Best Results For Chest Size & Strength

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

When do you get your best results for chest size and strength?

1 Day a week?
2 Days a week?
or…

-be somewhat descriptive (reps, sets, or intensity)
-for some reason my chest has always lagged behind my deadlift, squat, and clean and jerk which I improve fairly well on a regular basis.

I’ve read a lot of chest training articles and nothing seems to bring it together for me, it might be because I don’t have a spotter and I can’t always go to failure. Any alternatives for having no spotter so I can still get the results I want (size and strength)?

2

My best results came from doing this routine. I have a 5 day split with chest work on 3 of those. I do this:

5x5 bench press with a german volume style increase

1x100 rolling dumbbell fly or slide push up(with rest pauses)

2x 90%RM Push Up

I have many routines. But this one i think gave me the best strength/size.

3

My best results came from this program.

Bench Press 3x3-6reps 2-3mins rest
Incline DB Press 2x8-12reps 2mins rest
Shlder Pr 2x10-15 reps 1min rest

Skullcrusher
Lateral DB Raise

I concentrate mainly on the bench press and in gaining 2 solid reps every session. If you’re getting stronger, you’re getting bigger. The inclines and shoulder press are more for the pump, but I’m still looking for a rep increase with every time I do the workout. They have a longer TUT obviously.

4

I’ve used a horizontal/vertical split with good results:

horizontal chest and horizontal back together, sets and reps vary;

then three days later do vertical chest and vertical back together with sets and reps varying.

During the “between” days I’ll do three sets of ten reps incline presses, with weight varying depending on how heavy I went on the previous day.

So I’m working my chest every day, but with different intensity.

5

If you want a bigger chest focus on wider benches…bench for strength is pretty much centered in the triceps.

Flys are one of the best exercises for chest.

6

[quote]gibran wrote:

Flys are one of the best exercises for chest.[/quote]

Probably the best other than push up flys and slide push ups which also include the inferior pressing biomechanical action of the chest. The primary and superior biomechanical action of the chest is to pull the arm across the body. “A Fly”.

I’m convinced from the exercises that I do. All you will ever need for a big chest is to do this. I don’t do it, but I do something very similiar.

Bench Press for a long time, and only bench presses. And realy f’n heavy. I did that part. Maybe 5 years or so. Once you have this strength where your chest starts to plateau. Then incorporate the Fly, and learn how to do it right. Watch Arnold in “Pumping Iron” perform that fly to perfection.

Following Arnold’s routine your almost guarenteed success for an enormous chest.

5 Years:
Bench
Incline
Fly
Dip
Pullover

Then He supersetted:
chest & back
alot of heavy chest and back work
Start chinning and rowing with those presses at this point.

Flyes are what bulked that baby up. He hit em low and never let the muscle rest. As I said before, “Arnold never cheated himself or cut himself short”.

Thats all i do. bench 5x5, all kind of fly variations including “push up flyes” & alot of chinning and back work.

Chest is easy, you just have to work that fucker hard. There are no secrets really. Other than pain. Increase yours and your chest will grow with it.

7

Follow what Arnold did and you’re guaranteed success?

Does that include the 40+ set workouts, drug use and superior genetics for recovery that Arnold did.

Yeah that’s really good advice.

Why don’t you just tell him to buy a flex and follow the routines in there?

8

[quote]Sxio wrote:
Follow what Arnold did and you’re guaranteed success?

Does that include the 40+ set workouts, drug use and superior genetics for recovery that Arnold did.

Yeah that’s really good advice.

Why don’t you just tell him to buy a flex and follow the routines in there?[/quote]

lol, TN is his new toy…he will tire of it soon

9

[quote]JimmyOZ wrote:
Sxio wrote:
Follow what Arnold did and you’re guaranteed success?

Does that include the 40+ set workouts, drug use and superior genetics for recovery that Arnold did.

Yeah that’s really good advice.

Why don’t you just tell him to buy a flex and follow the routines in there?

lol, TN is his new toy…he will tire of it soon

[/quote]

ok, been here for 3 years, aint tired yet

10

[quote]gibran wrote:
If you want a bigger chest focus on wider benches…bench for strength is pretty much centered in the triceps.

Flys are one of the best exercises for chest.[/quote]

Flys suck. Honestly, it is a “pretty” exercise. You are limited in the weight used because the force is being spread out over the entire length of your arm instead of downward through your forearm as is the case with bumbbell presses. I can’t think of a more useless exercise than the dumbbell fly. It looks good to other people when you have some size on you and you do them. That is about the only benefit over dumbbell presses, showing off.

11

ive had some success with cable flys on a bench

cable instead of dumbbell because of that whole gravity thing

12

[quote]gibran wrote:
Flys are one of the best exercises for chest.[/quote]

I have never seen anyone with a chest ever claim that they got their size and strength from flies. I have seen plenty get huge using all sorts of bench presses and dips. I like wide grip benches personally.

Once you have good size, cable flies might be able to help as a finisher, but you have to get the size first.

