A lot of people seem to lower the bar to just below their chin when doing inclines… However I’ve read there are some who lower it to nipple level and then press back up in an arch…
The main function of the upper chest is to flex the arm and of course horizontal adduction, that is, moving your arms across the midline of your body
So what do you do? Which do you think would yield better results when it comes to the exercise and muscle activation themselves?
What do you understand by the term “upper chest”?
Oh yeah sorry by upper chest, I mean the upper portion of the chest, which incline press, incline flyes and the guillotine press are supposed to hit the most
Nevermind. Go read up on the function of the clavicular head.
Okay, I need to call a timeout here.
Dude, this is like the fifth thread in two weeks where you’re asking some version of “the best way to train chest.” You can totally ask questions as they come up, but you’re super-super-overfocused on chest work. A lot of guys are, but that’s still pretty screwed up.
Lifting is not this complicated, especially for beginners. You’ll learn more about “the best way to train chest” if you lift four days a week for four months straight than you could from posting a new thread every few days.
Did you ever get around to getting a video of your squatting, so we can figure out how to fix it?
I “fixed” it by widening my stance, eventually. However I’ve found they hurt my shoulders, which I feel after I’m done with let’s say one set, and this goes on to happen on all the sets, it sucks. I’ve decided to give leg presses a try and I love them so far.
Yeah, fair enough, you’re right, I’ve made too many threads about the bench press and its variations. I’ll stop, you guys are right. I mean, I’ll stop making threads about the bench press and its variations, or on ‘chest work’.
Again you’re right, but I lift 5 times a week and then I rest on the other two days.
[quote]dt79 wrote:
Nevermind. Go read up on the function of the clavicular head.[/quote]
Its main function is horizontal adduction and shoulder flexion - that is, raising the arm, right?
[quote]GetBigs wrote:
I “fixed” it by widening my stance, eventually. However I’ve found they hurt my shoulders, which I feel after I’m done with let’s say one set, and this goes on to happen on all the sets, it sucks. I’ve decided to give leg presses a try and I love them so far.[/quote]
Neat.
Now stop doing guillotine presses and go back to doing squats.
I don’t think anyone here is upset that you are starting lots of threads. That’s what this forum is for, after all, and everyone here has an interest in weightlifting.
It is your thick young skull that frustrates people who have been trying to help you. Stop being dense. Go back, read the threads you already started. Pay special attention to what Chris Colucci has told you. He is steering you in a very good direction.
Then, when you’ve read your threads a second time, read them a third.
You have been given all the knowledge you need to be a successful beginner with weight training. It is your choice whether to apply that knowledge or do your own thing.
I literally opened the thread, saw it was you, and laughed cause it’s another chest thread.
Dude, just put your head down and lift for a few months. Almost all of these questions you’re asking could be answered by yourself if you just did a couple sets of whatever new “amazing, super duper” chest exercise you feel like asking about on this day.
Want to know how lowering to your nipples compared to chin feels? Do a couple sets.
Want to know if cable bench press is the magic, undiscovered solution for a massive chest? Do a few sets, increase the weight a little and see how they feel. Then think about why no one really lists it as one of their top exercises for chest.
Want to know if some random tip a guy said in a workout video online is the best way to perform a bench press? Try it out.
And yeah, all your threads are about chest. It’s a little odd that you’re putting so much over-thought into this muscle group and practically none into the other hundreds of muscles in your body.
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]GetBigs wrote:
I “fixed” it by widening my stance, eventually. However I’ve found they hurt my shoulders, which I feel after I’m done with let’s say one set, and this goes on to happen on all the sets, it sucks. I’ve decided to give leg presses a try and I love them so far.[/quote]
Neat.
Now stop doing guillotine presses and go back to doing squats.[/quote]
Okay, I’ve stopped laughing and can now type…
I’m currently experimenting with lowering the bar position on the squat and am getting redness and scarring on my back. Talk about “hurt”…
But I know how important squats are to my overall development of strength and size, so I continue on - researching form, practicing the lift, and giving it the attention and focus it deserves. I have been doing this for a few years now. YEARS. Unless an injury or mobility issue prevents me from doing them, I am not giving up. The thought has never even crossed my mind. I’m 43 now.
I don’t think you are focusing your time and energy properly.
