Chest question
Movemoreguy22
Posts: 386 Member
Hi peeps,
I'm having a few problems with chest excerises.
I never feel the pump in my chest when lifting and wondered if anyone could throw some advice my way.
I've gave up on barbell bench press and gone with dumbbell bench press, my right shoulder doesn't seem to like the bar and has this amazing feeling like a tendon gets trapped and then pings over something so I've stopped them
Anyway chest, I squeeze my shoulder blades together and I try to lift with my chest rather than my front shoulder muscles and squeeze the chest when up top am I doing this wrong???
Never feels like I've trained them on that day...
At the mo I'm doing 12/15 reps next week it will be 8/10 And the following 3/5 reps if anyone asks...
I'm trying the jim stoppani workout
Cheers people
I'm having a few problems with chest excerises.
I never feel the pump in my chest when lifting and wondered if anyone could throw some advice my way.
I've gave up on barbell bench press and gone with dumbbell bench press, my right shoulder doesn't seem to like the bar and has this amazing feeling like a tendon gets trapped and then pings over something so I've stopped them
Anyway chest, I squeeze my shoulder blades together and I try to lift with my chest rather than my front shoulder muscles and squeeze the chest when up top am I doing this wrong???
Never feels like I've trained them on that day...
At the mo I'm doing 12/15 reps next week it will be 8/10 And the following 3/5 reps if anyone asks...
I'm trying the jim stoppani workout
Cheers people
0
Replies
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One doesn't need to feel a pump for any lift to accomplish your goals. Example I currently have 6 slots of bench a week and don't experience a pump or soreness and progress just fine.
The barbell is pretty simple. I have a feeling what your problem is but post a vid of a reasonable challenging weight and I can get you on a much better track.
Post your pressing template as well as log for the past 6-8 weeks to give a idea of progression and everything involved please.
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@garyggriffin sounds like your technique might not be the issue but your pre-workout routine.
For better pumps at the gym, you want to be extra hydrated and an hr prior to the workout, have yourself a meal higher in sodium.
Since I workout early in the morning, my goto meal before my workout session is 8egg whites with 1/2 cup white rice and a pinch or 2 of kosher salt and some black pepper. Extreme pumps every gym session. Salted pickles also work...if you can't eat a meal.
Remember to drink lots of water.
Hope that helps.6 -
One doesn't need to feel a pump for any lift to accomplish your goals. Example I currently have 6 slots of bench a week and don't experience a pump or soreness and progress just fine.
The barbell is pretty simple. I have a feeling what your problem is but post a vid of a reasonable challenging weight and I can get you on a much better track.
Post your pressing template as well as log for the past 6-8 weeks to give a idea of progression and everything involved please.
Same here. 6 slots, 3 strength, 3 hypertrophy. No pump or soreness. Interestingly, I seem to recover better from upper sessions than lower sessions. I get more stiffness/ soreness and fatigue when I push a lower body session hard than an upper body session. The program I am doing is a 4 day, upper/ lower split.2 -
I'm the same, so I also do flys, machine flys really help me feel the pump, don't go heavy though need to build up slowly1
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This because when upper body lifts are lighter weights and involve not only smaller but more muscle compared to lower body which generally uses a larger portion of one type of muscle.One doesn't need to feel a pump for any lift to accomplish your goals. Example I currently have 6 slots of bench a week and don't experience a pump or soreness and progress just fine.
The barbell is pretty simple. I have a feeling what your problem is but post a vid of a reasonable challenging weight and I can get you on a much better track.
Post your pressing template as well as log for the past 6-8 weeks to give a idea of progression and everything involved please.
Same here. 6 slots, 3 strength, 3 hypertrophy. No pump or soreness. Interestingly, I seem to recover better from upper sessions than lower sessions. I get more stiffness/ soreness and fatigue when I push a lower body session hard than an upper body session. The program I am doing is a 4 day, upper/ lower split.
So less fatigue and stress to bench 275lb for sets compared to pulling 575lbs for sets. Not that it feels that way, but upper body recovery is much easier.
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Thanks for the response and the insight!
This because when upper body lifts are lighter weights and involve not only smaller but more muscle compared to lower body which generally uses a larger portion of one type of muscle.One doesn't need to feel a pump for any lift to accomplish your goals. Example I currently have 6 slots of bench a week and don't experience a pump or soreness and progress just fine.
The barbell is pretty simple. I have a feeling what your problem is but post a vid of a reasonable challenging weight and I can get you on a much better track.
Post your pressing template as well as log for the past 6-8 weeks to give a idea of progression and everything involved please.
