Hey All! Hope you enjoy and find the content useful in some way! Feel free to check out the Alpha Progression App: alphaprogression.com/HouseofHypertrophy Timestamps + Further thoughts from the video below: 0:00 Intro 0:51 Part 1: Understanding the Pecs 1:59 Part 2: Maximizing Middle Pec Hypertrophy 18:26 Part 3: Maximizing Upper Pec Hypertrophy 27:53 Part 4: Maximizing Lower Pec Hypertrophy 31:17 Part 5: Isolation for the Pecs (Flys and Pullovers) 42:32 Part 6: A Surprising Study 46:30 Part 7: Summary Note about electromyography: As noted in the video, here are some extra details about electromyography. We know that electromyography measures the electrical activity of a muscle. This is what fundamentally causes the muscle to be activated, and we know high activation of a muscle (high muscle fiber recruitment and tension from the fibers) is important for growth. However, this is far from meaning electromyography perfectly and consistently tells us what will be better for building muscle. There are a range of considerations, as described in this paper ( pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35006527/ ). In the past, I've been highly critical of electromyography, but my thoughts have somewhat loosened depending on the context. Let me describe some evidence/reasoning: We have a paper ( pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37461495/ ) finding electromyographic recordings failed to correlate with actual muscle hypertrophy. One consideration of this paper is it compared a squat and hip thrust. Here, we are comparing two exercises that are quite different, particularly with regard to the muscle length being stimulated. Squats better stimulate the glutes at relatively longer muscle lengths, while hip thrusts better stimulate the glutes at relatively shorter muscle lengths. My personal thinking is that EMG may be less accurate and useful in this context, since there's some data electromyography just tends to obtain higher readings during shorter muscle lengths. However, I don't believe this means EMG is completely useless. When we're comparing exercises that train a muscle over a more similar length, EMG could provide some valid insight. As one example, some electromyography papers ( content.iospress.com/articles/isokinetics-and-exercise-science/ies654 + pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20581696/ ) find calf raising with the feet outwards elicits higher medial gastrocnemius activity, while calf raising with the feet inwards elicits higher lateral gastrocnemius activity. Indeed, research ( pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32735428/ ) actually measuring muscle growth found this to occur: medial gastrocnemius growth was better with feet outwards, while lateral gastrocnemius growth was better with feet inwards. Accordingly, electromyography could be more reliable when we're comparing subtler shifts. Therefore, I suspect studies that compare different bench incline angles, different grip widths and hand positions, or just biomechanically similar pressing movements in general might not be terrible. On top of this, some well-controlled electromyography studies that have isometric force generated in different directions probably more or less accurately tell us how these force directions influence muscle excitation. I think such studies could be used to speculate (not make definitive conclusions) pertaining to exercise selection.
Excellent as usual! I would like to mention, although pump and soreness doesn't necessarily affect hypertrophy, it should be a good measure as to whether the intended muscle is being isolated or properly targeted with the associated movement.
Flat bench, incline bench and weighted dips. These three exercises have pushed me to comfortably bench 100kgs in a short turnaround time. Weighted dips simplifies life for me. It's my upper body go to exercise. I rarely do machines.
@@richbrake9910why would he switch to an exercise with less stability and less range of motion and putting more emphasis on the generally most overdeveloped part of the chest
Decline is pointless when dips of every form hit the chest better. I never do decline and my lower chest is fully developed. @@richbrake9910it is too unstable and doesn't offer any benefits that you can't get from the three lifts aforementioned. For some people I'm sure that switching to a decline press was what enabled them to grow a big chest but the data suggests that it's not the case for most people. Dips show much better development for the chest over decline but I always say that people should do what they like and what feels good and allows them to move the most weight. Whatever it takes to move heavy shit comfortably is key. Not any specific exercise. We all have to find our own way
I'm halfway through this video and I commend you for having a fine balance between science and giving advice that may not have that much evidence but still is practical while not sounding condescending like some other science based lifters.
I have two chest days per week. A "heavy" (4-8 reps) and a "light" (10-16 reps) day. Heavy day is flat BB bench - 4 sets, Weighted Dips - 3 sets, DB Flys - 3 sets, and shoulder / triceps exercises (irrelevant to chest convo) and light day is 30 degree Incline DB Bench - 2 sets, Bodyweight dips (I get 20-28 reps here for 2 sets), and seated cable flys - 2 sets, plus OH triceps work and delt work (again, irrelevant). I train to 100% failure on every single set (I have a spotter / partner). This is my current macro cycle routine anyways. I do 6 week meso cycles, deload week, and another 6 week meso before taking a two week active recovery phase. After that I adjust exercise selection for a new macrocycle. I've had absolutely fantastic results. After 6 months of lifting 6 days / week I'm benching 245 lbs x 5 reps at a bodyweight of 178lbs. Sitting at about 12-13% bodyfat.
