How to get that line down the centre of your chest?

[Brad-UK]

Is there a certain routine or tip/exercise that helps you work the centre of the chest so you get that line down the middle so to speak?

Thanks

[SwiftyX]

Put on more chest mass.

[zinghigh89]

What your chest looks like is all genetics pretty much. Sure, you can do certain exercises to put extra emphasis on the middle, but that doesn't mean it'll do what you want it to. Close grip bench or diamond pushups, crossovers, pec decks, all of these will hit that area efficiently. I feel that area worked the most when doing flat flyes and turning my pinkies in toward eachother at the top of the movement.

[Brad-UK]

My chest routine is start with flat bench press, then incline dumbell flyes then decline bench press then I finish with the chest machine thing you sit on and push the 2 handles forward, is this ok. Ive heard I need to do upper chest but thought incline dumbell flyes would do this?

[SuffolkPunch]

Messing about with lots of different exercises is not the answer - especially namby pamby ones like flyes. Go heavy with bench press or weighted wide grip dips. Aim to get stronger. Reduce body fat

[ThickAsABrick]

Messing about with lots of different exercises is not the answer - especially namby pamby ones like flyes. Go heavy with bench press or weighted wide grip dips. Aim to get stronger. Reduce body fat

Fortunately it's possible to do both heavy pressing and fly variations. Anyone looking to achieve greater than namby pamby chest development should be doing so.

[JBarsoum]

Messing about with lots of different exercises is not the answer - especially namby pamby ones like flyes. Go heavy with bench press or weighted wide grip dips. Aim to get stronger. Reduce body fat

LMAO... since when are flys "namby pamby"?

I been doin flys with dumbells and cables since the beginning of my chest career with awsome gains....

dont skip the flys OP if anything overhead cable flys will give you that little rip in the middle of your chest google it and make sure your form is right

[ironwill2008]

Is there a certain routine or tip/exercise that helps you work the centre of the chest so you get that line down the middle so to speak?

Not really. Just continue to work your chest with a balanced routine. Food. Rest. Patience.

[Wildtim]

Only two things that make a line down the center of your chest, muscles and open heart surgery.

I'd assume you would rather grow the muscles so start with any basic mass building routine and work at it for a few years.

[jaries12]

Only two things that make a line down the center of your chest, muscles and open heart surgery.

I'd assume you would rather grow the muscles so start with any basic mass building routine and work at it for a few years.

I have always been trying to fill "the gap" in the middle of my chest and used to think that flys and other crossing movements would help... honestly, in my current workout I do 2 or 3 sets of flat flys - the rest is incline d.b. press, weighted dips and seated chest press and I have already noticed the gap filling in.

IMO most isloation lifts are best for people who are trying to shape their muscles - body building/sculpting etc (this being said, they have the muscle mass there to begin with).

[SuffolkPunch]

LMAO... since when are flys "namby pamby"?

I been doin flys with dumbells and cables since the beginning of my chest career with awsome gains....

dont skip the flys OP if anything overhead cable flys will give you that little rip in the middle of your chest google it and make sure your form is right

I prefer exercises where you are shifting a lot of weight but whatever - how would you know if you would not have got the same results by just benching and not bothering with the flyes?

I can imagine that a pro bodybuilder might worry about hitting his inner chest but most people here don't. IMO.

[jaries12]

I prefer exercises where you are shifting a lot of weight but whatever - how would you know if you would not have got the same results by just benching and not bothering with the flyes?

I can imagine that a pro bodybuilder might worry about hitting his inner chest but most people here don't. IMO.

^ I totally agree with you.

Honestly, do flyes if it puts your mind at ease... but it won't do much if you don't have the mass there to begin with.

[bigtallox]

Is there a certain routine or tip/exercise that helps you work the centre of the chest so you get that line down the middle so to speak?

Thanks

Everybody I know that benches heavy weights has that line down the middle of their chest, so that seems to me to mean that if you bench heavy weights you'll get the line down the middle.

Oh yeah, IMHO flies are for warming up and aren't effective at much else.

[ThickAsABrick]

LMAO... since when are flys "namby pamby"?

I been doin flys with dumbells and cables since the beginning of my chest career with awsome gains....

dont skip the flys OP if anything overhead cable flys will give you that little rip in the middle of your chest google it and make sure your form is right

this site is a complete joke

[ThickAsABrick]

I prefer exercises where you are shifting a lot of weight but whatever - how would you know if you would not have got the same results by just benching and not bothering with the flyes?

