ShapeFit.com

[craigovlh]

Hi I'm looking to build a big square chest i know this ain't gonna happen over night and need to be on the right diet well am almost there with the diet but its not easy but there is so many different machines to use at the gym for my chest i just want some guidance on what i should be using and what to stay away from i do my chest twice a week sunday and a wednesday should i split them days to upper and lower chest ? also what should i be using to square up my chest any help will be most grateful thanks

[Boss Man]

I'd stick to Doing the All over Chest.

As for Machines, don't have the emphasis on Machines too much. If you want go with a Pec Deck, but you have other options like Dumbbell Bench Pressing for example, Military Press, and maybe Dumbbell Flyes.

[craigovlh]

cheers i do try to stick to the free weights as much as poss but only started that in last week just wanted to be sure i was going the right way about it and didn't want to wast my time at the gym thanks

[HOUSTON TEXAN]

I would use free weights but if you have to then use the machines.

[swanso5]

- firstly if genetically you don't have "square' pecs it won't happen but you can still put some size on there
- men and they're chests.........
- the best chest exercise is gymnastic ring or chain suspended push ups but if you don't have access to either than chhose your weakest free wt chest exercise and your strongest free wt chest exercise
- on the first upper body day of the week you should do the weakest one and do 10 sets of 3 for it and nothing else...use a 5 rep wt and 1min btw sets increasing wt the smallest loading you can each session....on your second day use tour strongest chest exercise and do 4 x 8, 1min btw sets increasing wt each session
- all this being said without food, sleep, deads and squats, decent size is hard to come by

[Womba]

In my opininn, everybody can get not only the chest, but the body they desire. It just takes some people longer than others. That is, genetics do not prevent you from reaching your goals, they just slow you down.
The number one chest exercise is the dips. Done either on parallel bars or gymnastic rings, the dips are king. How many gymnasts do you see with badly develpoed pecs? Thats right none.
To improve chest size, try these exercises.
1.Bench press-3sets of 6.
2.Incline Dunbbell press-3sets of 6
3.Dunbbell pull overs-2sets of 6-8
4.Dips-6-8(these give the definition that make the chest look square)
If you cant reach 5 reps during the 6 reps exercises, the weight is too heavy, if 7 are done before reaching failure, then the weight is too light.
If you have a spotter, Get them to help you with a forced rep on the rep after peositive failure.
People craze about crossovers and pec decs, in my opinion, they come no where close to the basics, and above all the dips.
note, some people say the dips dont work as well for some than others. This can be solved by just changing the angle of you body slightly until you feel it working right. Dips give you that lower pec cut. as well as that outer pec line, depending on how you employ the.
elongated statics and x-reps are great to use when doing dips, but only after the bulk is achieved.
I almost forgot, some muscles work best at a low rep ratio and some at a high rep ratio, depending on whether you have fast or slow twitch majorities. Try to work out which you are, then only alter the rep ratio sparingly to shock the system now and again.

[bmac_21]

[swanso5]

- that seems excessive volume for one muscle on one day...you'll be strongest ion the bench poress more often than not so say you can bench 200pds but you cant get near it on the other exercises than they are a waste of time just about because your power output has decreased
- 6 exact reps? a little leeway is alright...there's no difference between a 6 and 7 rep wt really
- forced reps are not good unless you're on a little assistance..well good for overtraining i suppose
- yes crossovers are rubbish
- dipas can ne hazardess for shoulders if your acromion process make up is not flash
- the sahoe you are born with is basically the shape you'll end up with

[Womba]

If I am doin a split routine, chest would have a day on its own, or supersetted with back, or bi's or tri's can be done on the same day. If my priority was chest, I would have one day for chest.
I included a good variety of exercises for full chest development.
Bench for mass, Inclines for upper pecs, oullovers for expanding the ribcage, and dips for definition. You could always move the pullovers to a back workout as its great for lats too. Or have two chest days, and pick two exercises for each day.
I was usin the 6 reps for gaining mass, and as a rule for beginners. Of course you can have leenway, by if your achieving 7/8 reps without reaching positive failure then move it up so your in the 6 rep area again when reachin positive failure.
I cant remember, but my point about forced reps was meant to be to use it when you have reached positive failure, and to finish out that last rep. So say you are on you 6th rep, and you stick at the half way point, slight assistance can be used to finish out the rep, but this shiould be done sparingly. The nest time you do that weight, you should be closer to finishing that rep.
Shoulder presses, upright rows, squats are a few other exercises which can be very dangerous, especially on certain areas like the sternoclavicle joint, yet almost everydody does these.
If you are weak at dips, and cant do many, jump up from a board, and perform the negative part, until you reach the just short of stretched position, then jump on the board, then repeat. This should gradually improve shoulder strength gradually untill you are ready to cope with bodyweight.
Things like height cannot be cgange, but certainly weight, width etc can be changed. People fall back on genetics too easily. You want bigger muscles, wider shoulders, thicker thighs, its possible. Things like narrower waists are harder to modify, but who wants to be a carbon copy anyway. Schwartznegger, Yates and Colemanhave one thing in common, they all have something which made them different enough for everybody to try and copy, which is why nobody could beat them for so long!

[swanso5]

- pullovers don't expand the rib cage
- certain exercises don;t bring out definition, clean eating does
- most people don;t reecover/eat enough for everday activities, let alone forced reps
- shoulder presses with a semi supinated are alright, upright rows never, squats can be doine a thousand ways with lunge varaitions so no excusde for not working that movement pattern

[Womba]

Pullovers do help to expand the chest and ribcage.
Clean eating and lowering carbs and fat help remove fat, giving you that cut look, however, exercises like the dips stretch the chest in such a way to work the fibres that stand out when cut.
One forced rep is not gonna drain the body of all your energy, especially if you have a well balanced diet, eating five times a day (which is not difficult). People want the body, but are not will to make the sacrafices or have the discipline.
No matter what way you look at it, when adding more weight (Which all weight lifters must do) you are putting your joints at risk, not so much in the squat, as the hip joint is generally very strong with lots of stabalisers. Upright rows (Narrow grip in particular) place a lot of stress on the sternoclavicle, (Overtraining may be a factor)
Shoulder presses? Touchy area.

[swanso5]

[Boss Man]

How do you expand a Ribcage with pullovers Womba? You'd have to stretch the Bones doing Pullovers, and you can't.

[Womba]

How has work output decreased??? Thats crazy.
After you reach positive failure, you can still perforn negative and static reps, so how in da hell is performing a froced rep decreasing workoutput. If anything, its maximising the full ability for all your muscle fibres to contract on one set. Overtraining would be to do forced reps, negatives and statics on every set.
Things like forced reps should only be used sparingly, to get through plateaus, or improve weak areas.

[Womba]

Pullovers do sttretch and pull the ribcage, expanding it, as well as the connective tissue. Its a proven fact. I can Show you if you like?