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Ok, this may be totally obvious, but why should a woman train chest? We have boobs, not pecs. I do train chest (usually with Back), but I've been questioning lately if this is really necessary or not.
I'd like to hear your opinions on how Chest exercises affect a woman's physique!
For me, even just gaining a little muscle there has made my boobs appear perkier, and even given me a "little" cleavage which I normally don't have, yes it's muscle cleavage but I look a bit fuller, Plus I don't have a bony ribcage look on my chest anymore! yay!!
So I am so happy with the results I have seen.. I used to think what's the point? but now I've seen some results and I think OH that's why!
[QUOTE=Bohonik;467545391]Ok, this may be totally obvious, but why should a woman train chest? We have boobs, not pecs. I do train chest (usually with Back), but I've been questioning lately if this is really necessary or not.
I'd like to hear your opinions on how Chest exercises affect a woman's physique![/QUOTE]
Women do have pec muscles. Building a solid overall chest will give the breasts somewhat of a lift. It makes the overall physique look so much better.
[QUOTE=Bohonik;467545391]Ok, this may be totally obvious, but why should a woman train chest? We have boobs, not pecs. I do train chest (usually with Back), but I've been questioning lately if this is really necessary or not.
I'd like to hear your opinions on how Chest exercises affect a woman's physique![/QUOTE]
It's true that building up the chest muscles will slightly "lift" the breasts- which is appealing to some women. But I think the most important reason to work your pecs is for muscular balance. If you are working your back muscles (agonists/prime movers), your pectoralis major and minor (chest) are the antagonists- and are still play a supporting role, and vice versa. The pec major is the prime mover of arm flexion, rotates the arm medially, adducts the arm against resistance and plays a role in climbing, throwing, and pushing. As you can see the chest is responsible for movement in many other body parts and is important in other activities besides weight lifting. So, long story short... you should train your chest to avoid muscle imbalances in your upper body and to avoid injury :)
[QUOTE=Bohonik;467545391]Ok, this may be totally obvious, but why should a woman train chest? We have boobs, not pecs. I do train chest (usually with Back), but I've been questioning lately if this is really necessary or not.
I'd like to hear your opinions on how Chest exercises affect a woman's physique![/QUOTE]
Well first, women do have pecs, we just have boobs on top of them. They also are one of the largest muscle groups in the body, so their development gives you functional strength. Plus having some muscle can give your breast a better "base" so to speak, and make them perkier.
Thanks guys!!! This may sound foolish, but until reading the above posts I was concerned that perhaps training chest may make your boobs smaller, but apparently I am wrong (thank goodness).
It's good to ask these things I think because often the fitness magazines just tell you what to do but don't offer any further rational behind it.
Furthermore, I love working out- absolutely love it- but I worry that if I do too much then eventually I'll end up boobless and consequently, unable to afford new ones. :) Right now I'm seeking the balance between maintaining what I have, while improving the rest. Not sure if it's possible without casualties though! Any one have any thoughts or experience on getting leaner/losing weight and boobs? What is that makes you lose boobage- cardio & weighttraining or just any extensive weightloss/body fat decrease?
Yes, I'm new. :)
[QUOTE=Bohonik;467566951]Thanks guys!!! This may sound foolish, but until reading the above posts I was concerned that perhaps training chest may make your boobs smaller, but apparently I am wrong (thank goodness).
It's good to ask these things I think because often the fitness magazines just tell you what to do but don't offer any further rational behind it.
Furthermore, I love working out- absolutely love it- but I worry that if I do too much then eventually I'll end up boobless and consequently, unable to afford new ones. :) Right now I'm seeking the balance between maintaining what I have, while improving the rest. Not sure if it's possible without casualties though! Any one have any thoughts or experience on getting leaner/losing weight and boobs? What is that makes you lose boobage- cardio & weighttraining or just any extensive weightloss/body fat decrease?
Yes, I'm new. :)[/QUOTE]
Breast tissue is primarily fat and glands, so when you drop bodyfat, you will drop boobage. Whereas I seem to hold most of my fat in my lower body, mine went buh-bye, but the weight training still made them kinda look like they were still there.
[QUOTE=Bohonik;467566951]Thanks guys!!! This may sound foolish, but until reading the above posts I was concerned that perhaps training chest may make your boobs smaller, but apparently I am wrong (thank goodness).
It's good to ask these things I think because often the fitness magazines just tell you what to do but don't offer any further rational behind it.
