# How to know if you are working your chest?



## SportinStyle (Jul 12, 2004)

While I am working out I really never feel any pressure in my chest, just in my arms and delts. I have made massive gains in my arms too but barely any at all in the past year for my chest.

Which chest exercises should I do, and how do I know I am working my chest (am I working it doing bench, even if I don't feel it?)

BTW, is there a certain exercise that helps you gain that defined part that leads up to your delts. For example, the side of my chest looks weak, but istraight on, it doesnt.

Thanks!


----------



## Tha Don (Jul 13, 2004)

sup bro, you need to look at your technique, do a search for chest form/technique in this forum there should be loads of info on how to get the best out of the bench press, its very easy to bench and barely work your chest at all, technique dose suprisingly play a major role, i know i've been in the same situation of making zero chest gains (after it was my best bodypart when i started by far!)

also.. try switching your exercises around, right now i do bench/db inclines/flys but then i will rotate with dips and pullovers to finish, i also throw in db bench instead of barbell every now and again as you can go deeper with the db, many feel the db bench hits your chest better than the bb, i rarely use them but supersets will put your chest into some pain, eg flys>bench. gd luck

1


----------



## Larva (Jul 13, 2004)

mudge has some great info most of his links are in his sig def check them out


----------



## Johnnny (Jul 13, 2004)

SportinStyle



> While I am working out I really never feel any pressure in my chest, just in my arms and delts. I have made massive gains in my arms too but barely any at all in the past year for my chest.
> 
> Which chest exercises should I do, and how do I know I am working my chest (am I working it doing bench, even if I don't feel it?)
> 
> ...



Well there are 2 ways to tell if you are working your chest. 

I know some will argue that getting your pectorals pumped during the work out doesn't mean you're getting a full workout. But for me & most I've spoken to about it, they say that if their pectoral muscles don't feel like they're going to pop through the skin & super tight, than they aren't getting a good workout or training their chest hard enough.

Arnold always said that getting the pump was very important.

The other way to know if you're hitting your chest hard enough is a strength increase on compound movements such as incline bench & flat bench press as well as secondary exercises such as incline/flat dumbbell flies. You should be able to use heavier weights for your flies & cable crossovers & so on.


Whatever ppl say about getting the pump not being important, whether I'm trying to get the pump or not, either way my chest in every workout always gets pumped or whatever muscle I'm working always gets pumped no matter what. That's how I know I've hit that muscle hard enough & I usually get strength gains along with the pump by the following week.


I'm doing a 4 exercise, 12 set chest routine once a week. I know Gopro has told me that he doesn't go much more than this on the amount of sets for chest.

I do (not including warm up sets) 3 sets of flat bench, 3 sets of incline bench, 3 sets of incline horizontal dumbbell flies, & 3 sets of flat horizontal dumbbell flies. 

Horizontal dumbbell flies are great & much harder than the standard vertical flies as you get more of a pectoral stretch with them.

To keep muscles guessing, I change my routines every 3 weeks & all exercises to.


----------

