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Good Chest Workout...
- Thread starter RippedRule
- Start date
RippedRule
New member
chazk -
Thanks for the good advice...i think i'm going to give your workout a shot...at times dumbell incline will give me a pain in my inner shoulder so I may change that last set of flies. I'll let ya know how it works. Thanks again..
Thanks for the good advice...i think i'm going to give your workout a shot...at times dumbell incline will give me a pain in my inner shoulder so I may change that last set of flies. I'll let ya know how it works. Thanks again..
It took 10 years but I found what I feel is the most complete workout for my chest.
1) I start off with Barbell Inclines. I put a boatload of weight on it, use it to really get the blood going. I'll usually do 3 sets of 6-8 reps after I warm up. By the time that's done, I have a lot of blood in there and feel pumped. But the key is starting off heavy.
2) Dumbell Flat Presses. Again I'll go heavy, but I'll aim for 10 reps this time around. 3 to 4 sets.
3) Incline Dumbell Presses. I'll adjust the bench to a little different angle than the barbell presses. Works the fibers a little differently. But at this point you've really taxed the fibers with heavy weight. The key to getting the muscles bigger after you've built your strength and gotten the pump that day is reps to get more blood in there. I'll drop down to 70 or 75lb bells and do 3 sets of 15 reps with short 30 second breaks.
4) Cable cross overs. 2-3 sets of a decent weight and do 12-15 reps.
I think the key to chest is go extremely heavy early with the incline. Nothing is going to rip up the fibers in your chest and make them bigger than the incline. Continue that with the flat bench. Then pump the blood in there for 10 minutes with high reps.
Chest has so many fibers and the fan shape, that you really have to give it 12-15 sets to hit everything as hard as it needs to be hit.
1) I start off with Barbell Inclines. I put a boatload of weight on it, use it to really get the blood going. I'll usually do 3 sets of 6-8 reps after I warm up. By the time that's done, I have a lot of blood in there and feel pumped. But the key is starting off heavy.
2) Dumbell Flat Presses. Again I'll go heavy, but I'll aim for 10 reps this time around. 3 to 4 sets.
3) Incline Dumbell Presses. I'll adjust the bench to a little different angle than the barbell presses. Works the fibers a little differently. But at this point you've really taxed the fibers with heavy weight. The key to getting the muscles bigger after you've built your strength and gotten the pump that day is reps to get more blood in there. I'll drop down to 70 or 75lb bells and do 3 sets of 15 reps with short 30 second breaks.
4) Cable cross overs. 2-3 sets of a decent weight and do 12-15 reps.
I think the key to chest is go extremely heavy early with the incline. Nothing is going to rip up the fibers in your chest and make them bigger than the incline. Continue that with the flat bench. Then pump the blood in there for 10 minutes with high reps.
Chest has so many fibers and the fan shape, that you really have to give it 12-15 sets to hit everything as hard as it needs to be hit.
Pat_McCrotch
New member
RippedRule said:
Try to do flyes before the presses. This will exhaust the chest then when doing presses your chest will get a better pump. IMO and experience. I have the best chest work outs when i do this then do 4 sets of drop sets. I start out with a plate then a 4 ten pounds on each side. I do a set to four get up take a ten off of each side then do another 4-6, then take off a ten and repeat. no rest between removing tens. My chest feels huge after this.
errn247 said:
I disagree. I think that if you do your isolation exercises before your compound lifts you are only ripping yourself off. I mean that since your chest is already tired, you limit the potential of it's work, and the triceps begin to compensate for the lack of strength you have leftover in your pecs.
Jimbo15
Banned
Pikaberdot said:
i agree, flys should come after presses. i used to do bench pyramids and flys, they got me fairly big in HS. now i use dumbells and switch up different angles and grips every other workout. i avoid flys and machines most of the time. flys are nice, but with my shoulder problems it stretches the front too much and risks re-injury for me.
Swat the damned flies and integrate some real techniques to help your chest grow:
The Metal Militia Training Style
By: Sebastian Burns
There have been many questions and some misinformation about our style of training. I will set the record straight about the way we train and why. This method has led many lifters to new PRs never thought possible. There have been many times where lifters will set 30 to 50lb PRs in their first workout with us and almost always these lifters will take some info home with them and continue to set PRs week after week. We have invited and traveled to train with hundreds of lifters over the years and 99% of them will hit a PR in their first workout with us. Obviously I will not be able to provide hands on attention with this article but I will lay out our workout plan.