[quote]Souldozer wrote:
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]GetBigs wrote:
I “fixed” it by widening my stance, eventually. However I’ve found they hurt my shoulders, which I feel after I’m done with let’s say one set, and this goes on to happen on all the sets, it sucks. I’ve decided to give leg presses a try and I love them so far.[/quote]
Neat.
Now stop doing guillotine presses and go back to doing squats.[/quote]
Okay, I’ve stopped laughing and can now type…
I’m currently experimenting with lowering the bar position on the squat and am getting redness and scarring on my back. Talk about “hurt”…
But I know how important squats are to my overall development of strength and size, so I continue on - researching form, practicing the lift, and giving it the attention and focus it deserves. I have been doing this for a few years now. YEARS. Unless an injury or mobility issue prevents me from doing them, I am not giving up. The thought has never even crossed my mind. I’m 43 now.
I don’t think you are focusing your time and energy properly.[/quote]
What I’m wondering is how come you are experimenting with the best way to perform squats when you’ve been lifting for years? Dude, you must be jacked after having been seriously lifting for years, right? No offense
[quote]LoRez wrote:
[quote]GetBigs wrote:
I “fixed” it by widening my stance, eventually. However I’ve found they hurt my shoulders, which I feel after I’m done with let’s say one set, and this goes on to happen on all the sets, it sucks. I’ve decided to give leg presses a try and I love them so far.[/quote]
Neat.
Now stop doing guillotine presses and go back to doing squats.[/quote]
Thanks for the feedback, but they’re just fine right now. I’ll stop doing neck presses 1) when I’ve increased the weight I can lift properly to 200 pounds 2) when my shoulders kill me.
YES, this does sound like I’m a fucking thick-skulled idiot, BUT you said it yourself: I need to experiment. So I’ll take heed of your advice and do just that. I’ll report back. Thanks bro
[quote]staystrong wrote:
I literally opened the thread, saw it was you, and laughed cause it’s another chest thread.
Dude, just put your head down and lift for a few months. Almost all of these questions you’re asking could be answered by yourself if you just did a couple sets of whatever new “amazing, super duper” chest exercise you feel like asking about on this day.
Want to know how lowering to your nipples compared to chin feels? Do a couple sets.
Want to know if cable bench press is the magic, undiscovered solution for a massive chest? Do a few sets, increase the weight a little and see how they feel. Then think about why no one really lists it as one of their top exercises for chest.
Want to know if some random tip a guy said in a workout video online is the best way to perform a bench press? Try it out.
And yeah, all your threads are about chest. It’s a little odd that you’re putting so much over-thought into this muscle group and practically none into the other hundreds of muscles in your body.[/quote]
Yes, you’re right, I want to have a complete physique, and don’t want to look like a fucking faggot with a big chest and no back, etc…
Yes, you’re right, that’s just what I need, no, seriously, you ARE right, I’ll experiment, that’s just like the best advice you can give a beginner.
So thank you to you too
[quote]twojarslave wrote:
I don’t think anyone here is upset that you are starting lots of threads. That’s what this forum is for, after all, and everyone here has an interest in weightlifting.
It is your thick young skull that frustrates people who have been trying to help you. Stop being dense. Go back, read the threads you already started. Pay special attention to what Chris Colucci has told you. He is steering you in a very good direction.
Then, when you’ve read your threads a second time, read them a third.
You have been given all the knowledge you need to be a successful beginner with weight training. It is your choice whether to apply that knowledge or do your own thing.
[/quote]
Yes, exactly, I’ll stick to the routine I have now, I train each muscle twice a week, lift 5 times a week, rest on the other 2 days. I’ll put my head down and lift with a brain, when something hurts, I’ll stop.
I need to remind myself dedication and consistency are the keys and they are what will lead me to the physique I’m chasing. Thanks!
Lol. Go say this to Eric Lilliebridge. People vary their squat styles over their training careers for a ton of different reasons. Training high bar to bring up their low bar, then transitioning back to low bar for competition. Having to make changes to account for different levels of muscle mass. Wanting to focus on a certain muscle group. Wanting to achieve different athletic goals. Injury. Adding weight.
It because they’ve been lifting for years that they understand when it is necessary to make these changes. You have not, and you do not, and you don’t need to.