Wow, Your editing keeps improving as well as the content!! The video is arranged in a perfect way and unpacks every scientific question about the pecs! amazing work as usual🎉
Here's the summery, enjoy 🙂 00:00 *🏋️ Maximizing Chest Development: An In-depth Analysis* - Comprehensive exploration of chest hypertrophy through dissecting scientific findings. - Discussion on the anatomy of the pectoral muscles and their functional separability. - Analysis of various chest exercises focusing on shoulder horizontal flexion. 02:03 *📊 Middle Pectoral Region: Leveraging Shoulder Horizontal Flexion* - Importance of leverage in activating the middle pectoral region during shoulder horizontal flexion. - Examination of electromyographic research to understand muscle activation patterns. - Evaluation of compound exercises like bench presses and their effectiveness for middle chest development. 06:09 *💪 Considerations for Exercise Selection* - Rep range flexibility (6-35 reps) for effective muscle hypertrophy. - Factors influencing exercise selection, including push-ups, dumbbell bench press, and machine variations. - Importance of training proximity to failure and managing fatigue for optimal growth. 13:18 *🏋️♂️ Maximizing Stretch for Chest Hypertrophy* - Exploration of the anabolic benefits of exercises that reach a deep stretch position. - Discussion on muscle stretch and its role in stimulating hypertrophy. - Consideration of exercise variations to achieve a better stretch for chest development. 18:08 *📈 Targeting Upper Pectoral Region* - Evaluation of horizontal pressing exercises' effectiveness for upper chest development. - Examination of incline bench pressing and its ability to preferentially target the upper pecs. - Analysis of exercise variations and techniques to effectively stimulate the upper chest. 23:17 *💪 Upper Pectoral Training Options* - Various grip widths in bench pressing preferentially target upper pecs. - Closer grips and reverse grips recruit triceps more efficiently. - Incline bench press with a closer grip may match or surpass wider grip incline for upper pec activation. 26:12 *🤔 Personalized Upper Pectoral Training* - Individual preference and perception play a role in selecting the most effective upper pec exercises. - Experimentation with different variations is encouraged to determine personal effectiveness. - Subjective sensations like pump and soreness can provide indirect insights into muscle activation. 28:02 *📉 Lower Pectoral Training Considerations* - Horizontal pressing exercises effectively target lower pecs. - Dedicated lower pec training may not be essential due to the involvement of lower pecs in horizontal presses. - Exercises like decline bench press and dips can specifically target the lower pec region. 31:27 *🏋️♂️ Compound vs. Isolation Exercises for Pectoral Growth* - Compound exercises like bench press and incline press are likely sufficient for substantial pec hypertrophy. - Isolation exercises may not significantly contribute to pec growth compared to compounds. - Programs can be sensibly varied to include both compound and isolation exercises based on individual preferences and needs. 34:43 *💡 Pectoral Isolation Exercise Effectiveness* - Various isolation exercises effectively target different parts of the pectoral muscles. - Cable and machine variations provide tension throughout different muscle positions. - Personal comfort and preference should guide exercise selection. 41:04 *📚 Critical Evaluation of Research on Pectoral Hypertrophy* - Critical analysis of research findings is essential to draw accurate conclusions. - Anomalies in study results should be scrutinized for potential methodological flaws. - Replication and validation of research findings are crucial for establishing evidence-based recommendations.
WOW! I've found THE best fitness channel ever. no one else shows all the conflicting information and makes educated observations and conclusions about it. you also showed where we don't know a lot and did not jump into conclusions. you deserve a sub and share. continue the good work
Sometimes it’s hard to cut through all the different information and opinions one is exposed to and actually stay consistent. Your videos help tremendously! Hoping to see similar comparison videos for other muscles in the future.
Superb encyclopedia of chest! I've preached the benefits to both abs and serratus anterior activation from pushups to people over the years from personal experience, great to see the studies to back that up. Thanks for the plethora of information in this vid House Of Hypertrophy.
@@DuncanL7979 For me it's pushups (regular, or decline feet elevated), incline barbell press, OHPs and even dips (leaning forward) to some degree, but as always mileage may vary from person to person.
