Can't feel Chest when working out

[j.coop]

I've searched and read the threads on this, but I was wondering whether it was my individual exercises that were the problem.

Anyway, I do:

Flat DB Press x4 sets
Incline DB Press x4 sets
Flye Smith Machine x4 sets

I do 8 reps on each, and I can't feel a thing in my chest afterwards, only in my shoulders.

The only thing I can think of is doing the reps slower, which I'll try on my next chest day.

Anyone got any other feedback for me?

Thanks

EDIT:
I've only been lifting for about a month, and I am subsequently still quite weak, and need to get rid of some fat!

[SLU12]

I find that if I keep my elbows very flared out my front delt gets hit more than my chest. Try keeping your elbows a little tucked and keep your arms at near 45 degrees to your body. Make sure to get a good squeeze up top too. see if that helps at all.

[DJAuto]

You aren't feeling a pump?

It may be a technique or mind-muscle connection issue.

[SmithMachineGuy]

You do flys on the smith machine!? That is so cool! Even I can't do that and I'm the Smith Machine guy!

[Rdez]

How's your grip? Wide, medium, or narrow? I find that affects where I feel things working.

[j.coop]

How's your grip? Wide, medium, or narrow? I find that affects where I feel things working.

I use DB's.

You do flys on the smith machine!? That is so cool! Even I can't do that and I'm the Smith Machine guy!

Wat?

[HamMach1]

I never had the problem completely, but there were times where I just couldn't feel it in my chest, especially with DB's. I found that with both DB's and BB work, to not flare your elbows out so much but to tuck them in a little bit like mentioned above.

That being said, ever since I started doing BB bench again, and using a relatively wide grip and doing slow, controlled reps (no bouncing or almost controllably dropping the weight in the lowering motion, but to slowly and controllably lower the weight to my chest)... my chest gets hit so ****ing hard. I don't feel my triceps working much anymore, nor do I feel it in my delts.

[fitbliss]

You're sure you're lifting enough weight, right?

[dinger8]

I use DB's.



Wat?

he is making fun of you, it is impossible to do flyes on a smith, iam guessing you meen pec dec

[timhet]

Flye Smith Machine x4 sets

Well theres ya problem!

As some of the other posters have said, try using DBs with your elbows at about a 45 degree angle so your arms aren't flared. This as well as keeping an arch in your back and shoulder blades back. Your chest should be puffed out like you are proud instead of lying flat on your back.

[JOSEF RAKICH]

You aren't feeling a pump?

It may be a technique or mind-muscle connection issue.

Technique/form.

Watch the video at the bottom OP.

Your benching form is probally the reason why you are not feeling it in the chest and getting the chest gains you want. Your probally "trying" to train your chest, but end up training you front delts and triceps due to your form.

Here is proper benching form on how to increase stress on the pectorials and limit front deltoid and tricep involvement.

- Drop your traps and shoulders down

- Pinch your shoulder blades together

- Puff your chest up

- Drop elbows down slightly under the nipple.
(by having your elbows up high at 90 degrees like how most people bench you will notice much less stress is being applyed to the chest and the front deltoids are being worked much more. Also lowering your elbows will increase your bench, just take a look at how the power lifters bench all with there elbows low, the higher your elbows the more front deltiod involvement, the lower your elbows the more chest involvement)

- Touch your chest and dont lock out or roll the shoulders.
You should always touch your chest when benching if you are comfurtable doing so because the lowest part of the ROM in the bench press exercise has the most chest activity going on. The higher part of the ROM the more your triceps and front deltoids will come into play and the less chest activity. You should always stop short just before lock out. Why? When locking out the stress is removed from the pectorials and placed on the elbow joints, simply just removing the stress from the pectorials and placing it on your joints which is something you dont want.

- If using dumbells slightly rotate your thumbs upwards
(put your hands out infront of you and turn up your thumbs just a little, this is the angle you want to hold the dumbells at, so that even less deltoid is being involved, this is why i prefer DB over BB)

Follow these steps and it will hit your chest.

Also watch this video by Charles Glass, he explains quite good on how to have maximum stress on the chest and limit your front delt and tricep involvement.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/glasscut3.htm

[ATrainer]

I've searched and read the threads on this, but I was wondering whether it was my individual exercises that were the problem.

Anyway, I do:

Flat DB Press x4 sets
Incline DB Press x4 sets
Flye Smith Machine x4 sets

I do 8 reps on each, and I can't feel a thing in my chest afterwards, only in my shoulders.

The only thing I can think of is doing the reps slower, which I'll try on my next chest day.

Anyone got any other feedback for me?

Thanks

EDIT:
I've only been lifting for about a month, and I am subsequently still quite weak, and need to get rid of some fat!

You might as well start lifting right instead of wrecking your rotators with benching.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...24#post7682824

[SquatTilYouDrop]

OP, just a thought here.

You are 17 and only been lifting for a month. Maybe you can't feel the pump in your chest because there isn't enough muscle to pump up yet. No offense but how can you create a mind muscle connection if there is very little muscle to connect with.

Your problem may not be with exercise selection, reps/sets, or even technique at this point. It's more likely you need to build a solid foundation of muscle in which to work from and that takes much more time than a month to accomplish, for many people years. So give it time and be patient.

[slayer0228]

You do flys on the smith machine!? That is so cool! Even I can't do that and I'm the Smith Machine guy!

that good lmao nice.... yeah man i like to do bcurls on it hahaha dudes a gym scrub

[NLSTrainer]

Start with an isolation exercise, like fly's with cables or dumbbells and force some blood to the chest before pressing movements. It really helps to concentrate to the chest on presses, and remember to pull your shoulder blades back and together as much as you can while doing chest press exercises, it really helps to take out shoulders from the movement!

[melDorado]

I never feel my chest pumped either, my tris are too weak and limit what I can bench and flies **** up my shoulders. I'm a girl tho so pecs not such a big deal at least.

[NLSTrainer]

I never feel my chest pumped either, my tris are too weak and limit what I can bench and flies **** up my shoulders. I'm a girl tho so pecs not such a big deal at least.

Try to do standing fly's with cables, just light weight that you can hit 15-20 reps. Shoulders pulled back as possible and arms almost straight, you should get a pump to you chest and save your shoulders!

Tris are the limiting factor for most of the lifters in chest presses. Try to left out the last 1/3 of chest press exercise sometimes, to really burn out the chest.

[TheShadowMan]

It might be time to try benching with a barbell for awhile, this will have a few advantages to consider. First, it will throw your body out of adjustment from the exercise it's used to handling - which is great. Sometimes you gonna change something to move forward, but what you can also benefit from is the ability to pinpoint your grip location for each rep you are doing. It's been mentioned already, but i'll echo it anyways: wide grip emphasizes the chest, narrow emphasizes the tricep, and medium emphasizes shoulders. While the bench press is still a chest targeting compound, you can play with the grip to customize this lift to hit what you want.

You'll find that in the case of shoulder training, you can use the benchpress to move more weight than a standing press, so using a medium grip on a benchpress may at times be used in place of military presses - and actually this is probably what accounts for most of my development in the anterior area. The only downfall here is you don't use as much of the body as on a standing press. You can also hit chest on standing presses too, by also using that same wide grip you use on the bench(or you could use narrow grip on standings, for a different type of tricep press). There's a number of fun ways to train the chest, many things to try to keep your body guessing.

[NLSTrainer]

Try this: https://youtu.be/VSFMDNg44Bw Repeat for 3 times about 30 to 45 sec rest between and i guarantee that u feel your chest for rest of your workout!