Can someone let me know of a good chest only workout routine ? I have been doing starting strength for 6 months and have noticed that my Chest is lagging. Also a small paunch removes any affect of a developed chest. I would like to maintain my other lifts. So I am looking for a routine which maintains the Strength on other lifts while letting me work on Hypertrophy for the chest. In my current 5x5 routine I can bench press 190 pounds.
P.S : I donâ??t have access to any machine which can help with cable flys.
So, you are going to spend all of your energy on your chest, and basically nothing on your back, legs, shoulders, and arms when you are JUST benching 190 pounds? Enjoy your fucked up shoulders, and terrible posture.
Why do you think cable flys are so important to your chest development? Do a decline movement, flat movement and incline movement making sure you feel your chest and increase the working weights you use over time and you’ll get a bigger chest. On another forum I’ve seen IFBB pro Phil Hernon suggest that decline and dips (maybe some flat bench) is all you need for a fully developed chest.
[quote]DSSG wrote:
So, you are going to spend all of your energy on your chest, and basically nothing on your back, legs, shoulders, and arms when you are JUST benching 190 pounds? Enjoy your fucked up shoulders, and terrible posture. [/quote]
No. Not for the rest of my life However, I do want my chest to catch up. My back and legs are way ahead of my chest. Also I seem to be more of an Arm, shoulder person so they are up there as well but the chest gives an impression that I don’t work out at all I am looking for routine for 6-8 weeks.
[quote]The Rattler wrote:
Why do you think cable flys are so important to your chest development? Do a decline movement, flat movement and incline movement making sure you feel your chest and increase the working weights you use over time and you’ll get a bigger chest. On another forum I’ve seen IFBB pro Phil Hernon suggest that decline and dips (maybe some flat bench) is all you need for a fully developed chest. [/quote]
Rattler, I have trouble recruiting my chest muscles. some people suggest cable flys for that and I don’t have access to them. Also the pre-exhaust technique doesn’t work well for me either. For eg. if I exhaust my chest with incline flys and then go to the incline bench press, I am more likely to give up because of pain in shoulders than give up by fatigue.
[quote]The Rattler wrote:
Why do you think cable flys are so important to your chest development? Do a decline movement, flat movement and incline movement making sure you feel your chest and increase the working weights you use over time and you’ll get a bigger chest. On another forum I’ve seen IFBB pro Phil Hernon suggest that decline and dips (maybe some flat bench) is all you need for a fully developed chest. [/quote]
Rattler, I have trouble recruiting my chest muscles. some people suggest cable flys for that and I don’t have access to them. Also the pre-exhaust technique doesn’t work well for me either. For eg. if I exhaust my chest with incline flys and then go to the incline bench press, I am more likely to give up because of pain in shoulders than give up by fatigue.
[/quote]
Okay first of all, if your shoulders are hurting then you’re doing something wrong. Are you warming up and stretching? Do you work your way up to your working weight or just put it on the bar and go for it? If not that’s a pretty horrible idea. Do 125, then 145, then 165, and then 190 for bench. I used to get shoulder pain too and after I switched to this method I haven’t had ANY pain.
As for your chest, you should DEFINITELY try to throw in an exercise for your pecs into your current workout rather than switching to a completely different routine just so you can get your chest bigger. I recommend you do dumbbell flys if you can’t do cables. If not, do weighted dips or weighted pushups (maybe both). Just get a backpack and throw a couple plates in it and go.
Good luck. Hope you don’t switch to a chest only workout…
edit: Wanted to throw this in just incase you don’t know this. When you do dumbbell flys, make sure you focus on squeezing your pecs throughout the movement. The movement is like hugging a big tree.
Also, I was pretty similar to you but instead of switching to chest only I threw in flys and weighted dips and my pecs have gotten way bigger.
Ah, whenever someone says their pecs are lagging, unless they are very developed I always think of someone who focuses on the mirror muscles… How much do you row/squat/deadlift? Do you get more fatigued in your arms, or your chest when you bench?
I’ve found that Max OT (training program,check web) is a great 2nd routine for guys who have spent thier first year or so doing starting strength or strong lifts 5x5, if BB is your goal and your ready for next step, I’ve seen quite a few kids do well on this program. 2 cents
[quote]DSSG wrote:
Ah, whenever someone says their pecs are lagging, unless they are very developed I always think of someone who focuses on the mirror muscles… [/quote]
If you’ve hit all the important muscles, what’s wrong with working vanity muscles? Some people want developed muscles ALL over. This is a bodybuilding forum…
I think the majority of underdeveloped chests come from not having a full understanding of the function of the pecs. First off, if you have no chest exercise in there then yes, you should add some isolation stuff. Secondly, read what the pecs do, then see if you can squeeze your chest to move your arms (without using your arms), do it harder and harder and you’ll get a stronger mind-muscle connection. Next time you do a chest exercise, only squeeze your chest to move the weight.
