Categoriesmuscle growth Program Design Strength Training

The Pecification of Pecs

In case you aren’t picking up what I’m putting down from the title of this post, what you’re about to read is not about climate change, political reform, or ranking the best painters and architects from the Rococo Era.1

No, no…what you’re about to embark on is a little journey and discussion on pecs. You know, these guys:

27301664 - strong athletic man fitness model torso showing six pack abs. holding towel

Copyright: pjphotography / 123RF Stock Photo

Every since man first noted how lifting heavy things – rocks, tree trunks, people – over and over again often resulted in a more muscular physique, he’s been obsessed with building his pectoral muscles, or pecs for short.2

“Obsessed” is a bit of a downplay here. You know how young teenage girls are obsessed with Justin Bieber and how their lives were ruined the other day when he decided to delete his Instagram account?

Well, that pales in comparison to how much guys are obsessed with training their chest. Take that away from them, and you’re bound to see an uptick in the sales of pitchforks.

So, um, yeah…guys like to train their pecs.3 The question, then, is why do so few have sub-par pec development?

Walk into just about any gym on the planet on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday and you’re bound to see any number of guys finishing up the 47th set of bench press.

What gives?

NEWSFLASH: The Bench Press Isn’t a Super, Duper Pec Developer to Begin With

[Cue Dramatic Chipmunk here]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw

 

Sorry fellas: it isn’t.

I get it. Me saying the bench press isn’t the most “pecy” exercise is akin to me saying Kate Upton isn’t attractive, or that pizza isn’t delicious, or that The Empire Strikes Back isn’t the best Star Wars movie.4

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very effective exercise to build both mass and strength (there’s a reason why the bench press is 1/3 of the holy trinity or “Big 3” of any successful strength & conditioning program). Hoisting a barbell off your chest thousands of times is going to result in something happening.

However, if you want to get geeky about it, and if your goal is to actually build your pecs (and not necessarily gain some powerlifting street cred), then you could make an argument that the bench press isn’t the ideal way to go about things.

Your pec (namely, Pectoralis Major) muscles have two origin points:

  • Clavicular Head – on the anterior border of the (medial half) of the clavicle.
  • Sternal Head – on the anterior surface of the sternum.

As far as actions are concerned, the Clavicular Head aids in flexing the humerus; the Sternal Head aids in extension and adduction of the humerus…neither of which are optimally “stimulated” with the bench press.

Do the pecs get targeted during a set of bench press? Yes, absolutely. Does the bench press, typically, allow for a person to use the most weight in overloading their chest musculature? Yep. And does Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, in his recently released book, Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy state, repeatedly, that one of the major drivers of hypertrophy (muscle growth) is mechanical tension?

YES…GOSH. GET OFF MY BACK!

The bench press can (and should) be part of an overall approach to building pecs that would make Superman swoon. However, as Schoenfeld notes:

“Research indicates that mechanoreceptors are sensitive to both the magnitude and temporal aspects of loading.”

In non-Elvish speak this basically refers to the differentiation of peak concentric, eccentric, and isometric actions of muscles and how research demonstrates that time under tension is often the de-facto consideration with regards to hypertrophy.5

Cool, we’re all on board with that.

However, in addition, Schoenfeld notes:

“Mechanoreceptors also appear to be sensitive to the type of load imposed on muscle tissue. Stretch-induced mechanical loading elicits the deposition of sarcomeres longitudinally.”

During the barbell bench press, the pecs are rarely (if ever) taken through their full ROM, and this can be a significant strike against why it’s not the best choice when it comes to developing pecy pecs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

 

What to do, what to do?

1) Relax, You Don’t Need To Ditch the Bench Press

Not that I was worried this was going to happen, mind you.

The bench press is still relevant to the discussion…it’s just sometimes, you know, a bit overplayed. To that end, it bodes in your favor to experiment. Flat, decline, incline, close-grip, wide-grip, rest/pause, clusters, high-rep, low rep, whatever the case me be…..use them all.

However, if your goal is to really engage the pecs you may be better off doing all of the above with DUMBBELLS.

Dumbbells allow for a bit more wiggle-room with ROM (humeral extension), in addition to involving more of an adduction component.

Also, if you wanted to up the ante even more, try some squeeze presses:

 

2) Perform More DB Flyes

Yeah, I said it. DB flyes, yo.

Now, of course, I wouldn’t say this should be your main movement of the day (since you’re less likely to use a ton of weight on these compared to bench variations), however flyes are an excellent secondary or accessory movement to compliment things.