But whatever, if you need any tips on the best kind of leg press to do we’re all here to help.
This is retarded. If you’re not taking the piss with this statement (I honestly can’t tell) you really need to reestablish your goals.
I don’t know why you’d set a weight goal on an exercise if that exercise is being performed with an aesthetic goal in mind. Or why you’d judge whether you continued to use that lift based on having met that goal, not whether that lift was working for your aesthetic goal. “My chest grew massive with guillotine presses, it’s a real shame I had to stop doing them when I reached an arbitrary number”
I’m going to stop kicking tigers in the bollocks when one of them mauls me
Again, I’m judging this based off the assumption you’re not trolling, but you’re an asshole.
You start a bunch of threads asking for the best exercise for X, and when someone provides you with a simple way to find out you get all sarcastic on them. Yes for now, you should base your training on a bunch of basic lifts, but nothing is stopping you from doing what you SHOULD be doing, then experimenting a bit with different exercises later in the workout to see how they feel. It’ll be specific to YOU, not what people on the internet have found, and it’ll save you getting flamed online when you could just figure it out for yourself.
If I’ve misread your posts at all and you’re actually sincerely grateful for the advice that you’ve misconstrued in this thread, then ignore my own assholery^
[quote]MaazerSmiit wrote:
Lol. Go say this to Eric Lilliebridge. People vary their squat styles over their training careers for a ton of different reasons. Training high bar to bring up their low bar, then transitioning back to low bar for competition. Having to make changes to account for different levels of muscle mass. Wanting to focus on a certain muscle group. Wanting to achieve different athletic goals. Injury. Adding weight.
It because they’ve been lifting for years that they understand when it is necessary to make these changes. You have not, and you do not, and you don’t need to.
But whatever, if you need any tips on the best kind of leg press to do we’re all here to help.
This is retarded. If you’re not taking the piss with this statement (I honestly can’t tell) you really need to reestablish your goals.
I don’t know why you’d set a weight goal on an exercise if that exercise is being performed with an aesthetic goal in mind. Or why you’d judge whether you continued to use that lift based on having met that goal, not whether that lift was working for your aesthetic goal. “My chest grew massive with guillotine presses, it’s a real shame I had to stop doing them when I reached an arbitrary number”
I’m going to stop kicking tigers in the bollocks when one of them mauls me
Again, I’m judging this based off the assumption you’re not trolling, but you’re an asshole.
You start a bunch of threads asking for the best exercise for X, and when someone provides you with a simple way to find out you get all sarcastic on them. Yes for now, you should base your training on a bunch of basic lifts, but nothing is stopping you from doing what you SHOULD be doing, then experimenting a bit with different exercises later in the workout to see how they feel. It’ll be specific to YOU, not what people on the internet have found, and it’ll save you getting flamed online when you could just figure it out for yourself.
If I’ve misread your posts at all and you’re actually sincerely grateful for the advice that you’ve misconstrued in this thread, then ignore my own assholery[1]
No, I’m really sincerely grateful for the advice you guys have given, and I didn’t mean to sound sarcastic, I truly am grateful. Seriously.
I set a weight goal on that exercise because as far as I know, even though strenght and muscle gains aren’t linear, they do have something to do with each other. I think if I get to 200 pounds on the neck press, I’ll significantly have increased the size of my chest muscles. Aren’t I right?
It’s not like I’m training for strength gains, I just want to get stronger first on the basic lifts because I was told beginners should do that, as in the meantime they get bigger too. Correct me if I’m wrong on this, please.
Yes, I agree with you on the “experimenting with lifts” thing, I’ll keep that in mind.
/quote ↩︎
[quote]staystrong wrote:
I literally opened the thread, saw it was you, and laughed cause it’s another chest thread.
Dude, just put your head down and lift for a few months. Almost all of these questions you’re asking could be answered by yourself if you just did a couple sets of whatever new “amazing, super duper” chest exercise you feel like asking about on this day.
Want to know how lowering to your nipples compared to chin feels? Do a couple sets.
Want to know if cable bench press is the magic, undiscovered solution for a massive chest? Do a few sets, increase the weight a little and see how they feel. Then think about why no one really lists it as one of their top exercises for chest.
