Chest Workouts! What's your routine?

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Pako

Pako

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GTP Pako
To continue the series on workouts, I will present to you my workout today for chest with emphasis on the upper part of the peck. Again, please share your experience and routines that we can all learn from. Weight in lbs. x # of reps.


Machine Chest Press (Simply for warming up)
30x30
50x20
70x20
90x20
110x20
130x15
150x15

Incline Bench Press
95x20
185x20
225x15
275x9
315x6

Flat Dumbbell Press (slow and concentrated)
80's x 15
90's x 12
100's x 10

Standing Cable Flys
40's x 15
50's x 15
45's x 15

For chest, my routine doesn't change a whole lot other than every other week I will switch my major bench press from flat to incline, and subsequently switch up dumbbell press accordingly.
 
My routine is again designed for a beginner bodybuilding routine. It is geared towards loosing fat and training/gaining muscle.

I start with my standard 20 minutes on the Treadmill, with the incline at 10-12 degrees (sometimes bumping the last 2-3 minutes up to max incline) and at a speed of 3.4-3.6.

These are the goals that I'm aiming for. I'm getting close to it, and in less than three weeks, I should be there.

Flat Bench Press Machine
2 sets of 85lbs x 50 reps. 30 seconds of stretching between sets.

Incline dumbell flys
15lb x 20reps. 30 seconds of stretching.
20lb x 20reps. 30 seconds of stretching.
25lb x 20reps. 30 seconds of stretching.

Incline Barbell Bench
65lbs (Bar + 10 on each side) x 30 reps. Stretch!
95lbs x 15 reps
135lbs x 15 reps.

This wraps up my chest exercises. No treadmill at this point, as I go right into my Ab workout from here. Treadmill after that.
 
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I love your emphasis on stretching. It is so important, probably even more important than any other part of your routine. I used to stretch religiously and never got injured. Seems once I got out of the habit of stretching, I got injured.
 
Yes, the stretching is very important. Something I don't usually do enough of. I have to remind myself constantly to stop for a moment and stretch certain muscles out. The Key one I always forget to stretch, is when I do my lower back. And that is perhaps the most important ont.
 
I tend to stretch as I go along, though being young I can get away with it to an extent.

Did a chest session today. It took the 2 of us 2 hours to get through it all, which is way too long. Mostly because we did way too much, but also because it's the holidays and we're just enjoying ourselves

Flat Bench
8 x 60 Kg (Warm-up)
6 x 80 Kg
5 x 85 Kg
3 x 90 Kg
21's- 60Kg 7 x lower-half, 7 x upper half and managed 4 full.

Incline Dumbell Bench Weights per-hand
8 x 25 Kg
6 x 27.5 Kg
5 x 30 Kg
(N.b. My gym-buddy was doing 40Kgs, that was fun trying to get them in place! Eventually asked someone to help with the other hand)

Decline Dumbell Bench
8 x 27.5 Kg
7 x 27.5 Kg
5 x 30 Kg

Chest Flye machine (Due to myself not fancying holding dumbells and the cable machine being busy)
3 sets, unknown weight

Weight Tri dips
+10Kg x 6
+15Kg x 4
Free x 10

Tri Push downs on cable
3 sets x6 x6 x4, unknown weight

Rocky's (Tri extension from behind head to front on cable machine)
3 sets x8 x6 x4
 
Weight in lbs. x # of reps.

Machine Press
50 x 20
70 x 20
90 x 20
125 x 15
150 x 15
200 x 15

Flat Bench Press
135 x 20
225 x 15
*315 x 6
*315 x 6
*365 x 3
*225 x 12
* slow, concentrated reps.

Incline Dumb Bell Press
80's x 10
100's x 10
100's x 12

Standing Cable Flys
40's x 12
60's x 12
50's x 12
60's x 12
 
With all those reps, and a Workout partner, how long does it take to get through a session? I've been working at 30-45 minutes of weights, and combining concentration, focus and minimal (30seconds) lag between sets.
 
Der Alta
With all those reps, and a Workout partner, how long does it take to get through a session? I've been working at 30-45 minutes of weights, and combining concentration, focus and minimal (30seconds) lag between sets.
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With Abs at the end, I'm at the gym for an hour and a half. By myself, I can get through it in a good 45-60 minutes.
 
Something you guys might be able to help me with.

