Should I feel a burn?

[pploon]

When I work out my chest, I do not really feel a burn. Am I suppose to? I have heard of others talking about a burn, but my chest does not feel it. What am I doing wrong or is there a way to fix this?

[bamazav]

A burn is not a sign of muscles being worked. Don't go by burn. Make sure form is good and that you are actually working the muscles you are intending to work.

[Off Road]

If you want a burn, triple your reps. It might not do much as far as strength goes but it will probably give you a burn.

[bruteforce]

Originally Posted by Off Road

If you want a burn, triple your reps. It might not do much as far as strength goes but it will probably give you a burn.

I agree with OR. I only seem to feel a burn on isolation lifts and 20 rep squats. Never felt a burn on deadlifts, but they've gone up by 400 pounds over the past 18 months, so its working.

[ricka182]

You don't need to feel the burn, but a lot of people, myself included like that feeling at the end. I usually close out a muscle group with some sort of burn set, drop sets work great for this.

But as mentioned, check your form. You could be doing it without engaging your chest as much as you should be.
When you bench :
Are feet flat or tucked back?
Is your back flat or arched?
Shoulder blades retracted back?
Elbows point where? Out in line with bar, or in towards feet, or in between?
Bar touches what part of your chest? Above or below nips?
Hands are where on bar? Out wide, shoulder width, slightly more or less?

Survey over. Answer those for a better explanation. No charge..

[TitanCT]

post your chest workout...in detail.

[barnyalifts]

Burns don't neccessarily mean anything. Just go by your results you are getting.

[Rich Knapp]

What makes the burn?

When you exercise, your body breaks down sugars to produce energy for your muscles. If your body is continually getting the oxygen that it needs, the only waste products are carbon dioxide and water. But if you exercise so intensely that your body cannot keep up with the oxygen demands, carbon dioxide is not removed from the cells. The carbon dioxide causes lactic acid to build up in your muscles and eventually flow into your bloodstream. The only way to prevent lactic-acid buildup is to increase your body's ability to utilize and transport oxygen by properly aerobically training your body.

So for growth, NO you don't need to feel it.

I personally use the burn as a guide line in how far I am pushing myself compared to what the body is used to.

They know now muscles recover energy faster than they told people for years.
If you don't feel a burn in a set, they have found in 30sec the muscle is fully replenished. With this sead, if you take longer than 30 sec breaks then you may not reach the burn.

[Ironmeat]

Not a problem if you do not feel a burn. Just go by how you are looking. A burn does not mean you are doing it wrong. Some people just do not feel burns.