How do I know when I had a good chest workout?

[sphinx]

I always know when I had a good day training legs, arms, and shoulders because I could feel the tightness when I'm getting ready to go to bed or throughout the morning of the next day. I'm assuming because you move those body parts more, it's obvious you know you are getting results. So what indicates that you had a good chest workout? Each exercise I do, I always getting weaker on the last set, so from that standpoint it seems to be going good but I never feel anything when I leave the gym and feel that I shortchanged myself by not going heavier or doing more reps? Advice from all is welcomed and appreciated, but could some of you fbbs weigh in on this as well.

[ISABELLE TURELL]

can I ask what do you do for chest. Are you doing your exercise with proper form?

[ripitupbaby]

Damn, I did a chest workout on Sunday, and my chest is still sooooo sore today, it's ridiculous!

I find that chest is perhpas the hardest body part to adequately work out by myself. It's much easier to go heavy and hit it harder with a spotter...particularly for flat bench, incline, decline, close grips, and any other pressing exercises. You may want to try to get someone to spot you and go as heavy as possible till failure...if you are trying to build mass, then you should be failing maybe around 6-8. I prefer to use free weights for chest workouts (versus machines).

[bthomas77]

im not a BBer, but i know for sure when i have a good chest work out......it usually is burning before i even leave the gym. the only thing that eases the pain/soreness is leaning in a dorway with my elbows on the jam. proper form is key though. alot of times, people end up having great shoulder work outs instead of great chest workouts.

[Maxt]

Can you do the pec dance. Flex one side then the other again and again. Feels good? Got a great pump? You've got a good workout. Another way to recognize a good chest workout is if you usually do say 275 bench press for 6 and you feel so good you do 315 for 6 or 8 not that it is always necessary to do Bench Presses for a great chest workout but recognize that they are for one the king of the chest exercises and two a barometer for where you are at in chest training as opposed to where everyone else is at because people invaribaly say how much you bench so much that it becomes a clichee.

[Maxt]

can I ask what do you do for chest. Are you doing your exercise with proper form?Yes definitely I think proper form is essential much more so than what great a weight you are using for however many reps.

[sphinx]

can I ask what do you do for chest. Are you doing your exercise with proper form?

I feel I am quite weak on the barbell, so only deal with dumb-bells.
I'll do:

inclined presses- 3 sets of 15 (50lbs, 55lbs, 60lbs)

inclined flys- 3 sets of 15 (25 to 35lbs)

cable crossover (I think that is the name of it)- 3 sets 15 (60lbs on each side)

then I'll use a couple random chest press machines for about 2 sets at 10 reps each

The only one where I feel I might be cheating is the dumbbell flys. I'll start out fine but I'll notice that I have my arms bent rather than them being straight. Must the arms be perfectly straight in order for this to work? Could you recommend something where I will feel it when I'm walking out the gym?

[sphinx]

Damn, I did a chest workout on Sunday, and my chest is still sooooo sore today, it's ridiculous!

I find that chest is perhpas the hardest body part to adequately work out by myself. It's much easier to go heavy and hit it harder with a spotter...particularly for flat bench, incline, decline, close grips, and any other pressing exercises. You may want to try to get someone to spot you and go as heavy as possible till failure...if you are trying to build mass, then you should be failing maybe around 6-8. I prefer to use free weights for chest workouts (versus machines).

I had that in mind as well, I'm normally a to-myself-person while I'm there. I'm gonna start though, thanks.

[Maxt]

I feel I am quite weak on the barbell, so only deal with dumb-bells.
I'll do:

inclined presses- 3 sets of 15 (50lbs, 55lbs, 60lbs)

inclined flys- 3 sets of 15 (25 to 35lbs)

cable crossover (I think that is the name of it)- 3 sets 15 (60lbs on each side)

then I'll use a couple random chest press machines for about 2 sets at 10 reps each

The only one where I feel I might be cheating is the dumbbell flys. I'll start out fine but I'll notice that I have my arms bent rather than them being straight. Must the arms be perfectly straight in order for this to work? Could you recommend something where I will feel it when I'm walking out the gym?That is OK to start out with but now you'll have to do a little more. Try doing what you do with the dumbells after 4 or five sets of either Flat Olympic Bar Bench Presses or Incline Bench Olympic Bar Presses with a rep scheme 10. 8. 6, 5, 3, 1 adding significant weight each time then 15 reps of what you did ten with.

[Titania]

That is OK to start out with but now you'll have to do a little more. Try doing what you do with the dumbells after 4 or five sets of either Flat Olympic Bar Bench Presses or Incline Bench Olympic Bar Presses with a rep scheme 10. 8. 6, 5, 3, 1 adding significant weight each time then 15 reps of what you did ten with.
I agree about the rep ranges. I'd definitely be putting in some heavy, low rep sets.
I usually do a combination of high and low rep work on most of my exercises to stimulate everything in the greatest way I can.
Something else to try is doing some really heavy dumbell presses with a 3/4 range of motion. Contrary to popular belief, these are HARDER and MORE PRODUCTIVE than higher rep full ROM movements. The simple reason is that if you avoid a full lockout at the top and a full stretch at the bottom, you are keeping the muscle under constant tension and that is HARD!
As a bonus, it lessens the chance of injury with the super heavy weights.
My usual working weight on my heavy sets with dumbell presses is 80's or 90's but if I am doing the super heavy sets, I'll grab the 120's for a couple of slow 3/4 reps and that really sets my pecs on FIRE!!
Then I'll finish off with a set with 35's or 40's for a set of 30 or so reps. The next day they BURN!!!