[quote]DSSG wrote:
Ah, whenever someone says their pecs are lagging, unless they are very developed I always think of someone who focuses on the mirror muscles… How much do you row/squat/deadlift? Do you get more fatigued in your arms, or your chest when you bench? [/quote]
I do Yates rows with 150 lbs. Squat with 190 and dead lift 190 all same as my Bench press. Now this might be a little perplexing for you but I am 220 lbs myself and I want to peak up at 220… don’t want to go beyond that because I feel 220 lbs would be it and I could add some isolation stuff after that AND I could be WRONG. The reason is that the biggest body builders in my Gym are lifting close to their body weight and I am reaching there. May be those guys are on some steroids that is why they are huge.
Regarding myself since I am on 5X5 I don’t really get fatigued after completing the sets but I do notice as the weight has increased my shoulder starts to pain and that causes me to give up.
[quote]The Rattler wrote:
Why do you think cable flys are so important to your chest development? Do a decline movement, flat movement and incline movement making sure you feel your chest and increase the working weights you use over time and you’ll get a bigger chest. On another forum I’ve seen IFBB pro Phil Hernon suggest that decline and dips (maybe some flat bench) is all you need for a fully developed chest. [/quote]
Rattler, I have trouble recruiting my chest muscles. some people suggest cable flys for that and I don’t have access to them. Also the pre-exhaust technique doesn’t work well for me either. For eg. if I exhaust my chest with incline flys and then go to the incline bench press, I am more likely to give up because of pain in shoulders than give up by fatigue.
[/quote]
Okay first of all, if your shoulders are hurting then you’re doing something wrong. Are you warming up and stretching? Do you work your way up to your working weight or just put it on the bar and go for it? If not that’s a pretty horrible idea. Do 125, then 145, then 165, and then 190 for bench. I used to get shoulder pain too and after I switched to this method I haven’t had ANY pain.
As for your chest, you should DEFINITELY try to throw in an exercise for your pecs into your current workout rather than switching to a completely different routine just so you can get your chest bigger. I recommend you do dumbbell flys if you can’t do cables. If not, do weighted dips or weighted pushups (maybe both). Just get a backpack and throw a couple plates in it and go.
Good luck. Hope you don’t switch to a chest only workout…
edit: Wanted to throw this in just incase you don’t know this. When you do dumbbell flys, make sure you focus on squeezing your pecs throughout the movement. The movement is like hugging a big tree.
Also, I was pretty similar to you but instead of switching to chest only I threw in flys and weighted dips and my pecs have gotten way bigger. [/quote]
Thanks AOPO there are two good suggestions you make. I will use the same routine and add in incline Flys to all workouts. 2nd suggestion of like “hugging a big tree” works. Any other tips you have to recruit the chest more ? Like I said I have big arms and it seems my shoulder and triceps take over.
Also what volume should I try on incline flys ? High volume ?
[quote]DSSG wrote:
Ah, whenever someone says their pecs are lagging, unless they are very developed I always think of someone who focuses on the mirror muscles… How much do you row/squat/deadlift? Do you get more fatigued in your arms, or your chest when you bench? [/quote]
I do Yates rows with 150 lbs. Squat with 190 and dead lift 190 all same as my Bench press. Now this might be a little perplexing for you but I am 220 lbs myself and I want to peak up at 220… don’t want to go beyond that because I feel 220 lbs would be it and I could add some isolation stuff after that AND I could be WRONG. The reason is that the biggest body builders in my Gym are lifting close to their body weight and I am reaching there. May be those guys are on some steroids that is why they are huge.
Regarding myself since I am on 5X5 I don’t really get fatigued after completing the sets but I do notice as the weight has increased my shoulder starts to pain and that causes me to give up.
[/quote]
Wait what? What country are you in? I feel like I can’t possibly have read this right. You’re saying the BIGGEST guys in the gym are only benching their bodyweight? And you’re assuming they’re on steroids? This definitely belongs in the beginner forums. There’s no bodybuilding in here, you’re just getting started.
As for the 190 deadlift at 220lbs… This is not a reasonable strength level for an adult male. You would be best served by doing the following: go on a diet. Lose fat. Focus in the gym on all the big lifts, forget targeting specific muscles, because it just plain won’t work at your level. Achieve a better base level of strength before you try to get specific. Your bench press is LIGHT YEARS ahead of your other lifts.