We train the bench 2 days per week one day is for low-end raw strength and the other is for top end and shirt practice. Our workouts fall on Tuesday and Saturday.
Tuesday is for Raw and Saturday is assistance and shirt day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday
Raw bench: Grip (Index Finger On Ring)
We work our way up to a 3 Rep Max (3RM). If we get all 3 reps we will go up 10lbs and try another 3 reps. If we don't get 3 we may stop there or go down for a 5 RM Next week we will attempt the 3RM again and go up 10 lbs etc.Total sets = 5 to 8.
Decline: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
For decline we work up to a 5RM with all sets done for 5 reps.Total sets = 5
The more you arch on the bench press the more valuable the decline will be.
4,3,2,1 Boards: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
We usually work up to a 3RM on the 4 board then we may go for 1RM on the next boards depending on energy levels and soreness from the previous workout.Total sets range from 8 to as many as 15.
Total sets on this day range from 15 to 30.
Other exercises that can be done on this day:
Incline: 4 Sets 5 to 1 Reps.
Rope Extensions: 2 Sets 20 to 40 Reps.
Pulldowns: 4 Sets 10 Reps.
Shrugs: 4 Sets 10 Reps.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday
Close Grip Bench: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
This exercise is used as a warm up and we use the same progression as raw bench for the sets except we don't go back down for a 5RM.
Shirt Bench: Grip (Index Finger On Ring)
We will put our shirt on here if the meet is within 4 weeks or so. If the meet is farther away we will do our shirt work at the end before Rack work. Everyone usually starts off with their shirt where they left off with the close grip bench. Starting with 3 to 5 reps in the first few sets to get into a grove of the shirt. Then onto a few doubles then some singles. If the singles don't go well or if there is problems touching or with your groove then we will go right back to the beginning and work all the way back up again trying harder to get everything right. Sets here could range from 5 to 10 to even 20 or more depending on how everything goes. If you don't get it right you must work back through until you get it right.
6,5,4, Boards: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
We will usually try to max on all of these boards and sometimes work through the same board twice if the groove does not feel right or we miss our goal weight on a certain board. Again sets could be very high if things don't go right or if more work is needed in a certain area. The 4 board is optional on this day depending if you did it on Tuesday or not.
Rack Lockouts: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
We work our way up to a 3RM using 3 reps for all sets. These are done at the end of the workout when you are tired and want to go home but if you stay and do them you will have great finishing power needed to lockout heavy weight. Total sets range from 6 to 10.
Other exercises that can be done on this day:
Tricep Pushdowns: 3 Sets 10 Reps.
Rope Extensions: 2 Sets 20 to 40 reps.
Pulldowns: 4 Sets 10 Reps.
Shrugs: 4 Sets 10 Reps.
As you can see there is much more volume done on sat then on Tuesday and nothing is set in stone. The workouts are dictated by the way we feel and where we feel we need the most work to produce improvement.
http://www.metalmilitia.net/articles.htm
The Metal Militia Training Style
By: Sebastian Burns
There have been many questions and some misinformation about our style of training. I will set the record straight about the way we train and why. This method has led many lifters to new PRs never thought possible. There have been many times where lifters will set 30 to 50lb PRs in their first workout with us and almost always these lifters will take some info home with them and continue to set PRs week after week. We have invited and traveled to train with hundreds of lifters over the years and 99% of them will hit a PR in their first workout with us. Obviously I will not be able to provide hands on attention with this article but I will lay out our workout plan.
We train the bench 2 days per week one day is for low-end raw strength and the other is for top end and shirt practice. Our workouts fall on Tuesday and Saturday.
Tuesday is for Raw and Saturday is assistance and shirt day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday
Raw bench: Grip (Index Finger On Ring)
We work our way up to a 3 Rep Max (3RM). If we get all 3 reps we will go up 10lbs and try another 3 reps. If we don't get 3 we may stop there or go down for a 5 RM Next week we will attempt the 3RM again and go up 10 lbs etc.Total sets = 5 to 8.