Namely because they really work the pecs in adduction…..something that doesn’t happen with a barbell.

These can be tricky with regards to shoulder health, so if you’re someone with a history of shoulder issues, one way to make these are more “user friendly” is to perform Pause DB Floor Flyes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1lVf6–0aQ

 

Doing so will help you stay out of end ranges of motion that may compromise the shoulder, yet you’re still working the pecs in an action they’re designed to do (at least concentrically): humeral adduction.

3) Push-Up Adduction Holds

I stole this concept from fellow strength & performance coach, Eric Bach. Assume the starting position of a push-up, but then instead of going up and down…try to “bunch up” the floor with your hands and hold for a 10-20s count.

 

You want to talk about feeling a major burn/pump in your pecs, this it. And, to bring flyes back into the conversation try this killer superset I also stole from Eric Bach:

A1. Push-Up Adduction Hold x 10-20s
A2. Pause DB Floor Flyes x 8-10
A3. Bounce a quarter off your chest x infinity.

4) Add Accentuated Eccentrics

The idea of accentuated eccentrics was first introduced to me by Christian Thibaudeau back in the early 2000’s.

It’s no secret to any meathead that the eccentric portion of a lift (yielding, lowering) is where we’re strongest and where the most muscle damage occurs.

This can elicit profound gains in muscle and strength.

One method to take advantage of that fact is accentuated eccentrics, the more popular of which are super slow eccentrics and negative training.

Taken from Thibaudeau’s Accentuated Eccentric Training article from T-Nation:

“Super Slow Eccentrics

This technique is fairly simple: using a moderate to heavy load (60-85% of your max) you execute a super slow yielding phase while lifting (overcoming) the bar explosively. The following table gives you the parameters to use depending on the load you select:

Load Yielding Portion Reps/Set Load Yielding portion Reps/Set
60% 14 sec. 3 75% 8 sec. 2
65% 12 sec. 3 80% 6 sec. 1
70% 10 sec. 2 85% 4 sec. 1

This type of accentuated eccentric training is fairly easy to do and can yield impressive muscle size and tendon strength improvements.

Negative Training

“Negatives” basically refer to performing only the yielding portion of an exercise and having spotters lift the bar for you. You should use a load that’s between 110 and 130% of your maximum when performing negatives. The time of the action (lowering) depends on the load:

10 seconds if the load is 110-115%

8 seconds if the load is 115-120%

6 seconds if the load is 120-125%

4 seconds if the load is 125-130%”

Another, albeit less sexy approach, is to add an accentuated eccentric during a set of push-ups. I know Dr. John Rusin is a fan of these. Often I’ll have my athletes/clients perform a set of 5-10 reps and then hold their last rep in the bottom position for a count of 10-20s:

 

Again it’s a nice way to emphasize the eccentric portion of a lift AND increase time under tension (under stretch).

And that’s it on my end.

Have any tricks of the trade to add yourself? Share them below in the comments section or mozy on over to Facebook and leave a comment there.

CategoriesExercise Technique Strength Training

Why Performing 1-1/2 Reps Will Alter Your Life Forever

The title of this post might be construed as a tad exaggerative in tone.6

For the sake of brevity: anything labeled “life altering” should be reserved for stuff like winning the lottery, beating cancer, or, I don’t know, a really, really, really good steak.

Or having your own lightsaber.

So please forgive the sensationalism. What follows next will, in fact, not alter your life in any way, shape, or form.

Except for increased strength, muscle mass, and overall increased levels of badassery.

The Deets: 1-1/2 Reps

The idea of utilizing 1-1/2 repetitions (reps for short) isn’t anything new. My good friend, Ben Bruno, has been a huge fan of them for years.

Basically you take an exercise and “extend” the set by incorporating a “1/2 rep” in between full-ROM reps.

The idea serves a few purposes/benefits:

  1. Increased Time Under Tension.
  2. Can be used to address a technique flaw/weakness (which should be the main objective of accessory work anyways).
  3. Awesome alternative to use as a finisher at the end of a workout. They also serve as a nice way to increase total work done in any given session.
  4. Improved mental toughness. Or, put in other words: they fucking make you hate life.