As a newbie I've pretty much only done benches with dumbbells because I want the coordination of both hands being free to move (also being able to train to failure without risking the bar falling on me). My experience certainly lines up with the data. I tried doing triceps isolation work for the first time recently and the amount of soreness is eye-opening.
I have two different training days. It‘s upper/lower when I have a lot of time and know I can make at least 3 sessions per week and fully body if I only manage 1-2 sessions per week. Here‘s what I do: Day 1: - 5 sets of heavy dips (8 to 3 reps) (focusing on the eccentric part and going for a deep stretch) - 3 sets of incline dumbbell press (45 degrees) of 15 to 10 reps - only on upper sessions: 2 sets of dumbbell flies 20-15 reps Day 2: - 3 to 5 sets of deficit push-ups with 15 to 10 reps (if training at home done on yoga blocks and with a focus on a controlled eccentric and deep stretch, overall reduced and controlled tempo) - 3 to 5 sets of single arm kettlebell clean and press in the 15 to 8 rep range (great to build even strength in both arms) - 2-3 sets of dumbbell flies (20-15 reps) This alongside with some triceps and shoulder isolation work is the foundation of my push training and I really like that it’s covering all planes of motion of the chest and shoulders. As long as all prime motions/functions of a muscle are trained I think we can expect all relevant fibres to be trained as well.
Very good and detailed video! Admittedly, my goals have always revolved around having a big 1RM bench more than chest hypertrophy, but I have to say that heavy flat barbell benching for years has made my chest my best feature. It might not be the best or most efficient way to build the pecs, certainly, but I definitely find myself sore across all 3 areas of the pecs for a couple of days following a few sets of max effort bench triples and heavy singles. I''ll usually do a supplementary movement on chest day, such as an incline dumbbell press or a floor press, but my chest program is probably 75 percent flat barbell, mostly because it's my favorite lift at the gym, period. I find that dumbbell incline press hits my upper chest well and I really feel dumbbell floor flys in my inner pecs. Dumbbell floor flys right into a set of dumbbell floor presses really fries the triceps as well, if you are doing a chest/tri day. I have to track down your lat video next. :)
Hey, you're doing what im doing and I wanna maybe help u What if you Tried decline deficit pushups to hit upper chest by elevating your feet or raising your hips higher than your shoulders.. Bruh, that plus dips... . The Gains are crazy😅 Cause dips smash the lower chest hard plus Triceps And decline deficit pushups smash the upper chest and front delts I know you know that last part already but I had to say it anyways 😊. I know you know cause as I typed this the video voice over gave out the same advice I just typed. 😂
The presentation on your videos remains unmatched. As a content creator myself, I am absolutely floored by your editing and graphics, and I have no idea how you do these videos on a consistent basis while maintaining such high quality. You deserve a million subs.
Thanks for all the information! I always watch the entire of your videos with little to no skipping. Can you please do a quad and hamstring one? Or just thigh mass in general including abductors/adductors
Thank you so much for the support! I do plan to have seperate videos on both the quads and hamstrings (perhaps even the adductors too, and in so far as abductors, some content are the glutes as well)
IMO, the best point you brought up was the section about individual differences. I've always been pretty strong in the triceps. No matter how strict I perform my presses, they always tend to take over the work from my pecs. Lately I only perform 3 cable isolation exercises and I experience a much better connection and DOMs.
We also need an ab guide. While many people in the fitness industry believe, that you only need to do compound lifts to get ab, I'm not that sure. I managed to get a 10-pack and seriously doubt that I would have ever achieved that without ab exercises. But I'd like to hear your science based opinion on that.
As someone who just started going back to the gym, I find machines are great for reestablishing the mind-muscle connection. On the flip side, I also find that they are designed for shorter people than me and so I'm already migrating to everything else now that I'm more comfortable with the movements.
I found that my shoulders hurt after doing cable flys for my upper pecs. The solution for me was to bring my elbows closer in when performing the flys rather than flaring me elbows.. This transferred the tension to my upper pecs and lowered the contribution of the front delts. Cf., 49:34. I think the key is where the elbows are placed.
@@Ror0009 The closest image of it would be the "scooping" motion that Eric Janicki uses when doing an upper peck fly on cables. It naturally brings the elbows in closer and keeps the shoulders out of the movement.
