Chest development

[Dhano3]

Whats up fellow lifters. Been a member of the forum for a while but only started lifting a year ago. I work out at home with free-weights and when training chest Ive tried many exercises, incline/flat bench with barbells and dumbbells, flyes, dumbbell pullovers, chest dips... but I have noticed that most of my gains are made around the outer pec/where the pec meets the shoulder (I also have a chest gap). Is this due to my genetic muscle shape or am I not doing something? I also am aware that I should be doing cable crossovers and I am trying to join a gym to be able to use the machines which I dont have at home.
Any advice would be appreciated

[Zaak84]

Check your form,are your shoulders flared out on the bench?Also,do DECLINE!and maybe ur overtraining

[joeyy17]

Whats up fellow lifters. Been a member of the forum for a while but only started lifting a year ago. I work out at home with free-weights and when training chest Ive tried many exercises, incline/flat bench with barbells and dumbbells, flyes, dumbbell pullovers, chest dips... but I have noticed that most of my gains are made around the outer pec/where the pec meets the shoulder (I also have a chest gap). Is this due to my genetic muscle shape or am I not doing something? I also am aware that I should be doing cable crossovers and I am trying to join a gym to be able to use the machines which I dont have at home.
Any advice would be appreciated

If i was you I'd stick to the compound movements (flat, incline, decline bench) and train for strength. Therefore 6-8 reps as heavy as you can go. Bulk.

[BlinkTwice]

^no & no


OP, you aren't eating enough, and you might not be putting in the required intensity.


As for dumbell pullovers and chest dips... id ditch those

Bench, DB press, incline DB press, chest press machines (few variations)

[Vunhirzen]

^no & no


OP, you aren't eating enough, and you might not be putting in the required intensity.


As for dumbell pullovers and chest dips... id ditch those

Bench, DB press, incline DB press, chest press machines (few variations)

Why to ditch chest dips ?

[Dominicb98]

Why to ditch chest dips ?

^ yeah, i would think weighted chest dips would be good, i throw them in at the end of my workouts and go for a full range of motion, then locking it out and squeezing to get as much blood pumping to my chest as possible

[Dhano3]

Check your form,are your shoulders flared out on the bench?Also,do DECLINE!and maybe ur overtraining

Should they be flared out? I usually do that when benching. And I prefer not to do decline as I find that a big lower chest looks unaesthetic so I try focus more on the upper chest.

^no & no


OP, you aren't eating enough, and you might not be putting in the required intensity.


As for dumbell pullovers and chest dips... id ditch those

Bench, DB press, incline DB press, chest press machines (few variations)

Why do you think Im not eating enough? I eat quite a lot but Im an ectomorph. My chest is growing, but Im just finding that the muscle isnt going to the desired places.

[ardee2124]

Just get your flat bench as high as possible. It's working for me.

I used to do the whole flat/incline dumbbell/decline barbell/db flyes/machine flyes thing. Chest was always weaker than my back. I ditched everything except for flat bench and just kept increasing the weight as far as I could go and saw results. Do a 5x5 bench twice a week, increase the poundage every workout, stand back and be amazed.

[AP518]

Don't flare your elbows out...they will grow the pectoral minor(the part you are talking about) like mine was... I stopped flat all together but that's mostly from a wrestling injury(lpartial abrum tear). If you stick with the flat then I'd really emphasize perfect posture and the humerus addicting... or you can go with flat dumbbell and dumbbell flyers. But your hitting your pectoral minor not the flat pectoral manor. I used to get comments on my chest looking caved in when it wasn't it was just uneven..

[AP518]

Also if you don't want a big lower chest then work upper... it will even your chest out and give it that plate-body look. Plate-body chest=aesthetic as fuuuaark

[Dhano3]

Don't flare your elbows out...they will grow the pectoral minor(the part you are talking about) like mine was... I stopped flat all together but that's mostly from a wrestling injury(lpartial abrum tear). If you stick with the flat then I'd really emphasize perfect posture and the humerus addicting... or you can go with flat dumbbell and dumbbell flyers. But your hitting your pectoral minor not the flat pectoral manor. I used to get comments on my chest looking caved in when it wasn't it was just uneven..

Alright thanks, I'll keep this in mind next session