Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below Here is my problem. Over the last two years I have seen 4 board certified plastic surgeons concerning the appearance of my chest. They have all said that I do not have gyno and am not a candidate for lipo because I have almost no chest fat. What i do have is an abundance of muscle in my lower and inner pecs which causes a drooping look. I have not done any chest exercises during the last year in order to let the muscle atrophy (with no success). I have had my body fat checked and it is around 10%. I have used yohimburn ES for 6 months (twice a day- 4 pumps on each pec) with no change. Can anyone suggest a chest routine to change the appearance of my chest. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
drooping chest
- Thread starter winston11
- Start date
DieselGunz
New member
declines?
Hi dude, sorry to hear of your problem.
If it's not a body fat problem then it sounds like you're stuck with an overdeveloped upper and lower portion of the pecs, so the most obvious solution to me would be to hit the middle area to try to develop that to it's fullest.
If i were you i'd concentrate on flat bench or dumbell presses for this middle area, as well as dips to hit the whole of the area. Follow this with flies at different angles - upper, flat and decline, to shape the muscles from different angles, for a more aesthetic look. Remember that in this case, intense muscle contraction is most important here, rather than sheer weight.
Depending on whether you're hitting the chest once or twice a week, you could alternate the types of flies you do.
Best of luck mate.
If it's not a body fat problem then it sounds like you're stuck with an overdeveloped upper and lower portion of the pecs, so the most obvious solution to me would be to hit the middle area to try to develop that to it's fullest.
If i were you i'd concentrate on flat bench or dumbell presses for this middle area, as well as dips to hit the whole of the area. Follow this with flies at different angles - upper, flat and decline, to shape the muscles from different angles, for a more aesthetic look. Remember that in this case, intense muscle contraction is most important here, rather than sheer weight.
Depending on whether you're hitting the chest once or twice a week, you could alternate the types of flies you do.
Best of luck mate.
kimchee411
New member
I thought one muscle develops the same way no matter how you try to hit a specific region of it and its shape is genetically predetermined, i.e. incline/decline/flat you're still just working the entire pec, except that other small peripheral muscles are involved in different exercises, just like you can't "develop an 8 pack" by trying to aggressively target the "lower abs".
Beachbum1546
New member
pics?
kimchee411
New member
kimchee411 said:
Anybody have anything to say to that?
kimchee411 said:
I don't agree with the above statement at all. Actually, i did read something like that a few months ago - it was in a Peter(?) Sisco ebook, where he was basically advocating working out once every two weeks or so, doing one exercise for each bodypart, using the argument that the muscle will grow the same whatever way you hit it.
I don't agree with this. For decades different exercises have been used to hit different areas of the same muscle. For example, barbell curls for overall biceps mass, and concentration curls for increased peak. This hasn't been backed up by significant research, but i, along with many others, take it as a given.
this is why people traditionally use three or four exercises per body part. it's also the reason why people wouldn't be advised to do barbell curls followed by dumbel curls followed by alternating dumbell curls - because they're all targeting pretty much the same area. people would instead do curls, followed by hammer curls, followed perhaps by preacher curls, which all target different regions.
So in short, it is my belief that saying such exercises affect the muscle in the same way is plain wrong. genetics always play a major part in your ability to develop a muscle in a certain way, but the WAY in which you train is also a very significant factor. just because your dad had long biceps doesn't mean you can't get a thick biceps belly and decent peak - you might have to work at it harder than some other people, but if you use the right exercises, you will see significant results.
skacorica
New member
kimchee411 said:
To some degree it is true, for example, inner pecs vs outer pecs are generally considered to be the same ie, genetically regulated. But as far as upper and lower, take a look at how the muscle fibers run:
http://virtualastronaut.jsc.nasa.gov/textonly/act20/images/pectoral.gif
its easy to see how you could activate different portions of it.
kimchee411
New member
I can understanding being able to hit the pecs from different angles, but I'm talking about development and shape. So you're telling me if I did nothing but sharp inclines I'd have balloons up top and nothing at the nips? (ok, that's extreme, but you know what i mean)
Here's an old Q&A from IronMagazine.com
Question:
I want to build up my upper and inner chest, should I do incline presses and cable crossovers for this?
