are going to go.
Get rid of all that crap work and bench as heavy as you possibly can. You will have no regrets.
When I add up all the time I spent doing machines, cables, dumbell-faggotry etc for nothing, versus benching, squatting or deadlifting, it makes me want to cry. . .
I switched to heavy compounds again about a month ago, but this time I took note of how many people said, "Man, you're looking good, looking thick."
Go where the money is bro. This ain't rocket science. It's the art of lifting heavier rocks than you did yesterday. That's it.
I think you already see how most of the responses to your post are going to go.
brickhouse
New member
bro, there is nothing wrong with heavy DB work and I always incorparate a flye movement as a finisher in every chest routine.Rock said:
How about working your upper body twice per week. First workout..10 sets of 3, next w/o 5 sets of 10. And don;t waste your energy on crossovers, flyes, etc. You have to recover fast to workout often and I'd rather have many muscle-stimulating workouts rather than a once per week torture session that takes you 5 days to recover from. Tip: leave the gym while your still feeling good rather than do 3-4 extra sets and leave feeling totally shot. Take my advice or learn the hard way!
hardhatarea
New member
How about weighted dips...what are your thoughts on this movement?
dirteesouth
New member
Bro, I would stick with barbell bench presses as your base chest exercise. I would increase your number of sets to at least 5. Keep the incline barbell press, but do at least 4 sets. Some flys at the end of a chest workout are always good... 3 to 4 sets...either dumbell or pec dec. I personally don't do the cable thing, but I guess they're ok. High intensity, heavy weight, and strict form.
gumba
Member
dirteesouth said:
I would agree here. Also how you bench can have alot to do with the size you put on. I started competing in powerlifting recently as I have always been on the strong side for my weight. The last year and a half alone I have put over 100 pounds on my bench. dead stop on chest and full lockout. It's cool I got with some powerlifters to learn there secrects and let me tell you most of us bodybuilders bench high on are chests and have are ellbows out. I now bench just below the nipples and keep my ellbows tucked in, man what a difference. I have noticed added thickness in my whole pec area the only difference is I watch my diet and my power buddys well lets say they eat well! My first love will always be the bodybuilding but in the offseason I now enjoy powerlifting shows too. Finnally won best lifter too loads of fun. Bench bro just bench 10 sets 5 of them warming up you will grow.
Shura
New member
Depends on where you are in your progress.
The kind of routine you describe I'm sure would work for me if I used enough intensity,but if you're fairly fresh, stick to the basics, maybe like
incline bb press
flat db flye
weighted dips
if you're more advanced, definetely stick another movement in there, like incl. db flyes and maybe try doing 100's with your crossovers, 1 large set, pumping till you reach 100 reps, with 2 or 3 SHORT breaks 5-10 seconds in between.
WHen I doo these to shock my chest screams ! and I get a great pump
The kind of routine you describe I'm sure would work for me if I used enough intensity,but if you're fairly fresh, stick to the basics, maybe like
incline bb press
flat db flye
weighted dips
if you're more advanced, definetely stick another movement in there, like incl. db flyes and maybe try doing 100's with your crossovers, 1 large set, pumping till you reach 100 reps, with 2 or 3 SHORT breaks 5-10 seconds in between.
WHen I doo these to shock my chest screams ! and I get a great pump
rationalist
New member
Gumba said what I was trying to say, but better.
Of course, I may be biased, as I'm a bodybuilder who's been bit by the powerlifting bug and probably switching over.
I've never seen a guy who can bench press 500-600lbs with a small chest. People are always looking for some novel exercise because their chest is not "growing like it should" (your words). If a guy benching 500lbs has a huge chest, wouldn't it be easier to figure out how to bench 500? As opposed to trying to uncover secret kung-fu chest exercises? People are always looking for the easy way. As ronnie coleman said "Everybody want to get big, don't no body want to lift no heavy-ass weight!"
Of course, I may be biased, as I'm a bodybuilder who's been bit by the powerlifting bug and probably switching over.
I've never seen a guy who can bench press 500-600lbs with a small chest. People are always looking for some novel exercise because their chest is not "growing like it should" (your words). If a guy benching 500lbs has a huge chest, wouldn't it be easier to figure out how to bench 500? As opposed to trying to uncover secret kung-fu chest exercises? People are always looking for the easy way. As ronnie coleman said "Everybody want to get big, don't no body want to lift no heavy-ass weight!"
