Chest question

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Replies

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,937 Member
    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.
  • Movemoreguy22
    Movemoreguy22 Posts: 387 Member
    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
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,937 Member
    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?
  • Movemoreguy22
    Movemoreguy22 Posts: 387 Member
    mmapags 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..
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
    @garyggriffin did you ever do those pushups I suggested in my earlier post?
  • Movemoreguy22
    Movemoreguy22 Posts: 387 Member
    @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 now
  • Movemoreguy22
    Movemoreguy22 Posts: 387 Member
    @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 😁
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    edited July 2019
    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
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
    @garyggriffin that was a figure of speech. I meant a good old/fashioned standard push-up, ine set to failure with good form.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    @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, LMAO