# struggling to get good chest gains



## gray-efc

Iv been bodybuilding for a while now and im looking fine in most places apart from chest. At the moment im 22 12st been training for a couple of years on and off, my chest workout is usually 4 sets of incline and decline(occasionaly) press, flies then cables. I have been on deca and bianabol before and did see good gains on the chest but when i finish my course they just dissapear again. any advise?


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## the_gre8t_1ne

Hi, I would say that your doing too much on the chest, and I would also look at your diet, can you tell us a lil more, what routine do you currently do, whats your diet like?

mean time have a look at this thread, as it will help

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8136


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## Tinytom

Or this one. he he

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11606&highlight=article:rolleye11


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## big

gray-efc said:


> Iv been bodybuilding for a while now and im looking fine in most places apart from chest. At the moment im 22 12st been training for a couple of years on and off, my chest workout is usually 4 sets of incline and decline(occasionaly) press, flies then cables. I have been on deca and bianabol before and did see good gains on the chest but when i finish my course they just dissapear again. any advise?


If you're not gaining from all that work, try doing less volume but with higher intensity and see what happens.

Just pick 1-2 chest exercises and do 1-3 sets for each and focus on being able to add weight to the bar each week.


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## Ironman

I only ever do 3 exercises for chest with a total of 6 working sets. More is not always better. You need to bring your volume way down. What kind of rep range are you hitting?

Do what Big said.


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## Lee1436114491

10 reps per set (he trains with me)

We have changed it around slightly now, starting at highest weight and working down 5-10kg per set (doing 3 sets).


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## hackskii

Might be down to improper form.

Stick to basic compound exercises for chest.

No sense trying to get size from isolation exercises.


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## meera

Also, without rest, try to superset your heavy chest workouts with "simple" moves like Press Ups, Pull Ups. Like has been said above, maintain good form above concern for how much weight you are using and perhaps hit the chest twice a week: day one heavy weight and supersetting + day two lower weight higher reps.


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## Ironman

Chest twice a week is to much imo - takes me the week to recover from 1 chest workout.


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## DB

2 times a week one exercise each day

i do 4x6 flat bench mon&fri.. chest has the grown the most it ever has


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## 3752

my advice would be to stick to the basics and leave the cable x-overs and flyes movements out apart from maybe a cpl of warm up sets...try this.

Cable x-overs 1 sets 25 reps (not too heavy)

Flat bench press x 3

Incline DB press 3 sets

Dips 3 sets


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## Ralphy

Pscarb said:


> my advice would be to stick to the basics and leave the cable x-overs and flyes movements out apart from maybe a cpl of warm up sets...try this.
> 
> Cable x-overs 1 sets 25 reps (not too heavy)
> 
> Flat bench press x 3
> 
> Incline DB press 3 sets
> 
> Dips 3 sets


I should really be posting on the 'getting started' section as I am new to BB'ing.

However, last night I did a similar routine to the one quoted above by Pscarb, which was the following:

5 Sets Bench Press

3 sets incline db

3 sets flys

2 sets dips

I got this routine from 'Need: a routine' in the 'getting started' section. My chest doesn't feel like it has been worked at all. Does this mean that I have not worked my pecs hard enough? Last Thursday I did back & biceps & I can still feel like my back has been worked hard, likewise with my Saturday routine of Legs & shoulders...calves feel like they're about to explode!

Could the problem be with my form? e.g.

When i do bench press the area which feels the most stressed after the workout is between the front deltoid and chest area (towards the outer part of my chest is what im trying to say). Is this normal? I do I need to throw in some decline presses to target to lower pecs?

Someone please advise.

Thanks


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## Ironman

Mate your doing far to much - especially if your new to the game - read the above posts - drop the volume.

I would say start with bench press's then go onto flys and that'll do you. Warm up sufficiently then work hard and intence for a couple sets for each exercise. aim for 6 - 10 reps.


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## hackskii

Id stick with the bench, inclines and dips.

Because your chest does not feel worked really does not have alot to do with what you did but how your mind and you are doing it.

The longer you get into this the better the mind muscle thought of things will come together.

Like for instance, doing crunches, if you squeeze them while doing them, you will get a better feel for the muscle being worked, compared to just breathing and going up and down.

See the diffrence here?

I could do just one set after warming up to failure and squeeze it and feel the lift and be hammered after just that one set of going to failure.

Or I could just stop short each set and go all day till I got the quality of work I needed. I can usually tell when I have had enough.

It is very easy to overtrain, this is why I limit my sets and exercises or I know I will do this.

It is very easy to overtrain, this will lead to loss of gains, fetigue, greater chance of injury, more time for recovery, extra time spent in the gym, all that is totally avoidable.

In the beginning I would stick to basic compound exercises, after you get the size and strength you are looking for then add some isolation exercises.

After all you down the road might need to add some volume and why do it in the beginning?

I think overtraining is common among guys new to lifting?

I never could figure out why doing bench twice a week going heavy I could not get my bench up. Till I went on vacation and took a week off then came back and did a personal best.

Then I started to figured things out.

More is not better.

If you are taking more than an hour in the gym you are doing too much.


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## Ralphy

Thanks for the great advice Mr Ironman & Mr Hacksii. I was just concerned about my form.

Ralphy


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## crazycacti

I'd stick with just 1/2 working sets (after a couple of warmups) for chest... just the one exercise...

Flat (DB or BB)

Incline (DB or BB)

Dips

i'd pick one and do a couple of warm ups the 2 working sets.... increase the weigh each session - when you fail to get your target reps on the second set do just one working set instead - still increasing the weight very slowly... when you finally fail for 2 weeks on the trot getting the target rep range with just one set change the exercise and load back up again...

this high intensity/low volume training does work for most people... it gives a greater chance of being fully recovered for you next workout (normally 1 week later)...

If you do too much volume then you won't be fully recovered and you won't be able to increase the weights each session - infact you might even become smaller

when was the last time you managed to put the weights up on all exercises?


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## Ralphy

Thx guys, all info taken on board.


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