Upper chest...

[Two4the$$]

Workout forum ... whatever. This has the most users... and I'd imagine equivalent knowledge.

Okay, do you guys actually BELIEVE that you can target the upper chest via incline presses (dumb bell/barbell) ?

Thanks...

[chest6]

My upper chest has gotten a lot more size since I started an incline movement each chest workout. I used to not do inclines until early summer.

[eGGz]

Workout forum ... whatever. This has the most users... and I'd imagine equivalent knowledge.

Okay, do you guys actually BELIEVE that you can target the upper chest via incline presses (dumb bell/barbell) ?

Thanks...

Humm... controversial question, and the way it is worded too, "do you actually believe" Humm...

[Two4the$$]

I'm not trying to start shit. Some people don't believe you can change the way your chest develops. You can do things that don't inlclude the tris... or you can... at least, that is SOME peoples view.

Other people believe that you doing peck deck, flys, etc... target inner chest, and that declines do lower, and inclines do upper...

But it's all one muscle - and like a rubber band that is connected by two nails... how would you select which part of it gets more stress than another?

There was a guy who did MRI studies on muscle recruitment ... and supposedly suggests that the flat bench is the best for it... but clearly, his view isn't everyones, and I'm here ... asking the question, to get YOUR views.

Again, I'm not trying to start shit - just get opinions... all will be respected, if they are well described and logic or experience supported.

[Two4the$$]

Eggz... I'm not trying to lure someone in to thrash their views. I just want to discuss this.

[marcus300]

without doubt you can develop the upper chest with incline dumbell/press, i normaly start with an incline movement and it has put lots of mass on to it,,

[Two4the$$]

You do incline first? Not flat?

Interesting... :-o

Do you prefer dumb bells? Or barbell?

[marcus300]

You do incline first? Not flat?

Interesting... :-o

Do you prefer dumb bells? Or barbell?

yeh i do incline first, i prefer barbell

[*Narkissos*]

Workout forum ... whatever. This has the most users... and I'd imagine equivalent knowledge.

Okay, do you guys actually BELIEVE that you can target the upper chest via incline presses (dumb bell/barbell) ?

Thanks...

There are specific forums created for specific subject areas.

Threads like this are blatantly desrespectful to the board's order.

..and from someone who should know better

[Gra]

yeh i do incline first, i prefer barbell

Me too.. I do believe that you can target the upper area of your chest with incline movements. Try and find out

[ScottyShotty]

yeah incline targets upper chest, flat targets mid, and decline targets lower. Determine what needs the most work and put first accordingly. If your lower chest is fine but your upper chest is lagging, just do incline movements.

[Xtralarg]

There are specific forums created for specific subject areas.

Threads like this are blatantly desrespectful to the board's order.

..and from someone who should know better

I agree 100%,

Truman, you should learn some respect boy.

[Two4the$$]

As of this second - there are 131 people viewing this section, and 13 viewing the workout section...

I agree - I do know better, and better again. lol. I understand why we have sections segregated... sort of - but i didn't want to wait 6 weeks to get the equivalent number of answers.

I won't make it a policy... you're both right - but ... after all, we're aas users, we're impatient.

[Bossman]

Workout forum ... whatever. This has the most users... and I'd imagine equivalent knowledge.

Okay, do you guys actually BELIEVE that you can target the upper chest via incline presses (dumb bell/barbell) ?

Thanks...

For years I started every upper body workout with heavy flat bench. I built some nice lower pecs (titties). A couple of years back a trainer had me switch up to incline bench with no flat bench at all. Now I've built a much more balanced chest. I start chest with inclines and just add in flat dumbells every other workout.

[RA]

About every third workout I do incline first.

[longhorn814]

for the last several months ive been doing inclines first too. Also incorporating incline flyes too and have noticed a definite improvement in my upper chest. My muscles are significantly stronger if i do inclines first than if i did them after flat bench too

[eGGz]

Eggz... I'm not trying to lure someone in to thrash their views. I just want to discuss this.

