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Yea I would do some T-bar rows, and shrugs. Also when benching put blocks 4X4 or 2X4’s on your chest come down to the block then up when comfortable change to a shorter block when comfortable add weight or go to chest. You will gain strength quick.
I'm not expert at lifting by any means, but I will say this. I did powerlifting for quite awhile before going back to school-keep your main goal in mind, in powerlifting your trying to post the biggest number…..so numbers are important. If you trying to look “sexy”…….the total weight isn't the biggest factor. I have monkey arms, I can literally almost touch my knee caps standing straight up, so naterually my bench sucks. I ignore flat bench because I didn't get the results I wanted to look sexy, being an endomorph body type I do a SHITLOAD of shoulder and front delt work……power press, clean and jerk, clean and press….old school front sqauts, incline DB and BB press. and I destroy my back every chance I get. the total weight you can push is only relitive to one person….you, we are all built different. I know people smaller that can make me look like a total whimp at flat bunch……but my chest is still way bigger because I have learned to activate those muscle differently. Listen to these guys and find a different route, your trying to attack your problem head on and its kicking your ass, get creative, find a knew path and sneak up on the M*THER F*CKIN WALL AND KNOCK IT DOWN!
Anyway - I was thinking about modifying my 5x5 a little bit (as I am writing below 5x5, I mean the 5x5 system, so mon is 5x5 wed is 4x5 etc)Mon:1.Squat 5x52.Incline BB or normal bench press 5x53.Pendlay's row 5x54.Decline bench - Not really sure how many reps / sets here5.Heavy flies - as above6.BicepWed:(I'd like to also work on my shoulders)1.Squat 5x52. Push press or military press ? 5x53. Deadlift 5x54. Side lateral Not really sure how many reps / sets here5. Bent over lateral Not really sure how many reps / sets here(or if you want you can suggets your version of my shoulders trainig)Fri:1. Squat 5x52.Incline BB or normal bench press 5x53.Pendlay's row 5x54.TricepWhat do you think?
1. Toss out the bent and side laterals and replace them with either chins or pull-ups (I can't really give you a guideline unless I know how many you can do at the moment)2. Get rid of the decline bench and flies and replace them with upper back work (face pulls, chest-supported rows, chins, pull-ups, YTIs, reverse flys, any other rowing movement you can think of)3. Do all the smaller movements for your upper back for very high reps (20+ or to failure)....i.e. face pulls, band pull-aparts4. Start putting either sets of band pull-aparts or face pulls in between every set of bench (do sets of ten and try to accumulate 100 reps over the course of the workout)5. Try moving your girp a bit wider so your pinky is on or just outside the rings
You know the problem - my chest SUCKS.Both strenght and sexiness. I'm carrying 200lbs x 5 (my BW :// ) reps and that's it. Can't get past it :/Tried shockwave - honestly, took me nowhere. I'm trying Bill Starr's 5x5 and nothing.Anyone had same problem and got it on the right track?Thanks!
Up your volume, i would bench every day, making sure to practice perfect form, hit doubles make sure to warm up. lift heavy 2 time a week. if you want a program i got a couple lying around here somewhere. Shoot me a message if you want one.
You know the problem - my chest SUCKS.Both strenght and sexiness. I'm carrying 200lbs x 5 (my BW :// ) reps and that's it. Can't get past it :/Tried shockwave - honestly, took me nowhere. I'm trying Bill Starr's 5x5 and nothing.Anyone had same problem and got it on the right track?Thanks!
Up your volume, i would bench every day, making sure to practice perfect form, hit doubles make sure to warm up. lift heavy 2 time a week. if you want a program i got a couple lying around here somewhere. Shoot me a message if you want one.
Dont know about this one. I would up Volume OR Frequency but not both. Frequency is going to be more important IMO if you need to learn to recruit the chest more in pressing exercises. I certainly wouldnt go super heavy and low rep too often either. From what you are saying its not a programing problem. Its that you are essentially not using the chest at all in these exercises. Maybe try pre-fatiguing the chest before a press and/or throw some 1 & 1/2 rep high rep sets in there.
You know the problem - my chest SUCKS.Both strenght and sexiness. I'm carrying 200lbs x 5 (my BW :// ) reps and that's it. Can't get past it :/Tried shockwave - honestly, took me nowhere. I'm trying Bill Starr's 5x5 and nothing.Anyone had same problem and got it on the right track?Thanks!
Up your volume, i would bench every day, making sure to practice perfect form, hit doubles make sure to warm up. lift heavy 2 time a week. if you want a program i got a couple lying around here somewhere. Shoot me a message if you want one.
Dont know about this one. I would up Volume OR Frequency but not both. Frequency is going to be more important IMO if you need to learn to recruit the chest more in pressing exercises. I certainly wouldnt go super heavy and low rep too often either. From what you are saying its not a programing problem. Its that you are essentially not using the chest at all in these exercises. Maybe try pre-fatiguing the chest before a press and/or throw some 1 & 1/2 rep high rep sets in there.