13

[quote]elliot007 wrote:
ive had some success with cable flys on a bench

cable instead of dumbbell because of that whole gravity thing[/quote]

I do pec deck flyes sometimes as the veryt last movement for chest. It is mostly just a “finishing” movement as my goal is more to push more blood into the muscle group until I just can’t close the bar together. I would never rely on it as a main mass builder. I put it on the same level as cable flyes…a last movement to push the muscle more towards fatigue and muscle failure on the last movement.

14

[quote]Professor X wrote:
gibran wrote:
If you want a bigger chest focus on wider benches…bench for strength is pretty much centered in the triceps.

Flys are one of the best exercises for chest.

Flys suck. Honestly, it is a “pretty” exercise. You are limited in the weight used because the force is being spread out over the entire length of your arm instead of downward through your forearm as is the case with bumbbell presses. I can’t think of a more useless exercise than the dumbbell fly. It looks good to other people when you have some size on you and you do them. That is about the only benefit over dumbbell presses, showing off.[/quote]
alright prof x

you’re one of the biggest here and also one of the most intelligent, so bare with me here.

i agree with the angle laying flat on your back, thats why i don’t do them. i said they could be used after 5 years of serious benching and a plateau. “Arnold” benefitted from this. he already had the strength and decent size.

But i disagree with an exercise that i came up with and one that CW has in his 6 week chest building program

Chad listed a slide push up, fly turned upside down, works a heavy load even if you need to add weight and can use both biomechanical functions of the chest> the fly, & the press

mine is similiar
i do the same exercise except i use dumbbells to roll or slide with.

i would personaly like to see how many you can do and your feedback on chest recruitment in this exercise. i know of nothing better, and i’ve been benching for 20 years.

press>> inferior chest action biomechanically

fly>> superior chest action biomechanically

i have stabilization, natural body mechanics, heavy loads, limited arm stress, both biomechanical actions going simultaneously here, less tricep involvement, hard chest contraction, long range of motion, long time under tension, do rest pauses with this exercise and really furthur time under tension

interested in your reply

15

[quote]Massif wrote:
gibran wrote:
Flys are one of the best exercises for chest.

I have never seen anyone with a chest ever claim that they got their size and strength from flies. I have seen plenty get huge using all sorts of bench presses and dips. I like wide grip benches personally.

Once you have good size, cable flies might be able to help as a finisher, but you have to get the size first.[/quote]

I see a lot of newbies doing flyes. It is like one of the first things they seem to learn. I don’t know any competitors who do them and even the ones claiming they do them in the mags didn’t get that damn big because of dumbbell flyes. It is the one movement that I believe you could completely leave out of a program and never feel a need to replace it…much like upright rows.

16

Like everything else, look up chest plans in the site. There is something for everyone so do your homework.

17

[quote]Massif wrote:
gibran wrote:
Flys are one of the best exercises for chest.

I have never seen anyone with a chest ever claim that they got their size and strength from flies. I have seen plenty get huge using all sorts of bench presses and dips. I like wide grip benches personally.

Once you have good size, cable flies might be able to help as a finisher, but you have to get the size first.[/quote]

[Mr Pushup]You’re joking right? Bench press is a tricep exercise, to get a big chest just do pushups and flyes. While the bench and pushup may look similar, with the bench press you have to fight gravity coming down on your arms so that increases the load in the triceps. Where as in a pushup the gravity acts on your back directly impacting the chest.[[\Mr Pushup]

sarcasm

18

I like flyes. Not as a primary exercise sure, but all the push movements involved with chest training can get a bit much. Plus you can get a pretty good pump from flyes. What I don’t like about them is the stress they put on the shoulders and the crappy form you see many doing them with.

I usually choose 2 push movements and one other for chest work. The other is usually flyes, cable x-overs or DB pullovers.

Does anyone have any other suggests for non-push chest work?

19

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
Massif wrote:
gibran wrote:
Flys are one of the best exercises for chest.

I have never seen anyone with a chest ever claim that they got their size and strength from flies. I have seen plenty get huge using all sorts of bench presses and dips. I like wide grip benches personally.

Once you have good size, cable flies might be able to help as a finisher, but you have to get the size first.

[Mr Pushup]You’re joking right? Bench press is a tricep exercise, to get a big chest just do pushups and flyes. While the bench and pushup may look similar, with the bench press you have to fight gravity coming down on your arms so that increases the load in the triceps. Where as in a pushup the gravity acts on your back directly impacting the chest.[[\Mr Pushup]

sarcasm[/quote]
go away, you have no knowledge or physique

i’m looking for prof x to comment here

go flame someobne else
before you have to compare physiques with me and get your ass owned on this site

20

[quote]Mr. Push Ups wrote:

i would personaly like to see how many you can do and your feedback on chest recruitment in this exercise. i know of nothing better, and i’ve been benching for 20 years.[/quote]

I have no interest in doing a “chest slide” and could honestly care less who came up with it. We can sit here and create new freaking exercises all day long and it won’t mean that anyone ever needs to do them.

Bullshit.

I have given it. A dumbbell press provides “inferior” chest “action” than a flye? Are you serious? I ask because I am not laughing.