Rippetoe on chest exercises

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I've been reading Mark Rippetoe's latest book, and he points out that if you do flat bench pressing and overhead pressing in your routine, then it is pointless to do the incline bench press. He also said that there is no reason to ever do the decline bench press, as he considers that exercise a waste of time. I don't believe he even talks about dumbbell flyes through the entire book, which pretty much shows just how important they are (not at all). I've read quite a few articles recently that talk about flyes being nothing more tha a single-joint isolation movement that should be eliminated from your routine.

So in the end, assuming that you do overhead presses, then there are only 3 chest exercises worth doing - barbell bench press, dumbbell bench press, and dips. Anything else will be far less effective at building muscle.

 

[chaos13]

i dont' know about that......i don't feel the top part of my chest being hit very well from flat bench or overhead.....i would still include an incline press in my chest workout.

 

[PoweredUp]

i dont' know about that......i don't feel the top part of my chest being hit very well from flat bench or overhead.....i would still include an incline press in my chest workout.

The idea that the incline works the "top" of the chest is actually a fallacy. The chest is one large muscle, and you can not isolate one part of it form another during an exercise.

When you do an incline press, all you are really doing is putting yourself in a position that forces you to drop the amount of weight that you can lift. The incline can be used in place of the overhead press to hit the shoulders (notice in the 5x5 that on Wednesday you have the option between the incline or military), but for the chest the flat bench is the optimal position.

 

[billfred]

I disagree on the flies but I am just an amateur.

One of the chest muscles primary function is to bring the arm across the body which is what the fly is. I believe I get more pump from that than the bench - but hey that is just me.

 

[PoweredUp]

I disagree on the flies but I am just an amateur.

One of the chest muscles primary function is to bring the arm across the body which is what the fly is. I believe I get more pump from that than the bench - but hey that is just me.

Here is what Jeff Willet (2X Team Universe Champion - all natural bodybuilder) says about flyes, and I agree with him completely:

"The first thing you need to ask yourself before choosing an exercise is: Will this provide maximum overload?

Flyes are an isolation movement for the chest because they remove the triceps and shoulders out of the movement. However, isolation reduces overload. Less overload means less muscle fiber stimulation.

Another reason people mistakenly do flyes is to shape the muscle. Let me make this perfectly clear, you cannot change the genetic shape of your muscles. You can make them bigger which may appear to change the shape, but you cannot change the genetically predetermined shape of your muscles.

Flyes are basically a worthless exercise in my book. You expend a lot of energy for a little overload. Flyes are not efficient."

 

[lanny]

HELL YEAH TO THAT!!!

i do OHP's AND barbell banch! but OHP's are H-A-R-D to increase!!!! HELP!! i've got a journal here, tune in!! =)

 

[billfred]

Here is what Jeff Willet (2X Team Universe Champion - all natural bodybuilder) says about flyes, and I agree with him completely:

"The first thing you need to ask yourself before choosing an exercise is: Will this provide maximum overload?

Flyes are an isolation movement for the chest because they remove the triceps and shoulders out of the movement. However, isolation reduces overload. Less overload means less muscle fiber stimulation.

Another reason people mistakenly do flyes is to shape the muscle. Let me make this perfectly clear, you cannot change the genetic shape of your muscles. You can make them bigger which may appear to change the shape, but you cannot change the genetically predetermined shape of your muscles.

Flyes are basically a worthless exercise in my book. You expend a lot of energy for a little overload. Flyes are not efficient."

I am once again going to call BS on this guy. Just becuase you are able to lift more weights in a certain excersise does not mean it is the most important to build that muscle group.

With flat bench, you are using a lot more than just your chest muscles to lift the weight, hence the increase load. Flyes (sic) are more concentrated on just the pectoral major and therefore a perfect exercise for isolating that muscle.

 

[PoweredUp]

I am once again going to call BS on this guy. Just becuase you are able to lift more weights in a certain excersise does not mean it is the most important to build that muscle group.

With flat bench, you are using a lot more than just your chest muscles to lift the weight, hence the increase load. Flyes (sic) are more concentrated on just the pectoral major and therefore a perfect exercise for isolating that muscle.

Since when is isolation a positive? The reason that compound exercises are the bread and butter of any routine is because they work the whole body as a system. Because the flat bench press incorporates so many other muscles is why it is vastly superior to an exercise like the fly.

Dumbbell flyes isolate the chest, and therefore it becomes a far less effective and efficient movement because it does not work the body as a system. Fewer muscles involved means less muscle fiber stimulation, which means less weight can be lifted, which in the end means less muscle growth.

 

[billfred]

Since when is isolation a positive? The reason that compound exercises are the bread and butter of any routine is because they work the whole body as a system. Because the flat bench press incorporates so many other muscles is why it is vastly superior to an exercise like the fly.

Dumbbell flyes isolate the chest, and therefore it becomes a far less effective and efficient movement because it does not work the body as a system. Fewer muscles involved means less muscle fiber stimulation, which means less weight can be lifted, which in the end means less muscle growth.

You are making my argument for me. If you want to work the chest, the fly is a very effective exercise. I did not say you don't use the bench either. Both are a perfect combo. To say you don't do flyes because you can't lift as much is idiotic.

 

[lanny]

then again, u're the amateur..