Need help isolating my chest

B

Blackcub

0
I've began my weight training and already my first week I've lost 3lb with nothing but 10min cardio warmup and FBW 3 times a week which is incredible.

But my problem is isolating my chest with dumbbells. It seems no matter what I do my biceps are exhausted before my chest is. I've tried to focus on ensuring I'm squeezing my chest together and not using my back but I'm just not feeling it in my chest. I've tried..

#1 Dumbbell Chest Fly
#2 Dumbbell Bench Press (not incline)

At the end of it my shoulders and biceps are burnt but my chest feels about the same.

The funny thing is the first day I began weight training I must have done it right as I felt sore in my chest. Now, can barely feel anything. I want to continue with the weights but need help figuring out what I'm doing wrong.

Any hints or tips to focusing on my chest for a real good pump, anything you guys notice newbies do wrong while benching? Too wide, too short, too deep?
 
Wait...why are your biceps drained during a bench press? Do you maybe mean your Triceps?

Bench press should affect your pectorals, triceps and deltoids (to some extent).

Biceps are used to flex at the elbow, triceps are used to extend at the elbow. You're biceps shouldn't be feeling anything significant.
 
Sorry, was typing one thing and thinking the other. My shoulders and triceps (under arms).
 
Last edited:
Yes. So you're triceps fail first and you feel like you barely did anything in your chest. How close are your hands when the dumbbells are at your chest? Have you considered doing a straight bar bench press with a shoulder wide grip?

Your triceps could probably use some strength gain themselves. Add some tricep press, or extensions into your workout on chest days to help work them a bit more so they can catch up to your chest. Try to do some push-ups each day with your hands close together as well.
 
What is your height/weight and how much are you benching? It might just be that your arms and shoulders need to get used to holding the weight during the exercise. If that is the case, they should catch up soon enough.

Also, what does your routine look like? If you work arms/shoulders before the bench press, those muscles are wore out and your bench will suffer.
 
firefreak said:
Yes. So you're triceps fail first and you feel like you barely did anything in your chest. How close are your hands when the dumbbells are at your chest? Have you considered doing a straight bar bench press with a shoulder wide grip?

Your triceps could probably use some strength gain themselves. Add some tricep press, or extensions into your workout on chest days to help work them a bit more so they can catch up to your chest. Try to do some push-ups each day with your hands close together as well.
Click to expand...

I bring the bells down close to my armpits, trying to feel a stretch in my chest so my next rep is deep pushing back up. When I push up the weights are over my face. Could that be the problem?

I'll add tricep press to my workout on Friday.

evan said:
What is your height/weight and how much are you benching? It might just be that your arms and shoulders need to get used to holding the weight during the exercise. If that is the case, they should catch up soon enough.

Also, what does your routine look like? If you work arms/shoulders before the bench press, those muscles are wore out and your bench will suffer.
Click to expand...

I'm 5'11 and 206 now. My arms/legs are wobbly during almost all the exercises. My first day I was in pain (not just sore), couldn't extend my arm fully and had trouble walking but I continued through the next couple of days, focused on my diet and whey protein and the pain went away, just soreness now.

But now I almost want that pain back! Made me feel like I was really making progress. Routine is:

30lb DB Squats
40lb DB Deadlift
30lb DB Bicep Curls
25lb DB Rows
25lb DB Bench

3 Sets. 8 Reps. If I can reach 9th rep on 3rd set I move up to the next 5lb weight.
 
Last edited:
keep them over your chest. its not why your triceps are failing but its not how you want to lift the weight on a flat bench press.
 
+1 on keeping the dumbbells over your chest.

Assuming that you gave your routine in the order you perform the exercises in, you should move bench press up in priority (Squat, DL, Bench, Row, etc...). That way, you should have more energy for the bench press and your arms won't be so taxed during the heavier exercises.

Also, you're probably not going to feel that same type of beginner's soreness unless you take a few weeks off.

Edit: I know how much everyone loves Bicep Curls, but save them for last, if at all.
 
Check out Starting Strength. It will do you wonders. You shoulders and tris are giving out first because they are out of balance compared to your chest. Give it time. Don't add extra iso work. If anything drop the iso work you have.

Don't over think it. Keep it simple. Squat/Bench/Row
 
FF is correct, there try a much wider grip when you flat bench. It focus more on the chest vs a narrow grip will work the tricep more. That is Flat bench barbell press.

There are many many chest routine to do that focus on the chest more than flat bench which uses shoulder and tricep. Hold your form firm on flat bench, do not arch the lower back and try to lower the bar down over your nipple. Here are some other excercises to do beside flat bench:

1) Incline Dumbell(db) or barbell (bb) - this will work more shoulder
2) Decline DB or BB - really good to square off the chest
3) sitted butterfly machine - This is great for chiseling, use average weight and squeeze. This is NOT a power movement.
4) Dumbell flies to finish off. Go down deep and wide and come up and squeeze at the top. Keep the motion slow, this is another fine tuning excercise.
5) Calbe Crossover from varying angels (start top and go downard, middle and go across, or bottom and go upward)

IF you do all that at about 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps; your chest will be burnt out. I cannot even do a pushup after I am all done. Yes, my tricep and shoulders are sore as well but I really feel my chest 2 days afterward. OH, try some varying pushups from different hand positions as well(diamond, standard, and wide).
 
