# How many exercises per muscle group?



## Gynosaur

Chest and triceps today for me at the gym, and in between sets I was observing some of the other people training there and noticed how much time they spend on each muscle group.

For example, today, on my chest, I did 4 sets of 8-10 reps on flat bench and that was absolutely it lol. I had absolutely fatigued the hell out of my chest. Same for triceps. Did 4 sets of close grip bench press and I was spent. Didn't feel a burn as such but just reached absolute 100% failure on both muscle groups.

When I walked into the free weight area this one particular pair of fellas were attacking shoulders on the smith machine...and when I walked out, they were still on shoulders.

I would say they're complete novices but they were both sizeable blokes and could tell they'd been training a damn sight longer than I have!

Anyway, my question is this: do I need to be hitting the muscle groups more? I've made some very noticeable gains over the last year (not enormous, but very noticeable nonetheless) but can't seem to understand how I can't manage a greater workout on each group.

Surely 4 sets on a bench isn't enough to train my chest, is it?

Although I squeezed everything out of them.

Thanks for your time,

Jim :screwy:


----------



## giuseppedec

mmm forx example.

Day one: I train pectoral, shoulder and biceps. Next i do a crunch and stretching. 3 sets of 12-10-8 reps

Day two: I train legs,dorsal and triceps. 3 sets of 12-10-8 reps

Day three ,again the exercise day 1.


----------



## oldskoolcool

I find 2 different exercises per group works just fine say incline bench and fly's for chest etc.


----------



## The Cheese

jimbo.levy said:


> Surely 4 sets on a bench isn't enough to train my chest, is it?


Ordinarily, the answer is no.

Take shoulders for example - you've got front, back and side delts. So if you do just one exercise, chances are that you're only hitting one area really hard and neglecting the others.

Same with benching - if you want to hit the upper pecs, you go incline. Lower pecs it's decline.


----------



## shane278

Different strokes for different folks, what works for one might not work for another, some people need lots of volume, others don't need half as much. Try a combination of both and see how you get on.


----------



## Nobraincells

The Cheese said:


> Ordinarily, the answer is no.
> 
> Take shoulders for example - you've got front, back and side delts. So if you do just one exercise, chances are that you're only hitting one area really hard and neglecting the others.
> 
> Same with benching - if you want to hit the upper pecs, you go incline. Lower pecs it's decline.


Biggest load of rubbish ive read in over 10 years! hahha

go home kid, stop giving rubbish advice to people. People like you are the creators and distributers of bro science.

Back to the OP

Shoulder press, military press (front or back) works all three heads of the shoulders if done correct.

Same with bench press, use dumbells, natural angle for the wrists, take the front deltoid out of the action and it works the whole chest. Incline and decline are not needed. These bro sciences that appeared sometime around the arnie era have, like many other bb'ing myths stuck around.....

Yes isolations etc have their place, as an icing on the cake for top level builders at the top of their game. I believe they are used to bring out lagging parts that could have otherwise been avoided had the technique been done correct in the first place. However, we all develop bad habbits and when you are going for proportion and symetry, this is when things like, incline, decline bench and front rear and side raises become more important.

THink about it, how much can you lateral raise? with perfect form, maybe 30kg? at the most? for most people starting out its more like 10-20 kg. Now compare this with loading your shoulders with an overhead press of an average weight that is easily acheiveable ie 100-120kg. Where do you think you would get the most growth?

Going back to the orignal question, i think 1-2 sets done correct after ample warmup sets can be enough if you go balls to the wall and maybe adopt a HIT mentzer type plan or Dante Trudels DC training. More than one set AND excersise per bodypart is just overtraining. (note how i said one set CAN be enough, not WILL be....)depends on your experience, dedication and capabilities.


----------



## The Cheese

Nobraincells said:


> Biggest load of rubbish ive read in over 10 years! hahha
> 
> go home kid, stop giving rubbish advice to people. People like you are the creators and distributers of bro science.