Decline: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
For decline we work up to a 5RM with all sets done for 5 reps.Total sets = 5
The more you arch on the bench press the more valuable the decline will be.
4,3,2,1 Boards: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
We usually work up to a 3RM on the 4 board then we may go for 1RM on the next boards depending on energy levels and soreness from the previous workout.Total sets range from 8 to as many as 15.
Total sets on this day range from 15 to 30.
Other exercises that can be done on this day:
Incline: 4 Sets 5 to 1 Reps.
Rope Extensions: 2 Sets 20 to 40 Reps.
Pulldowns: 4 Sets 10 Reps.
Shrugs: 4 Sets 10 Reps.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday
Close Grip Bench: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
This exercise is used as a warm up and we use the same progression as raw bench for the sets except we don't go back down for a 5RM.
Shirt Bench: Grip (Index Finger On Ring)
We will put our shirt on here if the meet is within 4 weeks or so. If the meet is farther away we will do our shirt work at the end before Rack work. Everyone usually starts off with their shirt where they left off with the close grip bench. Starting with 3 to 5 reps in the first few sets to get into a grove of the shirt. Then onto a few doubles then some singles. If the singles don't go well or if there is problems touching or with your groove then we will go right back to the beginning and work all the way back up again trying harder to get everything right. Sets here could range from 5 to 10 to even 20 or more depending on how everything goes. If you don't get it right you must work back through until you get it right.
6,5,4, Boards: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
We will usually try to max on all of these boards and sometimes work through the same board twice if the groove does not feel right or we miss our goal weight on a certain board. Again sets could be very high if things don't go right or if more work is needed in a certain area. The 4 board is optional on this day depending if you did it on Tuesday or not.
Rack Lockouts: Grip (Pinky Finger On Ring)
We work our way up to a 3RM using 3 reps for all sets. These are done at the end of the workout when you are tired and want to go home but if you stay and do them you will have great finishing power needed to lockout heavy weight. Total sets range from 6 to 10.
Other exercises that can be done on this day:
Tricep Pushdowns: 3 Sets 10 Reps.
Rope Extensions: 2 Sets 20 to 40 reps.
Pulldowns: 4 Sets 10 Reps.
Shrugs: 4 Sets 10 Reps.
As you can see there is much more volume done on sat then on Tuesday and nothing is set in stone. The workouts are dictated by the way we feel and where we feel we need the most work to produce improvement.
http://www.metalmilitia.net/articles.htm
The following will help you with your bench form:
Setting up for Competition Bench Pressing
By: Sebastian Burns
When most people set up for the bench they usually don't think that what they are doing is the most important part of the lift. They are focused on the weight and maybe the excitement of the meet or training session. What they don't know is that the game is won or lost in the setup. I don't think that many local gym rats even think about it at all. Judging by most of what I have seen working in the gym business for 15 odd years most people just lay down and push the bar up in whatever way possible. This is fine if you are a flat back benchin gym rat, but when you are looking to do some damage to the state, national, or world record books you will need to pay more attention to your setup. I have personally seen lifters add 50 to 100lbs to their bench in one or two training sessions just by improving their setup. That's right, 50 to 100lbs!! Most lifters would say only a bench shirt could cause an increase like that. Well I will try to convey in writing the proper way to set up your bench press so you to can enjoy an increase like that.
Lets start with feet position your feet should be spread wide. A good rule of thumb here is to always spread your feet a little wider than you think they should be. If you keep that in your head over time you will be able to get them pretty wide if you are not flexible enough to do so in the beginning .Now lets look at foot placement. The way we will do this is to look at the foot in relation to the knee. The feet should be tucked behind your knee more towards your head and the angle of your leg from a side view should look like this (<). There is a few reasons for this foot placement the first being the ability to drive hard from your legs without your ass coming up off the bench. The second is stability. The wide stance will provide the base needed to steer heavy weight with a bench shirt on. The actual way you place your feet is also important. We have found that it is best to put the full force of your push onto the balls of your feet but at the same time pressing the heel to the floor. Pushing the heel to the floor can be used as a fine adjustment knob for getting weight to touch your chest with your shirt on. When you push your heel down this will cause your stomach to rise and will allow the bar to touch.
