Thread: Intensity on working chest

i go as heavy as i can and till failure all sets

I like to isolate my inner chest!

Originally Posted by kenwood

i go as heavy as i can and till failure all sets

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

#15 well the fist 2 sets i usually just do then on the 3rd set i put on as much weight as i think i can do for 5-6reps and do it till failure(5-6reps).

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

Wouldnt that be a #2?

no that would be #15 and if it works for me then i'm gonna keep doing it.

pushing that last set isn't bad. That is the idea that the 'repetive effort' is based on (zatsiorsky; Science and Principles of Strength Training). Lift for maximum repetitions.

i go till failure on my last 2 sets. heres how i do most exercises(compound exercises)

1. light warmup set
2. moderate set (not till failure
3. i put on more weight and do it till failure.
4. if i get to 8-10 reps on my 3rd set i put on 10-20lbs more and go till failure which is 5-6reps.

Originally Posted by kenwood

no that would be #15 and if it works for me then i'm gonna keep doing it.

I did the samething at 14-17 and it worked well...but in time I tore my chest from the over training. Best to train to failure only from time to time. I would do it one workout a week and then the next week train 1 rep short of failure.....plus you can do the de-load thing every 3-4 weeks if you are going to blast that hard every workout. Also mix up your reps, the biggest mistake I see.....and I see it here with many guys is only doing low reps ( 1-6) all the time.

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

I did the samething at 14-17 and it worked well...but in time I tore my chest from the over training. Best to train to failure only from time to time. I would do it one workout a week and then the next week train 1 rep short of failure.....plus you can do the de-load thing every 3-4 weeks if you are going to blast that hard every workout. Also mix up your reps, the biggest mistake I see.....and I see it here with many guys is only doing low reps ( 1-6) all the time.

ok...thanks for the advice

Originally Posted by motionman04

I'm curious, how do you all vary the amount of weight you do when you're working on your chest? I used to train with the same amount of weight every week, then after I started alternating with a week of lower weight and more reps, and then followed by a week of higher weight and less reps. I started noticing a little more progress. But I was curious, how do some of you vary the amount of weight you do on a weekly basis? And when targetting more reps, what is a good percentage range of max-rep to go by?

what are your goals?

train movements not bodyparts. (Be specific with wich exercises)

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

I did the samething at 14-17 and it worked well...but in time I tore my chest from the over training. Best to train to failure only from time to time. I would do it one workout a week and then the next week train 1 rep short of failure.....plus you can do the de-load thing every 3-4 weeks if you are going to blast that hard every workout. Also mix up your reps, the biggest mistake I see.....and I see it here with many guys is only doing low reps ( 1-6) all the time.

Hmm, you really think this is over-training? I go to failure as often as possible on chest.

Originally Posted by JordanMang

Hmm, you really think this is over-training? I go to failure as often as possible on chest.

Depends on volume and intensity. If you do 3 sets of 8-12 reps for chest once a week then fine. But if you are doing 8-10 sets 2x a week for 3-6 reps you are fucked.

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

Depends on volume and intensity. If you do 3 sets of 8-12 reps for chest once a week then fine. But if you are doing 8-10 sets 2x a week for 3-6 reps you are fucked.

I usllay stay around 6 sets 2x a week.

Originally Posted by JordanMang

I usllay stay around 6 sets 2x a week.

I would only do one day to failure if I were you. It might have worked up to 300lbs but now it will be too much for your CNS and muscles. Drop the weight 20% the second woirkout and do the same reps....none to failure that day.

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

I would only do one day to failure if I were you. It might have worked up to 300lbs but now it will be too much for your CNS and muscles. Drop the weight 20% the second woirkout and do the same reps....none to failure that day.

Yeah, I'll def. do this. I always felt like "if I don't push myself to failure, to the last possible ounce of strength, all the way" then I won't get stronger. It's a fighters mentality I guess. It's a mind set I've had instilled in my since I could walk. Fight and don't quit. Playing football, and going through some of the punishment and gut checks I've been through have only furthered this. Sometimes I know I'm over-training, and should stop. But something inside me just makes me push through the pain and go that extra mile. By the way I shirt benched 335 on tuesday. I honestly had no idea a shirt could do that to you. Seriously, 30+ lbs on my benchpress from a shirt. It's ridiculous.

Originally Posted by JordanMang

Yeah, I'll def. do this. I always felt like "if I don't push myself to failure, to the last possible ounce of strength, all the way" then I won't get stronger. It's a fighters mentality I guess. It's a mind set I've had instilled in my since I could walk. Fight and don't quit. Playing football, and going through some of the punishment and gut checks I've been through have only furthered this. Sometimes I know I'm over-training, and should stop. But something inside me just makes me push through the pain and go that extra mile. By the way I shirt benched 335 on tuesday. I honestly had no idea a shirt could do that to you. Seriously, 30+ lbs on my benchpress from a shirt. It's ridiculous.

shirt benched? is it a special kinda shirt?

