zeta1
New Member
when i bench i can do x amount of reps with heavy weight but dont feel the chest muscles being worked as when i do lower weight for more reps. i use good form with both.
any opinions??
any opinions??
MESO-Rx
Anabolic Steroids
feeling the pump or lifting heavy
- Thread starter zeta1
- Start date
Both. The heaviest you can lift for a good solid 8-12 reps can go as low as 6 but that's the cut off for hypertrophy training at least for me. Progressively overload the weight within that rep range over a period time = gains. Heavy lifting does have it's place and it's good for developing strength, sometimes I'll do heavy compound lifts at 3-4 reps for the first exercise of a body part and then move on to a 8-12 rep range for the rest of the exercises in the workout. If lower weight with more reps works for you and feels better than stick with that, that's what it's all about finding what works for you.
zeta1
New Member
I can bech a certain amount for 8 reps and I'm in the 6-8 rep range for all my compound lifts, the problem is I don't feel the chest working or sore as when I do lower weight with more reps,, even when doing good form I guess it's hard for the muscle to contract properly, I decrease weight as long as its working properly, like my dumbbell flyes I had to reduce weight because I couldn't get a good contraction do to the heavy weight and in the rep range I wasn't stimulating it
insertnamehere
New Member
Do both. Heavy compound movements first and then secondary and accessory after.
D-Ballin
New Member
Exactly!
Dumbbell flyes don't necessarily want to be heavy. Progressive overload is important in all exercise, but those especially should be started lIght, and worked up slow. If you are having trouble locking out the elbow, or struggling to control, you will hurt yourself. Try doing them slowly, with a long negative, like three seconds coming down. Use them as a burnout for after your primary lifts. Or, as a pre exhaustion movement on deload weeks, or lighter weight days.
Why are you worried about feeling sore after a workout? Do you have masochistic tendencies and like the soreness or do you not realize that soreness is NOT a qualifier for a good workout.
DeM0NiCs
New Member
For me lighter weight on tris and bis and drop sets smoke them like no other. I still do heavy every other week depending on how bad my damned joints hurt.
zeta1
New Member
For my compound lifts I lift in the 6-8 rep range, but I don't really feel the muscle worked, I was reading about that and its more of a moving from a to b instead of working the muscle,, there's several articles of this, I do my bench press with proper form and barely reach my last reps but I still don't fell my chest worked like when doing dumbbells, imma try a little muscle stimulation before doing my compound lifts, like some db flyes to get a pump then do my 3 sets of 6-8 reps or bump them up to 8-12 rep range
If you do flyes before your bench you'll just end up doing less work on bench. Bench being a better lift than flyes means you should do it the other way around.
zeta1
New Member
i mean is as a little stretch/ warm up to get it ready to hit heavy weigh on the bench
i got it from this article-
http://www.fitocracy.com/knowledge/simple-tricks-for-better-muscle-activation-and-more-gains/
really good stuff for warming up.
i got it from this article-
http://www.fitocracy.com/knowledge/simple-tricks-for-better-muscle-activation-and-more-gains/
really good stuff for warming up.
There's some stuff wrkng in that article.
DeM0NiCs
New Member
Grip the bar with the widest grip you can without smashing your hands and go all the way down to your chest and rest the bar for 1/2 a second before you back up. You'll be sore guaranteed!
zeta1
New Member
ill have to give that a try,, a 1/2 a second then up oks..
i really want to feel the muscles working when im lifting to get that muscle to work..
i really want to feel the muscles working when im lifting to get that muscle to work..
DeM0NiCs
New Member
Wide grip all the way down and yes pause when bar is at chest level. You want to go beyond sore do this with drop sets and you will want to die.
zeta1
New Member
So far I've just been doing straight sets, I even got compliments on my chest, I just like to feel the muscle worked like when doing flyes
ChaseTheYoke
New Member
Well, “everyone knows” that pumping out reps until the stinging pain is unbearable causes maximum growth , right? “No pain, no gain,” right?
Wrong. This is probably one of the worst muscle-building fallacies out there.
Muscle “burn” andpump are not paramount in achieving muscle growth. When your muscles are burning , what you’re feeling is a buildup of lactic acid, which continues to accumulate as you contract your muscles again and again. While lactic acid triggers what’s known as the “anabolic cascade,” which is a cocktail of growth-inducing hormones, repeatedly elevating lactic acid levels higher and higher doesn’t mean you build more and more muscle over time.
Morale of the story is: Just because you aren't getting a huge pump in the 4-8 range doesn't mean it isn't working.
Wrong. This is probably one of the worst muscle-building fallacies out there.
Muscle “burn” andpump are not paramount in achieving muscle growth. When your muscles are burning , what you’re feeling is a buildup of lactic acid, which continues to accumulate as you contract your muscles again and again. While lactic acid triggers what’s known as the “anabolic cascade,” which is a cocktail of growth-inducing hormones, repeatedly elevating lactic acid levels higher and higher doesn’t mean you build more and more muscle over time.
Morale of the story is: Just because you aren't getting a huge pump in the 4-8 range doesn't mean it isn't working.
ChaseTheYoke
New Member
Meh, depends on your wingspan really. If you're powerlifting then sure, use a competition grip. If you try to go too wide your elbows will flare and put load on your shoulders. I'd start 2-4" outside shoulder width and experiment.
DeM0NiCs
New Member
I have really long arms so it works well for me I feel it all in the chest the next day. However like you stated everyone's different and you should go with what feels wide for your arm length
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zeta1
New Member
I go a little more than shoulder width and my shoulders don't give me any problems so its great right there for me, i really work on my form to get it right, when i squat i go 90 degrees in the 6-8 rep range but again i dont feel my quads working that much, maybe the weight is to much that i can lift it properly but its too heavy and my body uses other muscles to help the quads.
Why do you think they're called compound lifts? your quads are still working hard but they don't work just 1 muscle, while the quads are one of the primary movers several other muscle groups come into play in the movement. If you want to isolate quads then do leg extensions and more accessory lifts after squats, same with chest etc. I'm guessing you haven't been lifting for very long, when you have more experience and better mind and muscle connection you can more effectively isolate and contract muscles effectively. It's all in your head to be honest, you think you're not working these muscles enough when you probably are. This isn't rocket science it's pretty simple to be honest don;t try to over think or over complicate things.