Now lets move beyond the feet to the hip joint. It is here that we create the angle of the upper leg (<) we are looking for to get the feet in the proper position. This is accomplished by flexing your gluteus as much as possible and rotating your crotch towards the bench (Balls to the bench if you will). If you follow all the steps up till here we have solved the problems of getting max stability with max leg drive without raising your ass off the bench. For most lifters this would seem impossible but with some time and a lot of effort you will get the position right. If your ass is still coming off the bench then your feet will have to go wider or farther back or both.
Next is the lower back, obviously this will determine most of your arch and you will need to really push yourself to get your arch up if you are not flexible enough to do so already. I cannot say enough how important it is that you try really hard to get better at arching it is almost the biggest piece of the shirt bench puzzle. There is a few ways I have seen over the years to try to help you arch, everything from placing various balls and boards under your back to crazy stretching exercises. My opinion here is that if you think it works then try it. I personally have never used anything except trying to arch higher and higher every single set and I have been told that my arch is one of the best save for a few girls who can just bend in half.
Now lets move to arching the upper back. Most people think that only the lower back arches but this is not so and this is very important if you want to get the most out of your shirt, this is accomplished by putting your upper trap on the bench and pushing your chest out as far as possible. To see what I am saying sit up straight in a chair and place your finger on the highest point on your trap you will see that this is not behind you but rather on top. This is what you are trying to get on the bench.
Now that we have made it this far lets talk about the final piece and perhaps the most important. Shoulder blade retraction the best way to explain this is to stand straight up and put your arms up like you are about to bench. Now have someone put his or her finger in the middle of your upper back on your spine. Pull your shoulders together and try to squeeze that persons finger notice your bench stroke will shorten a few inches from doing this. This will also aid in touching weight with a tight shirt on. The reason for it in the setup will be to hold your shirt in place while you are arching.
Now that we have broken down each area of the proper setup lets put it all together into one motion because it must become one fluid motion that does not require lots of valuable energy needed for the lift.
Start by sitting on the end of the bench retracting your shoulder blades keeping your shirt where you have placed it for the lift. Lying back on the bench and grabbing the bar with an underhand grip, next move your head and upper body thru the bench towards your handoff spotter while holding yourself up with your underhand grip. Shoulders still retracted, pull your feet back farther than where you would normally place them, almost where they are touching the cross member of the bench. Keep them there and start moving your body back toward the front of the bench without moving your feet. Once you feel a great stretch in your hipflexors. Anchor your hips to the bench and start rotating your crotch downward toward the bench. Your feet still remain in the extremely flexed position at this time. Shoulders still together chest and stomach pushed up real high, this is where you must focus on the upper back arch. You can also use your head to hold your upper back off the bench while you are trying to get the upper trap on the bench. When you feel you have enough of an arch to put your traps down, slam them down hard and dig in. All the time be aware of your shirt and arm position. Keep pushing your ass and your traps closer together using your feet at one end and pushing into the arch with your hands on the bar with the other. The whole time you are doing this you will need to be aware of your bench shirt and the position of your arms, I cannot stress this enough. Now that you are in position slide your feet forward (not too far) until you can get a solid base on the balls of your feet now push your heels to the floor. If you can do so easily you went too far. It should be hard to get them to touch the floor .Now without moving your shirt turn your hands around push together a little more take a deep breath and take the weight.
I hope you will incorporate some or all of these things into your bench setup.
Setting up for Competition Bench Pressing
By: Sebastian Burns
When most people set up for the bench they usually don't think that what they are doing is the most important part of the lift. They are focused on the weight and maybe the excitement of the meet or training session. What they don't know is that the game is won or lost in the setup. I don't think that many local gym rats even think about it at all. Judging by most of what I have seen working in the gym business for 15 odd years most people just lay down and push the bar up in whatever way possible. This is fine if you are a flat back benchin gym rat, but when you are looking to do some damage to the state, national, or world record books you will need to pay more attention to your setup. I have personally seen lifters add 50 to 100lbs to their bench in one or two training sessions just by improving their setup. That's right, 50 to 100lbs!! Most lifters would say only a bench shirt could cause an increase like that. Well I will try to convey in writing the proper way to set up your bench press so you to can enjoy an increase like that.
