Chest Program

[jc95605]

I know theres alot of threads about chest workouts but i didn't see the answer that i was looking for. Sry if its in another section.

Recently i've been doing the 5x5 program for my chest Mon and Thurs. Well i've been doing it for about 3wks and last workout strength was way down. I'm thinking maybe i was overtraining by doing 5x5 twice a week. For those of you that have done it and have had great success with it, do you do it once or twice a week? What do you think about maybe doing a 5x5 chest day on Mon and on thurs doing a light/shaping workout? As of right now i'm gonna TRY and take a week off to recover and get at it again. I just want to have my stragery right. Here is what i've been doing:

These are the maxes btw:
Flat BB Bench: 240x4x1, 235x5x4
Incline BB Bench: 195x5x5
Decline BB Bench: 205x5x5

Stats:
26yrs
5'7
175-180lbs
about 13%BF

*Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[sixxer]

If you're doing 5x5 for all 3 exercises twice, I would suggest changing it.

Do 5x5 one day and 3x8 the other day.

Perhaps even different exercises on the lighter intensity day. Such as Flat DB Bench, Dips, Incline DB Bench and Flys, or something.

5x5 for 3 exercises (all pressing) twice a week will catch up with you.

[jc95605]

Ya its been about 2.5wks and it caught up with me. So basically you think i should do the 5x5 on all the chest excercises (flat, incline, and decline) one day a week, then for the other day just do a light intensity workout? Have you done this and did this work for you?

[sixxer]

Yes.

As a natural trainee, I found I benefited more by training each muscle group/movement twice a week.

If training at moderate intensity (6-12 rep range), 10-14 sets a week, split up over two sessions, works for larger muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, pecs/delts, lats, etc). For biceps & triceps 2-4 sets suffice, as these also receive a lot of work from training other movements, and they're much smaller muscles.

But 5x5 is closer to high intensity 85%+ and volume is also decent. Doing this twice a week is too much. The lighter intensity day (8-12 reps), while providing a training stimulus to continue disrupting homeostasis, also facilitates recovery by pumping blood to these muscle groups and won't lead to 'over training'.

Give it a go. If your aim is strength related, I would stick to 5x3-5. If you're looking to bulk I would do a Upper/Lower split, twice a week, 10-14 sets total each week, 6-12 rep range.

As hypertrophy sticks around longer than strength (neuromuscular), you could do a hypertrophy block for ~12 weeks, then focus on strength for 8-12 weeks. You'll find the LBM gains from your hypertrophy training will stick around at just about any rep range.

[jc95605]

Ok i found one website that kinda explained hypertrophy training. From what i gathered basically you have a heavy day and a light day so you prevent a catabolic state by keeping the muscle loaded? Is that about right? So as far as a spilt what do you think of this:

Mon: heavy chest day
Tues: shoulder/traps
Wed: cardio
Thurs: light chest day
Fri: shoulder/traps

I've been thinking about a leg and back program but i haven't finalized that yet. Most likely that will be on Wed/Sat. What do you think of the chest spilt? And yes my goal is strength in chest. I'd like to push past 300.

[Swifto]

If your looking for strength, static holds, negatives and rest pause will really help.They will also build mass.

I alternate between low volume (HIT) and peroidization (increasing sets). I switch it up every 4-5 weeks.

[hankdiesel]

Personally, I'd go back to traing your chest once a week. I've done this for years with great results.

[jc95605]

Personally, I'd go back to traing your chest once a week. I've done this for years with great results.

Do you think i could train the other day for toning/shaping with lighter weight?

[JasonT]

tendons respond to a higher rep range. by doing a strength regimen for an extended period, you will create a mismatch between your muscle and tendon strength, this will eventually lead to injury.

i.e. it will catch up to you

[jc95605]

Right. That's what i would be focusing on on the second chest day. More toning/shaping so the reps would be higher also. Whats your chest program Jason?

[JasonT]

Right. That's what i would be focusing on on the second chest day. More toning/shaping so the reps would be higher also. Whats your chest program Jason?

Flat bb - 4 sets, increasing
incline db - 3 sets, increasing
weighted dips - 3 sets, increasing
fly's (either db or pec deck) - 3 or 4 sets increasing
db pullovers - 2 or 3 sets

variation: flat db and incline bb instead (i try to switch it up every month or so)

[jc95605]

Increasing weight huh, that was my program for the longest time. Worked pretty good, I just wanted to change it up a lil bit. So basically on the second day you do the same excercises just at lighter weight and higher reps? I just wanna be clear, cuz i wanna hit it full bore come this Monday.

[JasonT]

Increasing weight huh, that was my program for the longest time. Worked pretty good, I just wanted to change it up a lil bit. So basically on the second day you do the same excercises just at lighter weight and higher reps? I just wanna be clear, cuz i wanna hit it full bore come this Monday.

I do 1 day a week...I'll either take a week off completely every two months or do a light week every month.

[jc95605]

How long have you been doing that program Jason? Just out of curiousity wheres your bench at? Not that it really matters, your chest is massive. I'm looking to get some size like that is why i ask.

[JasonT]

How long have you been doing that program Jason? Just out of curiousity wheres your bench at? Not that it really matters, your chest is massive. I'm looking to get some size like that is why i ask.

been working out for ~11 years now on and off, never cycled yet (planning my first cycle currently). I don't train for strength as much as I do for size, but I'd say it's prolly around 350 for my 1rm. that's good for my size but not so much for the number of years i've been working it out (had poor diet/commitment for the majority of those years).