Lagging Chest

[Pineapples4Puss]

Old thread I’m sure it’s been said, but any type of stretch movement.

I always had a big side chest, always did heavy pressing until I injured my right pec a bit and it nags, I started adding a TON of stretch work. So DB flys, cable flys and even presses you can get negative on. Some machines I’m able to do it, not only has my flexibilty in my chest gotten 10x better. My presses have gone up and my chest has blown up.

 

[Demondosage]

Pre exhaust with high rep flys or pec deck sets, THEN PRESS

 

[SUGARBEAR]

the pec major and pec minor both are active during bench press. feel the stretch and contraction in your upper chest and the lower will follow. both insert on the humerus and originate from the ribs

 

[rthor4573]

John meadows makes a point of also training the pec minor, which he thinks helps fill out the chest. Youd probably be able to find it on you tube. The exercise he recommends is basically just the top of the dip movement. A reverse shrug, if you will. You go to the top of the chest biased dip, then press your shoulders down, and get a few inches of movement. People also use this movement to train the seratus (sp), but i think that's more in the tricep biased dip form. Anyway, may be something to look into. Little things help.

 

[cfreetenor]

Old thread but I thought I’d make a comment/question on the elbow flare vs tucked question.

Big thing for chest is the loaded stretch, if I’m correct. Flaring your elbows relaxes your chest in the stretch position, so you’re actually a bit past the point with your elbows that you get the most effective ROM for the chest if you flare them too much.

Same reason that when you pack your shoulders really tight, your chest beefs up at the same time that your lats flex.

Like has been mentioned already, the pec minor seems to be the primary muscle responsible for this postural adjustment.

 

[SUGARBEAR]

Old thread but I thought I’d make a comment/question on the elbow flare vs tucked question.

Big thing for chest is the loaded stretch, if I’m correct. Flaring your elbows relaxes your chest in the stretch position, so you’re actually a bit past the point with your elbows that you get the most effective ROM for the chest if you flare them too much.

Same reason that when you pack your shoulders really tight, your chest beefs up at the same time that your lats flex.

Like has been mentioned already, the pec minor seems to be the primary muscle responsible for this postural adjustment.

True. Elbows out works best with wide grip
normal should have arms tucked

 

[cfreetenor]

True. Elbows out works best with wide grip
normal should have arms tucked

Something about forearms close to parallel?

 

[SUGARBEAR]

Something about forearms close to parallel?

What do you mean?

 

[cfreetenor]

What do you mean?

Wide grip, elbows flared is forearms both perpendicular to floor. Normal grip, elbows tucked, is the same.

 

[SUGARBEAR]

i was talking about shoulder stability. Tucked is better, but wide allows you to more easily feel the stretch. Hands in middle gets your pecs contracting. Tucked is all-around, which is full stretch and contraction. Avoid arching the back like a powerlifters. There is some use in making the forearms parallel to gravity because this takes the triceps out of the equation. However, you have to realize close-grip works triceps and wide-grip works biceps. Middle-grip targets both similar to the quadriceps and femur biceps in back squat.

 

[cfreetenor]

i was talking about shoulder stability. Tucked is better, but wide allows you to more easily feel the stretch. Hands in middle gets your pecs contracting. Tucked is all-around, which is full stretch and contraction. Avoid arching the back like a powerlifters. There is some use in making the forearms parallel to gravity because this takes the triceps out of the equation. However, you have to realize close-grip works triceps and wide-grip works biceps. Middle-grip targets both similar to the quadriceps and femur biceps in back squat.

Personally, if I have wide shoulders, I have to arch my back to feel my chest in the bench. If I pack them, I can stay more neutral. My chest is C- tier for a natural though so take that for what it’s worth.