Furthermore, I love working out- absolutely love it- but I worry that if I do too much then eventually I'll end up boobless and consequently, unable to afford new ones. :) Right now I'm seeking the balance between maintaining what I have, while improving the rest. Not sure if it's possible without casualties though! Any one have any thoughts or experience on getting leaner/losing weight and boobs? What is that makes you lose boobage- cardio & weighttraining or just any extensive weightloss/body fat decrease?
Yes, I'm new. :)[/QUOTE]
Check out this sticky [url=http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=122848681]BOOBS AND BODYBUILDING[/url] - it should answer all your questions. ;)
You appologized first, so I won't mess with you ;)
Reasons:
1. Symmetric muscular development is crucial for a healthy physique. Pecs are built to balance out lats; if you train your lats and not pecs, lats will overpower the pecs and you will eventually develop posture issues, back aches and other spine-related problems.
2. Symmetric muscular development is crucial for a healthy physique. Leaving any body part lagging behind will alter normal bio mechanics of your body and lead to injury, tears, sprains etc, as you progress in your work outs. Powerful delts need powerful pecs to support them in presses and other compound movements. Etc.
3. Symmetric muscular development is crucial for a healthy physique. Pecs are a large muscle group, crucial for functional strenght. Underdeveloped large muscle group will eventually lead to strains and possibly tears during every-day assigments - carrying children and heavy shopping bags, moving furniture, carrying heavy stuff at work, etc - as your body will feel strong enough to do it but your pecs will give in, straining the other muscles by far too much.
4. You'll end up looking ugly. Period. Wide lats and no chest is ugly, no matter how big a pair of baloons you have.
[QUOTE=akbodybuilder;467555231]It's true that building up the chest muscles will slightly "lift" the breasts- which is appealing to some women. But I think the most important reason to work your pecs is for muscular balance. If you are working your back muscles (agonists/prime movers), your pectoralis major and minor (chest) are the antagonists- and are still play a supporting role, and vice versa. The pec major is the prime mover of arm flexion, rotates the arm medially, adducts the arm against resistance and plays a role in climbing, throwing, and pushing. As you can see the chest is responsible for movement in many other body parts and is important in other activities besides weight lifting. So, long story short... you should train your chest to avoid muscle imbalances in your upper body and to avoid injury :)[/QUOTE]
Pretty much exactly this.
[QUOTE=EricaJuneBaby;467548631]For me, even just gaining a little muscle there has made my boobs appear perkier, and even given me a "little" cleavage which I normally don't have, yes it's muscle cleavage but I look a bit fuller, Plus I don't have a bony ribcage look on my chest anymore! yay!!
So I am so happy with the results I have seen.. I used to think what's the point? but now I've seen some results and I think OH that's why![/QUOTE]
I so agree. I nursed my kids each for at least 2 years, so my poor boobies were in really bad shape. Since I have started doing real chest work, my bust line has improved tremendously (much less sag and better cleavage). Not to mention, you must always work out evenly, so if you want a nice strong muscular back, you need to work the chest to stay balanced.
So you can be strong all over? Is this a trick question?
[QUOTE=Bohonik;467545391]We have boobs, not pecs.[/QUOTE]
All women have pecs, not all women have boobs. Mine died and went to boob heaven on my cut. TurbulentFluid beat me to most of my good points, but one of my other motivators to train my chest is that a trainer at my gym who bodybuilds has very little boobage but SUCH good pecs that she has a deep, visible valley/cut down the center of her chest that would totally fool the non-BB eye into thinking it's cleavage. I wantz.
Always good to train opposing muscle groups equally... there are too many dudes out there with huge pecs and biceps (girlz love em, brah!) and pitiful triceps and traps. Some imbalances can also make you prone to chronic pain or even injury... work your abs too much relative to your lower back, and your posture can be affected and you're more likely to injure your back when lifting heavy (or even outside the gym).
[QUOTE=Bohonik;467545391]Ok, this may be totally obvious, but why should a woman train chest? We have boobs, not pecs. I do train chest (usually with Back), but I've been questioning lately if this is really necessary or not.
I'd like to hear your opinions on how Chest exercises affect a woman's physique![/QUOTE]
In addition to all the benefits listed above, I have personally found that since I've had a steady regiment of chest exercises, my boobs don't get NEARLY as sore during TOM as they used too. It used to be the most brutal part of my PMS, and now I notice next to nothing!
[QUOTE=Emoore;467667491]So you can be strong all over? Is this a trick question?[/QUOTE]
I thought the same thing when I first saw OP's post.
