Declines, gymnasts, and chest development...

[myosin]

When it comes to the decline bench, there seems to be several different camps...
1) Those who think it looks weird and just don't "get it"
2) Those who think flat bench, inclines and fly's are enough
3) Those who do it and love it.
4) Those who just never thought of it at all (probably the minority here)

I wanted to address this from a somewhat anecdotal but also, I think, somewhat objective observation (though to which ratio/percentage for each I don't know )...

Think of a male gymnast who does the pummel horse and the rings... think of their incredible chest development... I'm sure there is some weight-training on the side, but for MOST gymnasts, it's a very small part of their training.

Pommel horse: their arms are routinely extended down in front of them and supporting their weight in the air.

Rings: the iron cross- arms extending out, parallel to the floor, and then squeezing/flexing their arms down in front of them supporting their weight.

If you flip either of them upside down, you have the movement of a decline press.

Just something to think about...

 

[puritan]

Great post bro!

Since I start to do this movement my chest development was awesome!

Thanks phil

 

[dalvare1]

after reading posts by phil, i have focused on decline pressing and my upper chest has grown more than ever...

 

[finah]

my wife use to coach gymnastics so I've been to the gym numerous times and I tell you what some of those kids and yeah I mean kids like 12 yr olds just shredded to the bone.......I hopped on the rings one day to see if I could hold myself there, maybe 1 second, its damn near impossible.

so it doesn't surprise me, they have excellent chest development, hell all around development, especially their core strength, heck just messing around tumbling trying to do some of the crap they do had me more sore then I'd ever been.

 

[marshallmadman]

IMO, it's not necessarily the exercises used, but the genetics of the athletes involved. Your genetic map has to be just "so" to be considered for competitive gymnastics. Much the same way you need to be 6'5" and 275 in high school to even get a look from a college to play offensive line. The exercises you did didn't make you 6'5" with the right frame, your genes did.

I do agree that dips and declines are good stuff though.

 

[loganb_football]

IMO, it's not necessarily the exercises used, but the genetics of the athletes involved. Your genetic map has to be just "so" to be considered for competitive gymnastics. Much the same way you need to be 6'5" and 275 in high school to even get a look from a college to play offensive line. The exercises you did didn't make you 6'5" with the right frame, your genes did.

I do agree that dips and declines are good stuff though.

I somewhat agree with this and I do see where you're going with your post but we're not really talking how to make it as an elite gymnast, we're talking about the chest development. I do agree that genetics do play a role, but muscles respond to stimulus. The correct stimulus will amount to greater hypertrophy.

 

[thehuge]

i like this type of press

 

[myosin]

one more...

one more

 

[Emery]

Declines allow you to take the stress of the shoulders and concentrate the stress onto your pecs. For me, I can go much heavier and feel a constant tension in my chest. My chest always gets sore up high near the collar bones when I do this movement. So for me, I don't feel it so much lower. I then hit the flyes and my other chest movements to finish out my workout!

I love em. Very safe for me. For my training partner however, he actually snapped his collar bone mid push doing decline bench. I freaked a little when I heard the sound. The doctor though it was an old fracture that never healed properly.

 

[penance]

good thread, gymnasts has awesome biceps as well, that thick. hanging look.

more chins, less curls i guess

 

[btech]

Why don't we just join "one of those" gyms and practice gymnastics?

 

[IRON37]

Why don't we just join "one of those" gyms and practice gymnastics?

That put a hilarious image in my head lol. All these 300 lb meat heads showing up to a gymnastics gym doing cartwheels and handstands against the wall lol

 

[myosin]

Oh no...

Why don't we just join "one of those" gyms and practice gymnastics?

That put a hilarious image in my head lol. All these 300 lb meat heads showing up to a gymnastics gym doing cartwheels and handstands against the wall lol

That would be really, really, I mean REALLY ugly.

 

[btech]

That would be really, really, I mean REALLY ugly.

Getting outdone by 7 year olds in leotards.

 

[aussiebulldog]

my father used to be a good gymnast . he was lean and muscly until his last day , even after a stroke.

 

[napaulm]

That put a hilarious image in my head lol. All these 300 lb meat heads showing up to a gymnastics gym doing cartwheels and handstands against the wall lol

as if there were alotta 300 lb'ers here. or anywhere.

 

[debo0211]

as if there were alotta 300 lb'ers here. or anywhere.

I am one...:headbang::headbang: