synergists

C

corple

0
when im doing bench press, i know it works the chest. but the synergists are deltoids, tris and clavicular, does that mean they are being worked also? even if i didnt isolate them, would they would still get worked enough to grow?
 
the clavicular is just a subdivision of the pectoralis major muscle in your chest, so that definatly gets worked. the deltoids are used a very good amount in incline bench press, and would grow a reasonable amount, but doing lateral raises would make them grow even larger & faster. triceps are used a lot when you do close grip bench press but would benefit even more from being isolated(personally i like big triceps so i isolate them with 4 or 5 exercises)
 
Our Eastern block power lifting friends tend to just do bench press for the bench with no accessory lifts and they have pretty well developed front delts and triceps (rear and middle delts too but that's from something else).

That's one of the reasons why when planning a program, you have to take into account the amount of "indirect" hits your gonna hit the synergists with before mapping out how much direct hit you give them.

At the moment, my training is almost completely wrapped around an upcoming bench press competition.
 
Corple:

If you want to really target your delts; you've got to do overhead presses. I agree that lateral raises are good as well; but mix it up and definitely include overhead presses.

As for 4 or 5 sets of tricep isolation; my personal opinion is that many sets is far too many. Maximum 9 sets (3X3 etc) is the most you should hit your bi's and tri's with. They're are secondary movers on almost every upper body exercise (tris are hit with pushing motions and bis are hit with pulling motions).

The compound exercises will target secondary movers. I wouldn't isolate smaller muscle groups too much; a 3 - 4 sets should do it for bis/tris etc
 
Adler1983 said:
As for 4 or 5 sets of tricep isolation; my personal opinion is that many sets is far too many. Maximum 9 sets (3X3 etc) is the most you should hit your bi's and tri's with. They're are secondary movers on almost every upper body exercise (tris are hit with pushing motions and bis are hit with pulling motions).
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sorry i should have been more specific, when i do 4 or 5 exercises, i only perform 2 sets (1 warm up with very light weight, and the other with mid weight to failure).. sorry for being so vauge
 
oh, ive only got a barbell and dumbells, so the only isolation excercises i do for my arms are, curls, reverse curls, and tri extensions.
question thought, is there a way to isolate the lats with barbells/dumbells, i do pullovers but...yeah, thats an auxiliary. if not, ill just stick with the pullovers. appreciate it
 
Yeah; Bent-over row will hit the lats pretty well. Also try pullups; actually - dont only try them, add them to your workout.

MReik: Thanks for the clarification - that many exercises with 2 sets each is a great way to change up angles and really attack your arms.
 
corple.. one of the few lat isolation exercises i know of is the straight arm pull down, every other exercise involves biceps and/or middle back.

here's an explanation...
Stand in front of a lat pulldown bar with your arms outstretched towards the bar. Place your palms flat on the bar and pull it down to shoulder level. Keeping your elbows slightly bent and your wrists locked, pull the bar down towards your body in an arcing motion. Once you contracted the lats fully and the bar has touched or come close to your thighs, slowly allow the bar to come back up to the starting position. Keep your torso erect
 
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