I have a crazy solution to help your shoulders read this: Bring your grip in some, focus on your row instead of your bench press, and learn how to retract your scapula/arch your back when benching along with tucking your elbows instead of flaring them.
TLDR: Read it, and your bench form is shit along with massive strength imbalances
[quote]DSSG wrote:
Ah, whenever someone says their pecs are lagging, unless they are very developed I always think of someone who focuses on the mirror muscles… How much do you row/squat/deadlift? Do you get more fatigued in your arms, or your chest when you bench? [/quote]
I do Yates rows with 150 lbs. Squat with 190 and dead lift 190 all same as my Bench press. Now this might be a little perplexing for you but I am 220 lbs myself and I want to peak up at 220… don’t want to go beyond that because I feel 220 lbs would be it and I could add some isolation stuff after that AND I could be WRONG. The reason is that the biggest body builders in my Gym are lifting close to their body weight and I am reaching there. May be those guys are on some steroids that is why they are huge.
Regarding myself since I am on 5X5 I don’t really get fatigued after completing the sets but I do notice as the weight has increased my shoulder starts to pain and that causes me to give up.
[/quote]
Wait what? What country are you in? I feel like I can’t possibly have read this right. You’re saying the BIGGEST guys in the gym are only benching their bodyweight? And you’re assuming they’re on steroids? This definitely belongs in the beginner forums. There’s no bodybuilding in here, you’re just getting started.
As for the 190 deadlift at 220lbs… This is not a reasonable strength level for an adult male. You would be best served by doing the following: go on a diet. Lose fat. Focus in the gym on all the big lifts, forget targeting specific muscles, because it just plain won’t work at your level. Achieve a better base level of strength before you try to get specific. Your bench press is LIGHT YEARS ahead of your other lifts.
[/quote]
x2. I deadlifted about 190 the first time I lifted at 16 years of age lol - and that was heavier than me then! I’m not bragging - you need to raise the standards you hold yourself to. There are a lot of guys in my gym who can’t bench their bodyweight, but I’m not content with meeting their shitty standards - and neither should you. You CAN do better than that.
[quote]abhi152 wrote:
Thanks AOPO there are two good suggestions you make. I will use the same routine and add in incline Flys to all workouts. 2nd suggestion of like “hugging a big tree” works. Any other tips you have to recruit the chest more ? Like I said I have big arms and it seems my shoulder and triceps take over.
Also what volume should I try on incline flys ? High volume ?
[/quote]
To be honest with you I have trouble recruiting pecs when doing bench so I don’t have many tips concerning that. Some people say you should squeeze your pecs at the top portion (like you would flex them) of the lift but it hasn’t ever seemed to affect me.
One other thing I would suggest if you want pecs is doing pushups. Flys made my pecs a lot bigger but the way I originally got them was doing pushups. Some bodyweight and some weighted. Use a somewhat wide placement for arms… not completely wide but maybe a little more than your shoulders. You should be able to figure out the best position for your pecs based on how they feel.
And yeah for flys you want pretty high volume/high reps. Like 8-12 reps. 3-4 sets per workout should be enough. If you really want you could do them every 2 days until your pecs catch up… just don’t neglect the rest of your workouts.
My chest sucks, and it’s because I’ve hardly EVER found lifts that hit my chest AND allow substantial progress. I’m long limbed with VERY dominant front delts.
As Rattler said, reading Phil Hernon’s stuff did wonders. In the last 6-8 weeks, over break, I switched to BB Decline with a wide grip (reps done in an explosive, piston style), along with low-incline DB Presses where I only go low enough to feel a stretch in the pecs, but not low enough to engage delts.
The Decline press is ALL chest, not a hint of delt, and the Incline if done correctly is about 80% chest and the rest delt (which I’m fine with). In the 6-8 weeks switching to those lifts, my chest is consistently sore, and after winter break, coming back to school, I got MULTIPLE compliments on how much larger my chest looked, from friends who lift and from those who don’t (obviously it still sucks, but it’s actually for the first time growing at a moderately noticeable rate). John Meadows is similar in his advice, slight inclines and declines, abbreviated range of motion, etc.
TL;DR
Use Dumbbells
Try shortened ROM for Inclines
Utilize Declines
Ohh, and eat enough to grow
However, I do want my chest to catch up. My back and legs are way ahead of my chest. Also I seem to be more of an Arm, shoulder person so they are up there as well but the chest gives an impression that I don’t work out at all 
I am looking for routine for 6-8 weeks.