Answer:
YES! As well as flat barbell presses, decline barbell presses & dumbbell flyes.
I do not say this because any of those exercises will actually target any specific region of your pectorial, cause they will not. I say this because to obtain "complete" chest development to your maximum genetic potential you will need a variety of exercises.
A common mistake people make is the "I feel it" syndrome. They think because an exercise makes a certain part of a muscle sore it must target that area of the muscle. This is true in some cases such as the deltoids where there are more than one head with different tendon attachments. The pectorial major is a single muscle with one tendon attachment to the humerous (arm) that fans accross the rib cage. However, it is still a single muscle and muscles grow as a whole, not in parts. Think about it this way, if you could cause growth in one area of a single muscle that would inply that it's possible to shape a muscle, right? Well, we all know (at least I hope we do) that you cannot shape a muscle. The shape of your muscles are genetically predetermined.
Now, it's still important to use multiple angles to hit the pectorial muscles (and any muscle for that matter), not because it will cause growth in one area, but because using different angles to hit a muscle is necessary for maximum stimulation and to continue progress and development.
Not citing this as primary authority, but somebody want to explain why it's wrong?
Here's an old Q&A from IronMagazine.com
Question:
I want to build up my upper and inner chest, should I do incline presses and cable crossovers for this?
Answer:
YES! As well as flat barbell presses, decline barbell presses & dumbbell flyes.
I do not say this because any of those exercises will actually target any specific region of your pectorial, cause they will not. I say this because to obtain "complete" chest development to your maximum genetic potential you will need a variety of exercises.
A common mistake people make is the "I feel it" syndrome. They think because an exercise makes a certain part of a muscle sore it must target that area of the muscle. This is true in some cases such as the deltoids where there are more than one head with different tendon attachments. The pectorial major is a single muscle with one tendon attachment to the humerous (arm) that fans accross the rib cage. However, it is still a single muscle and muscles grow as a whole, not in parts. Think about it this way, if you could cause growth in one area of a single muscle that would inply that it's possible to shape a muscle, right? Well, we all know (at least I hope we do) that you cannot shape a muscle. The shape of your muscles are genetically predetermined.
Now, it's still important to use multiple angles to hit the pectorial muscles (and any muscle for that matter), not because it will cause growth in one area, but because using different angles to hit a muscle is necessary for maximum stimulation and to continue progress and development.
Not citing this as primary authority, but somebody want to explain why it's wrong?
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skacorica
New member
kimchee411 said:
No, because you are going to activate the muscle fibers for the entire muscle no matter what chest exercises you do. That said:
"The general shape of the pectoralis major is that of a "fan", meaning it has a wide origin on the clavicle, ribs 2 through 6 and sternum and tapers into a narrow insertion on the humerus. In addition, the pectoralis major is a cruciate muscle.
This means that the fibers originating from the upper half of the muscle cross over those originating from the lower half on their way to the humerus, forming an anatomical "twist" in the muscle. Due to these characteristics, the muscle fiber angles fluctuate by as much as seventy degrees from the most superior to the most inferior portions of the muscle....
The result of this unique shape and varying fiber angles of the pectoralis major is the superior and inferior portions of the muscle have somewhat different actions on the arm. Hence, certain exercises involve the upper "head" of this muscle more than the lower and vice versa"
Francis, P., Applied anatomy and kinesiology, supplemental materials. KB Books., p 19,1999.
2. Rasch, P.J., Kinesiology and applied anatomy. 7th ed. Lea and Febiger, p 123, 1989.
kimchee411
New member
skacorica said:
skacorica said:
Seems a little contradictory to me. I can see your second point, and that's what I was led to believe before. Muscle cells have gap junctions that propagate action potentials throughout the entire muscle, no?
But how does the way muscle fibers run determine how they grow? Isn't the way out fibers run, i.e. the shape of our muscles, determined by genetics?
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H
HERPECIN
Guest
i do not recommend taking kim chee's advice
kimchee411
New member
HERPECIN said:
Hey excellent point you have there, God of Bodybuilding. I'm sold.
If you're going to make a recommendation at least give a reason for it.
I didn't even give any advice; I'm just searching for answers.
karachi183
New member
DieselGunz said:
^what he said!
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