Want to know if some random tip a guy said in a workout video online is the best way to perform a bench press? Try it out.
And yeah, all your threads are about chest. It’s a little odd that you’re putting so much over-thought into this muscle group and practically none into the other hundreds of muscles in your body.[/quote]
Also I know what you said, but please, do tell me why cable bench presses aren’t the best mass building exercise for the chest! I’m thinking you could adduct the humerus better, but PLEASE, tell me your reason! I’m serious, I’m not being sarcastic! Thank you!
If you’re really that dead set on guillotine presses, please 1) do them with a spotter or in a rack with the pins set so you don’t drop/lower the bar on yourself, 2) try to cut off the bottom portion of the ROM… when the elbows are about the same height as your torso, starting going back up. This keeps the shoulders in a more stable position, and keeps the emphasis more on the chest and off the shoulders.
But all in all, I’m both amused and annoyed that my prediction was right. I thought maybe I was wrong… but apparently not.
You type in the strangest way. I want to highlight what MaazerSmiit posted “Yes for now, you should base your training on a bunch of basic lifts, but nothing is stopping you from doing what you SHOULD be doing, then experimenting a bit with different exercises later in the workout to see how they feel”.
That’s basically how you should approach most of your form or exercise variation questions. Do the work your workout plan calls for, then at the end of the lift/workout do a couple sets at a slightly light weight of a exercise variation that you want to try out and see how it feels. We can all tell you how it’s supposed to feel, but for every person there are exercises that don’t feel right to them.
As to why cable bench press isn’t the best,that depends on what you’re goal is for the exercise and theres a lot of variables here. It almost sounds like to me you view it as a cable fly basically. The biggest problem with it is once you start increasing the weight, biceps and shoulders want to help out a lot. It’s fairly easy to target your chest with it at lighter weights, but once you start going heavy your biceps have to work pretty hard to keep your arm in the correct position and your shoulders start wanting to help out also. And from what I’ve noticed with cables, once you start going heavier it gets kind of challenging to “stabilize” the handles and push in a straight line without shaking a bunch. That’s solvable if you just lower the weight, but it makes progression more difficult. It’s nowhere near as simple or easy as a standard bench press to progress, especially for beginners.
A cable fly is great movement for feeling the chest contract, no doubt. A cable bench press is similar, as the cables are exerting a force outward on your muscles. They can be a great addition to a chest routine, but they have their limitations as all exercises do. But picking a best exercise for a muscle group is difficult, as almost any movement has advantages and limitations.
[quote]staystrong wrote:
You type in the strangest way. I want to highlight what MaazerSmiit posted “Yes for now, you should base your training on a bunch of basic lifts, but nothing is stopping you from doing what you SHOULD be doing, then experimenting a bit with different exercises later in the workout to see how they feel”.
That’s basically how you should approach most of your form or exercise variation questions. Do the work your workout plan calls for, then at the end of the lift/workout do a couple sets at a slightly light weight of a exercise variation that you want to try out and see how it feels. We can all tell you how it’s supposed to feel, but for every person there are exercises that don’t feel right to them.
As to why cable bench press isn’t the best,that depends on what you’re goal is for the exercise and theres a lot of variables here. It almost sounds like to me you view it as a cable fly basically. The biggest problem with it is once you start increasing the weight, biceps and shoulders want to help out a lot. It’s fairly easy to target your chest with it at lighter weights, but once you start going heavy your biceps have to work pretty hard to keep your arm in the correct position and your shoulders start wanting to help out also. And from what I’ve noticed with cables, once you start going heavier it gets kind of challenging to “stabilize” the handles and push in a straight line without shaking a bunch. That’s solvable if you just lower the weight, but it makes progression more difficult. It’s nowhere near as simple or easy as a standard bench press to progress, especially for beginners.
A cable fly is great movement for feeling the chest contract, no doubt. A cable bench press is similar, as the cables are exerting a force outward on your muscles. They can be a great addition to a chest routine, but they have their limitations as all exercises do. But picking a best exercise for a muscle group is difficult, as almost any movement has advantages and limitations.[/quote]
See, that’s all you had to say and now I’m convinced of your standpoint and you beint right. Thank you!
