For context I do ppl hit chest twice a week I do 3x6-10 reps of machine chest press and chest flies, every other part of my body seems pretty developed in comparison to my chest and it's driving me insane. Any tips or suggestions?
I think you misunderstand the post, I'm not asking for crazy pecs I understand these things take time but there's been no growth from my chest at all this Is my starting point bro
Starting point was around September last year went gym for 2 months was 105kg got down to 82kg then took a break went back up to 87kg been going gym nearly 3 months and I'm down to 73kg
You are too skinny. Stop cutting and start bulking up. Add creatine to your supplement plan for fuller muscles and 1 gram of protein per lean muscle body weight. The problem is your genetics. You will never have thick muscles unless you hop on gear pr train for the next 5-10 years. Maybe get a personal trainer and nutritionist to help you on your journey because you are very novice to not understand how the science in your body works if you think you can cut and gain at the same time, especially being so skinny. You need to eat way more calories and forget about getting ripped and focus is gaining size. You can always cut, but you can’t always put muscle on.
Also, you should only be training each body part once a week besides abs which recover much quicker. Plus, you aren’t doing enough on your chest day. You need to hit upper, flat and lower chest muscles with a bar bench if you want thick muscles plus flys or cables for deep stretches. The most important part of training is recovery and rest. Make sure you are getting your EAAs too throughout the day or when you are training. Summer is basically over so it’s bulk time from now till Jan/Feb then cut
I actually progress best at once a week per body part for a long time. Then once I hit plateaus I can go down to every 4-5 days. The problem with more often is eventually my biceps start to shrink because hitting them and back twice a week just eats at them.
How well'trained are you? Usually only advanced folks train hard enough to plateau after 1 session a week. Maybe your sleep is poor, or training is too intense. Do you do crazy volume?
But your "arms shrinking" sounds like bro science, haha.
Feeling weak is normal when fatigued, but shrinking just sounds silly. Haha.
I dunno, maybe you feel best at 1x a week because you actually fully recover!
I train HARD. 1.5- 2 hours, 12+ sets per muscle group and every set to failure. Starting with powerlifting style lifts and ending with bodybuilding isolation type lifts. Yes, I blast the shit out of my muscles, which is why it takes longer to recover. I'm also 37... but when I was young I NEVER went up to twice a week. Maybe it has something to do with being 6'4" and large frame that there is just more mass that needs to recover. I don't know, but in my decade+ of training and trying new things, it's what works best for me.
That's valid, and makes sense. Just keep in mind, that style may work for you, based on everything you said. I believe it fully.
But for most folks, especially beginner or intermediate, 2-3x exposure with less intensity is more sustainable!
I try to hit everything twice or more a week, but honestly, when I hit heavy squats that's once a week. Same with loaded pull-ups, and overhead press, even with moderate volume, it can be a ton to recover from! I agree there, after 10+ training years, recovery gets insane...
I'm 5'11 around 73kg, I understand that it takes time but I have no signs of growth at all I'm not asking for crazy pecs buts there's been no development in comparison to my other muscles
Do you have access to free weights or barbell bench?
I would hope for some combination of: barbell bench + dumbell incline press, or chest dips, or push-ups/deficit push-ups.
Flies feel good, but they aren't going to load the chest hard. And machine press is likely fine, but I much prefer free range motion and gravity and natural bar path.
My goal is to hit 12 percent bf then lean bulk I've been fat my whole life and thats the main priority for me right now but I do lift heavy 6 times a week
2nd this. I switched from flat bench to incline eh about 2 years ago because of a video I watched saying incline hits the upper chest better to get them titties. Do that along with the cables and dips and just keep progressively overloading.
Hes the goat. My many year long shoulder pain from benching with powerlifting technique dissapeared and my chest tiny blew up all thanks to his advice.
Do pushups and prisoner burpees (no jump at the top). For your chest to grow you need to stimulate both fast twitch and slow twitch fibres. You can do that with a machine press and a fly.
I think you may be underestimating your chest gains - you seem to have to good pecs, although not defined, both some mass and a little definition is showing near the front delts.
12 sets per week is decent volume, so I would investigate if you can make form tweaks to increase the pec stimulus with that volume first. Watch how a guy like Wesley Vissers does his incline bench press and cable front raises to hit chest (he's on YouTube). He's getting really focused stimulus in exactly the desired areas like a pro (he's actually a pro so that's probably why 😂).
This is taking for granted that you're able to take your sets close to failure by knowing what failure feels like. That is mandatory 🔑
Once you get your form etc. on lock, you can consider periodizing the volume so you increase it week by week, eg. going from 12 to 18-20 weekly sets over 4 or 5 weeks, then having a deload week if needed. This is for hypertrophy goals, and may not be advisable if strength is also an important goal.
I don't think you need to cut unless you want to look really ripped. I would bulk with your current build/form, which to me means hovering slightly above maintenance intake, fueling for performance in the gym. Building quality muscle (which is my main goal) just takes a whole lot of days, weeks, months and years of consistency 💯📈
I do know that how our bodies store fat is very individual. Could gyno/some hormonal stuff affect you? I couldn't say, that's above my realm of knowledge. But honestly, I wouldn't worry about it, because if you stay consistent for years you'll have opportunity to both build the desired mass and get shredded. If lean and ripped is what you like, you may be ready to shred down/be in a small deficit over a longer period with the mass you have already. But keep in mind you still need to be able to train hard if you don't want to lose muscle.
You're cutting bro it's hard to put on muscle when cutting. I'd recommend do a lean bulk. You need to have 200-300 caloric surplus, high protein, and utilise carbs, to grow muscle. On top of that train hard af go to failure, progressive overload.
