Hi, I have recently started my first cycle. Just started the 2nd week.
My chest has always been a lacking bodypart of mine, mainly upper chest. What my question is, what could I do a little different to try and maximize my chest growth while on my cycle? I was thinking of doing a little incline chest exercise on my shoulder days just to give it that little extra push. By the way, my chest and shoulder days are on opposite ends of the week.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
I don’t really think being on changes the game that much. If you haven’t been prioritizing your upper chest than do so. Hit chest twice a week if youv’e only been hitting it once, hit it heavy and low reps if you’ve only been hitting it in he moderate range. Hit it in the moderate range if you’ve been going heavy and low rep. Change what you’ve been doing if it’s not working thus far. I started really focusing on heavy barbell inclines and that started filling my upper chest out. I also find that barbell pullovers at the end of a good session really pump my upper chest up and get it burning. I always trained in the typical BB 10-12 range for years as well, once I put some weight on the bar and started hitting a good 5x5 type of set up I really started growing. Also don’t be afraid to go heavy on DB flyes if you’re shoulders allow it. They are a great mass building movement that many don’t reap the benefits from because they view it as an isolation exercise and go lighter and high rep.
Appreciate the reply man. I usually switch each week starting off with an incline or flat. And I usually pyramid my reps on things like Incline or Flat Bench. But I just know you’re recovery is much better while on gear, so I was just wondering how hard to hit it twice a week. One day kill it, and the other day not so bad? Or kill it both days on opposite ends of the week?
I kill it twice a week on everything. I do chest/back on monday, shoulders/arms tues, legs on wednesday. Then I start the cycle over again. If I need an extra rest day I take it. If something is hurting I dont train it till it feels better.
I say wether your on gear or not if your diet and rest is in check just keep training until you need a break. All this overtraining BS that flies around these days is overwhelming. You hear some 23 year old kid that trains each bodypart once a week talk about overtraining because he’s a little run down one day! Its insane.
The old timers would train a lagging body part every day to get it to respond. So I say hit it hard and then back off when you feel you need to, listen to your body but don’t baby it to much.
The pyramid thing works for a while but sometimes sticking to a heavy weight for straight sets across and adding weight in small increments each workout works great to constantly progress. I always tell people the most important piece of equipment in the gym for getting bigger and stronger is those 2.5lb plates.
Also if your just looking for growth don’t get to fancy, stick with basic pressing movements and dips, Leave all the cables and pec decks for another time. Basic presses, dips, and a few sets of heavy flyes like I mentioned before and if you want throw in a set ot two of pullovers at the end to really flush the area with blood and stretch things out.
Guillotine presses on an incline bench are amazing.
Read some of the training technique articles on this site. Particularly Thibs. With everything else said in this discussion, sometimes it is not which exercise you perform or how much weight you move. It is ultimately HOW you perform the exercise repetition. We are talking about the pectoralis major. It is one muscle with origins and insertions. It is not devided into upper/lower/outer/middle chest. It is just chest. When you lift a heavy weight above your chest, your body does not just decide it needs to use more of the upper pectoral. When your joints are placed in their favorable anatomical position, they will work as designed. If your chest does not appear to be full, then perhaps you have developed an incorrect movement pattern in your horizontal push.
surprised nobody has suggested reverse grip pressing. specifically at a medium incline say 20 - 30 degrees onm a smith machine. even at flat this press recruits more upper chest than a standard incline press. the research says 30% more upper chest when comparing flat normal grip and flat reverse grip. they say the incline only adds 5% more upper chest activation that the flat version when both exercises are performed with a normal grip. i like to take the best of both and do the reverse grip presses at the incline as i said. this will take a little getting use to and i highly recommend using the smith machine as you are much more likely to drop a barbell on you with this grip than the standard one. you may hurt your joints at first when performing this move so just go really light the first time then move up gradually each week; you will regret it if you dont. not only will this help your upper chest, i found it packs on serious size in the arms too. enjoy.