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Hypertrophiac
Banned
benching is slightly over-rated. concentrate on dips. dips is as good of a mass builder to the chest as chinups is to the back. bench press is equal to lat pulldown on a machine. the body grows the best when its own weight is pushed against gravity, not the weight of another object. i'm not quite sure why, but i've seen it proven time after time.
also, 4 sets is way more effective than 3, although 5 sets is not much more effective than 4. 4 sets seems to be the magic number.
the most important thing is not number of sets, or reps in each set. its the weight multiplied by the Time Under Tension. whether you do 5 reps real slow, or 10 reps real fast....the time it takes you to complete that set is the most important. However, keep in mind that bodybuilders are not powerlifters. Don't train for strength, train for FEEL. a few sets of big weight for 3-5 reps is not going to build mass, especially when you jump off the bench and feel like beating your chest like a gorilla because you lifted so much. the most results come when you exhaust yourself not just for the last rep of the set, but for rep after rep after rep after rep.
try switching to sets of 20, instead of your usual 12,10,8 or 10,8,6 pyramid. do the same weight for 20 reps each set. if you need a spot on the last 10 reps of the last set, then do 20 reps anyway. this stresses the importance of negative reps for increasing your max load.
also, a variety of exercises is important. stick to the basic compound movements first and if you can do smaller movements later, then do so.
on a personal note....fuck barbell incline and cable crossovers. always seem to fuck with my shoulder joint or rotator cuff. i prefer dumbell incline and dumbell flyes but thats just me. also, on dumbell flyes if you can't almost touch the dumbells to the floor, you're using too high a weight. stop trying to impress people in the gym with the size of the weight in your hand and impress them later with your own size.
concentrate on each rep, dont just "try to get through it". focus on feeling that rep like you're trying to focus on performing brain surgery.
also, 4 sets is way more effective than 3, although 5 sets is not much more effective than 4. 4 sets seems to be the magic number.
the most important thing is not number of sets, or reps in each set. its the weight multiplied by the Time Under Tension. whether you do 5 reps real slow, or 10 reps real fast....the time it takes you to complete that set is the most important. However, keep in mind that bodybuilders are not powerlifters. Don't train for strength, train for FEEL. a few sets of big weight for 3-5 reps is not going to build mass, especially when you jump off the bench and feel like beating your chest like a gorilla because you lifted so much. the most results come when you exhaust yourself not just for the last rep of the set, but for rep after rep after rep after rep.
try switching to sets of 20, instead of your usual 12,10,8 or 10,8,6 pyramid. do the same weight for 20 reps each set. if you need a spot on the last 10 reps of the last set, then do 20 reps anyway. this stresses the importance of negative reps for increasing your max load.
also, a variety of exercises is important. stick to the basic compound movements first and if you can do smaller movements later, then do so.
on a personal note....fuck barbell incline and cable crossovers. always seem to fuck with my shoulder joint or rotator cuff. i prefer dumbell incline and dumbell flyes but thats just me. also, on dumbell flyes if you can't almost touch the dumbells to the floor, you're using too high a weight. stop trying to impress people in the gym with the size of the weight in your hand and impress them later with your own size.
concentrate on each rep, dont just "try to get through it". focus on feeling that rep like you're trying to focus on performing brain surgery.
Hardcore210
Well-known member
Good post, Hyper. I think flat barbell benches are overrated....and so do most people, except powerlifters. Now before all of you pl's get pissed, I've put my time in, competed & won many meets, and compete in bodybuilding, as well. My chest grows when I do dumbbell presses with a deep stretch. Most guys stop way short on the negative, but go as deep as possible, and explode on the way up. I've put up 475 at 210, and my chest isn't the greatest in the world. Yet, I've seen plenty of guys in my gym that can't press half of that and still have impressive chests. Much of it is genetics, but form plays an important part, too.
rationalist
New member
I'm a benching man, but hypertrophiac is right, dips are outstanding. They were bread and butter to old-schoolers like steve reeves (people who had to build great physiques with few if any anabolics, except the early dbol leaked to them in tiny doses late in their careers). I do weighted dips on my chest/tri day.
It's funny about exercises. There is a history to all these exercises. The bench press is huge and popular in america, the yardstick of a man, but in some places, like russia, benching is still viewed as pointless and ridiculous. Here we do squats. But in eastern europe the step-up is king. Often, people think they "have to" bench or squat or whatever, but these are essentially technological inventions. No benching or squatting would have taken off without the york barbell company, for example. Machines and Jones, of course, swept the late 70s and most of the 80s. It's just bodybuilding and physical culture. There are no must-do exercises, really. Just whatever works, doesn't hurt and seems fun and repeatable.
It's funny about exercises. There is a history to all these exercises. The bench press is huge and popular in america, the yardstick of a man, but in some places, like russia, benching is still viewed as pointless and ridiculous. Here we do squats. But in eastern europe the step-up is king. Often, people think they "have to" bench or squat or whatever, but these are essentially technological inventions. No benching or squatting would have taken off without the york barbell company, for example. Machines and Jones, of course, swept the late 70s and most of the 80s. It's just bodybuilding and physical culture. There are no must-do exercises, really. Just whatever works, doesn't hurt and seems fun and repeatable.
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