Jimellow

The gym I go to has nice lifting equipment, but I find the chest exercises to be a bit lacking. They have a chest press and butterfly machine, and I hit them pretty hard, but I'd like to add a few more to fill out my workout.

Thus, if anyone could recommend a few it would be appreciated. The gym has free weights, as well as benches and most machines you would expect to find, thus it should be able to accommodate anything I'm looking to do.

Thanks!

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Willravel

Chest Exercises - Chest Training That Really Works To Get Huge Pecs Now!

I'd stick with free weights, as they work stabilizers better.

Baraka_Guru

The chest can be a difficult area to work because it depends on compound movements and support from other muscles such as the shoulders and triceps. I actually recommend against machine "butterfly" (pec decs), as they typically put too much stress on your shoulder rotation, potentially dislocating it. You're better off using something more natural like the dumbbell fly, which would give you a better workout anyway. The movement is less restrictive and uses more synergy from your shoulders in a way that doesn't put them at risk.

Also try alternative movements such as piston dumbbell chest press, which forces you to unilaterally lift the weight on each side. Quite challenging if you haven't done it. Dumbbells in general give you a better workout because of the requirement to keep them balanced. Avoid machines if possible, though many people use them to avoid the spotter requirement of heavy free weights.

Try other things such as incline presses and dumbbell pullovers, which will hit movements in your pecs that they might not be accustomed to. That's where you will find some further growth.

How is that for starters?

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Jimellow

That's a lot of chest exercises!

I'm a thin guy, and until a week or so ago have been running 5 miles daily, or biking about 15. Now that I've shifted to lifting, I do a half mile warm-up and another half mile after lifting.

I've tried to take up lifting in the past, and usually stopped as a result of being overwhelmed by the numerous types of lifts available, and being a bit unsure in regards to which I should be doing, etc.

At the current time, I don't think I will be doing all the exercises listed at that site, as I realistically don't consider myself to be at that "level" yet in general.

I generally won't have a spotter, but I do like dumbbells, and likely won't need a spotter with the sort of weights I'll be lifting.

In general, I don't want to become overwhelmed. I do want to get stronger and do more than just two machines, but I also don't want to put so much on my plate that I feel hopelessly lost, either.

I find that the gym I go to has a nice representation of machines that work the back and shoulders, but as I said, the chest is lacking. Realistically, I'd like to add some barbell work to my routine, but I do think I will continue to use the machines, at least on days I work my back.

I am a very dedicated person, and I've always been physically active. As a thin guy, I realize it will be harder for me to put on muscle, but I'm willing to work at it, providing I can find some loose guidance (so loose, this thread/forum should suffice for now) to at least get some ground work to build on.

I'm not really interested in a personal trainer at this point. I'm sure it would benefit me, but I tend to be an independent person, and I like to do my own thing, as I feel that ultimately makes accomplishments more rewarding as well.

I've only been lifting for two weeks and I'm already noticing improvement, and I'm confident that if I stick with it, I will become stronger and see results. Sticking with it won't be the problem, as I've become an extremely dedicated and disciplined person; I'd just like to get some advice and tips to help make my workouts that much more beneficial.

This post is all over this place, but I certainly appreciate the replies and advice. I think I will enjoy adding barbells to my routine, and if anyone could provide a few specific exercises to focus on adding, that would be great. The page cited above is a great resource, but it's a bit overwhelming to me, as I honestly don't think I'm at the point where I want that much chest work, if that makes sense. If you could even pick a few of the exercises that would provide a more complete, but reasonable, chest workout, that would be great.

Thanks!

I agree that dumbbells seem to provide a great opportunity to work the chest muscles, especially in the "butterfly" type exercises. I will definitely try the exercises you recommended, and the piston chest press seems difficult but rewarding. Ideally I'm able to do the dumbbell exercises without a spotter, as I go to the gym alone and would prefer not to rely on others being around to do a given exercise.

Thanks for your post. If you have anything more to add, please do, as it all contributes towards me developing a routine that is comfortable and manageable for me.

__________________
Desperation is no excuse for lowering one's standards.

Willravel

Whoa, that's awesome! I'm always impressed be people who exercise.
I may have sent you the wrong link, then....

