Thread: Isolating muscle groups....a myth?

that is the jist of it...some will tell you can and some you cannot.

been debated/discussed here in several different threads.

you should do a search for things like "upper chest", "incline bench" ,"isolate chest", "upper abs", etc. you will find them.

Originally posted by Prince
that is the jist of it...some will tell you can and some you cannot.

been debated/discussed here in several different threads.

you should do a search for things like "upper chest", "incline bench" ,"isolate chest", "upper abs", etc. you will find them.

well i wanna know then why does everyone say it is necessary to do incline bench in order to get ure pecs stronger? And why does everyone say it is necessary to have incline bench in ure routine...or some kind of incline bench for ure "upper" chest?

Even tho pecs are one muscle and apparently contraction is the same for every excercise, inclines will develop your upper chest, flyes will develop the mid section and flat bench will develop the lower section. It is not possible however to develop just one without developing the other one a little bit as well, but you can target those specific areas more by performing these excercises. It's no secret that people who neglected flyes (me for example), did not develop mid section as much...and so on. Some might say it's genetics or diet, but I doubt it. I don't want to cause another debate here.
Just my 0.2c.

So much for the originality, Premier...
I expected that from Prince.

yes, if you do inclines and nothing else you will get a big "upper" chest, and the rest will not grow.

this has been debated sooooooooo many f@cking times.

personally, i feel you can target a part of the muscle, but many people disagree......

"and that's all i got to say about thaaaaat"-Forrest Gump

how 'bout this. certain variations work better for certain people due to variances in our construction?

Originally posted by nikegurl
how 'bout this. certain variations work better for certain people due to variances in our construction?

Very diplomatic.

diplomatic in that it skirts the issue...we've seen the "battle" before where both sides offer anecdotal and scientific evidence supporting their view (can/can't isolate)

the thing is....no one ever changes their mind.

I apologize for not searching before i asked thois question...but i didnt remember that there were other similar threads....thanks for the input tho!

Never been big on Myths or No for that matter. Never been big on scientific studies. I am a huge fan of try it before you buy it.

Try this:
Do 4 hard sets of incline and then write where the muscle gets sore the next day. rest the chest a week.

Do 4 hard sets of flat bench and then write down where the muscle gets sore. Rest the chest a week.

Do 4 hard sets of decline bench and then write down where the muscle gets sore. Compare the wheres and you will have the answer to the question for self.

This can be done for any exercise and its variations, hand positions and hand angles.

Originally posted by TwoWalks
Never been big on Myths or No for that matter. Never been big on scientific studies. I am a huge fan of try it before you buy it.

Try this:
Do 4 hard sets of incline and then write where the muscle gets sore the next day. rest the chest a week.

Do 4 hard sets of flat bench and then write down where the muscle gets sore. Rest the chest a week.

Do 4 hard sets of decline bench and then write down where the muscle gets sore. Compare the wheres and you will have the answer to the question for self.

This can be done for any exercise and its variations, hand positions and hand angles.

it does not matter if you feel soreness is a specific area of a muscle, muscles grow as a whole, i.e. you may feel more soreness in the lower portion of your bicep after doing preacher curls, that means nothing, the lower portion of the bicep will not grow more than the rest of the muscle. If it did that implies that you can shape a muscle, which we know is physiologically impossible.

Originally posted by Prince
it does not matter if you feel soreness is a specific area of a muscle, muscles grow as a whole,

I agree that each muscle grows as awhole and that changing the shape is not possible. What I was getting at is more ... is a given exercise more affective based on the individual. Since each person is different as to how a muscle is attached the same exercise will not work exactly the same for each person. Sorry if it sounded like I believed that a bicep for example could change shape. OOPS

okay, so if the pec major is a single muscle, how can it grow in different places, i.e. the upper or lower portion?

IMO .. muscle grows in a uniform way and that is it.
Per Analogy a muscle is like a balloon.

you're correct, I wanted to hear how he would explain it though.

what i've read is inclines recruit more chest fibres than flat, so by getting a better chest you get a better upper chest

While you cannot shape a muscle, I have read some very recent studies that DO suggest you can TARGET more fibers in an area of a muscle. I dont really even fully understand it, and defintely dont want to debate it, but even science can be wishy washy. I say do a variety of compound movements, and you cant go wrong either way

incline is a lot harder than flat and i think it recruits the chest as well as muscles surounding the pec like your front delts

Originally posted by Willdebeast
incline is a lot harder than flat and i think it recruits the chest as well as muscles surounding the pec like your front delts

Thats why you need to be at 45deg or slightly lower. Most incline BB benches at gyms, I have noticed they are OVER 45 deg...

Premier I couldnt agree with you more. I HATE the incline benches at our gym. I feel like Im doing shoulder presses unless I squat in the seat so far my pants almost fall off.