Originally Posted by mike456

what are your goals?

train movements not bodyparts. (Be specific with wich exercises)

Well I'm just trying to gain strength more than anything else at this point, the exercises I'm referring to is specifically the benchpress and incline

Ok now whats your split? How many times do you train bench press/incline press a week?

Originally Posted by kenwood

shirt benched? is it a special kinda shirt?

A powerlifting shirt. It's extremely tight shirt that you have to roll on basically, and it keeps your arms locked out in front. It's pretty painfull getting off and on, but it helps a shit load.

Originally Posted by mike456

Ok now whats your split? How many times do you train bench press/incline press a week?

My push day:

Bench Press x 3
Overhead Press x 3
Decline Press x 3
DB Overhead Press x 3
Lateral Raises x 2
Overhead Extensions x 2
Pushdowns x 2

I discover that the week I go all out on the benchpress with a heavy amount of weight, I usually feel more fatigued obviously, and can't do quite as much as I can on the rest of the exercises, as opposed to a week of when I go with less weight and more reps.

Originally Posted by motionman04

My push day:

Bench Press x 3
Overhead Press x 3
Decline Press x 3
DB Overhead Press x 3
Lateral Raises x 2
Overhead Extensions x 2
Pushdowns x 2

I discover that the week I go all out on the benchpress with a heavy amount of weight, I usually feel more fatigued obviously, and can't do quite as much as I can on the rest of the exercises, as opposed to a week of when I go with less weight and more reps.

drop decline,1 of the overhead presses,pushdowns. just do something like this:

bench 3x
incline 3x
overhead 3x
dips 3x
cg bench 3x

Originally Posted by kenwood

drop decline,1 of the overhead presses,pushdowns. just do something like this:

bench 3x
incline 3x
overhead 3x
dips 3x....Drop this.
cg bench 3x

No need to do the same amount of sets for triceps as chest....

Originally Posted by kenwood

drop decline,1 of the overhead presses,pushdowns. just do something like this:

bench 3x
incline 3x
overhead 3x
dips 3x
cg bench 3x

really? u think my original routine is overtraining?

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

No need to do the same amount of sets for triceps as chest....

I agree. I dumb my work out down a lot. I see a lot of kids at my weight room doing tons of sets of different lifts. I do 2-3 lifts on upperday. 2-3 on lower day. I see no point not too. I'm just maintaining strength until football. I want my CNS to recover before the hitting starts. This is just a sample workout for me.

Upper 1
Flat Bench - 3x5
Incline DB - 3x6-8
CGBP or Skull Crushers - 3x8

Lower 1
Back Squats - 3x5
Single Legged Leg Extensions - 3x10 on each leg with lighter weight.
Step ups or calf raises.

Upper 2
Incline BB - 3x5
Military Press - 3x8
Shrugs - 3x12
Dips - 3x10

Lower 2

DLs - 3x5
Bent Over Rows - 3x8
Power Cleans - 4x6
SLDLs - Light, just to stretch the hammies.

Originally Posted by JordanMang

I agree. I dumb my work out down a lot. I see a lot of kids at my weight room doing tons of sets of different lifts. I do 2-3 lifts on upperday. 2-3 on lower day. I see no point not too. I'm just maintaining strength until football. I want my CNS to recover before the hitting starts. This is just a sample workout for me.

Upper 1
Flat Bench - 3x5
Incline DB - 3x6-8
CGBP or Skull Crushers - 3x8
Add some latt work

Lower 1
Back Squats - 3x5
Single Legged Leg Extensions - 3x10 on each leg with lighter weight. Drop this and do lunges
Step ups or calf raises.

Upper 2
Incline BB - 3x5...Higher reps....8-10
Military Press - 3x8
Shrugs - 3x12
Dips - 3x10
Add some latt work
Lower 2

DLs - 3x5
Bent Over Rows - 3x8...do on a upper day
Power Cleans - 4x6
SLDLs - Light, just to stretch the hammies....do on lower 1 day

Originally Posted by ForemanRules

Good ideas. For some reason I always bunch back with legs. For some reason I like don't like be able to walk straight after a heavy day. I'm a pain addict. The reason I don't lunge right now is because my ankle, and before that I had a pretty bad pulled glute and is was just to weak to handle it. But, now I feel like I can do that.

Edit: I try and stay away from Lat movements because I had a pretty bad pinched nerve in that area this last football season which still kicks up every now and then.

Originally Posted by motionman04

really? u think my original routine is overtraining?

I think your push day seems totally reasonable...