Lets start with feet position your feet should be spread wide. A good rule of thumb here is to always spread your feet a little wider than you think they should be. If you keep that in your head over time you will be able to get them pretty wide if you are not flexible enough to do so in the beginning .Now lets look at foot placement. The way we will do this is to look at the foot in relation to the knee. The feet should be tucked behind your knee more towards your head and the angle of your leg from a side view should look like this (<). There is a few reasons for this foot placement the first being the ability to drive hard from your legs without your ass coming up off the bench. The second is stability. The wide stance will provide the base needed to steer heavy weight with a bench shirt on. The actual way you place your feet is also important. We have found that it is best to put the full force of your push onto the balls of your feet but at the same time pressing the heel to the floor. Pushing the heel to the floor can be used as a fine adjustment knob for getting weight to touch your chest with your shirt on. When you push your heel down this will cause your stomach to rise and will allow the bar to touch.
Now lets move beyond the feet to the hip joint. It is here that we create the angle of the upper leg (<) we are looking for to get the feet in the proper position. This is accomplished by flexing your gluteus as much as possible and rotating your crotch towards the bench (Balls to the bench if you will). If you follow all the steps up till here we have solved the problems of getting max stability with max leg drive without raising your ass off the bench. For most lifters this would seem impossible but with some time and a lot of effort you will get the position right. If your ass is still coming off the bench then your feet will have to go wider or farther back or both.
Next is the lower back, obviously this will determine most of your arch and you will need to really push yourself to get your arch up if you are not flexible enough to do so already. I cannot say enough how important it is that you try really hard to get better at arching it is almost the biggest piece of the shirt bench puzzle. There is a few ways I have seen over the years to try to help you arch, everything from placing various balls and boards under your back to crazy stretching exercises. My opinion here is that if you think it works then try it. I personally have never used anything except trying to arch higher and higher every single set and I have been told that my arch is one of the best save for a few girls who can just bend in half.
Now lets move to arching the upper back. Most people think that only the lower back arches but this is not so and this is very important if you want to get the most out of your shirt, this is accomplished by putting your upper trap on the bench and pushing your chest out as far as possible. To see what I am saying sit up straight in a chair and place your finger on the highest point on your trap you will see that this is not behind you but rather on top. This is what you are trying to get on the bench.
Now that we have made it this far lets talk about the final piece and perhaps the most important. Shoulder blade retraction the best way to explain this is to stand straight up and put your arms up like you are about to bench. Now have someone put his or her finger in the middle of your upper back on your spine. Pull your shoulders together and try to squeeze that persons finger notice your bench stroke will shorten a few inches from doing this. This will also aid in touching weight with a tight shirt on. The reason for it in the setup will be to hold your shirt in place while you are arching.
Now that we have broken down each area of the proper setup lets put it all together into one motion because it must become one fluid motion that does not require lots of valuable energy needed for the lift.
Start by sitting on the end of the bench retracting your shoulder blades keeping your shirt where you have placed it for the lift. Lying back on the bench and grabbing the bar with an underhand grip, next move your head and upper body thru the bench towards your handoff spotter while holding yourself up with your underhand grip. Shoulders still retracted, pull your feet back farther than where you would normally place them, almost where they are touching the cross member of the bench. Keep them there and start moving your body back toward the front of the bench without moving your feet. Once you feel a great stretch in your hipflexors. Anchor your hips to the bench and start rotating your crotch downward toward the bench. Your feet still remain in the extremely flexed position at this time. Shoulders still together chest and stomach pushed up real high, this is where you must focus on the upper back arch. You can also use your head to hold your upper back off the bench while you are trying to get the upper trap on the bench. When you feel you have enough of an arch to put your traps down, slam them down hard and dig in. All the time be aware of your shirt and arm position. Keep pushing your ass and your traps closer together using your feet at one end and pushing into the arch with your hands on the bar with the other. The whole time you are doing this you will need to be aware of your bench shirt and the position of your arms, I cannot stress this enough. Now that you are in position slide your feet forward (not too far) until you can get a solid base on the balls of your feet now push your heels to the floor. If you can do so easily you went too far. It should be hard to get them to touch the floor .Now without moving your shirt turn your hands around push together a little more take a deep breath and take the weight.
I hope you will incorporate some or all of these things into your bench setup.
