Plateau's

[Yanks20]

ok CD so we all know that you like the basic exercises in your routine. however by targeting smaller muscles in the exercise work just as well. take for instance your continued disbelief that inclines don't work (which they do and help the overall development of the upper chest). i'm not trying to rain on your parade or anything but whatever works for you is just fine. time and time again it has been proven that flat, incline & decline bench work the three major areas of the chest.

so for your chest exercises do you only do flat bench and flies, do you do declines and if so why?

 

[Robboe]

declines are the best pressing exercise for the chest. They resemble the most natural movement of the chest (arms pushing down). a decline with a 30 degree angle is about best.

The more inclined, the more shoulder recruitment. The more declined, the more tricep recruitment, although at a slight decline (the 30 degrees i mentioned) there is less tricep involvement compared to shoulder involvement on a 30 degree incline.

I do a decline machine press btw, if you're wondering.

I also do dips. They're ace. They've strengthend my entire upper body and aid in my pressing. This is how all of my workouts are structured - i do "main" exercises and the ones after are to help aid it eg. i squat and do SLDL's to help strengthen my lower back (my weak link during squatting) so i can squat heavier. I dip to help my presses. I overhead press to help my presses. If i'm progressing on my presses i'm a happy camper. If i progress on my "assistance" movements it's a bonus. (although i do strive to progress on EVERYTHING).

I never said that inclines don;t work the chest. They do, only inferior compared to flat or slightly declined, purely cause they recruit more shoulder invovlement than is "favourable". If you're doing them to spur upper chest growth then you got no chance cause muscles don't function or grow like that.

 

[ActionMatt]

There aren't three areas of the pec major. The pec major has an upper and a lower head. Further, both heads are involved in every articulation the chest is responsible for. Even more, despite the possible compartmentalization feature of MU recruitment, the tension necessary for hypertrophy would be spread throughout the muscle, not selectively through one part.

The various angles of pressing don't stress different parts of the muscle, they simply change how much the chest as a whole is involved in the movement.

Personally, I don't do inclines. I'm also not a bodybuilder, but when I do train my chest, I do BP, dips, and a third movement that usually depends on my mood. As if it matters any, I feel the "upper" chest more when I do dips than when I do inclines.

The only possible mechanism that could cause a bigger "upper" chest would be the pec minor, which is involved more in inclines and could give the illusion of a larger upper chest.

 

[Yanks20]

the reason i asked about declines is because for a few years i stayed away from them and didn't feel they were helping the overall growth of my chest - Yes, i was very wrong and now include them in every chest workout! once again trail and error played a big part in figuring this out. i would highly recommend you trying either barbell or DB for declines, stabalizing muscles will develop much quicker than using machines.

me personally, i don't feel any added stress on the shoulders while doing inclines. just a quesiton.

when you DO perform inclines are your arms at a 90 angle or are they more positioned in the 45 angle?

the closer your arms move to 90 degrees the more stress is going to be place on the anterior delt and limit your pressing.

 

[Robboe]

Originally posted by Yanks20
the reason i asked about declines is because for a few years i stayed away from them and didn't feel they were helping the overall growth of my chest - Yes, i was very wrong and now include them in every chest workout! once again trail and error played a big part in figuring this out. i would highly recommend you trying either barbell or DB for declines, stabalizing muscles will develop much quicker than using machines.

Although i kinda agree, my free-weight flat pressing and weighted dips get my ancilliary muscles aight. I use a machine specifically for the purpose of recruiting less stabilizing muscles so more focus can be placed on the chest itself and less overall upper body.


me personally, i don't feel any added stress on the shoulders while doing inclines. just a quesiton.

when you DO perform inclines are your arms at a 90 angle or are they more positioned in the 45 angle?

I used to press straight up when i did them. Pushing outwards and upwards seems quite biomechanically unstable - especially considering the weight i used to press for inclines (they gave me strong shoulders which is the best i can say for them).


the closer your arms move to 90 degrees the more stress is going to be place on the anterior delt and limit your pressing.

and by the way Matt:

As if it matters any, I feel the "upper" chest more when I do dips than when I do inclines.


Me too!

 

[Yanks20]

First Matt, when did i say there were three muscles in the chest, try reading before you make a dumb ass comment! i referred to the 3 lifts, incline, flat & declines to hit three different areas by using different angles.

 

[ActionMatt]

Originally posted by Yanks20
time and time again it has been proven that flat, incline & decline bench work the three major areas of the chest.

Gee, no telling *what* gave me the idea you said that.

 

[Robboe]

Why only three different areas of the chest?

What about outer and inner?

 

[Arnold]

 

[Yanks20]

CD, i can uderstand your methods for using the machines, maybe just switching it up a little bit every once in a while wouldn't be bad either!

my incline presses move pretty much straight up and down so yes i can understand when you did them you felt very uncomfortable. plus once i get about 245 i make sure i have a trusted spotter.

the reason you are feeling more in your upper chest by doing dips is because you are able to beyond the normal stopping point of a pressing movement, hence you are stretching the chest more and the angle your leaning at makes you feel it more in your upper chest but yet your are still not training it as well as if you are doing inclines.

 

[Robboe]

Oh i never felt uncomfortable doing inclines man, but at the time i did them for upper chest growth and i realised they didn't work. I've noticed better overall growth since i dropped them. And my upper chest is no different now relative to my lower chest than what it was.

 

[Yanks20]

cool, so i guess you are one of the few people that can benefit from not doing inclines! i guess we killed this topic