Then you obviously haven't read enough, son.

You really need to study up a bit more.

Sure OHP will hit the fronts, lats and rear delts but it's primarily a front delt exercise. That's why you work sides and rear separately.

Same goes for bench. Flat bench primarily hits the middle of the pecs so to hit upper and lower, you do incline and decline.

So before trying to look smart and calling other people out, try learning about the subject before gobbing off. Otherwise you're the one who ends up looking ignorant.


----------



## Big_Z

Guys the action of your posterior deltiods are;

Extension

External Rotation

Tranverse Abduction

Tranverse Extension

There are not 3 pecotral heads, the upper, middle & lower is a myth.

There are only 2 pectoral heads. The clavicular & the sternal head the actions of both are nearly identical. Yes the angle of a bench can put more emphasis on certain areas but the most get too caught up in things like these when simply working the muscle as a whole is enough for the majority.

OP. Whether 4 sets of bench pressing is enough depends on your goals, program your following & frequency you target each muscle.

Remember more is not necessarily better.


----------



## leeds_01

depends on so many variables - is this for ronnie coleman or the milkybar kid?

u need to find what works for u - i might do 3 diff movements for chest but 5 for shoulders depending on what im trying to hit


----------



## cudsyaj

I've had good results from this kind of routine.

Flat dumbell chest press and triceps:

2 warm up sets of 15-20 with a fairly light weight to get the blood pumping and muscles nice an warm.

Always the heaviest I can manage 8 perfect reps and 2 failed.

3 flat sets to failure

2 incline sets to failure

3 tricep dips

3 tricep push downs

2 tricep rope pull downs

done


----------



## Nobraincells

The Cheese said:


> Then you obviously haven't read enough, son.
> 
> You really need to study up a bit more.
> 
> Sure OHP will hit the fronts, lats and rear delts but it's primarily a front delt exercise. That's why you work sides and rear separately.
> 
> Same goes for bench. Flat bench primarily hits the middle of the pecs so to hit upper and lower, you do incline and decline.
> 
> So before trying to look smart and calling other people out, try learning about the subject before gobbing off. Otherwise you're the one who ends up looking ignorant.


4 things

1- read post by big z above

2- I can obviously see from your pic that it worked amazing wonders for you

3- hahahaha hahahaha

4- see number 3


----------



## TryingToGetBig

I do 5 to 6 different exercises, 4 sets each exercise 8 to 12 reps per set, for each muscle group.


----------



## eezy1

usually 4 for the big muscle groups


----------



## Jeebo

4 day split with 4 excercises for each muscle group.


----------



## The Cheese

Nobraincells said:


> 2- I can obviously see from your pic that it worked amazing wonders for you


1) So everyone does just one exercise per bodypart? LOL. Yeah right. Look at all those bodybuilders getting swoll on just OHP, Flat Bench and Squats. LMAO!!

2) Read what's written by everyone in this thread. They're not doing one exercise per bodypart.

3) And where's your pic? Doing that one exercise works so well for you, you're bound to be confident enough to post one. Oh. But you haven't posted one. Not got the balls?


----------



## bigstee

chest today, flat bench x3 work sets, incline smith x 3 work sets, flat or incline fly x 3 work sets, x overs or pec dec x 3 work sets last set is a triple drop set. and db pull overs x 3 sets.. and done.. i have tried low volume be i just dont grow doing it. it is slight over training but i just me sure i eat enough to recover.


----------



## Nobraincells

bigstee said:


> chest today, flat bench x3 work sets, incline smith x 3 work sets, flat or incline fly x 3 work sets, x overs or pec dec x 3 work sets last set is a triple drop set. and db pull overs x 3 sets.. and done.. i have tried low volume be i just dont grow doing it. it is slight over training but i just me sure i eat enough to recover.


