New Chest Routine

[njlovehandles]

For the past 8 or so weeks I have been doing a pre exuast chest workout since I feel my Tri's and front delts tend to help to much. I would start with pressing movment (alternating from inclin to flat, db or bb) then I would do a superset of fly with a pressing movment.(If the first exerside was flat then the superset would be on incline and vice versa). I would follow this up with an isolation movment, and then possably a machine press depending how I was feeling.
I was thinking about switching to more of a pre-exuast. I would do two isolation movements, followed by 2 pressing movments. Or maybe just one exersise of isolation movemnt followed by two pressing exersises, and then a final isolation movement.
Sorry if this seems confusing, but so is trying to make my chest grow. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanx bitches.

[BBAddict]

I'm confused! I think you're confusing the intended purpose of a pre-exhaust movement. Typically a muscle group may need a pre-exhaustion set if the movement involves several muscle groups and the primary muscle group that you are targeting does not get fatigued before a secondary muscle group fails. So, the purpose of a pre-exhaust for chest would be to fatigue the pecs before a pressing movement if the tris and delts were typically tiring before the chest was entirely fatigued. That would allow the chest to be worked to failure before the weak links failed.

It sounds to me like you think your tris and delts are compensating for the chest. In that case, I think it sounds like you need to do more fly or cable x-over movements and really watch your form. Correct hand positioning and proper attention to form during a press should allow you to maximize the stress on the pecs sufficiently. On the other hand, bench presses just don't do it for some people and dumbells presses and fly motions and even dips are far more productive. I would try that.

Another potential thought that I've never tried--maybe somebody else can chime in here--is to try pre-exhausting your tris and delts to make sure that they don't help. You may have to do less weight then on your pressing movements, but at least your chest would do more of the work then.

[njlovehandles]

First, I just want to thank you for responding. The last few threads about training and nutrition had no answers and I was starting to think people here only cared about nipple questions, and blow job polls.
I was under the impresion that you would want to tire out the pec with an isolation movment so when you press they are failing before the delts and tris. This would ensure failure of the pectoral muslce not the secondary muslces being used. I switch my exersises every week no matter what, so I do cable crossovers, and a lot of flys. I also recently adjusted chest workouts b/c I felt I was going to narrow with my hand positioning. At firt my weight being used dropped drasticaly, but the past 8-10 weeks with the pre-exaust technique I was using realy helped out.
My real question is more about when to do certain exersises during the workout. I genearly go by the rule of compound movement b/f isolation, unless I am shocking the muscle that day. I just got back from a chest workout, tell me what you think:
Incline flys 4 sets of 12-8 reps
incline db 4 sets 10-7 reps
peck deck 3 sets of 10 reps
BB flat bench 4 sets 12-6 reps
This is the first time I have deviated from my preiously explained workout, felt pretty good! Thanx again for the help.

[mastakillah]

njlovehandles, i have the same problem, and i am now doing some flyes first before moving to the bench. you wont be able to use as much weight on your compound movements, but fuck, it feels better, it feels better.

[njlovehandles]

Yeah, weightssuffer a little, but I dont care as long as the chest starts growing. Thanks man!

[BBAddict]

Experience will tell you what works for you best, but when I have pre-exhausted, it has usually worked fine to just do several sets of the exhaustion movement before going to the compound movement. So, I would typically do an isolation, compounds and then perhaps an isolation again to burn it out. Have you considered or tried supersetting an isolation with a compound--I do that for back and it works well although it's harder than hell!

[njlovehandles]

For the last 8-10 weeks the second exersise in my routine has been a superset of a isolation movment followed with a press. I guess I'll stick to this new routine for a few weeks and see how it feels. Maybe I'll hold off on the second isolation movment, and put it after the two presses.

[DrMull04]

Call me a dumbshit but Njlove...would you care to explain your signature? Please tell me your making fun of Muscletech..

[njlovehandles]

I'm from Jersey, and I havent been able to get rid of my damn lovehandles for the life of me. I guess when I signed up for this place I thought seeing the shitty name everyday would motivate me. Well here I am about a year and half later, and I still have the lovehandles, but at least i put on about 15 pounds of muscle! I think when I signed up thought I would ask a question or two and never come back, I was very wrong!

[DrMull04]

Haha, yeah, I see...the love handles are definitely a bitch...I have a friend who works out, clean diet, no alchohol, and still can't get rid of those fuckers...he jokes he'll have to get lipo..

[tiny pinder]

i have same prob with my chest, shoulders and tris grow but not chest, its a real pain.

[go Yankees]

you'll get rid of them once your bodyfat gets low enough, probably below 5%...far below 5%...good luck, try clen and a shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitload of cardio

[SloppyJo]

Originally Posted by go Yankees

you'll get rid of them once your bodyfat gets low enough, probably below 5%...far below 5%...good luck, try clen and a shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitload of cardio

ummmm.... no. you should see abs at around 10-11%. bb's go to competitions at around 4-5%. staying that lean year round is very unhealthy.

