Chest has stagnated.

[Cruxis]

Hey all.

been going to the gym for 2 years now. Everything is going fine, except my chest isn't doing anything.

The routine I used when it was growing fine was:

Flat Barbell Bench Press
Incline Barbell Bench Press
Decline Smith Machine Press
Flat Dumbell Flye.

I could do 2 plates a side for 10 reps on the flat bench.

I then got sick for 2 weeks. When I came back, I was only able to do 8 reps. I assumed this was because of the 2weeks off, and i would get it back in no time.

Thing is, after about 4 months, my chest has still remained around the 6-8 rep range since I've been sick.

I have changed routines, tried forced and negative reps, and still my chest isn't growing.

My current chest routine is:

Flat Barbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbell Bench Press
Decline Flye.

Anyone have any thoughts as to why my chest is stagnating?

 

[kindred]

I think your way ahead of me with your chest development.

Anyway I found there are only 2 methods that work for me maybe they will help you.

Method 1: Back to Basics

Go back to basics chuck out incline press decline, fly all that other stuff and focus of flat bench only. Each session make a conciuos effort to do one thing and that one thing is to do one rep more than last session. Thats it. As soon as you hit 10 reps then up the weight go back down to 5 reps then start again.

Method 2: Endless Sets

Out of interset can you submit a normal chest workout including weight reps and sets? I have no idea how much 2 plates each side could be. I currently do 2 plates each side but mine are 20kgs i know you can get 25s but thats all I have seen in SA. Anyway ill stop ranting.

Similar to method 1 in that you will want to concentrate on flat bench. The difference is you have no set limit. You just do set after set after set until you slowly start to lose reps until all your doing is singles. Usually you can do about 30 or so singles at that stage. Kepp in mind that during your working sets if they reach 10 reps then up the weight.

As I said before you are way ahead of me with chest development so take what I say with a grain of salt as they say. But those methods have worked for me in the past when i get stuck at a weight.

Hope that helps.

 

[modo]

wow i can only just do 1 plate a side... i suck.

 

[kindred]

Which one Cruxis which one? You beast man! Keep up the lifting! Hope you get over this stagnant patch.

4x20kg plates + 10kg Standard bar = 90kg
4x20kg plates + 20kg Olympic bar = 100kg
4x25kg plates + 10kg Standard bar = 110kg
4x25kg plates + 20kg Olympic bar = 120kg
4x45kg plates + 10kg Standard bar = 190kg
4x45kg plates + 20kg Olympic bar = 200kg
4x50kg plates + 10kg Standard bar = 210kg
4x50kg plates + 20kg Olympic bar = 220kg

 

[Cruxis]

2 20kg plates a side plus the 20kg Olympic bar. So 100kgs all up.

This was my workout on Tuesday:

Bench: 100/8, 100/6, 100/6, 100/4
Incline: 70/7, 70/6, 70/5, 70/5. First set I got 1 extra rep then normal.
Flye (In pounds, as that's what our dumbells are measured in): 65/6, 65/6, 65/5

 

[Kyle Aaron]

Can you get a spotter? Maybe some stuff to failure would work for you.

What's your real goal, though? To get a bigger chest, or lift more weight?

Bigger muscles, you could try super-slow sets. There's a Cambodian guy in my gym, he lifts about half the weight I do, but it's slow, careful and with absolutely perfect form - and his muscles are bigger than mine.

More weight, have a chat to a powerlifter. Those guys have all sorts of funky techniques with arching their back and flinging their legs around to get weight up there. Couldn't really describe it easily in words, and anyway I've never done it myself.

 

[The Hulk]

How about trying to break through your 100kg and go for 110kg or even 120kg instead.

You may only get 2 or 3 reps in (after a good warm up), but you can work on increasing them over time.
Then you could go back to 100kg if you want, and do it easy.

I did this when I weas younger, lifted my 1 or 2 rep max, and used the same weight over time to build up the reps to 6 or 8, then smash the weight up another level and do it all again.
I think this is called the double progression method.