When I go to the gym for a cardio workout (normally 90 -120 mins) I find that I don't really run out of energy and can workout happily without feeling really tired.

When I do my weight training, particularly upper body I seem to run out of energy/strength after about 45 mins. I want to do more but my muscles start to just give way. I start with a 20 min warm up consisting of stretching and a quick burst on cross trainer to get my core temperature up.

Before I go to the gym I've normally eaten a banana about an hour before and normally a large lunch during the day. I'm guessing that I need to eat more carbs before I go but I'm struggling to find something that isn't too filling (I hate training while feeling full). I'm not a massive fan of protein shakes as I don't want to become too bulky, I just want a toned figure.

Can anyone recommend some good food drinks that will help me during weight training.
 
Yeah, that can be a tough one to isolate what your body needs. I will note that everything I have read, 45 minutes of weights is an optimum amount of time for training. With that said, I have a hard time doing just 45 minutes and usually have a 90 minute workout with weights every day. Carbs will give you energy for sure. Breakfast for me consists of one sirloin beef patty and a 2-4 eggs followed up with a cup of oatmeal. Oatmeal is a great complex carb that's also pretty healthy for you. Make sure you are taking some kind of multi-vitamin. I have been taking a half serving of Animal Pak for over a year and it gives me lots of focus and energy. Creatine supplements also help with reducing muscle fatigue during your routine. Those are just some things that work for me, that may or may not work for you but I can definitely feel the difference if I take any one of those things out of my routine. Oh, don't forget sleep. Sleep is good. :)
 
I like the sound of your breakfast, but I think I would have to scale it down. In fact, I should really start eating breakfast. What I really need is something quick to prepare while at work. I normally go to the gym at about 7.00pm and finish work at 6.00pm.

I think I have some multivitamins at home which I'll get back into the habit of eating. I'm going to buy a small tub of protein shake and see how I get on with it. Thanks for the tips anyway Pako, Experimentation seems to be the sensible option, then I can determine which works best for me.
 
That sounds like a good option. Make sure you are getting "fuel" through out the day. If you're not working out until 7.00pm, I would think if you can get a meal in no later than 4.00pm, you should be good to go.

For myself, I don't notice the effects of my multi-vitamins until the 2nd or 3rd week of taking them consistantly. There are some supplements (NO-Explode comes to mind) that you will notice immediate enhancements within minutes of taking it, giving you focus and stength for your workout. For myself, NO-Explode is too strong and almost makes me sick, but others I have talked to get great results from it.
 
Well, 45 minutes is a long weight workout. Some quick research will yield that even the big guys will hit the weights for less than an hour.

After an hour (+/-), your Muscles reach a point where they start to eat themselves for energy and that's not what you want. Lactic Acid build-up IIRC. That exhaustion is your bodies natural defense to trying to hurt itself. There is no way to combat this, other than adding caffeine to your pre-workout. This artificially gives you more energy to go longer, but won't add much benefit.

Split the large lunch into two smaller lunches. As for more carbs, if you overload on the carbs you'll get a sugar spike and then a crash. Which means you'll be tired.

I tend to space out my meals throughout the day (every 2-3 hours, 2-400 calroies each). I time it so that when I do hit the gym, my stomach is a bit empty. This pushes me to be quicker through the workout and get home to my post workout meal.

My pre-workout meal is nothing more than a glass of V8 juice (8-12 oz) with a spoonful of L-Glutamine. I also take some Nitric Oxide in pill form. Then during the workout (20 min. Elliptical, 30-40 min weights, 20 min Elliptical) I chug through 2 liters of water.

As for Protein adding weight, that's a bit off. Calculate the amount of protein you get in a day and figure out if you need to supplement it. If you hit the gym, you are working your muscles and they will recover faster if you have more protein right after the workout. I'm not saying a gallon of it, but 40 or so grams of it right after really helps with solidifying the muscles you just overworked.

One food I can easily recommend, is Sweet Potato. I just Microwave it and eat it once it cools. Easy to transport to work and makes very little (no) mess.

I'll also echo the Oatmeal in the morning. Not the instant stuff, but the bland regular oats. Yogurt and Cottage Cheese are both good meal additions. But you can't beat Chicken. Also, having some steak in there is good.

I also do the Multi-Vitamins. One Centrum in the morning, and one Centrum in the evening.