Same here. 6 slots, 3 strength, 3 hypertrophy. No pump or soreness. Interestingly, I seem to recover better from upper sessions than lower sessions. I get more stiffness/ soreness and fatigue when I push a lower body session hard than an upper body session. The program I am doing is a 4 day, upper/ lower split.
So less fatigue and stress to bench 275lb for sets compared to pulling 575lbs for sets. Not that it feels that way, but upper body recovery is much easier.2 -
The ladies tell me I have a great chest...
10 -
I have bad shoulders so I have to be careful with range of motion with certain exercises. I like to try different exercises or different versions of exercises to help my shoulders and to vary it up.
I was trying to find a YouTube video but I can’t find it. It’s by mountaindog1. He showed a different version of the Dumbbell bench press with the palms facing each other. He kept his palms facing the whole time. At the top, don’t bring your hands together, keep them apart. Kind of like a cross between a fly and a press. Keep constant tension the whole time.
This is one I work in every now and then. It helps my shoulders and keeps the workouts interesting. 👍🏼0 -
For the pump: try to do some slow rep push-ups to feel the muscle.
Fro the barbell: start with NO plates and go slow to be able to squeeze the chest at the top.
For the shoulder isse: try to do a closer grip on the bar, dont go extra wide and use less weight.1 -
I will get woo-d for this because every single time I've suggested that someone goes and sees this particular person's account someone woo's me. But here we go - there is this guy called Eugene Teo - he is known as The Muscle Mechanic. I also couldn't feel my chest (or my shoulders or my hamstrings) now I can. I implemented the stuff he taught.
So, go on Instagram and search @coacheugeneteo (all of you who woo me - you go search him too and then if you think it's crap, go ahead and woo me, but hold your woos until you actually see the content)
I'm not in any way shape or form affiliated with the guy or get money from spruiking him. I honestly have had great experience with his way of doing things and my gainz have come a long way since I discovered him.
Sometimes you need to 'map' the muscle first. Activate it, then go do your main lift and accessories.
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Eugene Teo has good content; John Meadows frequently has him for guest appearances on his youtube channel workouts/exercise videos (mountaindog1)2
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I find the "pump" feel to be a nuisance and avoid it since hypertrophy isn't among my goals. But, given this is what you want, have you considered the plain old vanilla push-up. Bang out 25 to 50 reps and then give us a pump report. If they're too easy, you can do weighted or play with the angle by raising your feet on a step.2
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Sorry guys, totally forgot I wrote this post..
I don't think I was meant to say the word "pump" was meaning I never get the feeling that I've worked them. If i use triceps for example by the end of that work out I know I've worked them cos the feel knackered.
With chest well even back aswell they just feel normal.
if I had the energy i reckon i could do like 10sets of what ever rep range I would do.
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Do more flys, upto 15 reps, you'll feel it.1
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Can you physically flex your pec muscles on demand? If not, then you haven't yet learned how to flex the muscle correctly while it's under tension. Practice it and you'll see a difference.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
4 -
Can you physically flex your pec muscles on demand? If not, then you haven't yet learned how to flex the muscle correctly while it's under tension. Practice it and you'll see a difference.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Yeah I can, great advice thro
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There's a weight, a grip distance and a sets and reps cadence, using the bench press, that'll make your chesticles scream like a baby making you wished you hadn't said you don't feel anything. Discover it and then report back to us.4
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pierinifitness wrote: »There's a weight, a grip distance and a sets and reps cadence, using the bench press, that'll make your chesticles scream like a baby making you wished you hadn't said you don't feel anything. Discover it and then report back to us.
I think I found the spot mate.. they seem the scream more on lighter weights rather than the heavier ones?? Do u think I'm using other muscles to lift the heavier ones.. I am making sure I'm squeezing at the top with the heavys0 -
I saw a skinner kid than myself today at the gym load up his bench press 60kg (132lbs) I stayed near to him cos I thought these no way. Lucky i did guys bloody donut got stuck. Saved the day0
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garyggriffin wrote: »pierinifitness wrote: »There's a weight, a grip distance and a sets and reps cadence, using the bench press, that'll make your chesticles scream like a baby making you wished you hadn't said you don't feel anything. Discover it and then report back to us.
I think I found the spot mate.. they seem the scream more on lighter weights rather than the heavier ones?? Do u think I'm using other muscles to lift the heavier ones.. I am making sure I'm squeezing at the top with the heavys
Not necessarily different muscles, although you may be bringing more of the small muscles into play depending on what you are doing. A higher rep range, and deliberately slower eccentric and concentric movements BTW, use both type 1 and type 2 muscle fibers. Where power rep range tends to focus on the type 2 fibers.
