chest just wont grow

[Yarg!]

i did alot of dips/pushups in my off days after my chest work out which helped, FYI.

 

[bicepts101]

good thread in wish i heard of this shit when i first started out

 

[musclemuscle]

Cut it down for one thing. Unless you have good genes, which it doesn't sound like, cut it down to once a week. That way they have more time to relax and get big....

Also, try doing some dumbells. They will allow you to target a little more...

test post...my threads aren't postin

 

[lonewolfshome]

ive lifted on and off through high school but nothing really serious, nothing to make me build and real good muscle. about 8 months ago ive been lifting pretty hard, and i just cant get my chest to grow. ive asked people befor and they always say the same thing " get your arms stronger' , but my arms are pretty good now and still no gain. about a month ago a realized that i had a arch in my back with i lifted so i stoped that, but still nothing.

are work out my chest about 2-3 times a week doing regular bench, the peck deck, and the machines. when i lift i dont really feel a burn in my chest at all. i got some muscle there but not much. any thoughts? if i got on deca would that help me out?

keep back on bench as much as you can. work your chest once a week. ( get all your body stronger ) flat bench works front shoulders - tris then chest ( info form other forums ) the best overall chest exercise is the weighted l f dips , then if you cant do those go for the db decline bench ( set at 10% decline only ) stimulates 95 % of chest , ( both for lower chest ) ( 4 sets ) then 3 sets of inclines ( between 10% - 30 % only incline )you should stick to compound exercises , they are the best......dont forget to try to eat 5-6 meals a day ( not big meals ). and heres one i found online - instead of flys........pec deck fly push-press
Learned this one from dante....and wow, i guess the pec deck actually has a good use afterall

-get pec deck w/ handles w/ pads on it (not those cylindrical ones, need to be pads)

-take a normal position (i.e., bring handles together, hands near top)

-now slide your hands down until they're practically at the bottom of the pad. rotate hands so fingers point forward (traditionally, if you did a pec deck, hands would be at top of pad and fingers pointing upwards, now they're at the bottom of the pad and fingers pointing forward, not upwards)

-arch back, push chest out

-go through the motion...turns the pec deck into a 'power' movement.

very good for a change of pace. to give you an idea, i started off using ~150pds on the movement to get familiar with it, now using 500*10

 

[InTraining]

^ That's a great exercise. To the original poster if you are having some problems feeling your chest working the above exercise is good to establish a mind-muscle connection, which you can transfer to the more popular pressing movements.

Some things that should help you develop the chest:

-Prioritize inclines: Use both the BB and DBs a well developed upper chest will give the illusion of an overall larger chest

-Use a limited ROM on your pressing movements: Try to find the perfect ROM where only your chest(and delts to some extent) will be doing the work. A lot of people tend to use the triceps to compensate for a weak chest in pressing movements.

-Stick to the big compound pressing exercises: Forget about flies for now and try to get your weights up in incline BB, DB, flat DB, and dips (you could use flat BB too, personally not a big fan and don't think it works the chest very well)

 

[JIMguy]

ok 1st of all are your saying you do not arch your back when you do bench?
you need to arch this is important. with out the arch you are using mostly shoulders.. your but and traps should be the only thing touching the bench.
so yes arch .. you have too.

By far one of the dumbest posts I have ever read.. I'm sure you have excellent form

 

[Guinness5.0]

By far one of the dumbest posts I have ever read.. I'm sure you have excellent form

You're clueless bro. What he said is dead on.

 

[lonewolfshome]

You're clueless bro. What he said is dead on.

bench press--Technique
1. Lie on a flat bench with eyes directly under the bar.
2. Keep feet flat on the floor with hands spaced evenly, slightly wider than shoulder width.
3. Lift bar off the rack and slowly lower the bar to the highest point on the chest.
4. Drive the bar upwards and back over the eyes to arms length while exhaling.


CAUTIONS!!
•During the motion, do not arch your neck or back because you could injure your spinal disks.
•Never bounce the weight of your chest because this could injure the ribs, sternum or internal organs.
•Never exercise without a competent spotter.
Barbell Bench Press
Not too much to say here, I'm sure most everyone has done them! Here's some common mistakes I still see in the gym (and can't believe I do see some of them), and some tips:
Don't bounce the weight off your chest! I can't fathom what people are thinking when they do this, it just blows my mind! You risk some major injury, and aren't even putting your muscles under continuous stress. Sure you could maybe 'lift' more, though I hardly call it lifting.
Your elbows should, at the bottom of the motion, be at a 45 degree angle to your body to take some stress off your shoulders.
Use a wider grip to avoid involving the triceps. At the bottom of the motion your elbows should be at a 90 degree angle.
Don't arch your back, or lift your ass off the bench.
Lower the bar to near the bottom of your chest. The easiest way to accomplish this is to concentrate on your forearms always pointing straight up.
Don't lockout your elbows at the top of the movement.
and this littlt bit from another source...............And, my last suggestion regarding technique concerns arching the back-don't do it. True, it will almost always improve your bench-press poundage, but the advantage is entirely artificial. When you arch your back, you reduce the distance between your chest and the bar. Doing it will not accelerate muscle growth or increase strength. .............i gathered all the info from internet- google search.....

 

[Wills]

...And, my last suggestion regarding technique concerns arching the back-don't do it. True, it will almost always improve your bench-press poundage, but the advantage is entirely artificial. When you arch your back, you reduce the distance between your chest and the bar. Doing it will not accelerate muscle growth or increase strength. .............i gathered all the info from internet- google search.....

I don't really want to wade into this, but I should point out that there are a lot of people on this board who will disagree with this statement, myself included. Since I started introducing a controlled arch into my bench press I have improved chest strength and size, and I feel MUCH more in control of the weight. This has been coupled with moving to a more PL style action where I bring the bar down to the bottom of the sternum and pull the elbows in more.

I thought initially that this would sacrifice chest development by putting less emphasis on the Pec major, but clearly I was wrong. Being able to push more weight (under control) is much better for my chest, even if it isn't doing the same relative amount of work.

Mark

 

[Guinness5.0]

I don't mean being able to drive a truck under the space between your back and the bench, I mean maintaining curvature of the spine througout the lift. If you truly maintain this curvature, the mid traps and hips will be just about the only areas touching the bench.