Mass bulding for Chest

[widehips71]

Wide, I know that's really good for growing you chest, but it's also a quick way to destroy your shoulders. It puts your shoulders in danger of impingement and rotator cuff arthritis. Impingement can often lead to surgery. Just thought I'd mention that in case you were unaware.

I am. You won't even see me use more than 135 for this movement. Thank you though, I should have pointed that out as well

 

[PillarofBalance]

DF your best bet is to strengthen your press overall. Do more heavy upper back work, and floor press in the 5 to 7 rep range.

Finish yourself off at the end of the work out with flies super set to facepulls. Best way to do flies imo is with bands. I use the red micro mini bands. Attach to posts that are like 4 or 5 feet apart. Step forward until you have appropriate tension. Start swinging slowly. As it gets close to failure back up to reduce the tension and keep going. Work up to a 100 rep set

 

[SuperBane]

Also I forgot suicide grip / guillotine / incline bench.
I love those too. Slow and controlled

 

[PillarofBalance]

Anyone ever do reverse grip bench? I tried it once but it just felt awkward...

 

[John Ziegler]

Anyone ever do reverse grip bench? I tried it once but it just felt awkward...

I did a lot of reverse grip benchpress back in the 90's. I was made popular by these 2 dudes.

 

[ToolSteel]

The fu k did I watch...

 

[thqmas]

You asked for it Zeigler:

 

[thqmas]

Anyone ever do reverse grip bench? I tried it once but it just felt awkward...

It's Awsome. The only problem is to unrack the bar...

 

[John Ziegler]

The fu k did I watch...

Think big no doubt about it think big no doubt about it :32 (18):

 

[Assassin32]

I am. You won't even see me use more than 135 for this movement. Thank you though, I should have pointed that out as well

I assumed you were bud, but I just figured I'd put it out there.

 

[NbleSavage]

Anyone ever do reverse grip bench? I tried it once but it just felt awkward...

I've tried these. Never got into 'em myself. Awkward, yes.

I'll work in a suicide press every so often though, keeping things light I get a great contraction. More of a volume-based exercise for hypertrophy IMO.

 

[ECKSRATED]

DF your best bet is to strengthen your press overall. Do more heavy upper back work, and floor press in the 5 to 7 rep range.

Finish yourself off at the end of the work out with flies super set to facepulls. Best way to do flies imo is with bands. I use the red micro mini bands. Attach to posts that are like 4 or 5 feet apart. Step forward until you have appropriate tension. Start swinging slowly. As it gets close to failure back up to reduce the tension and keep going. Work up to a 100 rep set

When I was prepping for my meet on dynamic days I would do band presses. I'd loop it around the top of the power rack and do them as fast as I could. I used the medium orange bands.

 

[Popeye]

Anyone ever do reverse grip bench? I tried it once but it just felt awkward...

I love reverse grip bench.

I do incline reverses and it blows my upper pecs WAY up.

It is awkward, though...lol...you get used to it.

 

[rburdge84]

I always try to hit it from different angles with different methods. Such as pre exhaust and rest pause and drop sets. Also throwing in a bazare number of high reps can shock that muscle to growth.

 

[ECKSRATED]

I never understood the whole pre exhaust shit. Why tire the muscle out with cable flies or something and then go do your compound movement. Why make it so your muscles are fatigued so u can't press as much as you should be able? I dunno it just don't make sense to me

 

[rburdge84]

I normally use it for pump and help her feel before starting big movements like pullover or flies.

 

[ECKSRATED]

Big movements like pullovers or flies huh? Lol

 

[rburdge84]

Lol big movements for like bench and rows or pull-ups

 

[goodfella]

Inclined reverse grip with something light after doing your other lifts is something that will help out. I always like closing out my chest with them.

 

[SuperBane]

I never understood the whole pre exhaust shit. Why tire the muscle out with cable flies or something and then go do your compound movement. Why make it so your muscles are fatigued so u can't press as much as you should be able? I dunno it just don't make sense to me

Bodybuilding technique. Something I wouldn't say is for strength.
Isolating the muscle attacking it for hypertrophy.
In a normal flat bench pressing either bodybuilding style or powerlifting style the pecs aren't activated nearly as much as the delta and triceps.
Having long arms I can attest that my delts have been built far faster than my pecs even without a dedicated shoulder day.

I for one do not like the elbow flare style of benching for bodybuilding which may or may not recruit more pec activation than the elbow tucked version of benching. Flaring the elbows sets one upon the road of injury at some point.

Pre exhausting the pecs and then doing the elbow flared is something I see "bodybuilder" in the gym do quite often.

Personally I do flat bench and try to setup like a powerlifters, then inclines with a suicide grip - guillotine to the neck slow and controlled. Then cable flye, Slight incline with db's then move to the hammer press machines.

Usually that is day two of benching for the week.
Day one is floor presses, board presses, pin press or some variant - heavy heavy heavy.

With long arms I have built a better chest along the way without so much emphasis on the standard flat bench.

Ecks I know this was way off from the point you were making or the question you ask.
Simply pre exhausting the pecs in isolation help with the standard flat bench for hypertrophy in bodybuilding.
Especially if you are a longer limb guy and not short with that minimal range of motion.
Just my .02 on the topic.