chest expansion excercises?

[sfreak49]

i've come across some of these excercises and am very interested. i'm at a perfect age to try them, (18), and was wondering, has anyone else tried them? did you see any results? are there any possible adverse side effects or reason i wouldn't want to do these excercises to expand my chest? all feedback would be appreciated. thanks

 

[big4life]

What sort of exercises are you looking at doing?

I know people that swear by bb and db pullovers to expand the chest, and others who say they don't. As long as you use good form I don't see how they will cause harm.

 

[sfreak49]

i was just looking at the db and bb pullovers laying down on a bench. was yeah, figured they couldn't hurt but was wondering if anyone has actually seen results from these excercises.

 

[chewyxrage]

what you talkin bout willis

 

[Lord_Suston]

I don't know how much truth there is to stretching for growth cause bone remoldeling can only happen so fast, but it does stretch the tranverse muscle and internal fascia that may be limiting chest expansion during inhalation

 

[bignate73]

basically, dont waste your time.

make the muscle on the outside bigger.

 

[sfreak49]

thanks for all the comments, but i think its pretty controversial. but it can't hurt, so i'll be doing them . i'll update everyone in a few months.

 

[bignate73]

its not controversial at all. do a search, i believe there were some studies posted.

 

[bignate73]

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=141261&highlight=dbell+pullovers

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=98092&highlight=ribcage

http://boards.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=22971&highlight=ribcage

to name a few discussions we had previously on here.

some others:

http://www.anabolex.com/forums/showthread/t-8188.html

 

[sfreak49]

ok bignate. lets say i agree with you but i'm still going to do them. my next question is, is there any possibility they can "hurt" or "injure" me? i'm not using a ridiculously heavy weight. i'm just using 20 lbs, breathing in deeply, and trying to feel the "stretch". i know that with every physical excersion there comes the possibility of injury, but if i do this excercise with such a small weight, is there any possibility of permanent injury that might result from this (even if the excercises don't work and "expand my chest"?) on the other hand, for the sake of arguement, lets say they do work. can any permanent injury result from "expanding the chest"? or would all the effects be positive?

 

[Lord_Suston]

there is always a chance of injury, but perfect form and realizing limits at first can make you avoid them

 

[bignate73]

ok bignate. lets say i agree with you but i'm still going to do them. my next question is, is there any possibility they can "hurt" or "injure" me? i'm not using a ridiculously heavy weight. i'm just using 20 lbs, breathing in deeply, and trying to feel the "stretch". i know that with every physical excersion there comes the possibility of injury, but if i do this excercise with such a small weight, is there any possibility of permanent injury that might result from this (even if the excercises don't work and "expand my chest"?) on the other hand, for the sake of arguement, lets say they do work. can any permanent injury result from "expanding the chest"? or would all the effects be positive?

no not at all! its still a great exercise and you can get some "expansion" effect from your serratus, lats etc growing(building up the outside of the torso, bodybuilding is all about illusion remember?). its phenomenal for the serratus, good for the coracobrachialis (helps the rotator cuff) and the lats too.

please dont think that im against the exercise, just the theory of skeletal manipulation.

i have read some things on the net on chest "expansion". what it generally entails is stretching not only the rib cage (intercostals etc) but also the superficial muscles of the upper back and chest, to allow for a larger breath (inspiration). usually done on patients with bad cases of scoliosis. it allowed them to breathe more normally, taking in a more realistic amount of air. as for that carrying over to bodybuilding purposes, could be, but they were working exclusively for just breathing right, with many different modes of therapy. (not just pullovers)

 

[sfreak49]

allright, thanks bignate. i hit everyone who gave helpful advice up with karma.