[quote]LoRez wrote:
If you’re really that dead set on guillotine presses, please 1) do them with a spotter or in a rack with the pins set so you don’t drop/lower the bar on yourself, 2) try to cut off the bottom portion of the ROM… when the elbows are about the same height as your torso, starting going back up. This keeps the shoulders in a more stable position, and keeps the emphasis more on the chest and off the shoulders.
But all in all, I’m both amused and annoyed that my prediction was right. I thought maybe I was wrong… but apparently not.[/quote]
Thank you very much for your tips. Hehe, I’ll stick to the routine for, I think, a couple of months, as long as it works, that is, as long as I don’t reach a plateu.
Yeah, I forgot to tell you guys I always do neck presses in the smith machine, it’s pretty good, because yes, there have been times when I almost dropped it LOL probably would have died from it had it not been done in the smith machine… It’s a good thing I was precautious about the exercise.
But yes, you’re right,I need to be dedicated and consistent, I’m not going to be stupid and change my routine after a couple of weeks, I’ll need to be consistent, dedicated and will need to stick to it in order to see what changes it can possibly bring about. Thanks!
In terms of bodybuilding, neck pressing can be beneficial if you want to specifically target the upper pec. You just do not lower it to your chin level however, because it can be pretty taxing to shoulders. Arms slightly below parallel, barbell around your nose level should be enough, but experiment with it since everybody has different body. When performing this, use the weight that is light enough.
As for incline bench, somewhere between mid chest or nipple line works great, you will find out eventually for the exact spot. As for neck pressing, try to do it as finishing movement after you finish with major sets.
[quote]GetBigs wrote:
I set a weight goal on that exercise because as far as I know, even though strenght and muscle gains aren’t linear, they do have something to do with each other. I think if I get to 200 pounds on the neck press, I’ll significantly have increased the size of my chest muscles. Aren’t I right?
It’s not like I’m training for strength gains, I just want to get stronger first on the basic lifts because I was told beginners should do that, as in the meantime they get bigger too. Correct me if I’m wrong on this, please.
Yes, I agree with you on the “experimenting with lifts” thing, I’ll keep that in mind.
[/quote]
So you set a weight goal on the neck or guillotine press because you figure if you can do more, you will get bigger.
But you don’t apply this logic to the squat, and quickly abandoned it because it hurts.
I’ll make a gentlemen’s bet with you. Get your neck press to 200 for a 1RM as you say you are working on, then get your squat to a 2xBW 1RM by any means necessary. Which one will get you more “jacked”? I already know the answer, but I’m not sure you do.
Again - I just think your focus and energy are misplaced. This isn’t meant to be a put-down.
[quote]Souldozer wrote:
[quote]GetBigs wrote:
I set a weight goal on that exercise because as far as I know, even though strenght and muscle gains aren’t linear, they do have something to do with each other. I think if I get to 200 pounds on the neck press, I’ll significantly have increased the size of my chest muscles. Aren’t I right?
It’s not like I’m training for strength gains, I just want to get stronger first on the basic lifts because I was told beginners should do that, as in the meantime they get bigger too. Correct me if I’m wrong on this, please.
Yes, I agree with you on the “experimenting with lifts” thing, I’ll keep that in mind.
[/quote]
So you set a weight goal on the neck or guillotine press because you figure if you can do more, you will get bigger.
But you don’t apply this logic to the squat, and quickly abandoned it because it hurts.
I’ll make a gentlemen’s bet with you. Get your neck press to 200 for a 1RM as you say you are working on, then get your squat to a 2xBW 1RM by any means necessary. Which one will get you more “jacked”? I already know the answer, but I’m not sure you do.
Again - I just think your focus and energy are misplaced. This isn’t meant to be a put-down.[/quote]
I’m always open for feedback and possible opportunities to learn, don’t worry!
Clearly the legs are bigger muscles than the chest, but I have my priorities. I know, this doesn’t sound too smart at first, but I really want that massive thick chest basically every guy is striving for
I do train my leg though heavy as fuck
Alright thanks guys
One question though: I just want to maximize the effectiveness of my bench press. So are you supposed to “shove your hands together” on the concentric as well as on the eccentric portion of the rep, OR would I be better off by only doing it on the eccentric?
So:
much lower weight (maybe?), but on the concentric as well as the eccentric VS only on the eccentric?
Thanks a lot