>Why Are You Chasing a Big Bench Press? (Pecs Are Over-Rated!)
>Why is it that all around the world in most commercial gyms you will see people chasing a big bench press?
>Before I continue, I just want you to know that this article is NOT for powerlifters, football players or any athletes for that matter who get tested on the lift, but for RECREATIONAL LIFTERS who are trying to get JACKED.
>I personally feel like these recreational lifters who are trying to get jacked are just benching because they feel like they have to. Now I am not saying or advocating that you shouldn’t be benching, but most lifters put the bench at the top of the list because they make it their first exercise at the beginning of the week which is why Monday is called “international bench” or “international chest day”.
>I feel like a lot of lifters who are trying to get very jacked think that if they get a big bench then they will automatically look incredibly muscular.
>If you’ve read Naturally Enhanced by Alex Leonidas then you know that the chest and triceps are NOT as big as people really think. In fact, the biggest and meatiest part of the triceps is the long head and they don’t really get hit from benching (its more of the lateral head). So benching alone won’t get your triceps as jacked as people think, so what about the pecs now? People think that getting bigger pecs will have a really huge impact on their physique and although you still want some development, it should NOT be at the top of the list in most cases because its not as big as you think. >If you look at a human anatomy chart then you could see that the chest really doesn’t stand out that much. In other words, the shoulders blow the pecs through the waters.
>The shoulders will ALWAYS have a bigger impact on the way you look than the chest will because its a muscle group that is so hard to ignore. Not only that, but the shoulders are EXTREMELY hard to develop to an appreciable size when you are drug-free, but I’ve seen plenty of drug-free guys with big pecs yet they still look small.
>This is contradicting because the recreational lifters who are trying to look jacked who bench a lot usually neglect shoulder work to a large degree which is a shame and always seems to amaze me. >My suggestion and recommendation for people trying to look MASSIVE is to make overhead pressing variations their main pressing variations.
Jack Roberts
>A common question that is asked is “OHP’s and benching both hit the front delts hard so whats the difference?”. The big difference is that overhead presses hit the front delts just as hard, but they also hit the side delts very hard as well and the rear delts also get some stimulation too (especially if you press behind the neck)!
>What are some other benefits of overhead pressing variations?
>1.LONG HEAD DEVELOPMENT: Unlike the bench, the overhead press will actually give you really big upper arms because the key to having bigger upper arms is to add mass to the long head of your triceps which is exactly what overhead pressing does!
>2.TRAP DEVELOPMENT: Out of all pressing variations, overhead presses hit your traps the hardest and the stimulation might not be crazy, but its not uncommon to have sore traps after a day of heavy OHP’s. Another cool thing is that the neck also gets a bit of stimulation as well. Yes its true that OHP’s aren’t neck and trap exercises, but they do get hit way more than when you do horizontal presses.
>3.UPPER CHEST DEVELOPMENT: Another benefit of shoulder pressing variations is that you get great upper chest development which is great because the upper-chest is very hard to develop as a drug-free lifter. Luckily for you, doing shoulder presses with a pause at the bottom will hit this area very well which is good because if we are going to be prioritizing vertical presses from now on then atleast we could get some indirect chest stimulation sprinkled in as well!
>4.STRONGER CORE: Overhead pressing also hits your core very hard because having a couple of hundred pounds over your head does force you to stay very tense which teaches full body tightness.
>If you look at most strongman competitors then you will notice that they do not have the biggest pecs around. In fact, a lot of them don’t do as much benching as you think because the vertical presses are in all of their events so they have to make sure that they could press a lot of weight overhead (although horizontal presses will usually be done for assistance work). >Strongman competitors still look extremely huge and that’s because they have a huge upper back, traps, neck, delts and forearms (for the upper body). These are the upper body muscles that are located on the outer extremities and this is what creates mass and size, its not the chest, abs, triceps and biceps.
>CHEST VS SHOULDER COMPARISON
>What sounds worse:
>1.Having an extremely narrow frame
>2.Having a small chest
>Both of them sound bad, but nobody could argue with the fact that if you have these teeny tiny shoulders and narrow frame then you are basically screwed for life as far as aesthetics are concerned because nobody is going to take your physique seriously. With no shoulders you will have a hard time filling out a Large t-shirt and from far people won’t even be able to see notice you because of your small frame. >Whereas if your chest is a bit on the smaller side then its not even that much of a big deal because from the front view your shoulders will be getting most of the attention anyways. I know that you are probably thinking “what about the side view”, but from the side view its really your upper back needs to be developed in order for your upper body to look thick from the side and not so much is it the pecs. Your pecs could help the measurement out, but most of your chest measurement will actually come from your upper back.
Grayson Johnson
Stop posting this pic. Sure the guy on the left is coping hard and has bad genetics but the one on the right is mostly good angles.
This is the redpill mos people refuse to accept. You can't put on significant muscle mass. It's mostly genetics. If you're some skinny dude with 13 inch arms you'll never be able to increase them by more than half an inch. Maybe one and half inch in 10 years.
how do I make my ohp not be shot based ohp poster? I'm stuck at 90lbs for week.
Camden Edwards
should i drop bench press and just OHP guys?
Christopher Allen
Yeah after a while your muscles just adapt to the strength increases. They will get stronger but they wont really get much bigger
Isaiah Sanders
>tfw short clavicles >start training delts religiously >improve posture and get rid of internal rotation I look way better now desu,thank god I'm not a lookism/incel retard who constantly looks for excuses for not looking good.