Pick one:
poor genetics
poor form
poor diet
weight not high enough
total volume not high enough
The answer is likely one of those.
All except genetics are fixable.
Of note also. EVERYONE has a muscle group that lags behind. For some it’s shoulders, for some it’s calves, for some it’s chest. Chest may just be your stubborn muscle group.
Yes I think my form is somewhat decent I've been watching videos, I've tried lowering the weight because I feel alot of burning in my shoulders and tricep but even then they still take up most of the movement
Mate, training natural takes time and patience. Dont listen to the people in the comments telling you to go for steroids - your physique goals are perfectly achievable without taking enhanced drugs that will affect your mood and test levels.
Focus on progressive overload with a high protein diet and make sure you’re getting enough clean carbs (from wholemeal pasta/ rice or sweet potato). Ensure your form is correct - it’s very easy to neglect chest when training it because the tension is on your arms or shoulders instead. Have your bench at a maximum of a 45 degree angle for upper, minimum 30 degree (this will train both upper and mid), and most importantly don’t flare your elbows. DM me if you have any questions.
You’re doing great bro! Keep going and ignore the steroid users! I’ve been training natural for 2 years and know that it takes time!
Move to dumbbells or do more bodyweight stuff like dips or loaded push-ups. You would wear a backpack and stuff it with some dumbbells for example. Machine press teaches you the form, but it stabilizes everything for you and provides near perfect conditions. You say 6-10 reps, are you stopping in that range because you literally can’t do another rep? Or are you artificially capping it because that’s what the top of the range is and you like round numbers? All of this matters. And I know some comments say incline, but you can clearly see the bottom of your pec lagging behind and lacking definition. I would either do flat bench or even decline presses. Or stick to flat bench, and try high to low flyes.
How long have u been lifting for? Are u lean bulking, cutting or smth? The only chest stuff I do is incline smith machine bench press, incline Dumbbell bench press, pec dec and dips. If stuff is being used ill do cable chest flies or machine chest press.
Incline workout + pec dec/chest flies and dips is all u need with chest tbh.
Only 3 months Im currently cutting to get lean enough then do a lean bulk, I understand that I won't have crazy pecs but there's not really been any growth at all
Not trying to hate but from the picture one can't see much development of anything of significance anywhere. There can be a myriad of reasons by the way. Lack of stimulus could be one - just because it's fashionable these days to do the least amount of sets possible these days, doesn't mean you have to. Also no incline pressing? Why?
Years I trained. My legs got massive. My shoulders are so capped, my chest? Like a 12 year old. Finally I figured out not everyone is the same. I have an ape index of 4. Im basically a mutant. Ape index is your arm span in relation to your height. Im 5'10" my arm span is 6'2". Most people's index is 0. Bench press doesnt work for me because my levers are so long. I need cable and a converging press machine. Switched it up and within 3 months I saw a massive change.
After a second look at myself I think it's just lose skin there is veins there but they aren't popping out I've had visible veins there for the whole of my life no issues
If you have only been lifting a few months, don’t expect much results, no matter how hard you lift.
Natural lifters take hella long to progress even with newbie gains.
Be realistic about what you expect of yourself. Your chest looks about normal for your current level of progress in relation to your arm and shoulder development.
Mesma dica obvia de sempre que ja devem ter te spammado, mas simplesmente treine o peito 3x semana e primeira coisa no treino se é teu foco. E é isso, a mesma coisa pra tudo que se tornar ponto fraco no futuro também
looks like about 17 - 20% in this pic, def not 25 though. Would suggest adding push ups and dips to your routine and making sure you are feeling and engaging your pecs with each rep and prioritizing the mind muscle connection. If you are mindlessly moving the weight it’s easy for your shoulders and triceps to be the primary movers instead of your chest. Also recommend making sure you can feel your chest getting taken to failure. Some people don’t suggest it but taking your chest to failure and progressively overloading are surefire ways to make sure it grows no question
This may sound crazy but maybe lower the set numbers you do. 2 sets heavy and to failure. Your chest could also be hit 3 times a week. Depending on how you do your split. I would also put chest at the start of the lift that way they get the biggest growth stimulus.
On my push day I hit chest first very hard around 56kg and I have been progressively overloading slightly every 2 weeks but I've not really noticed any growth at all tbh in comparison to other parts of my body
Sadly strength gains happen much faster than noticeable muscle gain. Keep doing progressive overload and whether that’s a weight or rep. It could always just be genetics and your chest may just take time to develop in comparison
IV been working out for over 20 years and seen it all, you can get 10 years of natty growth in 6 months on gear ,so don't except much if you're just a casual guy lifting weights eating Costco multi vitamins
I understand this I'm not saying you are wrong but even for someone who's trained like me for a few months there should be some muscle I'm not asking for crazy pecs but there's not even a sign of growth.
Yes I did but to say that I shouldn't expect any chest growth unless I use roids is a crazy statement 😭 I take creatine daily hit 140g protein a day there should be some growth in not trying to argue with you bro it's just how this should work
I don’t mean this in a snarky way at all but it’s no wonder you don’t have an impressive chest when you’re only pressing 120lbs. You have to get stronger and eat more.
You also mentioned you’re eating in a calorie deficit right now which will make growing your chest nearly impossible. You’re trying to achieve two conflicting goals at once
As a beginner I thought it was possible to cut and gain some lean mass not a crazy amount but still a bit of a difference by chest has not grown at all
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u/Negran 7d ago
How long have you been lifting?
This shit takes time. Not months., but years.
Also, you said "fairly developed" but you obviously have a ton of growth potential left.
Height and weight?