Developing chest shape/upper chest

[CNovaJason]

Ok, anyone have a super secret routine for blasting upper chest and making it grow? I do incline dumbell/barbell bench, sometimes pullovers, flyes, and pushups......but I cannot seem to round out my chest or give it any kind of shape. Should I try wide wide grips? closer grips? Let me know any info bros, please! I'm begging here.

 

[MsBeverlyHills]

For optimal gains, chest should be trained twice per week. Once on a ME (max effort) day, the other on a DE day (dynamic effort)-

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-westside-barbell.asp

 

[Chi town]

If your focus is on the upper region of your chest, try doing inclines first for a while on chest day. This will make for a weak flat bench, but don't sweat it. And I agree on hitting it 2x a week as w/ any lagging body part for that matter. One day start w/ incline DB's. The other day start w/ incline BB w/ a wide grip. I'm only 5'9" and I've been putting my index finger on the ring. If your goal is upper pec developement (not strength) then go wide on incline BB. Throw in some incline flyes at the end on one day. The other day do some upper cross-overs...pulling the cables up from the bottum. This method has worked pretty well for me. Good luck.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

Actually, optimal growth would occur with a constant load applied against the muscle with the perfect amount of nutrients. Frequency of loading along with progression is really key with training any muscle, so I can't agree with 2x a week being optimal.

It certainly is better than using all that shit you're using though, cnova. Stick with a few basic exercises for the chest. Try incline bench press coupled with dips or flat bench press. Drop the flies. Drop the pushups. Drop the pullovers. They're useless.

As for the shape, you can't change that. Your parents gave your muscles their shape. That's what we call genetics. Do what you can to build your chest thicker - it will fill out how it was intended. You can do little else.

 

[d3track]

eat

 

[Tom Treutlein]

He said chest, not waist.

 

[d3track]

still need to eat
training can be perfect, but if nutrition isnt on, the results wont come
you cant build without building materials

 

[BeasterUSN]

incline, incline, incline... db's too

 

[Madcow2]

Shape can't be changed but you can grow the muscles. Focus on increasing your incline over a training cycle.

 

[n8ive_stylez]

I usually throw in 1 chest excercise a day (sets of 10 Med. weight) when I go to the gym, usually after my original workout. But I vary it up from Flat, Incline, Incline Dumbells, Flys, Inclined Flys and Cables, I've noticed that this has helped the shape of my chest alot in the 6 months that I've been using this routine..

 

[big4life]

Shape can't be changed but you can grow the muscles. Focus on increasing your incline over a training cycle.

Exactlly!!


You can add size but you can't change the shape in the gym.

 

[musketeer]

Actually, optimal growth would occur with a constant load applied against the muscle with the perfect amount of nutrients. Frequency of loading along with progression is really key with training any muscle, so I can't agree with 2x a week being optimal.

It certainly is better than using all that shit you're using though, cnova. Stick with a few basic exercises for the chest. Try incline bench press coupled with dips or flat bench press. Drop the flies. Drop the pushups. Drop the pullovers. They're useless.

As for the shape, you can't change that. Your parents gave your muscles their shape. That's what we call genetics. Do what you can to build your chest thicker - it will fill out how it was intended. You can do little else.

I agree with the first and last comments, exactly what I was thinking, and agree that lots of exercises is not the way forward, however:

Cross-bench dumbell pullover can be a key upper body movment (try lifting a dumbell that weighs half your bodyweight for high reps!)

Now and again, high reps full ROM flyes are a great way to get to feel every fibre in the cheat working, and will buiild a better mind-muscle link.

If your chest workouts are not sufficient to keep you recovering all week, then doing pushups when you feel ready, say 5 sets of 25-30 (on thurs after a mon chest workout for example).

 

[smaller]

For optimal gains, chest should be trained twice per week. Once on a ME (max effort) day, the other on a DE day (dynamic effort)-

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-westside-barbell.asp

I saw some strong gains training this way. It was a good switch from BB training. On the DE days, I alternated between weighted dips and a 30 degree angle incline flye.

 

[WalkingBeast]

No secrets, but alot of incline work would likely help. My upper chest never got too large despite hitting 315x7 on inclines and 375x1. I think my shoulders ended up absorbing most of the work. So I think it also depends on how your body reacts to certain positions and exercises. I always felt alot of soreness and stimulation in my upper chest, but Id expect more size for that strength. Id say work on overall chest size as well and as the pecs fill out the upper should enlarge as well.

 

[Phaded]

i get extreme shoulder pain when i do incline work.. so i need to figure different ways to work the upper region..

 

[steig]

Bench presses to the neck, pushing your elbows out and back towards your head. I usually do them in the smith machine for safety.

 

[roidpuple]

a trick to feeling it more in the upper chest...
when comming down... touch your throat...
on the way up... push your chin into your chest..
when you push your chin into your chest... you will feel it way more in the upper chest.... ...... and yes you can get bigger.. but you cannot change you shape..

 

[Tom Treutlein]

I wouldn't try and touch your throat with the bar when benching. Incline or flat, you're going to strain your rotator cuffs unnecessarily.

 

[roidpuple]

I wouldn't try and touch your throat with the bar when benching. Incline or flat, you're going to strain your rotator cuffs unnecessarily.

i disagree with doing it on flat bench... but incline works great..

 

[Newlobby]

Simple: set your incline bench one click higher then normally for incline DB presses, now do incline DB presses with a slighty lowered weight at first.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

That will just take more stress off the chest and place it upon the anterior deltoids and the triceps. No reason to put it at an even higher incline. You're better off with a 30 degree incline (roughly), or a military press. Not something in between those.

 

[Newlobby]

That will just take more stress off the chest and place it upon the anterior deltoids and the triceps. No reason to put it at an even higher incline. You're better off with a 30 degree incline (roughly), or a military press. Not something in between those.

to each his own tom, I have won enough bb comps to rely on my methods.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

How do you know you couldn't win more?

 

[Mr_MAX]

ya i agree with.. the 30 degree..ers you dont want to go higher that is for sure .. deffinitly dont go higher than 45