Any hints or tips to focusing on my chest for a real good pump, anything you guys notice newbies do wrong while benching? Too wide, too short, too deep?
Click to expand...

I know i was just saying this to someone, but when i first started benching, i would push up the weight with my tris and delts. Someone told me to start with flys before my bench to learn how the chest is supposed to feel, i did it for a few weeks and eventually i was able to bench by using my chest as opposed to with my arms and shoulders.
 
Thanks everyone for the great advice here. I'll add more stabilizing exercises for the rest of my muscles and try some alternative chest exercises so I can feel the difference.

I'm reading Dumbbell Training by Matt & Fred right now, will look into more literature once I'm done here.
 
Don't want to beat a dead horse - I like the cable crossover idea as well as the pec dec to get more isolation.

More importantly, your triceps are fatiguing quickly, as they strengthen you'll notice even more gains in your chest.

What I wanted to address was your lack of soreness now that you've been at this awhile. It's very important to remember that you body adapts to stressors. If you don't continually increase the 'load' your muscles will no longer need to 'adapt'. This means they won't break down and rebuild stronger - You've plateaud.

You need to increase the weight when you can, you need to mix up your exercises to trick your muscles and keep them growing. If you mix it up you should feel some soreness. Then again, you won't feel that same level of pain you felt as a newb, just comes with the territory.
 
I'm going to seriously suggest reading Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. There's a link to a writeup on this page. I'm new and have been following it after having followed something similar to your training plan. The difference is HUGE in every way imaginable. Big movements like squats, deadlifts, and flat BB bench (get rid of the dumbbells if you can, it's a stability/too-much-weight issue...you shouldn't be wobbly) will help more than calf raises, bicep curls, and eyelid pulldowns.

Also, your diet is BY FAR more important than your training, how's that look?

http://training.fitness.com/weight-...inefficient-split-maybe-read-first-34522.html
 
Hotdoh said:
Big movements like squats, deadlifts, and flat BB bench (get rid of the dumbbells if you can, it's a stability/too-much-weight issue...you shouldn't be wobbly)
Click to expand...

On the contrary, dumbbells and barbells are all you should be using. If your "wobbly" just drop the weight and learn the correct movements and then slowly increase the weight.

Dumbbells/Barbells > any machine
 
Excder said:
On the contrary, dumbbells and barbells are all you should be using. If your "wobbly" just drop the weight and learn the correct movements and then slowly increase the weight.

Dumbbells/Barbells > any machine
Click to expand...

Old school, I like that. Where is the one gallon water jug that you used to use for bicep curls? :rofl:
 
Excder said:
On the contrary, dumbbells and barbells are all you should be using. If your "wobbly" just drop the weight and learn the correct movements and then slowly increase the weight.

Dumbbells/Barbells > any machine
Click to expand...

I think maybe you misunderstood me, or I didn't explain myself clearly enough. What I was trying to say was that he SHOULD be using the barbells, but I believe I read something Rippetoe said recommending against novices using dumbbells and that barbells should be used instead so that differences between sides of the body can be worked out to be evenly strong.

Okay, so I just looked it up, Rippetoe didn't say it, but it's in the writeup of his program that I found a link to on this site.



"There are a few reasons why the barbell version is the preferred "initiation" to the supine press (as the bench press used to be called). The primary one is simply that it is more appropriate to start with the technically easier exercise.

The learning curve for the barbell is much smoother than for DBs. Picture a complete novice trying to do a bench press. The bar wobbles everywhere, it is lowered at a variable rate of speed, it is pressed crooked, the left side flops forward, the right side flops backward, etc. Very few things are as humorous as watching a complete newb try to perform a bench press.

Now...add the aspect of unilateral balance and symmetry to the equation, both of which are required for dumbbell use...both of which are completely lacking in the untrained athlete-to-be. Since the majority of people are either right OR left-hand dominant, they will not have unilateral balance and symmetry. As a result, trying to teach a novice to do the DB press is a train wreck in the making.

You could possibly spend weeks just trying to get the trainee to learn how to balance the DBs. Those precious few weeks are going to be when the trainee is most adept at adding muscle and strength. Better to spend it with weight progression, rather than spending it trying to iron out balance and symmetry issues.

First learn walk, then learn run."
 
tic said:
Old school, I like that. Where is the one gallon water jug that you used to use for bicep curls? :rofl:
Click to expand...

Buckets of concrete, get it right! LOL
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top