Upper chest exercises

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by NoVaguy

seems unlikely that your back would be overdeveloped, but i don't know enough. i spent 12 years swimming, quitting midway during my freshman year of college, and still try to do the same amount of work to my chest and back.

My back muscles are pretty developed. I used to do a lot of back lifting for the various sports I was involved in and don't really find it necessary to do equal sets any more. I will sometimes do pullups at home along with some other random exercises that target biceps as well like bent over rows, etc or lat pulldown, but I don't really worry about it any more.

 

[dragon8]

try doing db incline then incline using a smith machine. That should pump the chest good.

another method is called the DC workout. It goes something like this: Get some dumbells that you can do incline flyes for 10 reps then still hold the db in the "air" for 20 seconds then do another set till failure then rest again for 20 seconds and repeat. Then move on to the next chest exercise using the same 20 second rest while holding the weight. It builds tension in the area and makes it grow.

 

[distinctive]

Originally Posted by quevola

Incline dumbbell presses work for me.

Do this and focus on using your chest to push it up and squeeze together...not your tri's

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by dragon8

try doing db incline then incline using a smith machine.

Incline presses on a smith machine have the very real possibility of screwing up your shoulders.

lefty

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

My back muscles are pretty developed. I used to do a lot of back lifting for the various sports I was involved in and don't really find it necessary to do equal sets any more.

Which sports emphasis the back? Highland games?

lefty

 

[migo]

Nova do you not split? You should consider it...

Originally Posted by lefty

Incline presses on a smith machine have the very real possibility of screwing up your shoulders.

lefty


+1...I hate how machines limit your movement...they're ok for a few exercises (like certain leg ones) or when you want to get the same work out for left and right sides (For example, I've had to use a row machine lately because I noticed one of my lats was getting to be a bit bigger than the other).

 

[gvibes]

Originally Posted by lefty

Which sports emphasis the back? Highland games? lefty
If he played football, which is likely, then he probably did a ton of deadlifts, cleans and squats.

 

[NoVaguy]

Originally Posted by migo

Nova do you not split? You should consider it...
you mean like doing legs and back one day, and then chest and arms another?

i did it back in college, after i quit the swim team. i did the above split (i might have done biceps with the back, can't remember) and it was fairly effective - taking me from 130-135 to about 150 or 155 in about 14 or 15 months.

splitting doesn't work for me, timewise, today. i have a 50-60 hour a week job plus law school at night (even in the summer i'm taking one class, tuesday and thursday night). i'm pretty much limited to two workouts a week, so they have to be whole body routines.

Originally Posted by migo

+1...I hate how machines limit your movement...they're ok for a few exercises (like certain leg ones) or when you want to get the same work out for left and right sides (For example, I've had to use a row machine lately because I noticed one of my lats was getting to be a bit bigger than the other).

i keep telling myself that i'll use the free weights at the gym at school (supposedly free), and it never happens. i don't even know where it is on the campus. again, too much time pressure, and my aprtment gym is open from 5:30 am to midnight, and guy lets me go later if i want. but yeah, free weights are a hell of a lot better.

 

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by gvibes

If he played football, which is likely, then he probably did a ton of deadlifts, cleans and squats.

yes and yes, I still do squats and deadlifts but limit the weight after I've gone through a few knee surgeries, though.

 

[whacked]

But squats and deadlifts only work your lower back muscles, not the upper ones, no?

 

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by whacked

But squats and deadlifts only work your lower back muscles, not the upper ones, no?

Yes but if you look at my lifts, my back lifts are all targeted at upper back (shrug, high row) and I incorporate bent over raises as part of my off-day training as well.

 

[migo]

Nova, if you've got time pressures, then you should just go to clean and presses, squats, deadlifts and bench press. This is pretty much the best full body workout, and it's pretty much guaranteed that you will see gains in strength and size.

 

[NoVaguy]

Originally Posted by migo

Nova, if you've got time pressures, then you should just go to clean and presses, squats, deadlifts and bench press. This is pretty much the best full body workout, and it's pretty much guaranteed that you will see gains in strength and size.

it's an apartment gym. no barbell, top weight for dumbells is 50 pounds. also, i'm never doing clean and presses on account of my previous back soreness from basketball and volleyball. kind of tough to do your proposed exercise within those constraints.

my current routine does include the bench press on a machine, and the squats with an adjustable pulley system.

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by drizzt3117

yes and yes, I still do squats and deadlifts but limit the weight after I've gone through a few knee surgeries, though.

I misinterpreted training for a sport as doing a sport. Apologies.

There's something odd about your photos (which I'm willing to bet may be a factor of the camera height and angle) in that your legs look half the length of your torso and your neck looks thicker than your thighs.

I guess it just reminded me of the frat boys in my gym who work their chest and arms in every possible way, add in some shoulder work and stop all back work at shrugs. No doubt because they can see their traps in the mirror. Their backs are weak with little depth and from the waist down they look like Kate Moss.

Anyway, good luck with your program, d.

lefty

 

[this_is_james]

I have the same problem as the OP as in I want to focus solely on the chest (my arms are big enough and comparably my chest is too small). I'm going to start using the butterfly machine for chest exercises. I hope it works. Theoretically it should work right? Since not much of the arm is using any force?