I did my chest routine last night and went easier on myself than the previous week. Last week, my pecs were sore from weds-saturday. Today, I found I went too easy, as I'm not having any muscle soreness signs. I was also very tired yesterday. Which brings me around to SLEEP. You really need more of it than you think. I'm trying very hard to get to bed earlier. My problem comes with me getting up at 4:30-5am and my wife doesn't get home from work until 9:30pm. Which means I'm not getting enough sleep. Add in that I drink so much water, that I have to get up in the middle of the night to hit the bathroom. Your body rebuilds muscle while you sleep.
 
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I like the sweet potato idea as my girlfriend normally keeps that well stocked. It's also quite diverse as I can use it with low fat dips to keep things interesting. Plenty of ideas for me to start working on. Thanks DA and Pako.
 
I've ditched multi-vitamins and fish oil. Everyone keeps saying to me how good it is and how it helps you feeling great, but I've never, ever noticed any slightest difference on any field while taking them. That's why I've decided to not waste any more money on them, and get more sleep and good food rather than spending a butt load of money on supplements.
 
mr_VOLCANO
Pako: Thats many reps for your chest! How often do you do this routine?
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Every Monday.

I should qualify something I said to Mark T, I said that I usually lift weights for 90 minutes, I need to clarify that it is 90 minutes for two completely different body parts. With exception to leg and back day, every workout I do will hit two major body parts. So I don't lift 90 minutes of chest, that would be too much. It's more like 45-60 min. of chest, and 30-45 min. of abs.

Chest/Abs
Bi's/Tri's
Legs (Quads, Hams, Glutes, Calves)
Shoulders/Abs
Back (lower, mid, upper, lats, traps)

@Bram,
That's good if you can get all your required vitamins from your diet. That's the best way to get everything your body needs. 👍 I wish we had a greenhouse and grew our own produce, but unfortunately we don't so I have to supplement where I am deficient.
 
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Mark T
I like the sweet potato idea as my girlfriend normally keeps that well stocked. It's also quite diverse as I can use it with low fat dips to keep things interesting. Plenty of ideas for me to start working on. Thanks DA and Pako.
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You're welcome.

Here's a quick thought...

Low Fat Taco Dip:

TACO DIP:
1/2 c. low fat cottage cheese (100 calories)
1/4 c. catsup (85 calories)
1 tbsp. taco seasoning mix
1 tsp. horseradish
1/2 c. low fat yogurt (100 Calories)
Tortilla Chips: 140 calories per serving.

Half a bag of chips, and the Low Fat dip, means your snack was in the 400 calorie range.

Not to drag this off topic, but last December, my wife and I made a drastic life change. We started counting calories based on a 1200 calorie/day diet. That worked for me for a bit, but I was starving my body trying in an effort to loose weight. I'm not that low any more, but I still count calories and amounts that I take in. I also count Carbs, Proteins and fats. I avoid bad fats like chips and bacon, but do take in fat from Almonds and nuts and fish.

As my wife can have her moments of weakness, we don't keep Chips/Dips/ice cream, Coffee creamer or other items in the house. I'm constantly cutting up Celery and Oranges and cucmbers to stick in the fridge for those moments. She does love her Popcorn though. She can make it, I avoid it as the Carbs are too much for my diet plan.

Pako has been dancing around Cutting his diet and for good reasons. I'm finding it incredibly difficult to stick to mine. I should probably post a "Diet" thread detailing what I eat and how I schedule my meals. Eating 6-7 meals a day and the preparation to make those meals is quite lengthly. Broccoli, Tuna, Chicken, Brown Rice, Sweet Potatoes, Steak, Mixed Veggies, Oatmeal and so on. I have this site memorized: http://caloriecount.about.com/

For a small easy meal, I'll microwave some Mixed Veggies, with a tablespoon of Alfredo Sauce on it, sprinkle with Mrs. Dash and its a filling 150 calorie meal.
 
Pako
@Bram,
That's good if you can get all your required vitamins from your diet. That's the best way to get everything your body needs. 👍 I wish we had a greenhouse and grew our own produce, but unfortunately we don't so I have to supplement where I am deficient.
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We don't have a greenhouse either, but we use fresh vegetables for dinner everyday ;) I think one of the problems for most today is that they haven't got the time to properly cook dinner. Most have a buttload to study or work, hit the gym after that and come home at 7 PM. At that time, it's not very fun to cook dinner. That's why many buy those ready-made meals in a package. I don't dare to guess how much crap there is stuffed in those things, no wonder why many are missing out on many important minerals and vitamins.

