T Nation

Guys Obsessed w/ Training Chest?

Bodybuilding
#1

Obviously this thread isn’t particularly serious, but why are casual gym goers, specifically “men”, obsessed with their chest?

Let’s face it, Monday = Chest day, which just so happens to be the day of the week all the slackers make their weekly “come backs”.

Also, whenever a co-worker convinces me to let them tag along at the gym they always want to bench first.

Why?

I can understand people’s dislike for training legs, but when has a big chest become the cornerstone of a “manly” physique? If I had to guess which body part epitomized a masculine physique (you know: if I were stuck on an island and could only pick one … ) I would have answered “wide and thick shoulders” (with a ‘back’ coming a close second).

And before some of you get your panties in a bunch, from a bodybuilding standpoint I realize that all body parts are equally as important and that you should focus on your lagging muscle groups. Yeah… I get it. But I’m not talking about bodybuilders, I’m talking about regular joes.

#2

People think having a big bench is cool.

#3

There’s some potbellied Native American dude who goes to my gym and stays for a few hours. He talks to everyone and does cable cross-overs the whole time each day. He wears a torn up tank top to show off his pecks, which are really just moobs.

This person is worse than Hitler.

I don’t understand the fascination with chest and pressing movements most casual people have. Bench and curls.

#4

Many people don’t complete a weekly split, or quit after 3 weeks, on holidays, and return before the next holiday.

They ‘start off’ again, and the first bodypart that comes to their mind is chest. Let’s face it, most men with no serious athletic background see legs as their last concern. That, combined with infrequent workouts, can be one of the reasons for most people neglecting leg training. If you came from a 6 month layoff after 3 total training months, what would you like to recover? your legs, or the 1" inch that you lost on your arms?

This can be one reason for the cardio area on a comercial gym to be the fullest. People not only loose muscle mass during layoffs, they usually get fat, and the first thing they wanna do is “get in shape”.

#5

Most “average” people don’t even know that many different exercises. Almost everyone on the planet knows what a bench press is. If this were your first day back in the gym after yet another 6 months break (to rest up from that last session), I would guess you would go for the movement that won’t make you look like a jackass.

Case solved.

[/Scooby snacks]

#6

I think those movements are just the easiest to learn and do…

people are so clueless though…they probably think benching and curling everyday is what you are supposed to do…kind of like the women who go on the treadmills everyday and lift with pink dbs…

#7

I’m glad to hear that it’s a nation-wide thing (monday = bench day)

Thankfully, the squat racks are empty on mondays due to this problem.

X pretty much summed it up. it’s very well known, and “easy” to perform. i put easy in quotes for a reason…we all see these fucktards screw it up and shake our heads.

personally, i’m all for seeing people hurt themselves benching…i’m Pro-Darwinism.

#8

well from an average joe stand point what muscle groups define being in “good shape”… your biceps and chest. they’re are the first thing people notice when approaching someone. further more its one thing you can see easily in the mirror. they dont care about legs because most people wear pants.

When a guy walks up to a girl the chest is right there for them to see. is pure testosterone hard at work, basically its for other people to see, for “show” if you will not necessarily for getting in shape.

as you can tell i used to be that way.
(high school)

#9

Sunday is ‘chest’ day for me because every freakin’ bench or flat surface is occupied by people and their mothers benching on Monday.

Monday used to be my off day, but I find that it’s a great leg or back day.

Besides, no one really does legs or back anyway… (read: every day is bench/curl/abs day)

#10

OMG, im going to have to change my chest day because this guy made a thread about it and called me a noob.

I train chest monday because out of the big 3 bench is lagging.

#11

In a truly hardcore environment I doubt this would ever be an issue…time to make a switch.

#12

squatting is bad for your knees, deadlifting is bad for your back, and having a big bench is cool. so when you put it that way, of course everyone wants to bench!

btw i squat and deadlift; i was just saying that to illustrate a point.

bench is my worst lift and hardest to progress on, so it’s not actually my favorite. i like good mornings and dips because they feel good and are easy :slight_smile:

#13

[quote]slimthugger wrote:
In a truly hardcore environment I doubt this would ever be an issue…time to make a switch.[/quote]

switch to a hardcore gym? not everyone is lucky to have one around, but i agree it’s not an issue at such a place.

#14

I’m pretty sure everyday is chest day in my gym. There’s never a good time to do chest, except maybe 6 am.

#15

I squat, deadlift, and guess what, bench on Mondays, in addition to a lot of other exercises thru the week. Bench has always been the most challenging for me In terms of wanting to overcome what I see as my deficit and thus my favorite . But, now that I see it annoys the OP, I must change it to another day to restore tranquility to the furrowed brow of the OP.

D

#16

I like bench press because it’s fun and I’m relatively good at it. It builds you tri’s chest and shoulders so it’s a cool exercise. People notice a big chest so if you’re only gonna do one exercise, its not the worst.

Besides, when someone asks you “How much you bench?” you’ll always have the most current #. Is this not the most important thing in the world?

#17

[quote]sam_sneed wrote:
I like bench press because it’s fun and I’m relatively good at it. It builds you tri’s chest and shoulders so it’s a cool exercise. People notice a big chest so if you’re only gonna do one exercise, its not the worst.

Besides, when someone asks you “How much you bench?” you’ll always have the most current #. Is this not the most important thing in the world?[/quote]

When people ask how much I bench, I tell them, “I don’t benchpress”. So, no, it isn’t the most imprtant thing in the world especially since some of the best chest development in the world has been seen using other means than simply the barbell bench press.

Most of the people focusing on “chest and biceps” NEVER get big enough for it to really matter.

#18

Because of the infamous question “how much ya bench” when that question should be “what do you deadlift”.I do chest tuesday with calves, back and legs monday.

My question about average gym goers is more to the root of your question.Why the fuck dont people figure out what is gonna work for there desired goals and do that instead of just winging it and not doing shit.

You know, I have a tattoo on my back that i forget about sometimes but I never forget to train back because I cant see it.

#19

[quote]grettiron wrote:
squatting is bad for your knees, deadlifting is bad for your back, and having a big bench is cool. so when you put it that way, of course everyone wants to bench!

btw i squat and deadlift; i was just saying that to illustrate a point.

bench is my worst lift and hardest to progress on, so it’s not actually my favorite. i like good mornings and dips because they feel good and are easy :)[/quote]

Good post

#20

I did nothing but bench and curls for months when starting because they were the only exercises I knew of. I lifted every day for up to two hours just doing incline, flat, decline, and dumbbell curls.

I then found this site and thought rowing had something to do with boats for a while. Then, I figured it out.

By the way, how much you bench brah?