Better Chest Exercise than BP?

[DKD]

I've been training 6-7 months or so and seeing slow and steady improvement in the body. My focus isn't strength/powerlifting, just increasing muscle size. So far my delts are growing the most quickly, especially front delts. Not a great deal of improvement in the chest though...very slow in that area.

My bench press is crap (5rm of 70kg @90kg bw ). I read something the other day about front delts sometimes taking too much of the action with BP. I wonder if this is what's happening with me considering the way my delts are coming along. I'm starting to wonder if I should spend more time on other chest exercises and focus less on BP. I do dips and incline db press & flyes as well as BP (do all 4 on chest day).

I often don't feel the pump in the chest after BP and question whether I'm getting any hypertrophy gains out of it. The main reason I'm sticking with it is for ego reasons i.e. to have a more respectable BP if asked, which kinda a means I'm doing it for the wrong reasons when my goals are body building related rather than strength.

Just interested in any feedback, thanks.

 

[Christian]

I think your main problem is you have a bench day with 4 exercises for it when you are a begginer..

Stick with the basics till you have built your foundation then you can move onto other things.

But you need a base first..

 

[trofius]

dumbell flies
pec dec
dips
cable cross overs


these all target the pec muscle better, and isolate more than bench.

 

[Christian]

dumbell flies
pec dec
dips
cable cross overs


these all target the pec muscle better, and isolate more than bench.

True but do little to help if your weak as piss...

basics basics basics...

 

[Goosey]

Dumbell flys.
If you are looking at developing the boobies.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[chrisp]

press ups

change your hand placement till you feel a pump if thats wot you want?? And then run with it. Add weight /raise feet .

 

[trofius]

True but do little to help if your weak as piss...

basics basics basics...

True I agree, He asked what was a better exercise to isolate the chesticles....

Personally I find dips, are the best accessory exercise, do them often, and add weight as soon as you can do 10 at bodyweight.

 

[Christian]

True I agree, He asked what was a better exercise to isolate the chesticles....

Personally I find dips, are the best accessory exercise, do them often, and add weight as soon as you can do 10 at bodyweight.

I know that, but obiosuly it is because he isnt seeing the growth he wants, so he will switch to what ever we suggest him here...

Then he will comeback no gains and think were all full of shit.

Yes there are great chest exercises when you are ready for them... You go From L's to P's to full license... Training is the same.. When you have paid your dues you will have a free license to train however the hell you want..

 

[Kapow]

You have only been training for 6-7 months. I think you are focusing on chest too much. You also say your focus isn't strength/powerlifting and just muscle size, but in order for that to happen you have to stick to basics at where your training is at the moment. Dips and Bench is enough. I think Markos has said it before. Its like a pyramid, you start building a base at the bottom and work your way up to the little things.

 

[Christian]

You have only been training for 6-7 months. I think you are focusing on chest too much. You also say your focus isn't strength/powerlifting and just muscle size, but in order for that to happen you have to stick to basics at where your training is at the moment. Dips and Bench is enough. I think Markos has said it before. Its like a pyramid, you start building a base at the bottom and work your way up to the little things.

Correct, Proper bodybuilders are not weak... Only pretend bodybuilders...

If you cant deadlift 200kg then your not going to make a very impressive bodybuilder we have seen that before... Even if bodybuilding isnt what you want to do you need strength so you can move more weight to get more size!! Im sure a 400kg deadlift orks more muscle fibres then a 60kg one.. Strength is very much apart of proper size...

 

[Nutter]

You have only been training for 6-7 months. I think you are focusing on chest too much. You also say your focus isn't strength/powerlifting and just muscle size, but in order for that to happen you have to stick to basics at where your training is at the moment. Dips and Bench is enough. I think Markos has said it before. Its like a pyramid, you start building a base at the bottom and work your way up to the little things.

THIS.


Training "routines" are arse backward and bodybuilders who bring their friends in are very guilty in getting them to follow their same 20 set bodypart "routines". This is not good for a beginner (or in general in my opinion).

The driving licence analogy is good - flog the crap out of basic exercises and get strong at them - you will get good growth as a result.
Do not forget growth comes from food (if diet isn't up to scratch), and that muscle growth will not be the same rate for some areas as others.

If your chest is going to be a weak point then you're going to have to give it a lot more time than the few months you have so far.

 

[dave]

How do you train? 6-7 months with a BP like that is not good, in fact its terrible. Silverback and Trofius have told you exercises that hit your pecs more but they are useless if you are not training properly in the first place.

 

[trofius]

DKD,..
I would still focus on bench as your main chest exercise, being a compound exercise it is great, along with deads and squats to help stimulate your body to grow.

For the first few months, add small amounts of weight when you get to 10 reps.
Bench: I would do 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Incline db press: 3 sets 8-10 reps
Dips 3 sets, at bw.

That is what I did when i first started training with a goal of getting bigger and stronger. After a few months when you have built a base, drop the reps back to 5-8, and increase the weights.

You could also check out a few of the beginner threads here, ptc has one there is also starting stregth 5x5..Just pick a program and stick with it give it a few months. getting bigger and stronger will take some time, nd you will need to have great recovery, great sleep and heaps of food, lots of diet advice on here aswell, happy reading.

 

[Fadi]

Training "routines" are arse backward and bodybuilders who bring their friends in are very guilty in getting them to follow their same 20 set bodypart "routines". This is not good for a beginner (or in general in my opinion).

Everything has some merits sometimes but nothing is good all the time Nutter, hence we both agree that we should take the word "routine" out of our vocabulary if we are to prosper.


Fadi.

 

[DKD]

How do you train? 6-7 months with a BP like that is not good, in fact its terrible. Silverback and Trofius have told you exercises that hit your pecs more but they are useless if you are not training properly in the first place.

Current "routine" (sorry Fadi, seems like the easiest word to use ):

Sat:
BP
Chest Dips
DB Incline Press
DB Incline Flyes
Skullcrushers
maybe Tri Rope Pushdowns
Around 12-14 sets chest, 4-7 tris.

Sun:
Deadlift
Pullups
Lat Pulldown
Seated Cable Row
DB Curls
Hammer Curls
Again 12-14 back, about 8 bis. (Tried bent row so many times and given up on it, just can't feel the mind-muscle connection...works forearms more than lats)

Wed:
used to only do DB shoulder press, lateral raise and maybe crunches, but this week started second day of chest/tris as well:
BP
Chest Dips
Skullcrushers
DB shoulder press
lateral raise
so 6 sets chest, 3 tris, 8 shoulders

Thur:
Squat
Leg Ext
Leg Curls
Calf Raise
About 12-14 sets, plus from earlier tonight I've started adding in a couple more:
Pullups (4 sets) & DB curls (3 sets) as I thought Id try hitting lats and bi's twice a week.

I read what I thought was an excellent intro for beginners on a UK forum, link below, and have since tinkered with it a bit.

h t t p: / / w w w.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding-for-the-Beginner-m2245.aspx

(Won't let me insert hyperlink cause I'm a newbie - you need to delete spaces and then paste it in your address bar. For any beginners I would highly recommend this thread from Cashman).


As with bent rows, I can't get the form right on straight-leg deadlifts for the life of me so don't bother with them.

I do everything in the garage, so haven't got cable cross-over access Trofius. It's interesting a few people talked up flyes, I get the best pump from them but some people don't rate them.

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[PTC]

Eat your way through sticking points big fella.

I would switch to full body workouts 3 x week, and do 5 x 10 with DB bench press as my ONLY chest exercise. Try that for 3 months see if anything changes.

Squat 3 x 10
DB BP 5 x 10
Bent rows 3 x 8
SLDL 2 x 15
Military press 2 x 8
BB curl 3 x 8
Dips 3 x max

If you weigh 90kg, eat 4000 calories a day, including 400gms of protein, make up the rest with veg, fruit, nuts, rice.

You may as well try, youve wasted 7 months going by your bench press.

 

[Christian]

Current "routine" (sorry Fadi, seems like the easiest word to use ):

Sat:
BP
Chest Dips
DB Incline Press
DB Incline Flyes
Skullcrushers
maybe Tri Rope Pushdowns
Around 12-14 sets chest, 4-7 tris.

Sun:
Deadlift
Pullups
Lat Pulldown
Seated Cable Row
DB Curls
Hammer Curls
Again 12-14 back, about 8 bis. (Tried bent row so many times and given up on it, just can't feel the mind-muscle connection...works forearms more than lats)

Wed:
used to only do DB shoulder press, lateral raise and maybe crunches, but this week started second day of chest/tris as well:
BP
Chest Dips
Skullcrushers
DB shoulder press
lateral raise
so 6 sets chest, 3 tris, 8 shoulders

Thur:
Squat
Leg Ext
Leg Curls
Calf Raise
About 12-14 sets, plus from earlier tonight I've started adding in a couple more:
Pullups (4 sets) & DB curls (3 sets) as I thought Id try hitting lats and bi's twice a week.

I read what I thought was an excellent intro for beginners on a UK forum, link below, and have since tinkered with it a bit.

h t t p: / / w w w.muscletalk.co.uk/Bodybuilding-for-the-Beginner-m2245.aspx

(Won't let me insert hyperlink cause I'm a newbie - you need to delete spaces and then paste it in your address bar. For any beginners I would highly recommend this thread from Cashman).


As with bent rows, I can't get the form right on straight-leg deadlifts for the life of me so don't bother with them.

I do everything in the garage, so haven't got cable cross-over access Trofius. It's interesting a few people talked up flyes, I get the best pump from them but some people don't rate them.

Thanks for the input guys.

What equipment do you have?

 

[Fadi]

Current "routine" (sorry Fadi, seems like the easiest word to use ):

Hello DKD,

You may choose to use the word workout instead of routine DKD, for once a workout becomes a routine, your body would automatically let you know that a change is needed (or is possibly overdue) .


Fadi.

 

[craft1010]

mate I can almost guarantee you that your lack of chest development is due to bad form rather then exercise choice. You are doing the right exercises to build muscle, and as long as your eating/sleeping enough your not over training.

You are using your front delts and triceps too much in the bench press. To really hit your chest, you need to leave your ego at the door (lucky your in the garage). For bench Drop the weight by 25%, make sure your rear delts are on the bench (almost squeeze your lats together). Expand your chest as if your trying to touch the roof with it. Make sure your rear delts stay right down for the whole movement. Make sure your chest is fully stretched at the bottom of the rep and concentrate on the muscle contracting to lift the weight rather then your arms pushing it up.

i went through this, it's a common problem... The chest is sometimes a hard muscle to develop mind muscle connection, but it will come eventually...

Make sense?

 

[DKD]

DKD,..


You could also check out a few of the beginner threads here, ptc has one there is also starting stregth 5x5..Just pick a program and stick with it give it a few months. getting bigger and stronger will take some time, nd you will need to have great recovery, great sleep and heaps of food, lots of diet advice on here aswell, happy reading.

Thanks for that Trofius, good tips mate, I've been kind of following that approach to date in terms of rep range.

My sleep is crap as well. I'd love to be able to get 8 hours, but lucky if I get 6...usually around 5.5. I've got this annoying problem of waking up an hour or so before my 5.45 alarm. Happens around 4-5 times a week. Haven't woken up after 7am in years. Wife thinks I'm a freak.