+1You NEED to feel the muscle working / contracting. You cannot just go through the motions. Doing something incorrectly, more often, isn't going to give better results... in fact, it may lead to real problems, like injury.Pre-exhaust is an awesome technique. Perhaps start with machine or cable flyes (w/ cables, target the part of the chest you think is weakest)... and then move into benching, etc. Pre-exhaust tends to help people "feel" a muscle working that they otherwise do not know how to. In the case of chest, it will also ensure you chest "fails" before your triceps / front delts -- to really ensure your chest gets the lionshare of the efforts.Cory
You know the problem - my chest SUCKS.Both strenght and sexiness. I'm carrying 200lbs x 5 (my BW :// ) reps and that's it. Can't get past it :/Tried shockwave - honestly, took me nowhere. I'm trying Bill Starr's 5x5 and nothing.Anyone had same problem and got it on the right track?Thanks!
Thats a bodybuilder answer. OP said he wanted to lift more weight. let me ask you when your under the bar with something heavy do you stop and think wait do i feel my chest contracting? If you have then your a damn ninja. Just saying. Heavy to me means above 85%, and the duobles are for speed work.OP have you watched So you think you can bench by Dave Tate. Very valuable info there, for raw or geared.Up your volume, i would bench every day, making sure to practice perfect form, hit doubles make sure to warm up. lift heavy 2 time a week. if you want a program i got a couple lying around here somewhere. Shoot me a message if you want one.
Dont know about this one. I would up Volume OR Frequency but not both. Frequency is going to be more important IMO if you need to learn to recruit the chest more in pressing exercises. I certainly wouldnt go super heavy and low rep too often either. From what you are saying its not a programing problem. Its that you are essentially not using the chest at all in these exercises. Maybe try pre-fatiguing the chest before a press and/or throw some 1 & 1/2 rep high rep sets in there.
+1You NEED to feel the muscle working / contracting. You cannot just go through the motions. Doing something incorrectly, more often, isn't going to give better results... in fact, it may lead to real problems, like injury.Pre-exhaust is an awesome technique. Perhaps start with machine or cable flyes (w/ cables, target the part of the chest you think is weakest)... and then move into benching, etc. Pre-exhaust tends to help people "feel" a muscle working that they otherwise do not know how to. In the case of chest, it will also ensure you chest "fails" before your triceps / front delts -- to really ensure your chest gets the lionshare of the efforts.Cory
If you want more mass on your chest then you've to feel your chest contracting more and faster/stronger which means that you might have to lower the weight that you are currently using.You shouldn't skip heavy pushing at all but sometimes it could happen that your shoulders work stronger than your chest when you don't really want that much shoulder work.
Have you tried the hex press? Here's a video of John Meadows demonstrating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL7Tb4ofKUII tried it for the first time yesterday, and really felt my chest working. I experimented doing it on an incline too, but it was awkward because keeping the dumbbells pressed together meant my face got in the way at the bottom. ::)Wide grip dips have been working for me too. I only learned about them less than a year ago, and it's the first time I've actually seen a noticeable difference in my chest development.Between those two lifts, I think I might have lower and middle covered. Still looking for something that works for my upper chest though.
Have you tried the hex press? Here's a video of John Meadows demonstrating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL7Tb4ofKUII tried it for the first time yesterday, and really felt my chest working. I experimented doing it on an incline too, but it was awkward because keeping the dumbbells pressed together meant my face got in the way at the bottom. ::)Wide grip dips have been working for me too. I only learned about them less than a year ago, and it's the first time I've actually seen a noticeable difference in my chest development.Between those two lifts, I think I might have lower and middle covered. Still looking for something that works for my upper chest though.
+1 on the wide-grip dips. They will rip your lower pecs to shreds!Arnold swore by these in the mid-70s.Cory
I've never, in my entire career at gym, felt chest working while doing dips. Tried to go elbows-to-side type of diping but it just wasn't working. On the other hand, my tricep works great on this exercise.
Heres my advice to help you. You could bench normal and then do 50-60% of your 1MR 5 sets of 10 reps. Then you could do 4 sets of 2 supersets after that. For example Machine Flyes supersetted with lat pulldowns, weighted pushups supersetted with Croc Rows. Thats what I do and I made lots of progress. Do them fast too only take 30 seconds to 1 minute rests in between sets. This not only smokes the shit out of you but gets you out of the gym quicker. I usually take about 45-50 minutes to complete my workout. Usually 30 minutes dedicated to my main lift and then 15 minutes of supersets. Thats just my 2 cents.
I've never, in my entire career at gym, felt chest working while doing dips. Tried to go elbows-to-side type of diping but it just wasn't working. On the other hand, my tricep works great on this exercise.
Try em with a chain, or something else heavy hanging off your neck. Puts your balance a bit forward and, for me, makes it easier to activate the pecs.
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