[sphinx]

That is OK to start out with but now you'll have to do a little more. Try doing what you do with the dumbells after 4 or five sets of either Flat Olympic Bar Bench Presses or Incline Bench Olympic Bar Presses with a rep scheme 10. 8. 6, 5, 3, 1 adding significant weight each time then 15 reps of what you did ten with.

here's the crazy thing as I look around the gym and compare myself to what other are doing on the barbell and dumbbell bench, I feel I'm strong on one and very weak on th eother. The Bar, I can only muster about 155lbs (maybe a little more) for lets say about 10 reps, but when I try to do my next set, I can only do about 2 or 3 ( even after a decent rest and water to refuel) making the experience a complete waste of time. Now the crazy thing is, I can handle 65 & 70lb dumbells for like 10 reps for 4 sets and only get tired after I finish my final set (I don't know what that is, maybe it is a mental thing that I'm scared of the barbell). Maybe I should do 10 x 100's, 8 x 110, and so on till I can do at least 1 max out at 165lbs maybe?

I'll do chest agian on Monday, thanks for everyone's help

[sphinx]

I agree about the rep ranges. I'd definitely be putting in some heavy, low rep sets.
I usually do a combination of high and low rep work on most of my exercises to stimulate everything in the greatest way I can.
Something else to try is doing some really heavy dumbell presses with a 3/4 range of motion. Contrary to popular belief, these are HARDER and MORE PRODUCTIVE than higher rep full ROM movements. The simple reason is that if you avoid a full lockout at the top and a full stretch at the bottom, you are keeping the muscle under constant tension and that is HARD!
As a bonus, it lessens the chance of injury with the super heavy weights.
My usual working weight on my heavy sets with dumbell presses is 80's or 90's but if I am doing the super heavy sets, I'll grab the 120's for a couple of slow 3/4 reps and that really sets my pecs on FIRE!!
Then I'll finish off with a set with 35's or 40's for a set of 30 or so reps. The next day they BURN!!!

I'm going to take note of that Titania, 3/4 range of motion, sometimes I lock my arms out and sometimes I don't, I will pay attention to that the next tim eI go back. How many reps do you do with the 80s and 90s Titania? I can't even look in the direction of those weights, and I don't even think we have 120's dumbbells at my gym. :sprite10:

[Titania]

I'm going to take note of that Titania, 3/4 range of motion, sometimes I lock my arms out and sometimes I don't, I will pay attention to that the next tim eI go back. How many reps do you do with the 80s and 90s Titania? I can't even look in the direction of those weights, and I don't even think we have 120's dumbbells at my gym. :sprite10:
I first started thinking about that kind of training after looking at ways to prevent the joint pain I had started to get from lifting heavy all the time. I watched and studied some of the really big lifters like Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates and Markus Ruhl and I noticed that all of them limited their ROM on super heavy sets. They would still do almost full ROM but they would not do a full stretch nor would they do a full lockout.
If you take the dumbell bench press as an example. The lockout position is where there is the most pressure on the elbow joint and the fully stretched position is the point most likely to cause pec tears. these two positions also happen to be the point of least muscular tension.
It makes sense then to limit the ROM to not include these positions on super heavy sets.
My chest had always lacked the kind of thickness I wanted and altering my training with the above techniques has fixed that.

Here (http://musclefemme.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4101&postcount=136) is an example of my last heavy chest training day. I have a shoulder injury which prevents me from going heavy on barbell presses so I am focussing on dumbells which don't aggrivate my shoulder. This injury occured two years ago and I have only just found out what is likely to be the cause!

Here's a photo of my last heavy set of dumbell presses with 121 lb dumbells (55 kgs).

[Maxt]

Jeezy weezy Titania you are a strong girl! I love those dumbells. I have 110 and 120 lb. Hex dumbells for my heaviest but I like yours better.

[MsGuns]

When I get done w/ a set and I feel PUMPED up...
When I walk to the next exercise...I feel like my chest is sitting out...
LOL
LOL
LOL

BTW...I dont have that BIG of a chest (boobs wise) but after a chest workout I feel like Ive had a boob job.

[Titania]

Jeezy weezy Titania you are a strong girl! I love those dumbells. I have 110 and 120 lb. Hex dumbells for my heaviest but I like yours better.
I love those dumbells. They are olympic ones just like mini oly barbells complete with rotating sleeves. I can even put full sized 20 kg plates on them if I want (although it is a bit tricky doing bench press with plates that diameter!!) :D

[Titania]

When I get done w/ a set and I feel PUMPED up...
When I walk to the next exercise...I feel like my chest is sitting out...
LOL
LOL
LOL

BTW...I dont have that BIG of a chest (boobs wise) but after a chest workout I feel like Ive had a boob job.
ROFL :D......