WEIGHT TRAINING Q & A (flat chest)
WEIGHT TRAINING Q & A
With Bob Myhal
Q: I train my chest very hard, my bench press is pretty high for someone my size, but my pecs are flat. Should I do more reps, more sets, or what? What am I doing wrong?
A: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: unless you’re a freak of nature or using a lot of juice, you’ll NEVER build a first-rate chest by featuring barbell flat bench presses. Powerlifting is one thing; bodybuilding is something else altogether.
To fully work your pecs, you need to isolate them. While the bench press is a good way for beginners and intermediates to start building some mass, it’s not a very good exercise for developing the pectoral depth and separation that are the hallmark of a top physique.
If you’re not quite ready to give up those barbell flat bench presses for inclines and dumbbells, here’s a simple change you can make in your program to pre-exhaust your pecs and spark new development.
After a thorough warm-up, start your chest training with dumbbell flyes. Yes, FLYES. But that’s a finishing exercise you say. Oh ye of little faith. It’s an isolation movement, and isolation is what we want.
Be sure to take your triceps entirely out of the movement. Move your arms in a very wide arc, and squeeze your pecs hard at the top. In the top position, you should almost feel like you’re hugging a big tree (just humor me). Use the heaviest weight you can while still maintaining good form for 8-12 reps.
After 2-3 sets of flyes, then go to the bench press. You’ll have to forget about poundage and focus on pump. Your pecs will be fatigued, so you won’t be able to lift the usual amount, but you’ll get a terrific pump and you’ll feel the difference.
Try this for 2-3 weeks and you’ll notice some significant improvement in your chest development.
