# square chest



## proutm11 (Feb 6, 2012)

Hi guys, wondering how you can get the old movie star chest! You know the perfect square pecs etc,

Will it be exercises like dumbell fly, decline bench inverted bench?


----------



## The Shredder (Jul 7, 2011)

More down to genetics in all honesty... the natural shape of your chest..

You can improve but some peoople have square pecs that meet perfectly in the middle with hardly any gap etc.Lucky

Like some guys have really high connecting cavles.. that cant make them lower and get a Beefy looking calves ..alls they can do is make the high connecting part bigger.

.


----------



## 2004mark (Oct 26, 2013)

anab0lic said:


> You certainly can shift the emphasis to differnt areas of the chest to give it more shape (this is true for every muscle actually) dont ever let anyone tell you any different.


Even if that were true... in many cases you are just p!ssing in the wind. Just adding mass is hard enough for some without attempting to change muscle shapes as well.


----------



## UKLifter88 (Sep 19, 2011)

I never see people doing declined bench press for lower pecs


----------



## squatthis (May 3, 2010)

anab0lic said:


> Incorrect. If you know how to train properly, hitting it with different movements at various angles is exactly what you should be doing for full development.


But surely its only full development of the genetic muscle shape determined by many unchangeable factors such as insertion points?


----------



## The Shredder (Jul 7, 2011)

anab0lic said:


> You certainly can shift the emphasis to differnt areas of the chest to give it more shape (this is true for every muscle actually) dont ever let anyone tell you any different.


Humm

If you have a very bottom heavy chest with rounded bottom part you will never have square pecs

If you have a top strong chest with hardly any bottom part and a large gap in the middle meeting part (like mine) you will never have a square chest...

Its how the shape of that muscle is connected to your body that's why we all have different body's..Just like our faces you could probs get 2 people that look alike just like 2 people have similar shape body's chest/abs/quads but they will always be slightly different,When you look at muscular men alot in you spare time you learn this 

We all want a chest like Romans plate of armour but some just don't have that shape 

When you look at muscular men a lot in you spare time you learn this


----------



## BigJim (Feb 1, 2012)

I have a big chest but my bigger waist makes it look small lol


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

Shape as in outline - genetics

Size/volume - training/genetics

Just work on adding mass with a solid chest routine


----------



## squatthis (May 3, 2010)

Is it even possible to activate one part of one muscle more than others? I'm trying to find some research I read a while back which found that its impossible to contract one part of a muscle more than another, as in when a muscle contracts, it contracts as a whole.

I think the changes you are seeing are due to changing the emphasis to other muscles, rather than changing the emphasis to different parts of one muscle.


----------



## squatthis (May 3, 2010)

Its absolutely not. You can train different muscles, yes. But you cannot contract one part of a muscle more than another part of the same muscle, that is just not how muscles work. The muscle contracts and shortens as a whole, this is backed up by even the most basic physiological research (Cooke 1986, The mechanism of muscle contraction).

Not trying to be argumentative, but this idea that you can train the inner part of the chest with one exercise and the outer with another is common place within gyms and bodybuilding, but it is not correct, it is bro science.


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

anab0lic said:


> It's absolutely possible.


Muscle fibres contract fully or not at all.

In terms of moving around to target other area's of a muscle, Ive read conflicting information, i think you can target one part more than the other, but you cant completey isolate an area of the chest for example


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

squatthis said:


> Its absolutely not. You can train different muscles, yes. But you cannot contract one part of a muscle more than another part of the same muscle, that is just not how muscles work. The muscle contracts and shortens as a whole, this is backed up by even the most basic physiological research (Cooke 1986, The mechanism of muscle contraction).
> 
> Not trying to be argumentative, but this idea that you can train the inner part of the chest with one exercise and the outer with another is common place within gyms and bodybuilding, but it is not correct, it is bro science.


agree with this, from my own research, i think you can place more stress in a certain area, but muscles contract fully or not at all, which defeats the idea..

i still train flat inlcine decline because its good for all over devlop.


----------



## squatthis (May 3, 2010)

Ok, if its working for you, good. By what means it is working is actually what I was commenting on, and in that respect, I think you have a lot to learn. Physiology is a fascinating subject and will help you to understand what is actually happening with your own body.

Either way, I have said my piece for the OP based on my own knowledge, and now I am out.


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

anab0lic said:


> It is true that the muscle contracts as a whole, however - you CAN apply more stretch/microtrauma (which will result in growth compensation) to differnt areas of the fibre that run along that muscle.
> 
> *I mean if the muscle contracted as a whole and the tension was distributed equally throughout the length of the fibre why not just do 1 inch range of motion bicep curls*? This is why full range of motion with sufficent resistence thourought is important... and if that cant be acomplished with just one movement you need to add others for complete development...alot of people that cry 'oh its my genetics' are often times just not training smart enough. And look at an anatomy chart and how the chest fibres run across the pectorial, right there lies the answer as to why you not only need to work the pecs with a full ROM + resistence throughout but also at different angles to fully develop the mid/upper/lower regions.


have you heard of isometric contraction?


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

and the chest is a fan muscle (what you described which is correct) but not three regions mate, theres 2, major and minor


----------



## bartonz20let (Aug 13, 2010)

Surely if a muscle adapts its composition to different stress' applied to it then it would stand to reason that shape can also be determined by different forms of stress?