I can imagine that a pro bodybuilder might worry about hitting his inner chest but most people here don't. IMO.

The resistance curve of flyes and their variations is drastically different than presses. Comparing weight moved on each to one another is utterly pointless and misguided. ANYONE looking for optimal chest development, regardless of whether they're a gym rat or a pro should be doing some sort of fly to complement their presses. I can't believe people debate this stuff.

*looks at sig*

oh, right.

[ZoranM]

The resistance curve of flyes and their variations is drastically different than presses. Comparing weight moved on each to one another is utterly pointless and misguided.

Exactly.

Aside all that namby-whatever and flies are-just-for-warm-up nonsence, OP asked a question.
I assume at age 35 he does/did his share of benching,and yet he is not satisfied with his chest.

What now,should we blame it on genetics and give up?

And actually(although a great exercises),flies are not the best choice of exercise for your inner chest.You should do exercises where you can feel the resistance in the so-called "peak contraction".
Some good examples: closegrip bench pressing,peck deck machine,cable crossovers.

OP,whether you you choose to believe that and decide to make your routine with a little more emphasis on the middle,is up to you.

[brudman]

I prefer exercises where you are shifting a lot of weight but whatever - how would you know if you would not have got the same results by just benching and not bothering with the flyes?

I can imagine that a pro bodybuilder might worry about hitting his inner chest but most people here don't. IMO.

Posts like this are the reason this site is ridculous. Would your woody for Rippetoe-esque philosophies go down a bit if I told you Ed Coan did flyes? So does Sheiko. There. Now you can do flyes.

OP, here is a list of the most effective chest exercises in terms of total # fibers stimulated.

Pectoralis Major (Chest)
Decline dumbbell bench press ----------------93%
Decline bench press, Olympic bar(OB)---------89
Push-ups between benches --------------------88
Flat dumbbell bench press -------------------87
Flat bench press (OB) -----------------------85
Flat dumbbell flyes --------------------------84

Pectoralis Minor (Chest)
Incline dumbbell bench press ----------------91%
Incline bench press (OB) --------------------85
Incline dumbbell flyes -----------------------83
Incline bench press (smith machine) ---------81

Resistance curve aside, flyes are on there. With resistance curve applied, that's quite a bit of resistance, considering ROM is huge for pectorals on flyes. Stretching movements such as these are especially effective after straining (i.e.: a heavy pressing session) IMO. Of course I could get laughed off the stage by all the "Compoundz Only" fanboys.

In b4 shitstorm about Smith Machine being on the list.

[tylerdurden92]

Put on more chest mass.

this.

[SuffolkPunch]

Posts like this are the reason this site is ridculous. Would your woody for Rippetoe-esque philosophies go down a bit if I told you Ed Coan did flyes? So does Sheiko. There. Now you can do flyes.

OP, here is a list of the most effective chest exercises in terms of total # fibers stimulated.

Pectoralis Major (Chest)
Decline dumbbell bench press ----------------93%
Decline bench press, Olympic bar(OB)---------89
Push-ups between benches --------------------88
Flat dumbbell bench press -------------------87
Flat bench press (OB) -----------------------85
Flat dumbbell flyes --------------------------84

Pectoralis Minor (Chest)
Incline dumbbell bench press ----------------91%
Incline bench press (OB) --------------------85
Incline dumbbell flyes -----------------------83
Incline bench press (smith machine) ---------81

Resistance curve aside, flyes are on there. With resistance curve applied, that's quite a bit of resistance, considering ROM is huge for pectorals on flyes. Stretching movements such as these are especially effective after straining (i.e.: a heavy pressing session) IMO. Of course I could get laughed off the stage by all the "Compoundz Only" fanboys.

In b4 shitstorm about Smith Machine being on the list.

So a difference of opinion "makes this site ridiculous"?

If you don't want people to disagree with you then start your own site where you can ban people who don't toe the accepted line

A lot of people put very little store in those electrical fibre tests.

As bigtallox said, he knows plenty of people with very large chests who never do flyes. This suggests to me that they are optional and not essential. Unlike compounds. If some powelifting programs find flyes to be a useful assistance exercise then more power to them. I still think noobs don't need to do them - they never use enough weight from what I've seen in gyms anyhow.

[ironwill2008]

As bigtallox said, he knows plenty of people with very large chests who never do flyes.

This is meaningless. I know plenty of people with big chests who always do flyes.

[ThickAsABrick]

As bigtallox said, he knows plenty of people with very large chests who never do flyes. This suggests to me that they are optional and not essential.

lulz

sweet, we're now using one guy in Utah as the basis for all of our knowledge

[ThickAsABrick]

This is meaningless. I know plenty of people with big chests who always do flyes.

Funny, every gym I've worked out in, plus loads of guys in the journals section also support this. Not to mention pro BBers, but we can't use them of course because they're on teh roidz, opposed to all other elite athletes!

We now return to debating whether or not the sky is blue.

Carry on.

[SuffolkPunch]

lulz

sweet, we're now using one guy in Utah as the basis for all of our knowledge

Not just him but he made the essential point that no doubt other people have made endlessly - chest development (especially for noobs) can be achieved very well without them.

I would rather see noobs focussing on key lifts and getting it into their heads that they should be putting weight on the bar and not worrying about "hitting the muscle from all angles" with lots of different exercises (and small weights).

The experienced guys can use flyes if they find them useful - but this thread is not about them, I am assuming the OP is a noob in absence of sufficient information.

[ResQ349]

I believe there's alot of good information of these forms you get different views from all sort of individuals in different professions, unfortunately we are not build the same way. So our body structure will not have the same results. You need ask yourself do I want a bodybuilders chest or a models chest. Build a work that works on those areas that you want major results, find a weight that gives you the burn; heavy weight/low reps= size, moderate weight/high reps= definition, change your workout every 4 weeks so you dont plateau, do pre and post workout stretch (ballistic and static streching) approx. 15min worth with a lite cardio warmup, I have found that weights that make you adjust your stability targets your muscle groups better. example doing bench press with a barbell vs dumbbell I find the dumbbell isolate the muscles better, slow methodical reps with a squeeze in each rep IMO. Also there's been alot of debate on this as well, resistance bands that given you that positive negative resistance, doing it in a slow methodical rep also gives that burn just need to know which type of band gets you to that point. And most important your diet which counts 80% of the work eating the right foods will help you get to your goals along with supplements. Everyone has there opinons of which workout works best, but it boils down to; body structure, diet, and workout will get them to there goals, but unfortunately to many people want a quick fix, the only possible way for that is steriods which I dont recommend, time, hardworkout and patience will get you there (IMO). Hope this helps you start a foundation for your goals, take care and be safe.

[ThickAsABrick]

I award this steaming pile of a thread one shiny star.

That is all.

[ironwill2008]

Funny, every gym I've worked out in, plus loads of guys in the journals section also support this. Not to mention pro BBers, but we can't use them of course because they're on teh roidz, opposed to all other elite athletes!

.

^^^^This.

Let majority experience rule here. What works for most people is a variety of exercises. Chances are pretty good that this same thing will work well for OP too.



BTW, if you think Flyes are for wimps, grab a pair of 70's, and bust out a few sets of 6-8. I'll bet your perspective will change.

[Dominik]

Messing about with lots of different exercises is not the answer - especially namby pamby ones like flyes. Go heavy with bench press or weighted wide grip dips. Aim to get stronger. Reduce body fat

Speaking from experience?

[VoxExMachina]

I'd be interested to see how many who've given advice in this forum actually have a decent chest themselves. If you haven't done it, you shouldn't be giving advice on what works and what doesn't.

^ I totally agree with you.

Honestly, do flyes if it puts your mind at ease... but it won't do much if you don't have the mass there to begin with.

6'1", 155 lbs. And you're lecturing people on mass?

[brudman]

As bigtallox said, he knows plenty of people with very large chests who never do flyes. This suggests to me that they are optional and not essential. Unlike compounds. If some powelifting programs find flyes to be a useful assistance exercise then more power to them. I still think noobs don't need to do them - they never use enough weight from what I've seen in gyms anyhow.

The fact that they are unessential doesn't rule them out as effective.

If you use the "they don't use enough weight to put on mass" argument, how do you decide which exercises it applies to? Just because I leg press more than I squat doesn't mean I'll put on more mass leg pressing than squatting.

I don't care that you disagree with me, I care that you call flyes "namby pamby." Then you retreat to the argument that they are not for noobs. That's basically saying advanced lifters should only use namby pamby exercises. Now we have completed a logical knot that makes everyone want to puke.

Look man, Rippetoe, Jamie Lewis (Chaos and Pain), and all those guys are knowledgeable. But passing their knowledge along to others as your own opinion leads to debates like this. Those guys don't apply to every situation.

[ironwill2008]

I find it increasingly remarkable to have to continuously defend standard bodybuilding exercises and practices on a bodybuilding site.


I'm out.