I found concentrating on eccentric work really helped me. so you load the bar about 40 percent more weight than you can normally lift 10 times. Then, using a spotter perform only the lowering half of the lift. eg for a bench press, that means slowly lowering the weight to your chest and having your spotter do the concentric phase for you (your spotter pulls the weight up). Like i said I found this to really work well helped increase my strength also.
Switching from high volume to low volume high intensity helped my chest growth a lot. Here's one of my favorites stolen from coach poliquin:
Can be done on flat or incline bench
DB bench press for 6-8 rep max (taken to total failure)
no rest
BB bench press with same weight ( should get a few additional reps)
no rest
Smith machine bench press with same weight (should get a few more reps)
Each exercise requires less and less work from the stabilizers. So even though it is the same weight you can push for a few more reps. I've even experimented with this starting on a swiss ball for even less stabilization but I felt like the compromise in regards to using a much lighter weight on a SB made the whole set less intense than just starting with DB bench. Do it for 3 sets and youll be fried man.
My best results come from alternating incline, flat, and decline after four sessions of each. Barbell bench, dumbbell bench, and dumbbell flys. Really the only way I notice any gains and I've tried a lot of different variations for chest.
Meaning, I do 4 sessions of those three excercises on incline. On the fifth session, I'll switch to flat. After 4 flat sessions, declined. Rinse and repeat
I do this too, confusing the muscles and trying to pump as much blood and damage as many fibers is the goal. I do it in a single workout, and switch it up still.
Switching from high volume to low volume high intensity helped my chest growth a lot. Here's one of my favorites stolen from coach poliquin:
Can be done on flat or incline bench
DB bench press for 6-8 rep max (taken to total failure)
no rest
BB bench press with same weight ( should get a few additional reps)
no rest
Smith machine bench press with same weight (should get a few more reps)
Each exercise requires less and less work from the stabilizers. So even though it is the same weight you can push for a few more reps. I've even experimented with this starting on a swiss ball for even less stabilization but I felt like the compromise in regards to using a much lighter weight on a SB made the whole set less intense than just starting with DB bench. Do it for 3 sets and youll be fried man.
i always stick with decline and incline, and on days i do decline my upper chest is just as sore as when i do incline, i dont do flat bench at all
People might slam me with this one but do ring push-ups as a burn out at the end.... I have had more luck with ring push-ups for total chest development than anything else. The burn you feel through your entire pec is awesome, it is my staple for chest work.
People might slam me with this one but do ring push-ups as a burn out at the end.... I have had more luck with ring push-ups for total chest development than anything else. The burn you feel through your entire pec is awesome, it is my staple for chest work.
That's not a bad idea at all! I use rings a lot as a finisher. The stabilizing muscles are engaged more than any other chest exercise, and even if you are fatigued from the other exercises, you can still manage ~10 reps.
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I am pretty limiited on chest day due to a janky elbow. For flat I am loving power flies. Db mix between bench/fly.
One thing I would add as I think everyone else covered it..
I like doing a DC stretch at the end of a muscle group training. On something like the chest, Make sure your last working set is with dumbells and your very last rep . (Dumbbell Flys) Starting at the top, bring it slowing down to the bottom and holding it at that bottom (try for 50 seconds, but it's more likely you won't get anywhere near that) It puts a mean ass stretch across your pecs.. Try it
I found my the post I was looking for at my board
CHEST:
Flat bench 90 lb dumbbells chest high -- lungs full of air -- I drop down into the deepest fly I can for the first 10 seconds or so with my lungs full of air and chest out -- then staying there I arch my back slightly and try to press my sternum upward -- this is absolutely excruciating -- the rest of the 60 seconds I try to concentrate on dropping my elbows even farther down (I try to but I don't think they are going any lower -- LOL) -- the last 15 seconds I'm pretty much shaking like a leaf, I have tears in my eyes and I think about dropping bodybuilding and becoming a tap dancer on Broadway (ok that parts not true)--My opinion is people should use dumbbells that are a little over half of what your heaviest set of 6-8 reps would be. I can't state this enough -- extreme stretching royally sucks!!! It's painful. But I have seen amazing things with people -- especially in the quads.