Honestly, I see machines as a good way to let stabilizers rest, but free weights are the way to go.

Here are the chest exercises I'm doing right now (or will be doing again tomorrow morning):
Incline Dumbbell Press
Barbell Bench Press
Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes
Pushups

I also like to lay on the flat bench and toss the 35 lb. medicine ball in the air until my arms get tired at the end of my chest workout. It makes sure that I've gotten all the exercising I can from my pecs and it's fantastic for stabilizers. Also it gives my trainer the giggles.

Jimellow

The link is great, it's just too much on my plate without specifying, which you did below.


Can a dumbbell press be substituted for the barbell press? For some reason, I associate a barbell press requiring a spotter, and dumbbells not, but that might not be valid.

Do you feel that exercises you do provide a pretty thorough chest work out? It seems manageable, and I may just try it myself and use it if all goes well.

I've never done anything with a medicine ball, but 35 pounds sounds way too heavy for me.. I'll likely give this a shot as well, but perhaps with a lighter ball.

Do you have a notebook that you keep track of your daily workouts in? I currently have a piece of paper that I wrote down the type of exercise and weight used, but I gather some keep very detailed logs of their progress, etc.

__________________
Desperation is no excuse for lowering one's standards.

Bear Cub

Yes, you can sub the dumbell press for barbells. I pretty much never use barbells anymore. However, USE LESS WEIGHT WHEN YOU'RE STARTING OUT. Until you have your shoulder stabilizing muscles built up, dumbell presses will feel like jelly. I almost hurt myself with 35 pounders by side to side wobble when I first started. After I built them up for a few weeks, 65-75 lbs no problem. This is especially important if you have no spotter.

I do (all with dumbells) incline press, incline fly, flat fly, and a few takes on the flat press (inclines tend to work the upper chest moreso than flat. Doesn't mean much to you, but it does for those of us trying to get rid of man boobs). In all honesty, this is probably all you will ever need to work your chest. Once you've done freeweights, you'll wonder why you ever used machines. It's not even close.

I used a notebook, but basically just tracked the weight progression, and used it to make sure I wasn't repeating exercises day to day by accident.

Also, try thinking of practical exercises, and incorporate them in for fun. I was doing a fair bit of indoor rock climbing, so I would do wide grip pullups with extra weight hanging off my waist. Don't be afraid to mix it up every now and again, it will help you over plateaus.

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Willravel

Absolutely! As a matter of fact I'd say that's even better. More stabilizers. Love them stabilizers.
I can't push anything for the next 24 hours, so yeah. After every recovery period (1 week), I can usually increase my max.
Go for the 25. Or even a 20. Really, it's about finding hat works for you.
My high school math teachers would kill me, but I do it all in my head. Still, I read about exercise ideas from Men's Health. They usually have some of the better trainers in the country write their workout programs.

Willravel

If you're really looking to enter the fitness protection program, you're best off getting a personal trainer. Most of my knowledge comes from my various trainers.

snowy

If you're going to work your chest, I really recommend adding swimming to your workout regimen once in a while to help stretch those muscles out. Additionally, learning some "chest opener" yoga moves will help with that as well--there are also yoga poses specifically meant to strengthen the chest area. Take a look here: Yoga Journal - Poses: Anatomical Focus - Chest

Yes, you can pull a pec, and it hurts, so be careful.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Willravel

Yoga's always a good way to balance out strenuous aerobics or weight training. It's good to maintain balance.

Baraka_Guru

Some good advice here.

The majority of my own chest strength was built using dumbbells. I'm a huge proponent of dumbbells. I use them for every muscle group, though I do use a barbell for deadlifts.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Willravel

You should give dumbbell deadlifts a shot. They're friggin fantastic.

Jimellow

I woke up today and despite it being a back day instead of chest, I whipped together a set of back exercises from the ShapeFit website quoted above.

I ended up going with:

Wide Grip Pulldowns
V Bar Pulldowns
Straight Arm Pulldowns
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows
Wide Grip Pull Ups
Machine Rows
Hyperextensions

That workout only has one dumbbell exercise, but it was great and definitely felt good. I look kind of goofy spread out over a bench doing dumbbell rows, and it would be nice if the bench were higher off the ground to account for my long legs, but the workout itself felt very good and I think I'll enjoy using dumbbells very much.