 

[Cruxis]

Can you get a spotter? Maybe some stuff to failure would work for you.

What's your real goal, though? To get a bigger chest, or lift more weight?

Bigger muscles, you could try super-slow sets. There's a Cambodian guy in my gym, he lifts about half the weight I do, but it's slow, careful and with absolutely perfect form - and his muscles are bigger than mine.

More weight, have a chat to a powerlifter. Those guys have all sorts of funky techniques with arching their back and flinging their legs around to get weight up there. Couldn't really describe it easily in words, and anyway I've never done it myself.

My goal is to get more definition. While i know power lifting isn't great for that, getting strength is helpful as well. And while all other areas of my body are still getting bigger, stronger and more defined, it's just my chest that's not.

I'll give the slow reps a go, as I see people do this as well.

How about trying to break through your 100kg and go for 110kg or even 120kg instead.

You may only get 2 or 3 reps in (after a good warm up), but you can work on increasing them over time.
Then you could go back to 100kg if you want, and do it easy.

I did this when I weas younger, lifted my 1 or 2 rep max, and used the same weight over time to build up the reps to 6 or 8, then smash the weight up another level and do it all again.
I think this is called the double progression method.

Oh I totally forgot about this. I did this when my biceps stagnated. Thanks.

 

[upg]

if your goal is definition why do you want to do 10reps at 100kg?

 

[Josh_GTiR]

I found that by going to DB presses and making my way up in them, I improved what I could bench by alot. Maybe you could look at working your way up in the DB presses and giving your muscles something different to work with.

Also, try lifting a bit heavier as people have suggested (110kg) and go for 4 reps. Keep on pushing for more reps with 110kg and you should get an improvement on 100kg.

 

[Cruxis]

if your goal is definition why do you want to do 10reps at 100kg?

While definition is my goal, some extra strength is never a bad idea. And when you stuck at one weight, you feel you're not progressing at anything.

 

[upg]

to increase strength i would bench heavy
perhaps warmup
then 110kg+ x max for 3-4 sets
then finish off your triceps (skull crushers, rope pulldowns..etc)

 

[shammo]

you definately need to mix it up a bit but that doesnt mean changing the excercise maybe just change how you go about, ie. UPG's idea
maybe you could also try doing your flys standing up with a cable crossover, or if the cable cross over is height adjustable you could set it the height of your bench and do the fly motion from laying on the bench, it creates more resistence at the top of the excersise than your std flys.
when i do std flys with dumbells i turn my hands in at the top of the fly so im looking at my palms and butt the ends of the dumbells together, you will feel this work better than norm flys.
you could try alternating these on a weekly basis if you wanted

 

[trofius]

I like hulks idea it si how I train and it works for me, if I can do a set of 8 reps than I feel i can do heavier at 5 reps,
if i can do 5 reps i can do 3 at heavier
3 reps than my max lift has increased
time to up the weights

change your routine, ie do dumbel presses first then bench for a month, then change back at first you will feel it has a negative result but db presses are great for chest, and hitting them fresh is best

also up the weights on your tris and ant shoulders, front raises help me get good benches.

 

[azza]

Chest is a tough one, some guys bench big and there d/bell weights suck others are the opposite. Saw a guy in the gym the other day, benching 80 and getting about 8 reps with a spotter, challenged on the last 2, 3 days later and he's using the 45kg d/bells. Go figure. You could look at and analyse each part of the lift and workout where you may be weaker. You could do a progressive overload (think PB and add 20%) and do partials in a power rack with the pins set safely. This has worked for me in the past. Or go on a different program, a program a powerlifter gave me was this one 6x3 weeks 1, 6x6 weeks 2, 4x8 week 3 and then start again. This works, after 2 cycles i was using the 6x3 weights on the 4x8. You apply this to a compound exercise per body part. The rest of your program can include lighter higher rep weights as long as you complete the compound part of the program.
AZZA