[wheyman]

Although I agree with you trying to change things up to spark growth, I don't agree with so much pre-exhaustion. Remember, your pressing movements are what's going to pack on the mass. I would do the pre-exhaustion thing once every so often. I have the same problem with pressing with my shoulders more and I've adjusted my form. Try this as it was suggested to me by someone....

Try to really get an arch going while benching without lifting your ass. You want to feel like you are laying on your shoulder blades; almost like a decline. Make sure and keep you chest big and do not round your back. You should feel this in your chest a lot more. Also make sure your grip is somewhere around shoulder width; too close will hit tri's and too wide will incorporate delts more.

Second, make sure your angle on incline isn't set too high. It should be around 30 degrees or so no higher. The higher you go the more delts you use.

Also, try and do declines for a while instead of all these supersets and energy sapping movements. Remember all those cable movements and flys are more shaping movements. If you don't have the mass then you are just shaping little muscles; wasting energy at this point.

Try something like this for a while.

A.
Incline BB Press 3 x 10,8,8
Decline BB Press 3 x 10,8,8
Flat Fly's 3 x 15,10,10

B.
Decline BB Press 3 x 10, 8, 8
Flat DB Press 3 x 10,8,8
Incline Flys 3 x 15

C.
Flat DB Press 3 x 10, 8, 8
Inline DB Press 3 x 10, 8, 8
Decline DB Press 3 x 10, 8, 8

D.
This is where you can do your pre-exhaustion thing to shock things up..I would go light to moderate weight here with any pressing movements, but that's just me.

Keep in mind that everyone is different..Some don't need as much volume so you could do 2 sets of some movements..just depends on your body and what makes it tick.

Good luck.

WM

[njlovehandles]

Thanks guys , first off- Clen. dont think so, my abs have shown before, but still have a bit of love handles, but I dont care right now cause I love bulking. I can lose them when I want (or so I like to think)
Wheyman, thanks for all the tips. The workout you derscibed pretty much has been what I have done for years. I would do about 3-4 exercises, doing presses first. I have just been trying to mix it up a bit. Might try some kind of west side barbell routine soon, or HIT. Curently I hit each muscle group once a week so I like to get about 4 exercises in to realy kill em, and then give them about 6-7 days to rest. I always try to find the best position for benching, and I perfectly understand what you are saying with the arch. I think your right b/c that is something I alway try to be contious of, but i think I could put more into the arch. I also try to keep my shoulders back as I have heard that will take them out of the movement. I wouldnt say my chest is that small right, now I am 175 at 5'5 and can put up 300 about twice. It just it has taken me years to get there, when I know peole that hit that in a year. Thanks again for all the help.

[BBAddict]

Originally Posted by njlovehandles

Might try some kind of west side barbell routine soon, or HIT.

I've never been a fan of HIT and this months MD has some good info to support that feeling. HIT, for reasons stated in the article that summarizes some research, doesn't elicit the same natural test and GH production that one would get with greater number of sets. This issue of MD (Chris Cormier on the cover) has some great info on GH if you're interested or considering using GH. The next months issue-actually I think it just came out-with Lee Priest on the cover again is supposed to cover a lot of info on test.

[babyblues]

I agree with Wheyman, try focusing more on your form. If you want your chest to grow than you have to spend more energy on mass builders. If you want a certain muscle to grow bigger, than you're wasting your energy on shaping exercises. You're also wasting recovery time. Even decline is more of a shaping exercise for chest. Incline is probably one of the best for building mass. Like Wheyman said, make your chest big when you're benching, puff it out kind of like you're trying to pull your shoulderblades together. I have long arms so it's important for me to this or I start trying to press the weight with my delts and tris. Maybe cut out some of the shapers for a while and let your body devote more of it's resources to growing the muscle bigger. Just a thought.

[njlovehandles]

I read that article in MD, and to be honest HIT does not appeal to me, but I may still gove it a try. Priest is on the cover again? thats impressive. I saw some pics of him and he is looking ripped. Cant wait to pick it up, usually it gets in the strores by me on the 3rd or 4th of the month.

[BBAddict]

Originally Posted by njlovehandles

Cant wait to pick it up, usually it gets in the strores by me on the 3rd or 4th of the month.

They had it in Pittsburgh, but not here in MN. WTF?!

[helix139]

my chest didn't really grow until I did only deep decline dumb presses. 12 sets like bill pearl did...2 sets of light weight then up to the heaviest weight I can do for 8 reps, then drop set 'em all until I can do no more. 8 to 10 reps and 12 sets.