I have been trying to figure out why I can't get my pecs to burn or be of any help while i'm bench pressing. I'm pretty sure i'm not using my pecs at all because I feel no burn on them and I can feel all the weight on my delts, biceps, and triceps to the point where I can feel my muscles pinching my nerves. It also makes sense because when I usually benchpress, I use 60 pounds. When I use dumbbells, I can do dumbbell bench presses with 30 pounds on each hand. So 30+30=60. My pecs don't do squat when I try to benchpress. I tried looking to see if I have the right form and i'm pretty sure I do but I still need help.
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Thread: Bench press, pecs useless?
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03-16-2008, 02:54 PM #1
Bench press, pecs useless?
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03-16-2008, 03:03 PM #2
Ahhhh -- trust me when i say this -- it will come.
When i started, i could barely lift the bar. I never felt a THING in my chest, just as you described. I started eating right, doing more sets and higher intensity -- and then my chest started popping out.
And now i can do 160, 6 times. Sounds strange, but what you need to do the most is just GAIN the weight.
As you read this, you should be eating.
Also -- if your form isn't there have someone take a look and tell you whats up. The chest is an easy muscle to tear.
Now go eat.If a man yells in a forest and no woman is around to hear him, is he still wrong?
"I do not lift to be better than any other person, I lift to be better than myself yesterday."
My Journey to the Best Shape of my Life: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=200579671#post200579671
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03-16-2008, 03:07 PM #3
WTF, how do you know i'm eating?!? Do you happen to know what I'm eating? Well, I made a friend at the gym, he is 27 and he started working out like in his early 20s and stopped so now he is starting again; he seems to know a lot of about what he is talking about when he tells me to do exercises and he sorta helped me on my form and when he was there I actually did feel a little bit of burning but since I go to the gym a lot more than him I don't see him all the time. I'm going to go tomorrow and i'm going to try to do some bench presses on the squat racks if my friend isn't there and try to perfect my form
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03-16-2008, 03:13 PM #4
When you "feel" benching in ur biceps, its not actually the biceps, its the place where ur PECS connect to your humerus. So you ARE working your pecs when benching
Actually at DB bench press there is MORE pec, and due to stability muscles being more involved, DB is usually lower than barbell press, but it works the pecs better, so if your DB press is equal to your BB press(30 DBs, 60 BB), then by no means are your pecs weak !
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03-16-2008, 03:26 PM #5
What... I didn't say that in the first quote... and man come on; I'm pretty sure I'm not that weak because I have a friend that has been working out a little longer than me (since December '08), but he works out for 1 hours and 2 times a week (pretty useless) and he uses 25 pounds dumbbells and he can easily pull off 60 lbs on the bench.
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03-16-2008, 06:36 PM #6
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03-16-2008, 06:42 PM #7
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its amazing, apart from what you said most of this thread doesn't make any sense at all! i love it.
to answer the question tho, just keep doing dumbbell BP until you get used to the mind muscle connection and learn to focus on your pecs properly. DB BP is better anyway IMO.Dream in light-years,
Challenge miles,
Walk, step by step
"I did basic 3x5 workout and got good strength and size gains, so now I'm doing high volume"-Anon
Beginners:http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=112574351
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03-16-2008, 06:45 PM #8
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can u post your routine ive never had a problem building a strong chest maybe i can help fix it for you.
Workout log: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?p=454246811#post454246811
"Dude...there are ALWAYS ninjas. You just can't see them." - HardGainer82, Clark Kent, WishmasterATM, BPP, poopoo333, JOSEF RAKICH
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03-16-2008, 06:46 PM #9
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03-16-2008, 06:47 PM #10
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03-16-2008, 06:54 PM #11
Thanks guys that are giving me suggestions, I will try all of that. Also, what do you mean by routine? I just go into the gym, do some crunches to warm up, and since I heard it's better to work out bigger muscles first, one of first things I do is benchpress, but I eventually lose confidence from doing low weight looking at people doing over 150 pounds and I just go do something else.
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03-16-2008, 09:32 PM #12
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03-16-2008, 09:41 PM #13
- Join Date: Mar 2008
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Pretty much just recapping what everyone has said.
With time you WILL see gains, just don't try to increase your weights really fast and lose your form. FORM IS KEY!
Try doing DB Press more often than Bench Press as there is more ROM (range of motion) in the DB Press targeting your pecs more. Eventually this will result in higher Bench Press numbers
Good Luck!
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03-16-2008, 10:10 PM #14
If you don't lift weights usually you won't do more than a plate each side... Everyone started somewhere. You can only get better if you keep at it. Let the others lifting more be your motivation. There's this one guy in my gym who's an absolute beast and is ****ing cut like 0 body fat and lifts more than anyone else in the gym... I see him busting his ass and it makes me want to push harder.
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03-16-2008, 10:44 PM #15
hey man. my favorite gym ever is over there in BA, its called Access Fitness. would still go there if i was ever in the area.
anyway, dont get discouraged about how much you lift. you are only 14 and thats a great time to start working out. believe me, nobody is expecting anything of you. just concentrate on getting your form correct(this can take a long time for some people) and the strength and size will follow. dont forget about your back and legs!
as for the bench, i am just repeating what others have said, pinch your shoulder blades together and focus on your pecs doing the work. DB's are great. i like to use them and also incline work.
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03-17-2008, 12:51 AM #16
Watch this:
http://thefitshow.com/week3/milos_chest_med.htm
When I did chest the Milos way, I felt it much more in the pecs.
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03-17-2008, 07:35 AM #17
- Join Date: Jul 2006
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I lightened the weight and really concentrated on controling the weight for the positive and negative and felt soreness in my pecs for the first time in a while. Most people are just trying to do as much weight as possible and not fully contracting the area that needs to be worked. Try it and make sure your form is impeccable.....
Last edited by jmusclehead; 03-17-2008 at 07:42 AM.
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03-17-2008, 07:38 AM #18
My friend says that if you bench like the form of a powerlifter (arched back, tucked elbows), it's 90% triceps 10% pecs. He says that your back plays more of a role than your pecs.
I'm not sure how accurate he is, but he can bench 375 so it's not like he stole this information from some wikipedia article.
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03-17-2008, 07:39 AM #19
QFT.
With a barbell, it is possible for you to rely quite a bit on your triceps for bench and "favor" your pecs and vice-a-versa.
With dumbbells, you can't "cheat" one muscle for another.
I'd also think about adding some flyes to the program after the bench press of you choice.But those who fight for right must remember St. Augustine's sage words,
"right is right even if no one is doing it...and wrong is wrong even if every one is doing it!"
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03-17-2008, 07:45 AM #20
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03-17-2008, 07:54 AM #21
This is why I lack strengh on the bench. My triceps are good, but when I bring the bar to my chest, I struggle with the initial push, which uses the pecs. I need to focus on those few inches of push.
"You're an idiot. It puts stress on the knees? IT'S SUPPOSED TO PUT STRESS ON THE KNEES, THAT'S HOW THEY GET STRONGER." -fattony
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03-17-2008, 07:55 AM #22
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03-17-2008, 07:56 AM #23
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03-17-2008, 07:57 AM #24
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03-17-2008, 01:26 PM #25
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03-17-2008, 01:34 PM #26
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03-17-2008, 01:36 PM #27
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03-17-2008, 01:40 PM #28
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03-17-2008, 01:44 PM #29
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03-17-2008, 01:45 PM #30
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