As for myself, I never eat crap. Desert is added rarely, I drink a crapload of water, vegetables, meat, oats, bread and whatnot. We also have fish, but far from as often as meat, something which I really want to be different. (Next year on uni, at least 2-3 times fat fish a week!) My philosophy is to not add anything to your habits as long as you're feeling fine. I feel energetic enough every day, hence why I think it's stupid for me to take vitamines when I'm feeling great. Why fix it if it ain't broke? ;)
 
Bram Turismo
I've ditched multi-vitamins and fish oil. Everyone keeps saying to me how good it is and how it helps you feeling great, but I've never, ever noticed any slightest difference on any field while taking them. That's why I've decided to not waste any more money on them, and get more sleep and good food rather than spending a butt load of money on supplements.
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And I've just bought some! Though they were cheap supermarket own-brand so I'm not too worried about cost, especially when compared to whey protein.

@Mark T- 45 mins is a decent length for a workout, so don't feel down if you're feeling worn out after that amount of time. I often do a 45 minute "blitz" in the gym because I've got limited time and I feel so much more worn out compared to a 90 minute cruise. If you are feeling short of energy before the gym though have a jelly cube or two, you can pick up packs of 12 for like 7p in Tesco and they provide a great energy spike. I used to take 1-2 when I was doing early morning weights before lectures.

@Pako- As I'm planning to hit 2 10Km runs in good time this holiday I need to get alot of calories to replace those burnt while training. You reckon Oats will do the trick?
 
I reckon oats are better to have in the morning. For me, it keeps my stomach busy for a long time, and there's a lot of energy to gain from them, hence why I eat them in the morning to keep me on track throughout the day. During the day, I prefer eating things that my stomach gets through easier, so that I don't have to wait 2 hours before doing anything. Oats rock though, definitly chew on them with a good amount of milk in the morning 👍
 
I just need something with a high calorie content to replace all the ones I've burned. I could just get a bulk up powder, but I'd liek to try something different.
 
A good protein powder should help in developing your chest when coupled with a good chest routine. Not sure how it will help with energy for running. I would think a high carb diet of good carbs would give you all the energy you need.
 
Last night was a fantastic Chest workout. The gym was busy so I had to alter my regiment slightly. I knocked out my flat bench routine without much trouble, and finished my decline flys. I couldn't get onto the Hammer Press as it was busy. So elected to hit the Machine Press. First one set 160x11, and then another set at 190x4. Which really startled me, as I max benched 185lbs three weeks ago on the flat bench.

So either the Machine Press is easier to push more weight, or I'm gaining muscle quicker than I thought. Yes, the correct answer is the first statement.

After that workout, I decided to give my abs some abuse, as I was off a day due to the holiday.

Back on Schedule now, with two days of rest and Legs on Saturday.
 
That excessive exercise can cause immediate death. Death by exercise has some small basis in fact. Water intoxication can result from prolific sweating (producing electrolyte losses) combined with consumption of large amounts of plain water and insufficient replenishment of electrolytes, especially salt and potassium (e.g. when running a marathon).

--------------------------
Dx

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@Dx,

I guess I should be dead after this workout. ;)

Just got done with Chest (weight in lbs. x #reps):

Flat Bench (first 5 sets were basically warmups)
bar x 20
95 x 20
135 x 20
185 x 15
225 x 15
275 x 10
315 x 8
275 x 8

Incline Dumbbell Press
80's x 12
90's x 12
100's x 10

Cable standing Flys
40's x 15
50's x 12
50's x 12

The numbers don't look so bad now, but I felt extremely weak today....ugh.

Then hammered out a abdominal circuit.
 
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I did Incline Barbell press for the first time ever today, only done with dumbells before. It was alot different and it felt like it hit my chest really well. Might stick with it for a few weeks just to mix things up a little.
 
Oh man, it feels foriegn doesn't it, compared to flat bench? I always feel like I'm doing incline bench for the first time if it's been a month or so between incline benches. It's a great lift though! 👍 I'll rotate every other week, week 1 flat bench, week 2 incline to keep muscle confusion going on.... :)
 

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