chest: when to do incline or decline.

**briancb1** · 04-09-2007, 10:11 AM

Right now when I exercise chest, I usually do 2 pressing exercises and 2 lateral exercises. Typically incline dumbbell/barbell and flat dumbbell/barbell. Flys and pullovers. typically 4 working sets for all.

I feel I lack in lower chest, but I feel if I added a 3rd pressing exercise it would be overworking my chest.

Should I do 3 weeks doing incline, and then switch and do 3 weeks of decline, something like that?

any advice would be helpful.

Thanks

**Booz** · 04-09-2007, 10:22 AM

personally doing declines is pointless,stick to inclines and flat pressing,if you feel the need to add in some cable x-overs...........

**gotjacked2k7** · 04-09-2007, 10:26 AM

The best thing that I've found with a lacking muscle (esp. in the chest cuz i have problems with that) is to go at it 3 times per week. Now this does not mean 3 all out chest work outs per week. This means that in order to get that nice cleft on your lower pecks you need to do as follows...

Say you have your big chest work out on monday, do what you would normally do, but when you work out on wednesday and friday, do atleast 2 chest exercises at the end of your routine for 3-4 sets. Change it up and do upper chest wed. then lower on fri. When doing my lower chest i like to do declines and add in a static pause when the bar is 3 in. from my chest for 3 seconds, then explode up and squeeze my contraction, then have a nice moderate negative in there too. Do this for atleast 3-4 weeks then discontinue and blast your chest like you normally would.

Remember that if you do too many pressing exercises in one routine you can tighten up those pecks so much that it starts to crank at your shoulder.

RA · 04-09-2007, 11:26 AM

Hit the dip bar

**anabolicshark** · 04-09-2007, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by roidattack

Hit the dip bar

A+++

you gotta add dips for lower chest development...

**briancb1** · 04-09-2007, 06:50 PM

hit the dip bar along with my current workout? I've always felt its 70% triceps when I do that...

weighted or not?

thanks brosephes

**Vinlander** · 04-09-2007, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by briancb1

hit the dip bar along with my current workout? I've always felt its 70% triceps when I do that...

weighted or not?

thanks brosephes

Like many chest exercises, your triceps are a secondary muscle to the movement. Dips will work your lower chest, but it is actually secondary to the tricep development in that exercist. If you're really having trouble, add it into your tricep workout day (or if chest/tris are together, just mix it in) and treat it as part of your regimen.

Are you training for bulk, endurance or tone?

**anabolicshark** · 04-09-2007, 07:39 PM

dont do weights till you get the form, where you feel it in your chest more then arms...
then build up from there...
it is very true that your form will decide what you work more, arms or chest...
i feel it more as i lean forward more... and more of tricept as i am about vertical...

**briancb1** · 04-10-2007, 09:50 AM

hmmm, I'll give this a shot starting next week. How does this look?

Presses:
Barbell incline: 1 warmup set, 4 working sets, 8-9 reps
Flat bench barbell: 4 working sets, 8-9 reps
DIPS: 2 sets, 8-9 reps

Laterals:
Cable Flys: 4 sets 10 reps
Pullovers: 2-4 sets 8-10 reps (sometimes do only 1 set if I'm really pumped)

Abs

takes about 45 min

thanks

RA · 04-10-2007, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by briancb1

hmmm, I'll give this a shot starting next week. How does this look?

Presses:
Barbell incline: 1 warmup set, 4 working sets, 8-9 reps
Flat bench barbell: 4 working sets, 8-9 reps
DIPS: 2 sets, 8-9 reps

Laterals:
Cable Flys: 4 sets 10 reps
Pullovers: 2-4 sets 8-10 reps (sometimes do only 1 set if I'm really pumped)

Abs

takes about 45 min

thanks

When doing the dips keep your chin on your chest. Personally I would add another set of em too.

**slacker** · 04-18-2007, 10:49 PM

Got jacked your chest workout seems to be alot like the HST training.

**chest6** · 04-19-2007, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by briancb1

hmmm, I'll give this a shot starting next week. How does this look?

Presses:
Barbell incline: 1 warmup set, 4 working sets, 8-9 reps
Flat bench barbell: 4 working sets, 8-9 reps
DIPS: 2 sets, 8-9 reps

Laterals:
Cable Flys: 4 sets 10 reps
Pullovers: 2-4 sets 8-10 reps (sometimes do only 1 set if I'm really pumped)

Abs

takes about 45 min

thanks

thats a lot of sets man...

**Ronnie Rowland** · 04-19-2007, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by briancb1

Right now when I exercise chest, I usually do 2 pressing exercises and 2 lateral exercises. Typically incline dumbbell/barbell and flat dumbbell/barbell. Flys and pullovers. typically 4 working sets for all.

I feel I lack in lower chest, but I feel if I added a 3rd pressing exercise it would be overworking my chest.

Should I do 3 weeks doing incline, and then switch and do 3 weeks of decline, something like that?

any advice would be helpful.

Thanks

You should only be doing decline presses and incline flyes.

**Vinlander** · 04-19-2007, 04:55 PM

I have come to the conclusion that flat bench does very little in relation to incline/decline and a more even growth pattern can be achieved by limiting your workout to those two areas of the chest. Both work the center of the pectorals and combining them with flat bench is simply overworking the muscle group. I'm also more fond of dumbbell presses than the traditional barbell press due to an increase in control of motion. I have heard from several bodybuilders that they prefer this same theory, including Dorian Yates, who was said to rarely (if ever) use a barbell bench press in his Mr. Olympia training.

**Ronnie Rowland** · 04-19-2007, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by Vinlander

I have come to the conclusion that flat bench does very little in relation to incline/decline and a more even growth pattern can be achieved by limiting your workout to those two areas of the chest. Both work the center of the pectorals and combining them with flat bench is simply overworking the muscle group. I'm also more fond of dumbbell presses than the traditional barbell press due to an increase in control of motion. I have heard from several bodybuilders that they prefer this same theory, including Dorian Yates, who was said to rarely (if ever) use a barbell bench press in his Mr. Olympia training.

Well, put Vinlander and I'd also like to add that some get more front delt work out of incline press (***ending on their biomechanics). Hence decline presses followed by incline flies works very well for most given the angle of incline or decline is not in excess of 15 degrees or so.