To say that a muscle is just made of simple fibers and contraction is linier sounds simplistic and doesn't account for varying fiber types etc, as anab0lic says, form would be irrelivant if that were true.


----------



## baggsy1436114680 (Jan 23, 2010)

yes the muscle contracts as a whole etc but you still can targer certain part of the muscle, say incline barbell press yes it will work whole of chest but it will definetly hit more of the upper chest, collar bone area, you cant isolate 100% but can isolate to a certain degree


----------



## PHMG (Jun 15, 2010)

if there isnt much mass there, low bodyfat will give you a square looking chest. Its only when mass is developed it takes on a more "bubbled" look.


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

bartonz20let said:


> Surely if a muscle adapts its composition to different stress' applied to it then it would stand to reason that shape can also be determined by different forms of stress?
> 
> To say that a muscle is just made of simple fibers and contraction is linier sounds simplistic and doesn't account for varying fiber types etc, as anab0lic says, form would be irrelivant if that were true.


muscle fibres contract fully or not at all


----------



## 1010AD (May 30, 2009)

squatthis said:


> Is it even possible to activate one part of one muscle more than others? I'm trying to find some research I read a while back which found that its impossible to contract one part of a muscle more than another, as in when a muscle contracts, it contracts as a whole.
> 
> I think the changes you are seeing are due to changing the emphasis to other muscles, rather than changing the emphasis to different parts of one muscle.


We was talking about this the other day and I asked a similar question, this was posted by Dtlv74



Dtlv74 said:


> I rate decline press and weighted dips as the two best movements for all-round pec stimulation.
> 
> Inclines do help hit the clavicular head of the pecs a little more than flat, but if the incline is too high incline presses quickly become primarily an anterior deltoid exercise. More important than the incline to hit the clavicular head imo is to keep elbow flare wide all the time and lower the bar high over the chest rather than to the nipple line... basically Gironda's Neck Press, and sometimes called a Guillotine Press -
> 
> ...


this is the link to the thread

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/getting-started/166178-what-difference-between-incline-flat-db-chest-flies.html


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

Yeah great shout, often see people trying to target upper chest (major) on an angle greater than 30degrees... gona be bring in the shoulders far too much taking tension off the target area


----------



## boricuarage (Jan 2, 2011)

Genetic IMO.... I wish my cavs were big.. No matter how hard I train em,I see no difference. Only my Hamstrings and quads grow.. So I'm ok with it that!


----------



## Robbie (Dec 31, 2007)

anab0lic said:


> It is true that the muscle contracts as a whole, however - you CAN apply more stretch/microtrauma (which will result in growth compensation) to differnt areas of the fibre that run along that muscle.
> 
> I mean if the muscle contracted as a whole and the tension was distributed equally throughout the length of the fibre why not just do 1 inch range of motion bicep curls? This is why full range of motion with sufficent resistence thourought is important... and if that cant be acomplished with just one movement you need to add others for complete development...alot of people that cry 'oh its my genetics' are often times just not training smart enough. And look at an anatomy chart and how the chest fibres run across the pectorial, right there lies the answer as to why you not only need to work the pecs with a full ROM + resistence throughout but also at different angles to fully develop the mid/upper/lower regions.


Now that is a good arguement!


----------



## 2004mark (Oct 26, 2013)

1010AD said:


> We was talking about this the other day and I asked a similar question, this was posted by Dtlv74
> 
> this is the link to the thread
> 
> http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/getting-started/166178-what-difference-between-incline-flat-db-chest-flies.html


This I agree with. It is possible to put more emphasis on the upper or lower... but not the inner and outer... or make the pec square.


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

'I mean if the muscle contracted as a whole and the tension was distributed equally throughout the length of the fibre why not just do 1 inch range of motion bicep curls'

You've described isometric contraction (near enough) but seems like you dismiss the idea? Just wondering mate, not an argument, a debate, its good to learn off each other what works and what doesnt dont you think?



Personally I do flat, incline and decline. and gives me an all over good chest shape IMO


----------



## bartonz20let (Aug 13, 2010)

Matt 1 said:


> muscle fibres contract fully or not at all


So using the bicep curl analogy, you are saying that the muscle is contracted the same at the half way point as it is at the end of the rep?

Not arguing just looking for you to elaborate.

Also, i was thinking more of the runner's muscle composition vs a bodybuilders muscle composition both trained differently giving different results and developing different fiber types.


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

bartonz20let said:


> So using the bicep curl analogy, you are saying that the muscle is contracted the same at the half way point as it is at the end of the rep?
> 
> Not arguing just looking for you to elaborate.
> 
> Also, i was thinking more of the runner's muscle composition vs a bodybuilders muscle composition both trained differently giving different results and developing different fiber types.


Its just a fact of human anatomy mate, learnt it in first year of my degree, numerous books and journals back this up


----------



## Matt 1 (May 8, 2010)

When you say runner, I assume you mean a long distance athlete?

They are more predomiantly slow twitch fibres. You are born with your number of muscle fibres, you don't grow more, you can just increase/decrease the size/volume. From research ive seen, its also possible to convert firbre types through training, cant remember which (theres 3 slow fast.a fast. B) one you cannot change, great memeory moment.


----------



## DiamondDixie (Oct 17, 2009)

BigJim said:


> I have a big chest but my bigger waist makes it look small lol


 I have a huge willy but my massive balls make that look small too. :confused1:


----------