Matthew Green
No dont fall for this fucking meme. You should be including vertical and horizontal presses in your program. I tried out the "just OHP" meme for about 7 months. Ended up with a front delt to chest muscle imbalance and after going back to bench i had lost strength, i also got some overuse injuries. Had to wait for my front delts to atrophy to rebalance everything out
Joseph Stewart
Deceptive camera tricks to make us give up benching..
Holee fuck I seriously hope no one actually listens to these kikes. Jow Forums or literal jews, I can't tell the difference anymore. I say ban them all.
Dominic Wright
Guy on the left has terrible posture plus probably does not train his back. Bench does NOT give you width. Back exercises do.
Yes, delts matter a lot in whether or not you look big. But so do pecs. And unless you bench A FUCK TON you won't have even the basic definition down the middle or on the bottom of the pecs to look good.
I can do seated lateral raises with good form at 30lbs and my delts get fucking joocy. But my chest will lag behind tremendously.
So what the fuck is your point? Both matter, and honestly it take so much more effort to build pecs you have to put shit tons of effort into them.
>unless you bench A FUCK TON you won't have even the basic definition down the middle or on the bottom of the pecs to look good.
Roughly how much do you need to bench to get basic definition down the middle?
Samuel Jackson
REMINDER: if you can fit through your door, you'll never make it
Josiah Nguyen
Blahino tier hips lmao
Ryan Russell
Enough that you can literally see a left and right pectoral? Idk 85 lbs? To admire it as a fluffy pillow? 185 for reps?
Matthew Mitchell
So does Von Moger and he still looks pretty good. At least he did before he got injured in 50 billion different ways. I actually have normalish/slightly wide clavicles and before I started lifting I still looked like a skelly twink who couldn't bench the bar. Even now that I'm lifting I'm still looking skelly because I don't have nearly enough muscle. Someone who is an advanced lifter with a narrower frame would absolutely 100% look bigger. Frame is a small part of the equation. Yes, it absolutely matters and makes a big difference. But it's not the only thing and usually frame differences are over-exaggerated.
I hate to use this word but for fucking REAL...stop with these incel self defeating horseshit threads and just LIFT you faggots.
Christian Phillips
you can increase delt size, but the most important factor is clavical width which obviously cannot be changed
Jonathan Brooks
>If you’ve read Naturally Enhanced by Alex Leonidas
I have no idea but they really are a bunch of faggots. Instead of helping people look and feel their best they're actively trying to sabotage all their efforts by saying that it's meaningless. This is some nihilistic bullshit.
Honestly can't even tell who's the real jew anymore. Ignore anyone who tells you not to try your best, whoever that might be.
James Miller
>Frame is a small part of the equation agree with your general sentiment but this is honestly not true
Jaxson Reyes
>insertions >leanness >muscle mass >fat distribution
There's tons of other factors. Even FtM trannies who lift and take roids can look huge with their baby clavicles. Like I said, it's definitely important but not the end all be all of physique. Not by a long shot.
Benjamin Hughes
Balance is everything desu
Jason James
I did it about 6 months ago, maybe don’t drop it but prioritize OHP over bench is a good plan, like prioritize chin/pull-ups over rows
Maybe a 2/1 ratio of vertical/horizontal
Go away namefaggot
Brody Roberts
i almost chocked on my food because of you
you almost fucking killed me Jow Forums almost killed me what the fuck
I mean you're basically just quoting rippetoe you unoriginal fucking faggot. Did you really think this essay was some crazy new idea? I love Rip but most people want to look aesthetic which means having pecs
Kevin Phillips
thats scarily similar to my body type
Hudson Walker
I have never listened to rippletits. I never said it was an original essay, just that I came to this logical conclusion on my own.
Press from the pins after you have done standard OHP. Really works the lockout, strengthens triceps
Jose Ross
It's easier and strokes the ego better
Connor Miller
Hi there!
You seem to have made a bit of a mistake in your post. Luckily, the users of Jow Forums are always willing to help you clear this problem right up! You appear to have used a tripcode when posting, but your identity has nothing at all to do with the conversation! Whoops! You should always remember to stop using your tripcode when the thread it was used for is gone, unless another one is started! Posting with a tripcode when it isn't necessary is poor form. You should always try to post anonymously, unless your identity is absolutely vital to the post that you're making!
Now, there's no need to thank me - I'm just doing my bait to help you get used to the anonymous image-board culture!
> They are making excuses for why they fail, even though the answer is just that they don't even try. lazy fucking faggots who want to make everyone else as miserable as they are
Tyler Diaz
on the left looks normal though, literally no one looks like the one in the right
Henry Clark
>www.thefitworldblog.com I fucking new it who else could have mentioned manletdestiny
Aaron Cook
Left looks better and manlier, I don't understand why you faggots want to look like prettyboys.
Oliver Sullivan
Framelet cope. Stop trying to delude yourself.
Brody Diaz
Lol, who is this faggot and why does he dedicate his life to spreading a cuckold loser mindset?
Austin Walker
because he's a paki incel loser obsessed with his shit genetics
Dylan White
Idk dawg double check your form, use a small amount of chalk if need be. Pump yourself up and review your diet.
I've ohp'd 135 for reps for a while now but it used to be a pretty slow progressing lift for me. As long as you're exercising all the associated muscle groups it should be no different from anything else. You might just have a mental plateau even, assuming your diet is in order.
Cameron Myers
Bunp
Ian Morales
he's actually a jihadi recruiting for ISIS
Jaxson Perry
Yeah. It's over. Twink time.
Nathan Ward
>be cancer survivor >start taking roids, which increase cancer risk top jej
