So I’m running CW’s ABBH1 right now, and it’s awesome. Very intense if you do it right and keep rest periods brief.
The problem is my chest. I want to continue to do flat BB bench press, because I believe it should be a staple pressing movement, but I’m also realizing that my upper pec needs some serious work.
So do I have to completely switch the flat bench to incline? I know it’s a mortal sin to add in extra work to CW’s program, and I think adding in inclines along with 10 sets of heavy bench would bo too much.
What about putting the bench at a slight incline, between flat and standard incline?
On ABBH1, want to work upper pec, also want to keep doing flat bench. Suggestions?
Switch from flat to incline. Don’t add more exercises.
I did ABBH years ago and enjoyed it. When it’s time to switch the exercises I’d just switch to Incline if you feel you need that much work. 3 weeks of incline pressing is only going to carry-over to your flat pressing when you’re done, it’s not going to ruin it. I imagine you’re using dips on the other pressing day and those will also be giving you some pec stimulation too. Wouldn’t worry about dropping flat bench for now on this program.
[quote]Howard Roark wrote:
3 weeks of incline pressing is only going to carry-over to your flat pressing when you’re done, it’s not going to ruin it.[/quote]
I don’t know about all that. I db incline more than i db flat bench. The one you work on the most is the one you will be better at. There’s not that much carry over.
[quote]Hard.Work. wrote:
The problem is my chest. I want to continue to do flat BB bench press, because I believe it should be a staple pressing movement, but I’m also realizing that my upper pec needs some serious work.
[/quote]
So you believe it’s a staple pressing movement despite the fact that you’re not getting the chest development you desire?
Maybe instead of 10 sets of flat you could do 5x flat bench and 5x incline.
I guess what I meant was that I value the heavier load that the flat bench allows relative to the incline. Not in an ego way, but in a hormonal response way.
That might not be as important as I thought though, because switching to front squats has been giving me pretty good results, and that’s not nearly as heavy of a load as back squats are.
It would honestly take YEARS of improper lifting (ie - neglecting the “upper pecs” (that may be a whole 'nother thread if those even exist)) to create a real, visible, structural imbalance. That program is what, 12 weeks? Just switch from the flat to the incline at that point and run it again. This is a life long endeavor, training the flat bench only for 12 weeks wont amount of a hill of beans come 5 years time.