Targeting Chest?

I have a noob question pertaining to routines:

For the past year I always target the upper area of my chest and avoided both the regular bench press and any lower chest areas.

Lately, I’ve been doing incline chest fly’s to target the inner and outter portions.

So it got me thinking, should I be trying to hit ALL the chest muscles in one full body workout 3 times a week?

Maybe do a wide-grip bench press, incline db c.press, incline db. chest flyes, and than a decline bench?

Would that be overtraining on a fullbody workout? I am sorry if I sound confusing. Any help would be appreciated.

I just feel like since I go 3-4 weeks on a new routine changing to only one area of my chest per program that I am neglecting the other portions of my chest and ultimately that going against my goal of getting a bigger overall pectoral major.

[quote]exodust wrote:
I have a noob question pertaining to routines:

For the past year I always target the upper area of my chest and avoided both the regular bench press and any lower chest areas.

Lately, I’ve been doing incline chest fly’s to target the inner and outter portions.

So it got me thinking, should I be trying to hit ALL the chest muscles in one full body workout 3 times a week?

Maybe do a wide-grip bench press, incline db c.press, incline db. chest flyes, and than a decline bench?

Would that be overtraining on a fullbody workout? I am sorry if I sound confusing. Any help would be appreciated.

I just feel like since I go 3-4 weeks on a new routine changing to only one area of my chest per program that I am neglecting the other portions of my chest and ultimately that going against my goal of getting a bigger overall pectoral major.[/quote]

If you do a real TBW than you don’t have the time to do 5 different exercises for 1 bodypart.

A training session should last 90-120min at maximum, if you can train longer you’re not doing it with enough intensity anyway.

I would suggest doing 1 compound movement (normal bench press) and maybe 1 isolation movement if you feel a bodypart needs more work (e.g. db flyes), keep total reps at 25-50 per bodypart and adjust weight accordingly.

and remember, in 99% of the cases the best way to develop a vertain muscle group is to grow all over, increasing bodyweight.

training a bodypart 3 times a week should be ok, 4 times is too much for a beginner imho

[quote]Petrichor wrote:
exodust wrote:
I have a noob question pertaining to routines:

For the past year I always target the upper area of my chest and avoided both the regular bench press and any lower chest areas.

Lately, I’ve been doing incline chest fly’s to target the inner and outter portions.

So it got me thinking, should I be trying to hit ALL the chest muscles in one full body workout 3 times a week?

Maybe do a wide-grip bench press, incline db c.press, incline db. chest flyes, and than a decline bench?

Would that be overtraining on a fullbody workout? I am sorry if I sound confusing. Any help would be appreciated.

I just feel like since I go 3-4 weeks on a new routine changing to only one area of my chest per program that I am neglecting the other portions of my chest and ultimately that going against my goal of getting a bigger overall pectoral major.

If you do a real TBW than you don’t have the time to do 5 different exercises for 1 bodypart.

A training session should last 90-120min at maximum, if you can train longer you’re not doing it with enough intensity anyway.

I would suggest doing 1 compound movement (normal bench press) and maybe 1 isolation movement if you feel a bodypart needs more work (e.g. db flyes), keep total reps at 25-50 per bodypart and adjust weight accordingly.

and remember, in 99% of the cases the best way to develop a vertain muscle group is to grow all over, increasing bodyweight.

training a bodypart 3 times a week should be ok, 4 times is too much for a beginner imho[/quote]

Even when doing a full body type of workout program you can have each day in your three day plan focus more on a certain bodypart. For instance Monday can be an upper body chest dominant plan hitting a few lower bodyparts. Wed. can focus more on legs and back and Friday again more on chest, shoulders, triceps.

The way me and the guys I workout with follow a plan similar to this where chest gets blasted Monday’s and Friday’s and we, who range from fairly new (1 1/2 year of training) to more advanced (10 years of training) respond well to it and make progress.

D

Full body you will hit all those plane the whole body from different angle over the course of a training week. You dont have to or want to do it all in one day. You have more session of the same body parts, hit them a bit different each w/o and it adds up

Phill

Thx, guys. I’ll keep everything you said in mind.

Just to throw it out there, there aren’t like 5 different chest muscles. There’s the sternum pectorals which is maybe about 1/3 of the whole area from your collar bone down to a bit below your armpits and then there’s the regular pectoralis.

You should do all variations to develop a well rounded chest, but if you did incline bench and flat for a few weeks then did dumbbell for a few it would most likely take care of it. Dips here and there too or more if you can do it.

I’d say we would have to see the full TBW. Critiquing without seeing the plan is not the way to go. Here’s a wrench in things, you may get better upper chest development from standing presses… :slight_smile:

My current routine is:

Deadlifts
Front Squats
Incline Chest Flyes
Delcine pull-overs
Upright rows
Pullups/chinups/dips

I throw in a bicep/tricep routine in there once in awhile and sometimes I swap the front squats with leg press.

[quote]exodust wrote:
My current routine is:

Deadlifts
Front Squats
Incline Chest Flyes
Delcine pull-overs
Upright rows
Pullups/chinups/dips

I throw in a bicep/tricep routine in there once in awhile and sometimes I swap the front squats with leg press.[/quote]

I would alternate days with Deadlift and squat work, doing a full body and adding these two big staples will tax you. Same for pullups and chins. I would definitely add standing presses and alternate various chest exercises, I.E. one day do flat bench, another day incline bench and then fly on the other if you think it is warranted.
If you are looking for overall size, keeping things somewhat simple may be the way to go for beginners something like…

5x5 routine:

Monday

Back Squat
Bench Press
Bent over row

Wednesday

Bench Press
Push Press (shoulder press with a push)
Deadlifts

Friday

Back Squat
Bench press
Bent over row

Back Squat IMO will build more size overall as you can obviously handle more weight as a beginner, go below parallel or you’re just wasting your time.

Before thinking about weaknesses in all honesty as a beginner you should build up and then see what needs to be improved as overall growth will fill in the cracks :slight_smile:

Dumb bell fly’s do wonders for my chest, they hit it more so than bench press.

If you dont know what they are, just go to a flat bench, lie on your back, put the DB’s straight out, then bend your elbows a little bit palms facing in. bring them down (or out if you want to call it that) its like using cables for your chest but your lying down, and you can do them on incline etc. these things KILL my chest, i tried 70’s yesterday and got two reps and im sore today, haha.