Chest Development and Back Strength

[Fazc]

Originally Posted by *MC*

Facz -- I do agree that reducing BF would show true(r) shape.

Just a possibility.

I will say this though, when I was a more tricep/lat dominant presser I had a far shallower chest than I do now. These days I'm a little more barrel chested and I have to work hard against flaring my elbows out. So there is definitely something to be said for a larger chest and more dominant chest bench pressing.

If I were purposefully trying to bench more chest dominant I'd stick to mainly higher reps and squeeze the upper back with slightly more flared elbows - RATHER than keep the elbows in and push off the lats. That change of focus (lats to upper back) will help in isolating the chest imo. The former is how I benched during my bodybuilder/chest dominant few years and the latter is how I press now for powerlifting.

[Rich Knapp]

Originally Posted by *MC*

Rich/5kg -- I like the idea of using a different rep tempo with DBs. I just wonder about tricep strength again, but I suppose the rep tempo takes care of that and forces the chest to work more.

I feel mostly at a loss on this topic as my chest development came first (to my detriment as it caused shoulder issues) and I've been playing catch-up with my back ever since.

Bb Pin presses.

Take the Tri's out of it untill you hit top 1/4 but stay in the lower 2/3's of the ROM.
__________________________________________________ _
Low inclines recrutes a large % of the pec fibers.

Wide Grip Reverse flat recrute even more (40% more I beleive) than the Incline.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by *MC*

Rich/5kg -- I like the idea of using a different rep tempo with DBs. I just wonder about tricep strength again, but I suppose the rep tempo takes care of that and forces the chest to work more.

I feel mostly at a loss on this topic as my chest development came first (to my detriment as it caused shoulder issues) and I've been playing catch-up with my back ever since.

When the arms are medially rotated the pectoralis major is engaged to a better degree in a chest press exercise, which is why the DBs should do the trick as long as that grip is utilised.

[kitarpyar]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Back to flat pecs, Dave Tate is a good example. Not sure what this means, but...

Food for thought - Powerlifters train for maximal strength. For the bench, this translates to best use of delts and triceps, an arched back, a curved bar path, good use of leg drive, dig traps into bench and use the lats to push off from.

I guess Dave Tate has been training as a powerlifter for years, and would probably have espoused the PL style benching. Could this be the reason for massive delts and triceps but a relatively flat chest?

This isn't to say that flat back elbows flared bench is better. Just wondering if the typical PL style bench isn't the best way to build pecs from a aesthetic standpoint (unless you are a genetic freak like Serge Nubret).

A lot of bodybuilders like Francesco Monteleagre (sp?), Jim Cordova, etc almost exclusively use the DB bench. Some like Francesco (as far as I remember from his log) in fact excluded the barbell bench from his routine.

Cordova's take on chest training - here he talks a bit about barbells and dumbbells.

Legendary Physique Transformations by Jim Cordova

[kitarpyar]

Originally Posted by 5kgLifter

When the arms are medially rotated the pectoralis major is engaged to a better degree in a chest press exercise, which is why the DBs should do the trick as long as that grip is utilised.

And this reminds me of yet another of Jim Cordova's articles

Legendary Physique Transformations by Jim Cordova

Too many links in my bookmark bar

[3clipseGT]

I think people who have a slightly behind chest dont always know how to flex and feek the chest working.

This is where you need to get weird with exercises and use different methods like bands and chains. Combine barbell with dumbell and ensure you always have a "stretching" exercise as one of your beginning and last exercises to really open it up and allow blood to stretch the fascia.

[Tannhauser]

Heavy flyes always seemed to work well for me. It was a movement I really connected with, and really seemed to bring my chest up.

[LtL]

Dave Tate has torn his pec off the bone, possibly on both sides. That coupled with screwed up shoulders means that he now can't press to his chest which would account for his poor development there.

[/INTERNET STALK OF DAVE TATE]

I don't really have a take on this question. I haven't really given a thought to muscle development in an aesthetic sense in quite some time.

Al

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by LtL

Dave Tate has torn his pec off the bone, possibly on both sides. That coupled with screwed up shoulders means that he now can't press to his chest which would account for his poor development there.

Makes sense. Who knew? Al did!

[bamazav]

McCallum has an interesting article on this subject early in his book, The Complete Keys to Progress.