[QUOTE]But I think the most important reason to work your pecs is for muscular balance. If you are working your back muscles (agonists/prime movers), your pectoralis major and minor (chest) are the antagonists- and are still play a supporting role, and vice versa. The pec major is the prime mover of arm flexion, rotates the arm medially, adducts the arm against resistance and plays a role in climbing, throwing, and pushing. As you can see the chest is responsible for movement in many other body parts and is important in other activities besides weight lifting. So, long story short... you should train your chest to avoid muscle imbalances in your upper body and to avoid injury[/QUOTE]
^ Absolutely. Plus, some of us like to push heavy things (and people) around. ;)
[QUOTE=Bohonik;467545391]Ok, this may be totally obvious, but why should a woman train chest? [/QUOTE]
For the same reason why I train back, calves, abs, etc. These are muscles and they should be trained to stay toned and strong.
This has been a thoroughly entertaining read!
[QUOTE=FarrahS723;467706711]In addition to all the benefits listed above, I have personally found that since I've had a steady regiment of chest exercises, my boobs don't get NEARLY as sore during TOM as they used too. It used to be the most brutal part of my PMS, and now I notice next to nothing![/QUOTE]
That shouldn't have anything to do with your pecs. My guess is that the exercise/healthy lifestyle in general has alleviated your PMS symptoms.
[QUOTE=TurbulentFluid;467606191]You appologized first, so I won't mess with you ;)
Reasons:
1. Symmetric muscular development is crucial for a healthy physique. Pecs are built to balance out lats; if you train your lats and not pecs, lats will overpower the pecs and you will eventually develop posture issues, back aches and other spine-related problems.
2. Symmetric muscular development is crucial for a healthy physique. Leaving any body part lagging behind will alter normal bio mechanics of your body and lead to injury, tears, sprains etc, as you progress in your work outs. Powerful delts need powerful pecs to support them in presses and other compound movements. Etc.
3. Symmetric muscular development is crucial for a healthy physique. Pecs are a large muscle group, crucial for functional strenght. Underdeveloped large muscle group will eventually lead to strains and possibly tears during every-day assigments - carrying children and heavy shopping bags, moving furniture, carrying heavy stuff at work, etc - as your body will feel strong enough to do it but your pecs will give in, straining the other muscles by far too much.
4. You'll end up looking ugly. Period. Wide lats and no chest is ugly, no matter how big a pair of baloons you have.[/QUOTE]
As a woman with impants, i do not directly train chest. i have a very strong and developed back and not too much development in my chest. I do not think i look ugly or unbalanced nor do i have ANY issues since i stopped directly training chest about 5 years ago. there are plenty of women on this site who do not directly train chest due to implants and i dont think they look "ugly"--this comment is a bit of a generalization and some may find it almost offensive.
[QUOTE=robmad;468243231]As a woman with impants, i do not directly train chest. i have a very strong and developed back and not too much development in my chest. I do not think i look ugly or unbalanced nor do i have ANY issues since i stopped directly training chest about 5 years ago. there are plenty of women on this site who do not directly train chest due to implants and i dont think they look "ugly"--this comment is a bit of a generalization and some may find it almost offensive.[/QUOTE]
I think she meant that there is a certain lack of symmetry if you don't train pecs, even if you have implants. I have had implants for a decade and still train chest heavy because I'm an athlete and need to do so for my sport (so do most of the female bodybuilders I know who lift). Anecdotally, the failure rate for implants is just as high for those who don't train as for those who do (I was a sex industry worker for nearly 15 years, so I've seen thousands of boob jobs and lots of failures...most of which have had nothing to do with lifting) so I'm not sure I understand the aversion to training chest with implants that so many women on this forum have.
And you do have at least one issue from not training chest anymore...you can't push things as hard as those who do. That may not matter to you at all, but for many women overall strength is very important.
All of that aside, I, too, think the term "ugly" was an unfortunate choice of phrasing.
[QUOTE=justass;468248611]I think she meant that there is a certain lack of symmetry if you don't train pecs, even if you have implants. I have had implants for a decade and still train chest heavy because I'm an athlete and need to do so for my sport (so do most of the female bodybuilders I know who lift). Anecdotally, the failure rate for implants is just as high for those who don't train as for those who do (I was a sex industry worker for nearly 15 years, so I've seen thousands of boob jobs and lots of failures...most of which have had nothing to do with lifting) so I'm not sure I understand the aversion to training chest with implants that so many women on this forum have.
And you do have at least one issue from not training chest anymore...you can't push things as hard as those who do. That may not matter to you at all, but for many women overall strength is very important.