The pulldown machine also seems very versatile, and I could feel the different pulldown variations working different muscles, with the straight arm pulldowns being the toughest.

Hyperextensions on the Roman Chair were interesting. I used a 9 pound medicine ball, and then switched to an 18 pound, and that seemed to work. I did a set with a 25 pound barbell weight, and while it was doable, I think it was too much. I can't imagine how ridiculous I look stretched out on a Roman Chair, and thankfully there weren't any mirrors around so I can witness it myself, but providing I'm keeping my back straight, I really like that exercise. I also felt my lower legs being worked, perhaps a result of me pressing with them to help get my torso back up.

I only did one set of pullups, and they were assisted on the machine (most of my weight is in my legs, and my long arms aren't suited for lifting them alone yet), and I didn't do the machine row, instead opting for more work with the dumbbell rows.

In general, I really think I will enjoy the freedom the dumbbells provide, and it's nice to be able to settle the weights in a comfortable position before lifting instead of trying to contort my body in a way that makes the machine feasible.

The real test will likely come with the chest work, as my back and shoulders are stronger and more developed than my chest, but even if I tone down the weight lifted (and I likely will have to), I'm expecting it to be a lot more enjoyable and rewarding.

Aside from this random banter here, I have a few questions...

1) How many days rest do you recommend between different parts of the body?

I am focusing on my upper body (chest and back, primarily), while working in arms and shoulders along the way; but I expect them to be worked through the main chest and back work, and that's been the case so far. I've been variating days because I've been able to and have not been fatigued yet to the point where I can't focus on the specific body part (chest or back) two days later. This might change as I switch to free weights and more exercises, but providing it doesn't, is variating days an acceptable practice?

I am not intending to do much leg work right now. I've always run or biked, and I'd rather not mess with what I've developed there. If that doesn't make sense, I guess I can only explain it by saying that I don't necessarily desire the added muscle mass that comes with lifting, because I like using my legs to run and allow me to be cardio-oriented, and not strength oriented like I do my upper body; and my legs have developed well into the activities I've used them for to date.

I intended to make this a numbered list, but apparently I just had one question with more rambling to follow.

Regarding the other replies, I appreciate them as well.

I used to be on the swim team, and was a lifeguard, and I can definitely appreciate the benefits of swimming. I've gotten away from swimming with age, instead switching towards running/cycling, and now it seems I may be switching again with more focus put on lifting.It's always interesting for me to watch track and field type events and notice the different builds: swimmers having the looser muscles, with track runners having the very tight and developed variety. I've never tried yoga, but I'm likely going to go to a "Power Step" sort workout tomorrow after my work out to see how that goes. I gather that it combines stretching and lifting, and one of the trainers at the gym recommended I give it a shot.

I wrote a ridiculous amount here. In summary, there is a question somewhere in that mess, and I think I will enjoy using dumbbells very much. I already enjoy going to the gym, but the exposure to dumbbells and free weights makes it exceptionally exciting and I'm really looking forward to kicking my ass tomorrow with them.

__________________
Desperation is no excuse for lowering one's standards.

Baraka_Guru

What's the control "learning curve" on those? I've never considered them. I've always viewed them as a barbell-only exercise.

They sound fantastic, now that I think about it.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Willravel

Start light and work your way up to what you can do... then do it! Maybe start really light, like 25 lb. dumbbells. Work your way up to 35, 45, 50, etc. You've lifted for a while, so I'm sure you have an idea of what your ideal weight should be in a given exercise. The last time I had them in my workout, maybe 6 months ago (when I was still recuperating from my back injury), I started at 45 and worked my way up.

Baraka_Guru

I will consider doing these soon. My workout is switching from a core-training program to a muscle-building program. This will require some heavy lifting, so I will look into using dumbbells for deadlifts at least as an alternative.

EDIT: Oh, and back on topic, I should add my support for compound exercises emphasized over isolation. You will get a strong chest if you also get strong shoulders and arms. Isolation exercises are good for that added umph and definition, etc., but they should not make up your core routine.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot