lagging chest development

[trayke]

Hey guys, I've been in the weight room on and off for the past 8 years and overall I'm pretty satisfied with my results but I have a couple of questions:

1. For some reason my chest is not developing at the same rate as the rest of my body. My arms, back and legs are all gaining size but my chest is not keeping up. I do a 3 day split of chest/bk, arms and legs on separate days. I try to do 8-10 sets for each muscle group of 6-10 reps. My chest routine is bench, incline and decline/dips/flys (3-4 bench, 3 incline and 2-3 decline/dips/flys). My strength is increasing but my size is not. Any suggestions? Asking a lot with pretty general info I know but some tips would be really appreciated.

2. I seem to carry all my body fat in my belly. My arms, back and legs look pretty cut but my abs and obliques are a little soft. I know people carry fat in different areas but I feel like I could be doing something different as well. I have 1 HITT workouts a week and cardio another 2-3 times per week.

Thanks in advance.

[musikguy72]

You have opposing goals that, although both can be achieved over time, you will have to prioritize and focus on one goal at a time.
If your chest is not growing but your bench has not stalled, then you simply aren't eating enough. Increase calories to fuel muscle growth. You should be very close since you report growth in other areas. Do it in stages (200 calories per week at a time). Monitor results. Adjust as needed. There is no magic. A lack of growth means a lack of calories.

But then you mention you feel your body fat % is too high. This requires a calorie deficit from your daily maintenance. Start with 10 to 15% below maintenance. Aim for about a pound a week. This should optimize fat loss while trying to preserve as much muscle as possible. Monitor results. Adjust as, well, you know the drill.
This will be in conflict with trying to get your chest to grow but over time, you can do both. Just pick an immediate goal and work on that first.

[JimTC]

My chest routine is bench, incline and decline/dips/flys (3-4 bench, 3 incline and 2-3 decline/dips/flys).

The order you listed your exercises grabbed my attention right off: bench, incline, decline. Are you doing them in that order?

What helps me is to work upper pecs more -- and work them FIRST in a chest routine, when I'm fresh and when I'm going to have to use more delts -- not neglecting middle and lower, for sure, but not dwelling on them as much as upper. Once I started this, I could see marked improvement within a couple of weeks. I frequently pyramid up on inclines, then pyramid down on flat bench.

Two other things that have helped:

- Wide-grip presses
- Supersets of flyes and presses

Have your bigger meal -- if one is bigger than the others -- early in the day, not later. And avoid sleep deficit. If you're short on sleep, your muscles aren't going to grow as they should, and your circulation and metabolism won't be so great, either.

Hope this helps.

[trayke]

The order is in that order for chest work but I switch from a chest exercise to a back exercise until I've finished my workout. I'll try to shake it up like you mentioned and see how it goes. It's funny, I've seen an increase in all my other muscles except my chest. I'll adjust the diet as well and work on body fat once I like the form. Thanks for the advice.

[firemon232]

i would advise you to do more dumbbells flys due to the chest muscle action