Hi Coach CT, for lifters in the intermediate stages of lifting, and those who just want to have the “Power Look”…without any aspirations of being a bodybuilder…
Is the Chest Fly a good option for that goal? Or is/are there different chest exercises that one might consider as a better option to that end goal?
Thank You!
IMO, massive traps and delts shouts Power. Chest… not so much.
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Hello RT_Nomad,
Thank you much for the reply! Greatly appreciated. I totally get where you are coming from. Along with the power look I want a fully developed body. But not interested in looking like the typical “bodybuilder”.
So, I was contemplating if just focusing on bench press variations (incline, decline, DB, etc.) might be more effective movements for that goal, compared to a fly type movement.
I would appreciate any further thoughts you may having regarding my further detailed goals.
Again, greatly appreciated!
I have no idea what this means. It would seem that most everyone who wants to improve their appearance would want to head in the “direction” of a competitive bodybuilder. So, what specifically don’t you want to look like a typical bodybuilder?
To improve the appearance of your chest, I would recommend something similar to what I did. Always start with a compound barbell chest movement as your first exercise. It makes no difference if it’s the bench press or the incline press. 3 sets of 8 reps, or 5 sets of 5 reps. Then do the next compound movement with dumbbells. If you did the flat bench with the barbell, do the incline press with the dumbbells. 3 sets of 8 reps. Then do an isolation exercise for your pecs. 3 sets of 8 reps.
Feel free to change the order and exercise about every 2 to 3 months.
I don’t recommend focusing on the decline press unless your lower pecs are extremely lacking in development. There are a lot of nuances that you should consider in training tempo, negative portion of the rep, etc.
I say it again: traps and delts speak power. Pecs are way down the list of power in appearance.