It’s cool, I was not trying to make any accusations. I am saying that this is a controversial and often debated subject.

Some people don't believe you can change the way your chest develops.?

Case in point.

But it's all one muscle - and like a rubber band that is connected by two nails... how would you select which part of it gets more stress than another?

This analogy would be appropriate if describing a bicep for example, however, while a pec muscle does indeed have a narrow insertion point on the upper arm, where it attaches to the inner chest it is fan shaped. IMO this opens the door for targeted development.
Even though the pec major is one muscle, when looking at vintage pictures of Franco Columbu I'd swear he had an upper chest muscle and a lower chest muscle. The separation was incredible.

[abstrack]

Thread moved and try not to be an impatient tool. If you have to wait somebody will give you a good answer. At least the person searching the workout forum is there for a reason. Right??

I believe that the different inclines of the bench target the muscles a bit different and recruti different fibers to do the work. Yes, it is one big fan shaped muscle all connnected together as one but it is seperated in 2 different sections. The upper section is comprised of 42% slow twitch and 58% fast twitch. The lower section is comprosed of 43% slow twitch and 73% fast twitch, which basicaly means slow twitch fibers are mainly for endurance activities and fast twitch fibers are mainly for intense movements.

Any hoo, doing movement on different degrees are basically just isolating the movement to hit the chest at another nagle causing grouth to occur.

On a side note: If you have a small back you will never have a fully developed chest. You back size will determine your chest size potential.

[inspector_injector]

Yes, I firmly believe in targeting muscle groups. Inclines stress your upper chest, I feel it when I wake up in the morning. I prefer the barbell for all compound exercises, but when I am shooting for strength I switch to the dumbbells. Barbells are better for building mass in my opinion.

Also, all people have different fiber type make ups, so no, not all upper pecs have 42% slow twitch and 58% fast twitch. While most of the numbers are close, some have more than others. Genetics plays a big role too. However, in time, the body will try to maintain homeostatis and actually start to switch your fiber ratios if needed. I you are constantly lifting heavy weights in an explosive manner, then your composition will change to mainly fast twitch. If you are digging ditches or doing non-stop manual labor it will transform to mainly slow twitches.

Regardless, I am a fan of using different exercises to hit different portions of the muscle. Two more examples before I take my leave.

1.) Triceps cable pressdowns I feel more in my long head of the triceps. Skull crushers I feel more in the top part of the tri.

2.) Standing up, hold a pair of dumbbels, one in each hand. Doing side laterals will target your medial delts, bent over raises your rear delts, and front raises your anterior deltoids. So it is all one muscle group, but you can feel the stress altering from one muscle to the other and you can actually see that part swell up with blood more than the others.

[Impitious]

I can't do chest without hitting both the flat bench and the incline bench.

I never really felt or saw much with decline.

Does anyone even really focus on decline that much?

[inspector_injector]

--^^ Not really but I think I'm going to add it into my routine. It helps make your chest look big (lower chest) in a front lat spread pose in my opinion. Because in a most muscular, having an fully developed upper chest is important, but when you bust out a front lat spread, if your lower chest isn't bulging out, it won't give that illusion of deep thickness from your pecs to back (arm pits.)

[Impitious]

That's very true.

I just started doing decline flys with either the dumbells or the cables and I'm loving the pump that I get from it.

Maybe I'll try hopping back on the decline barbell bench and see if I feel any difference now.

[inspector_injector]

I mean it's great to throw in for 4 weeks, but It doesn't give as much of a workout as the flat and inclines.

[divinepwr]

I also start with incline excercises. I do dumbells, but mostly because a barbell actually hurts my shoulder. There is more ROM with dumbells. If you watch the real big boys flex, you should be able to tell that the upper middle and lower pecs are separated. The only decline movement I do is decline flyes. Doing decline presses for me don't do it because the ROM seems very very short. I can't feel any stretch doing them. I'm sure they are good for people, but I don't really feel them.