Weak Pecs, Strong Lats, Possible injuries?

Apparently, I can make progress on weighted dips if I don’t take it too fast, and 1 arm push-ups. Also, lateral raises.

And, of course, deadlifts, chin-ups and other pulling movements…

Some of this has already been mentioned, but there are a few things you really need to work on for better pec strength/size:

  1. Prioritize strength; you need to progress quite quickly at this stage - you have plenty room for strength gains.

  2. Don’t keep your elbows forwards/inwards, flare them to the sides/backwards. Lower the bar to just above the nipples. This may feel awkward to start with, and weaker, but that just goes to show how weak your pecs actually are (instead of letting the delts/triceps take much of the load). You’ll feel a really good stretch in the pecs doing this, and your delts won’t hurt. Also, try to explode from the bottom more (this helps strength gains).

  3. Eat like it’s a full time job (throughout the day right up till before bedtime). Don’t worry about macro-nutrient ratios blah blah blah, just get in minimum protein/day (e.g. 1-1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight). Drink shakes if you have to.

  4. Increase your benching/pushing frequency. Minimum of twice a week, but more optimally, 3 times a week. At every session, you should be able to progress each time (more reps/weight), especially at this stage (less as you get much stronger).

As for rep/set schemes; I’ll repeat again, just get your strength up (fast). This means doing the minimal amount of volume per session, higher frequency and prioritizing strength rep ranges. An example would be 3 sets of 5-8 reps (done on 1-2 exercises like benching and shoulder press, 3 times a week).

As soon as strength levels are respectable, and form is reasonable (not obsessive to the point of neglecting load on the bar and effort), you can maybe start concentrating on more exercises, more fatigue/volume, more variety in rep ranges etc.

[quote]kakno wrote:
How much are you warming up? See if a few sets of 15 with the bar, 10 reps with 40 kg and 5 reps with 50 kg before this helps.

You could also try a closer grip and see if it feels better. Your number one priority should be finding an exercise you can progress on.[/quote]

are you warming up your shoulders before you bench? like with band pull-aparts for example? what’s wrong with your back that you can do all of that pulling, but you can’t arch hard while you bench?

IMO, if you want a bigger chest, bench with DB’s more. if you want a bigger bench press, bench press more.