Here’s Ben performing some chin-ups (with a 100 lb weight-vest no less) using the 1-1/2 method:

 

And here he is performing 1-1/2 reps with Front Squats:

 

I like to use the 1-1/2 method with the bench press, as I feel it helps trainees to:

  • Better appreciate what it means to keep the lats on, the upper back tight throughout, and to learn to “meet” the bar with the chest.
  • To help trainees imbue a better sense of time under tension. I.e., it’s a killer way to elicit a chest pump and overall chest hypertrophy. And, at the end of the day, a bigger chest is going to (probably) produce more force.

Some Things To Consider/Pontificate

1) Your bench set-up is going to be crucial.

There’s a sense of poignancy that festers inside me whenever trainees take a haphazard approach with their bench set-up. It’s like a Greek tragedy.

If I had to choose a few big-hitting, big-rock cues that tend to have a universal carryover, they’d include:

  • Learn to drive the upper back INTO the bench.
  • Shoulder blades should be “pinned” together and down (retracted and depressed) to provide more stability.
  • GET A HAND-OFF

 

  • Let be bar “settle” before you begin.
  • Think about wrapping your hand AROUND the bar (I.e., lat activation).
  • You don’t have to have a super aggressive arch in lower back – there’s a degree of mastery and personal comfort insinuated here – however, an arch (even a slight one) is advantageous.
  • Pull the bar down to your chest.
  • Chest meets the bar, rather than bar meets chest.
  • Leg Drive, leg drive, leg drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj9RnZJqpOE

 

2) I prefer to use the 1-1/2 rep method as an accessory exercise to the bench press, rather than as the”main gig.”

It implies a bit more of an “accessory movement” vibe.

I feel it works wonders with helping trainees to learn to keep their chest UP throughout the duration of a set. Many make the mistake of allowing the chest to collapse or “cave in,” which manifests into a domino effect of losing upper back stiffness, scapulae position, elbow position, and a muffled leg drive.

Here’s what it looks like in action:

 

During the 1/2 rep portion (where I press the barbell half-way up) I have to cue myself to maintain lat activation, upper back stiffness, chest UP (to meet the bar), and to make sure my chest doesn’t deflate at any point during the set.

It’s harder than it looks.

Generally, it’s best to use sub-maximal loads on these – in the 60-75% range. You can strive for “x” number of reps, say 6-8 for 2-4 sets. Or, another way to implement these is with AMRAP sets.

NOTE: AMRAP = As Many Reps As Possible

My coach, Greg Robins, has been using this approach in my training.

After my main bench movement of the day I’ll follow that with something like this:

ONE set at 75% of 1RM for AMRAP.

Rest 60-90s

ONE set at 70% of 1RM for AMRAP.

It’s killer, but man, the pump is awesome.

And please, feel free to experiment with these. You can use this method with bench pressing, squats, chin-ups, row variations, single-leg variations, bicep curls, and deadlifts (just be careful).

Try them out, and let me know what you think.

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Dumbbell Squeeze Press

A little over a week ago I posted an article titled My Pecs Could Win a Fight Vs. a Tank Are Compound Movements Actually Making You Stronger?

In it I made the case that:

1) Compound movements (deadlift, squat, bench press, rows, chin-ups, etc) should encompass the base for most weight training programs regardless of goal(s).

2) We’re very good at compensating. I.e., not doing shit correctly.

3) Bionic Six was the most underrated Saturday morning cartoon of the 80s.7

4) As such, sometimes, it requires that ISOLATION exercises need to be given more priority because the “targeted” muscles may not be getting the stimulation required to grow (and hence, get stronger).

Nevertheless I went into some detail that, ever since I started including more isolation movements for my pectoral muscles like DB chest flyes, I’ve seen a nice jump in not only my bench press performance, but the “feel” of the movement too.

Meaning, the quality of my reps have improved and I feel more confident with a given weight which I may have been struggling with only weeks prior.

 

Suffice to say, the assiduous journey to becoming more “pecy” – and including more isolation type work into my training programs (thanks to my coach, Greg Robins) – has paid off. Today I wanted to highlight another exercise I’ve been using more often of late (and, admittedly, it’s always been a favorite of mine).

Dumbbell Squeeze Press

 

Who Did I Steal It From: I can’t remember. I’ll say Chuck Norris just because.

What Does It Do: I’ve long championed the notion that the bench press isn’t a fantastic exercise for pectoral development. Yes, the pecs play a role in completing the movement – and by all means, they do get stimulated – however, the bench press is more of a FULL-body movement that many people give it credit for.

A lot of other “stuff” comes into play – technique, technique, upper back, not to mention leg drive. The pecs, when all is said and done, aren’t going to get hit optimally during a standard bench press.

