Chest Development?

[bd868484]

Could someone please give me some suggestions about my chest. I have absolutely no lower chest. I have the Franco Calumbo upper chest goin on though. with some veins running through it. Its biggest at the top and just gets progressively smaller. It really makes my physique look out of sync. Lower chest is just nothing and just no definition and soft. I've concentrated on dips, declines, cable crossovers, flat bench. Am I just sol or is there something I am missing here.

 

[Krom]

Ever try decline flies? Those do it for me

 

[DarkWarrior]

Cross bench pullovers with either dumbell or barbell might be a good addition as well as either decline flyes, db presses, accentuating the top and squeezing, you should really be able to feel the muscles actually working while performing these.

 

[gridlock]

i had lower chest problems a few years back and a pal that competes said stop doing flyes. He described it to me as getting some blu-tac and stretching it out. he said thats what the flyes will do. Every time you put some more blue tac on top, you then stretch it out so it doesnt look as lump as before.

so i tried just doing flat, incline and decline bench for ten weeks. Whether his actual explanation was correct or not, I got the results i needed and every so often i go back to doing this when i want to lump some serious size on.

 

[betito]

Focus on dips

 

[tatteredxangelx]

just bench heavy ... also, you may want to check and see if you have gyno ... post some pics so we can get a good idea what we are workin with

 

[blackhole]

well you got the upper developed, which in my opinion is the hard part to get. i'm envious! i got a good lower chest and great anterior delts - which makes my upper chest look caved in!

 

[CB]

I feel for ya. My chest is the hardest growing bodypart i have. I can bring my strength up and up, but the growth is so stubborn.

 

[Ashop]

Could someone please give me some suggestions about my chest. I have absolutely no lower chest. I have the Franco Calumbo upper chest goin on though. with some veins running through it. Its biggest at the top and just gets progressively smaller. It really makes my physique look out of sync. Lower chest is just nothing and just no definition and soft. I've concentrated on dips, declines, cable crossovers, flat bench. Am I just sol or is there something I am missing here.

decline flyes,,,i love dumbbell work for the chest.

 

[bd868484]

thanks guys yea my chest is somewhat strong but no matter how strong it gets I cant tell a difference in strength. Ive gone as high as doing the 150s on incline and flat and decline presses for 8-15 reps, slow eccentric all the way to to the bottom, not those shitty stop halfway down reps, and faster concentric. I do have some gyno but its not a hard lump, just fatty. But even if I feel through skin to try and feel some roundness at the bottom once there is zero fat there, I can hardly feel any muscle there. Would dumbbell pullovers be worth a try? Also I forgot to mention I have had surgery on my right shoulder from baseball and it has always hurt me, even at an early age so that may have something to do with it. Maybe neuromuscularly I am not very efficient in the chest area.

 

[thickneck]

Maybe pick one or the other , dips or decline . Most peep's have the opposite problem .

 

[abadseal]

What has always been a staple of my chest routine is decline DB press but not like a small 5-10 degree grade. Put that sucker at max decline. Here is some solid evidence that it's not just the best lower builder(even though that isn't really possible) but the best all around chest exercise.


-Electromyographical Research and Maximum Muscle Fiber Stimulation (Eric Knight B.A. Hon. Kinesiology, CPT)

Electromyographical (EMG) Research is an essential research tool allowing physiologists to determine the role of muscles during specific movements. EMG is a scientific method of measuring the level of excitation. This is done by placing electrodes over your body and recording the level of muscle activity induced by an exercise. A study was conducted to find which exercises cause the greatest amount of activity within each muscle group and, as a consequence, determine which exercises will produce the greatest gains in mass and strength. This study was conducted by Tudor O. Bompa, PhD & Lorenzo J. Cornacchia. Both men and women were used in the sudy and all subjects had at least two years experience with resistance training.
Here are the results of that study:
(100% would signify maximum muscle fiber stimulation)

Pectoralis Major
Decline dumbbell bench press ----------------93%
Decline bench press, Olympic bar(OB)---------89
Push-ups between benches --------------------88
Flat dumbbell bench press -------------------87
Flat bench press (OB) -----------------------85
Flat dumbbell flyes --------------------------84

Pectoralis Minor
Incline dumbbell bench press ----------------91%
Incline bench press (OB) --------------------85
Incline dumbbell flyes -----------------------83
Incline bench press (smith machine) ---------81

Medial Deltoids
Incline dumbbell (db) side laterals ----- 66%
Standing db side laterals -------63
Seated db side laterals -----62
Cable side laterals -----47

Posterior Deltoids
Standing db bent laterals ----- 85%
Seated db bent laterals -----83
Standing cable bent laterals -----77

Anterior Deltoids
Seated front db press -----79%
Standing front db raises -----73
Seated front barbell press -----61

Biceps brachii (long head)
Preacher curls (Ob) -------------------- 90%
Incline seated Db curls (alternate) ------ 88
Standing biceps curls (Ob/narrow grip)--- 86
Standing Db curls (alternate) ----------- 84
Concentration Db curls ------------------ 80
Standing curls (Ob/wide grip)------------ 63
Standing E-Z curls (wide grip) ----------- 61

Triceps brachii (outer head)
Decline extensions (Ob) ------------------ 92%
Triceps pressdowns (angled bar) ----------- 90
Dips with a bench --------------------------87
One-arm cable extensions (reverse grip) - 85
Overhead rope extensions ------------------ 85
Seated one-arm Db extensions (neutral grip)- 82
Close-grip bench press (Ob) --------------- 72

Latissimus dorsi (back)
Bent-over Bb rows ---------------------------93%
One-arm Db rows -----------------------------91
T-bar rows ----------------------------------89
Lat pulldowns to the front ------------------86
Seated pulley rows --------------------------83

Rectus femoris (quads)
Safety squats (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----88%
Seated leg extensions (toes straight) -------86
Hack squats (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----78
Leg press (110 degree angle) ----------------76
Smith machine (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----60

Biceps femoris (hamstring)
Standing leg curls --------------------------82%
Lying leg curls -----------------------------71
Seated leg curls ----------------------------58
Modified hamstring deads --------------------56

Semitendinosus (inner hamstring)
Seated leg curls ----------------------------88
Standing leg curls --------------------------79
Lying leg curls -----------------------------70
Modified hamstring deads --------------------63

Gastrocnemius (calf muscle)
Donkey raises -------------------------------80
Standing one-leg raises ---------------------79
Standing two-leg raises ---------------------68
Seated raises -------------------------------61

 

[bigguns078]

I have some questions about decline db press.. My goal is to put as much mass on my chest as possible.. I have a good feel for other chest exercises but i feel too much stress in my anterior delts when i do decline exercises.. So here are my questions...

What kind of range of motion and what type of placement do i want while doing decline db presses?
Bring db's down as far as possible,
stop when elbows are parallel to chest,
keep db's as close to chest as possible when i bring them down,
leave a gap when bringing dumbells down,
bring dumbells down parallel to nipple line,
down parallel to upper chest,
below nipple line?

Elbow placement.. Keep elbows parallel to chest, keep them as close to torso as possible?

keep wrists parallel to chest, rotate palms inward..

I haven't found the right combination to get the best feel..

 

[blackhole]

man thats some great information about the percentages of muscle fiber stimulated for different exercises. i wish it would show different numbers for the width of the grip used in olympic bar exercises