hard time developing the chest

[XCompetitor]

All great advice here. I would like to add that you should do your heavy pressing movement(s) last. Do isolation movements like cable crossovers/Pec Deck/Machine Flyes/ ect. first in your workout and then follow with your BB/DB Declines/Inclines/Flat Benches ect.

[Felinecougar]

You all are gonna hate me here.. My pecs were the first muscle to easily develop. Then I plateaued. Was able to add to them this year by doing a one armed upper cable pec chop.KI use to normally work upper pecs. This exercise added mass to my over all pecs.

[cog]

You're talking about your arm being vertical with cable in hand and then bringing it down in front of you towards your opposing hip bone?

[Hugheser]

Learn how to bench press...if you aren't getting pectoral development from bench pressing you are doing it wrong. Most guys bench incorrectly because either they were taught incorrectly or they think its just lie down and push.

Watch this video and learn to bench correctly...it wil then take a few years to develop significant pectoral mass.
P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QnwAoesJvQ

I just put 20lbs on my max today from watching that video last night before i went to bed.......so psyked

[Gixxer750]

As a woman I have more pec than boob LOL.....and all natty as well. I've always done flat, incline and decline pushups with ABSOLUTELY PERFECT form. I'm talking straight as a board from head to toe, chest to the floor or bench and NO head bobbing or dropping. Put a target on the floor, if you don't touch it, the rep does not count. Just like Dave Tate says... you need to tighten up the mid back/traps. The lats play huge part of the push up/bench press because the aid in stabilizing the scapula.

So when you are doing your pushup think about twisting the palms of your hand into the floor away from you. Also make sure your palm has FULL and FLAT contact with the floor... this will also aid in stabilizing or "centrating" the humorus into the socket. Play with tempo as well... just don't "rep" out. Use 3-4 seconds on the eccentric and then explode up or a quick eccentric and slow concentric. Or even a 4:2:1:0 tempo.... feel the hurt the next day after a 100 of those. Changing hand positions as well... neutral, internally and externally rotated.
Once you can do 50 slow and controlled pushups it's time to add a 20# or more weighted vest.

Just my $0.02 worth

[cog]

As a woman I have more pec than boob LOL.....and all natty as well. I've always done flat, incline and decline pushups with ABSOLUTELY PERFECT form. I'm talking straight as a board from head to toe, chest to the floor or bench and NO head bobbing or dropping. Put a target on the floor, if you don't touch it, the rep does not count. Just like Dave Tate says... you need to tighten up the mid back/traps. The lats play huge part of the push up/bench press because the aid in stabilizing the scapula.

So when you are doing your pushup think about twisting the palms of your hand into the floor away from you. Also make sure your palm has FULL and FLAT contact with the floor... this will also aid in stabilizing or "centrating" the humorus into the socket. Play with tempo as well... just don't "rep" out. Use 3-4 seconds on the eccentric and then explode up or a quick eccentric and slow concentric. Or even a 4:2:1:0 tempo.... feel the hurt the next day after a 100 of those. Changing hand positions as well... neutral, internally and externally rotated.
Once you can do 50 slow and controlled pushups it's time to add a 20# or more weighted vest.

Just my $0.02 worth

Have you tried pushups with the TRX?

[Gixxer750]

Have you tried pushups with the TRX?

Absolutely! In fact I m just going through my certification to be a TRX Team Coach. Two 8 hour onsite trainings down, 1 more to go. I even go single arm. Or this is when I use my weighted vest as well. Pick up a leg and your battling! :-) The Atomic Pushup (Push up with a crunch) is awesome as well. YouTube the TRX 40/40 Challenge! Your upper body will be screaming.... 40 atomic push ups (chest 3" from floor) REST 1 minute.... then 40 low rows at the steepest vector possible. I can do 40 Atomics but can't get all the rows out. I lose it at 37 (you have to keep a perfect plank position in both movements or the rep doesn't count).
Give it a go if you have a TRX! Good Luck!

[cog]

Absolutely! In fact I m just going through my certification to be a TRX Team Coach. Two 8 hour onsite trainings down, 1 more to go. I even go single arm. Or this is when I use my weighted vest as well. Pick up a leg and your battling! :-) The Atomic Pushup (Push up with a crunch) is awesome as well. YouTube the TRX 40/40 Challenge! Your upper body will be screaming.... 40 atomic push ups (chest 3" from floor) REST 1 minute.... then 40 low rows at the steepest vector possible. I can do 40 Atomics but can't get all the rows out. I lose it at 37 (you have to keep a perfect plank position in both movements or the rep doesn't count).
Give it a go if you have a TRX! Good Luck!

I tried the Atomic pushups and found them quite demanding on my gut,got 6-8 reps.Have been working the abs on the GHD lately.

Have you tried presses and flyes?Saw a guy on a site doing presses draped in chains,rings preferred because the buckles don't chafe you like the TRX.Superior ROM.

[Gixxer750]

I tried the Atomic pushups and found them quite demanding on my gut,got 6-8 reps.Have been working the abs on the GHD lately.

Have you tried presses and flyes?Saw a guy on a site doing presses draped in chains,rings preferred because the buckles don't chafe you like the TRX.Superior ROM.

Yes. I have done presses (in a hand stand version---suspension trainer lengthened to mid calf, feet in the cradles, facing the ground, then walk back on your hands until you are "ass up" in the air).... either a VERY decline pushup or a hand stand shoulder press :-)
The flys can be very challenging... any movement with the TRX that is single joint is WAY harder.
I understand the "scraping"..... this actually refers to one of the SIX DEADLY SINS of TRX training. If the straps are scraping in a chest press, simply lift the arm up an inch ----VOILA! problem solved. This will add a stability challenge to the shoulder girdle. Other big no no's are sagging at the hips, sawing (TRX sliding back and forth at the lower anchor point).
A nice little trick with the chest press is to twist your palms out at the end point of the movement. (As I mentioned in my earlier post with the pushups---engages the lats and really helps to stabilize the scapula.

Yeah! The Atomic Pushup is a full body exercise. As you push your legs back after the crunch really squeeze your quads and glutes---YES!! your quads and glutes as these HUGE muscle groups will take a lot of the load out of the chest, shoulders and "core" (I hate that word). Your ass and quads should be rock hard. The knees need to break 90 degrees at the hip. Also, whenever your feet are toes in the cradles be sure that your ankle is FULLY FLEXED AND THAT YOUR HEELS ARE DRIVING BACK INTO THE HANDLES. The foundation of ANY exercise, either with the TRX or Freeweights starts with a your foundation---your FEET.

Hope this helps and keep up with the Atomic Pushups! I did my 40 yesterday. To get better at them, it is better to do them slower than to crank them out in hyper speed. The time under tension (TUT) the stronger you will get.

S

[cog]

Thanks for the tip about the ankles,hadn't been doing that.