If you factor in basic anatomy of the pectoral (major) muscle, you’ll notice it has attachment points on the clavicle (clavicular head) as well as the sternum (sternal head).

Again, during a bench press the pectoral muscle will be engaged, but I’d make the case not nearly to the degree as compared to dumbbell variations (where more humeral ADDuction comes into play).

Whenever I work with someone who has more aesthetic minded goals, of course I’m still having him or her bench press (I still want to use exercises which allow me to better overload the “system” or body as whole), but I’ll go out of my way to include more DUMBBELL work into their programming.

1) We generally see more ROM during dumbbell variations.

2) They’re more “shoulder friendly” in that we’re not locked into humeral internal rotation as what happens when using a barbell (pronated grip). DB variations allow more wiggle room for external rotation.

3) More humeral adduction is present (which hammers the sternal head).

4) We can also, if need be, address any imbalances that may be present between one side or the other.

I really like the squeeze press, though, because it hits 2/3 points above, but also increases time under tension of the pectoral muscles while also hitting the delts (anterior, middle) pretty hard too.

Key Coaching Cues: It’s pretty self-explanatory. Grab two dumbbells, assume a normal position on a flat or incline bench, then squeeze those bad boys together, and press.

Keep them pressed together throughout the duration of your set. Your pecs will be on fire.

Also, some people have a tendency to “fall” into anterior humeral glide on these so it’s important to cue “chest up” or “chest meets the DBs” during the set.

NOTE: performing these with hex-shaped DBs would be ideal as they’re easier (safer?) to squeeze together. However, you could use round shaped DBs too, or PowerBlocks (as I did in the video)…it just may feel a little more wonky.

I like these as an accessory movement – after a main bench movement – for high(er) repetitions (10-15 range).

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work Uncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Chest Builders, Tickets to the Gun Show, and New Blogs

6 Coaches on Chest Training – A Bunch of Smart (and Swole) Dudes

A while back I was contacted by the editors of T-Nation to contribute to an article specifically geared towards people interested in pull-ups:  how to not suck at them, how they can go about building a back wider than Kansas, you know, stuff like that.

It went over really well, so the higher-ups at T-Nation decided to ask the same crew to write their thoughts on chest training, and this was the end result.

60 Must-Read Health & Fitness Blogs for 2013 – Greatist.com

I was truly honored (and humbled) to have my blog listed amongst so many other esteemed health and fitness professionals.  As it turns out, many of the blogs I follow on a consistent basis (Mark’s Daily Apple, Bret Contreras, Adam Bornstein, Eric Cressey, Kellie Davis, Girls Gone Strong, to name a few) made the list, which doesn’t really surprise me because they’re all fantastic.

But it was nice to get e-introduced to a number of other blogs that are equally as awesome and badass.

Maybe you’ll find one on the list you’ll enjoy?

2 Tickets to the Gun Show – Dan Trink

Honestly, Dan had me a “Gun Show,” so I’m already in and an easy sell.  But in case you’re not up to snuff with broscience lingo, my good friend Dan Trink, Director of Training at Peak Performance in NYC and co-author (along with me) of the first three month’s of programming for Greatist’s Workout of the Day (GWOD), released his very first fitness product this week that’s a 4-week arm specialization program.

For those who don’t know Dan, he’s a brick shit-house and has arms bigger than both Optimus Prime and Megatron combined.

See?  Told ya.

But he’s also one of the nicest and most down-to-earth human beings I know.  Not that that really matters when purchasing a product, but I just thought you should know….;o) I generally shy away from people who are a-holes, let alone endorse their products.

Anyhoo:  As a dude, I know the first thing I do when “sizing up” other dudes is to look at the size of their arms. While it doesn’t necessarily tell me much in terms of how strong they are (or if they have some super secret Jedi mind trick powers that I don’t about), chances are if someone’s rocking 18″ pythons, I’m not going to attempt to take their lunch money.

Having big arms is the “holy grail” for just about any guy who has ever lifted a weight in the history of the world, and this 4-week program delivers the goods.

The manual includes 4-weeks of programming, training templates, and links to videos of every exercise.  The only thing it doesn’t include is a tape measure and a copy of Hulk Hogan’s theme song, “Real American.”

It’s on sale now for $14.99 until this Friday at midnight, and then it reverts to the normal price of $27.99.  So for 0.54 cents per day, you could have Rambo arms.  Seems like a no-brainer to me.

====> Get Your Tickets Here <====