There is a zone of effectiveness. You don't want to have to do so many reps just to get the muscles engaged in the work zone that it gets tedious, but enough to be effective. Personally, I find between 8 and 15 reps for the bigger exercises, like bench and barbell rows, works best. Some of the more accessory lifts, more like 20.
Another thing is leaving 1 or 2 reps "in the tank". In reading and listening to some of Dr. Mike Israetel's work, he talks about never training to failure as it increased recovery and can affect overall training volume. I have been training upper body 1 or 2 reps shy of failure and doing 4 sets of each lift in a range of 8 to 15 reps. Since I began this instead of pushing to failure I recover great and am getting in more volume.
Previously, I was doing 3 sets to failure and having recovery issues. When I step up in weight, I may only be doing 8 reps or so. But once I am handling 15 reps fine, time to add more weight. I find with this method of weight, rep and set ranges and never lifting to failure, I am progressing more and faster.
Btw, I am 68 and a reasonably experienced lifter.2 -
Well I'm a type of fella that gets bored easily. So at the mo I'm doing 5x5 on the bench and im trying to stick with it but i do keep looking around for more routines no idea why.. i'm not hitting failure I could potentially have 2 left in the tank per set0
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garyggriffin wrote: »Well I'm a type of fella that gets bored easily. So at the mo I'm doing 5x5 on the bench and im trying to stick with it but i do keep looking around for more routines no idea why.. i'm not hitting failure I could potentially have 2 left in the tank per set
A routine that I use and really like is P.H.U.L. It has 2 days of strength and 2 days of hypertrophy. With a variety of exercises and rep ranges, it is hard to get bored. Occasionally, I swap out a couple of exercises to keep it interesting.
If you are doing sets of 5, what did you mean by higher rep ranges?0 -
garyggriffin wrote: »Well I'm a type of fella that gets bored easily. So at the mo I'm doing 5x5 on the bench and im trying to stick with it but i do keep looking around for more routines no idea why.. i'm not hitting failure I could potentially have 2 left in the tank per set
A routine that I use and really like is P.H.U.L. It has 2 days of strength and 2 days of hypertrophy. With a variety of exercises and rep ranges, it is hard to get bored. Occasionally, I swap out a couple of exercises to keep it interesting.
If you are doing sets of 5, what did you mean by higher rep ranges?
The Higher rep range was when I was doing 12/15 reps, got bored of that now doing 5reps haha..0 -
@garyggriffin did you ever do those pushups I suggested in my earlier post?0
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pierinifitness wrote: »@garyggriffin did you ever do those pushups I suggested in my earlier post?
Er I'm gonna so no cos I can't remember seeing it.. I will look now0 -
pierinifitness wrote: »@garyggriffin did you ever do those pushups I suggested in my earlier post?
So I Googled vanilla push-up and it's came up with push up bras lol I don't no but you get up too the weekends mate but it's defo different.. seriously what is a vanilla push-up 😁0 -
Cahgetsfit wrote: »I will get woo-d for this because every single time I've suggested that someone goes and sees this particular person's account someone woo's me. But here we go - there is this guy called Eugene Teo - he is known as The Muscle Mechanic. I also couldn't feel my chest (or my shoulders or my hamstrings) now I can. I implemented the stuff he taught.
So, go on Instagram and search @coacheugeneteo (all of you who woo me - you go search him too and then if you think it's crap, go ahead and woo me, but hold your woos until you actually see the content)
I'm not in any way shape or form affiliated with the guy or get money from spruiking him. I honestly have had great experience with his way of doing things and my gainz have come a long way since I discovered him.
Sometimes you need to 'map' the muscle first. Activate it, then go do your main lift and accessories.
Would really emphasize working on learning how to really feel the chest contract rather than beating yourself to death with high volume "zombie" reps (little-no feel). I'm a bit baffled to read some guys post doing presses & flies @ every angle variation for multiple sets for high reps yet still complain of not being able to feel the chest. Personally, I can only tolerate a measly 2 sets of high rep per workout of flat hammer chest press because the pump is that painful afterwards.
Would opt trying some different pressing variations if I were in your shoes to get a better feel for the chest like cables, dumbbells, hammer press, etc.
Really cool exercise to try for feeling the chest - "ground and pound" - it's like a dip combined with a fly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rozuSByNC90 2 -
@garyggriffin that was a figure of speech. I meant a good old/fashioned standard push-up, ine set to failure with good form.1
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pierinifitness wrote: »@garyggriffin that was a figure of speech. I meant a good old/fashioned standard push-up, ine set to failure with good form.
Chocolate dips FTW, LMAO0
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