Stuck in Rut, Need help

[texansurfer27]

I have been going at training really hard now for about 1 year. College roommate was a good inspiration (Ironman Triathalon finisher) Yet he also was into body building. So I started a good routine, focusing on my week points, mainly back and pecs. Abs, legs and arms have always been naturally cut and well defined. But I know it is a weak spot where I lack size is my chest. I have always gotten to a certain point where I give up. My left pec has always been in great shape, good definition, lower pec looks good. Yet the right one (my dominate side) does not. The whole side is thrown off. The upper pec area is massive and there is almost no muscle mass in the lower. All of my dumbell exercises fail because it is like there is no muscle that has ever been there. So there is nothing to work out. So lol I stop and work out my strong points, but this last time I've gotten sick of it and am gonna work through it. I just need some help. How does one work out a lower pec on one side without letting a dominate upper pec take all the stress and glory? Needs some help

 

[kenwood]

yo can't fool. genetics nigga. can't spot.

 

[perpetual123]

try harder man

 

[assassin]

1- do more bb work and dips and stuff and decrease ur db work ..in all ur push exercises ......

2- eat to speed progress and see if it works

 

[Squaggleboggin]

1- do more bb work and dips and stuff and decrease ur db work ..in all ur push exercises ......

2- eat to speed progress and see if it works

I disagree strongly.

I would say to avoid BB exercises at all costs. The BB allows your dominant side to pick up the slack from your weak side, thus strengthening your strengths and weakening your weaknesses. Use DBs, but use the same weight on each side (one that the weaker side can handle). Move up in weight and/or reps only when your weaker side is able to. If you work them both at the same pace, one can't become stronger than the other (from this).

Also, current evidence suggests that the shape of a muscle is predetermined genetically - there is no proof to date (as in scientific evidence - not just observation) to my knowledge that the shape of a muscle can be changed at will with exercise. Basically, you're going to have to live with whatever shape you grow with, and working both sides equally should help.

In addition, isolating a specific part of a muscle is, likewise, not possible according to current theory. A muscle either contracts or it doesn't; a muscle cannot contract in one part and not in another, meaning if your upper chest looks better, that is explained with the predetermined genetic shape of it as stated above.

Good luck.

 

[assassin]

ok if he use dbs he must do the weaker side first and then do the same with his stronger sidde.... but i still believe that he must do bb exercises and compound exercises like dips with a proper form to balance his muscles .... if he pressed with a bar how would he stregthen the stronger and weaken the weak as u say i think when one side fails he'll have to rack the bar unless he is using a bad form and will push it using one arm ...if he uses dbs the chance that he will cheat the weaker side is greater even without purpose ...... any way we'll have to wait for the mods and ppl with more experience to say the final word

 

[Squaggleboggin]

ok if he use dbs he must do the weaker side first and then do the same with his stronger sidde.... but i still believe that he must do bb exercises and compound exercises like dips with a proper form to balance his muscles .... if he pressed with a bar how would he stregthen the stronger and weaken the weak as u say i think when one side fails he'll have to rack the bar unless he is using a bad form and will push it using one arm ...if he uses dbs the chance that he will cheat the weaker side is greater even without purpose ...... any way we'll have to wait for the mods and ppl with more experience to say the final word

Firstly, I was thinking of an exercise like a DB bench - one in which both DBs are used simultaneously; I never DB bench with one arm first (not that you can't, but I wouldn't recommend it for a couple reasons if you're using heavy weight).

Secondly, I hope you're not suggesting that using DBs means a lift is not compound; also, I didn't mention dips and I also think they're a good exercise; proper and immaculate form should always be used without exception no matter what lift you're doing, but it's much easier to cheat with a bar. Think about it: Both of your hands are pushing on the bar, which makes it very easy for you to bring the bar up with one side an inch or two lower than the other. You can still lift the bar because the leading hand is pushing more than 50% of the weight, thus giving the weaker hand a smaller load and denying it the proper stimulus. Failing is completely different.

Using DBs, each hand is completely independent, meaning that stabilizers will be worked to a greater degree and there is zero room for cheating because no hand can help the other. The only thing that could happen is that one DB is brought up before the other, which just indicates that the first has more power, but it doesn't take away from the work being done by the slower hand. Of course, poor form could happen, but that is something we're assuming won't be an issue because it totally voids the comparison.

Also, there really is no 'final word' when it comes to most of these things. There is too much theory and not enough concrete knowledge. I can say that DBs are superior to BBs because of more stabilization, etc, while someone else can say that BBs are superior because their goals are different from mine and they really don't care about stabilizers. Just thought I'd share and present my argument.