All of that aside, I, too, think the term "ugly" was an unfortunate choice of phrasing.[/QUOTE]
the problem with lifting with implants is not in failure of the implant. it's in placement. mine are under the muscle (are yours over?) with under the muscle placement, everytime the pec contracts, the implant shifts out of place, thus possibly displacing the implant from the pocket created to hold it. this happened to me and the only way to fix it is with another surgery. i have been to several plastic surgeons over the past decade (my initial surgery was 10 years ago) and they have all, unanimously, told me NOT to directly train chest with "under the muscle" placement. i, unfortunately, did not take their advice the first time around---and needed a subsequent surgery years later to fix the problem that they all agreed was made worse by lifting heavy weights. none of this is an issue with placement of implants over the muscle. this is why women are told by their plastic surgeons to avoid training chest when they have implants under. obviously, this does not happen to all women with under the muscle placement---but it is a risk factor and i was one of the statistics (for lack of better terms!) needless to say, this time around, i will NOT be training chest because my boobs are AWESOME and i dont want to wreck them again! that said, you are right that strength for a sport is not what i am after with bodybuilding, and i know plenty of women who bodybuild for reasons other than preparing for a sport. bodybuilding for me is about how my muscles look on my body, not training for any "sport." therefore, not being able to push the heaviest thing in the room is not my concern, lol! my contribution to this tread was simply to point out that i am one of the women who does not train chest, with good reason, and i do not have injuries, do not look ugly (not my word...), and do not have any reqrets for not doing so. women with implants under the muscle need to be aware that this COULD happen to them, and then they can decide if they want to take the risk. but, i did not want any women to be afraid of the ill-effects of NOT training chest, since plenty of us implant girls refrain and are happy!
i will say that if i do need a future surgery, i might consider "overs" so i can train in the future. but that introduces the silicone question and that's a whole new thread! :)
[QUOTE=Bohonik;467545391]Ok, this may be totally obvious, but why should a woman train chest? We have boobs, not pecs. I do train chest (usually with Back), but I've been questioning lately if this is really necessary or not.
I'd like to hear your opinions on how Chest exercises affect a woman's physique![/QUOTE]
ummm everyone has pecs...they're kind of mandatory musculature for all human beings! lol For me, who has peaches, chest training does wonders.
1) it gives the illusion I have cleavage!
yeeeeeah that's it. :p hehe
Coz I am fairly flat chested and am very grateful for my lack of boobs, but I like my strong pecs :)
I dunno, I guess my first thought was, "because why neglect a muscle?"
Unfortunately, if I really built my pecs up I'd probably look like some women where their boobs are lower than their pecs, so you see pec muscle and then a boob hanging off the bottom of it, but oh well (I got practically no boobs, but what I do have is dense and tends to sag, so I look like my boobs are lower than they oughta be). I don't imagine I'll ever get my pecs very built anyway so I don't worry about it. But I wouldn't neglect chest exercises because I'm afraid of it.
Brilliant answer.... it is all about balance...
[QUOTE=akbodybuilder;467555231]It's true that building up the chest muscles will slightly "lift" the breasts- which is appealing to some women. But I think the most important reason to work your pecs is for muscular balance. If you are working your back muscles (agonists/prime movers), your pectoralis major and minor (chest) are the antagonists- and are still play a supporting role, and vice versa. The pec major is the prime mover of arm flexion, rotates the arm medially, adducts the arm against resistance and plays a role in climbing, throwing, and pushing. As you can see the chest is responsible for movement in many other body parts and is important in other activities besides weight lifting. So, long story short... you should train your chest to avoid muscle imbalances in your upper body and to avoid injury :)[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=akbodybuilder;467555231]It's true that building up the chest muscles will slightly "lift" the breasts- which is appealing to some women. But I think the most important reason to work your pecs is for muscular balance. If you are working your back muscles (agonists/prime movers), your pectoralis major and minor (chest) are the antagonists- and are still play a supporting role, and vice versa. The pec major is the prime mover of arm flexion, rotates the arm medially, adducts the arm against resistance and plays a role in climbing, throwing, and pushing. As you can see the chest is responsible for movement in many other body parts and is important in other activities besides weight lifting. So, long story short... you should train your chest to avoid muscle imbalances in your upper body and to avoid injury :)[/QUOTE]
I love your response. Perky boobs are great, but for athletes I think your explanation on muscle balance is very important! Today is chest day for me. Yay!
Thanks for the thoughtful response.
[QUOTE=carlareilly;1271617171]I love your response. Perky boobs are great, but for athletes I think your explanation on muscle balance is very important! Today is chest day for me. Yay!
Thanks for the thoughtful response.[/QUOTE]LOL. Did you notice this thread is from 2010?