Low volume but high intensity can work but not always. Depends on goals. Drop sets and high volume cn make you bigger without making you stronger through build up of glycogen storage etc manipulated by your diet. I gues it depends on the look you want.

It isn't necessarily over training it's how your body responds.


----------



## bigstee

Nobraincells said:


> Low volume but high intensity can work but not always. Depends on goals. Drop sets and high volume cn make you bigger without making you stronger through build up of glycogen storage etc manipulated by your diet. I gues it depends on the look you want.
> 
> It isn't necessarily over training it's how your body responds.


good point bud, the slin helps too!! iv found it makes my muscle look rounder. i train in a 3 so its not very intense just now. but will up the pace pre contest by dumping a partner lol


----------



## Nobraincells

The Cheese said:


> 1) So everyone does just one exercise per bodypart? LOL. Yeah right. Look at all those bodybuilders getting swoll on just OHP, Flat Bench and Squats. LMAO!!
> 
> 2) Read what's written by everyone in this thread. They're not doing one exercise per bodypart.
> 
> 3) And where's your pic? Doing that one exercise works so well for you, you're bound to be confident enough to post one. Oh. But you haven't posted one. Not got the balls?


As I said. And emphasised the first time it CAN be enough but doesn't mean its always enough.

Also I couldn't give a monkies what everyone else on this thread is doing. I'm stating facts of what can and can't work.

Read carefully read again Or get mommy to read it for you and buy you a dictionary. Also listen up in English class at school you may learn the difference between 'will' and 'may'. If not I can teach you.

Judging by the use of the word swoll, lol, lmao I'm guessing you're either a 12 year old girl or maybe you see tupac when you look in the mirror...so this conversation is pointless.

I suggest you ask Santa for a mirror that works for Xmas. Maybe some glasses. Failing that, ikea and specs savers are having a new year sale.


----------



## The Cheese

Nobraincells said:


> As I said. And emphasised the first time it CAN be enough but doesn't mean its always enough.
> 
> I suggest you ask Santa for a mirror that works for Xmas. Maybe some glasses. Failing that, ikea and specs savers are having a new year sale.


LMAO. Read the post I originally wrote and which you replied to.

See how it starts? *"Ordinarily"*. Do you know what that word means?

Isn't it ironic that you're trying to excuse yourself with the very thing which you overlooked in the first place.

And I still don't see your photo.


----------



## MNR

The Cheese said:


> Then you obviously haven't read enough, son.
> 
> You really need to study up a bit more.
> 
> Sure OHP will hit the fronts, lats and rear delts but it's primarily a front delt exercise. That's why you work sides and rear separately.
> 
> Same goes for bench. Flat bench primarily hits the middle of the pecs so to hit upper and lower, you do incline and decline.
> 
> So before trying to look smart and calling other people out, try learning about the subject before gobbing off. Otherwise you're the one who ends up looking ignorant.


It all depends who you listen to Dorian Yates seems to rant about heavy decline working the whole pec.


----------



## The Cheese

MNR said:


> It all depends who you listen to Dorian Yates seems to rant about heavy decline working the whole pec.


He does, but then he also rants about flat benching and inclines. Take a look at Blood and Guts on youtube and you'll see him training guys on flat.Then you've got videos of him training incline like in this one: 




And adding to that, you'll see him advocating one set as all you need but then when you look at his training programs, you can see him doing multiple sets.

Fact is, if you look at the pros in action or really just any guy whose taking his bodybuilding seriously, just about every single one of them will be doing multiple exercises for a muscle.


----------



## User Name

All I've got to say is; I had biceps long before I ever did a bicep curl.


----------



## Tinytom

There's no evidence to suggest that decline hits lower pecs. I've never done decline in my life and have a very good chest development.

Decline movements place a lot of strain on the shoulders and really are not necessary for chest development.

The only separation that might be of value is a high incline as this hits the pec minor on the clavicle area.

The pec major would be hit by both decline and flat movements.


----------