@VernCrisler thanks I'll look, im getting the same pain in the shoulders I'm lening towards doing dumbbell fly's because I don't get that shoulder pain
30:48 Ring Dips just activating every muscle in the upper body seems accurate lol I think it's fair to say that there's an argument for RTO Dips with the rings hung wider than shoulder width being a great overall chest builder, even the upper pecs
My New Meta workout: One-Armed Barbell Floor presses. I start laying under the barbell on my chest and press while rocking left to right in the rep to maximize stretch and squeeze. Failure lands you in start position for other arm. Then I roll out at the end. 😅
Your videos are like the old strength theory articles (now stronger by science) but in video format instead of article. Given that Greg is my favorite fitness guy I really like this channel. I enjoy learning more about the science and studies. Quick question. Is there a limit of how much muscle our bodies can gain in a short amount of time. So if I do 20 sets/week for everything and my sleep and eating are amazing. Will I grow all areas by x amount. Or if I do 20 sets for biceps and the other muscle groups 6 sets my biceps will grow more than they would if everything was trained hard?
Great stuff. Glad to see you mentioned landmine presses. What about Viking presses though? They use a wider grip for a better stretch. Thanks for your useful/educational videos!
Thank you for the kind words! As far as I undestand, that movement much more closely replicates an overhead press. It probably trains the upper pecs to some degree, but we know very high angle angles (which get you closer to a pure vertical press) tend to shift tension away from the upper pecs to the front delts :)
@HouseofHypertrophy for me they feel equally as good in my pecs and belts and even work my lats. Give them a try if you ever get a chance. Terrific upper body movement. And depending on the angle you work you can get more pecs vs more delts.
Great video!! I curious if dumbbell flyes are inherently slightly better than other pressing and isolation movements as they are the most difficult at the streached part. Eventhough all the exercises probably streach the pecs the same as dumbbell flies, with dumbbells the movement is most difficult at the start. This is just a hypothesis, but tension in initial range of motion might be more effective at growing muscle instead of performing movements which streach the muscle more (preacher curls vs incline curls study) I am curious to know your opinion on this one though!!
I think that's a very interesting speculation! It could be the case but we don't have data on it currently. My current thinking is that decent tension *around* that lengthened position might be enough (but this is speculative on my part)
could you back as well, like chest supported rows vs t-bar and free bar rows, also the importance of deadlifts and if one can use a straight bar or hex bar
The issue with Free Weight Pullovers is the angle that the back hits the bench. The three different variations (incline, flat, and decline) give me radically different stimulus. Incline hits the clavicular pec and lats, flat is almost all lat, and decline hits the lower and middle chest with some lat at the deep stretch
I was doing declined push ups and weighted push ups for years, l did make some gains. But when l bought a set of Adjustable dumbbells and a folding bench. My chest blew up and I'm over 60 and retired. Push ups are good but limited nothing beat real weight.
flat bench, close grip flat bench, flat bench pause reps, machine press and cable flyes. working to approx 80% or one rep max for 5x5. on the pauses and close grip 3x8 at 60/70% flyes sets of 3x12. my chest feels much stronger doing all these x2 a week. not all in one session. find the db press to hard on my shoulders, struggled with tendonitis for years, only db's flares it up now. quite a new lifter i've increased from 80kg initially to 110kg after about 4 months. think i can push 115kg now. but wanting to get more volume in to grow more before doing it, 110kg was hard when i got that, i want 115kg to be easier when i try it. worth noting i do rack pulls and squat sessions, with the chest sessions each week. feel like the back helps having a stronger bench.
For powerbuilding, I will usually start with the bench press, then some kind of incline press that has a larger ROM and then some kind of fly exercise to hit the chest a different way. My chest is super pumped and absolutely fried after that.
The amount of effort that goes into these videos is insane, only criticism i have of this channel is that you tend to repeat the same point just worded differently. However thats a consequence of using predominately science based resources as they also do this so its not a major criticism
Has there ever been a study that compares a program that includes only pressing motion vs a program that only includes flies vs a program that mixes both for pec hypertroohy?
I think that the injury risks of pec training is because of enhanced individuals not having their connective tissue growing as fast as their muscle and then ripping of
I have other videos on those topics :) Periodization video: ruclips.net/video/H-DffGucBNk/видео.html Volume video: ruclips.net/video/OpsAr_1R1qk/видео.html
i dont know if its too late to comment, but in his video on inner chest training michael from dr gains referenced region specific hypertrophy studies on triceps and quads. the result was that different exercises were causing hypertrophy on different parts of the muscle. so regional hypertrophy is real that being extrapolated on chest training, he said that outward pressing (direction away from middle of the chest) would involve the outer chest more and inward pressing (hand in the direction of and past the middle of the chest) would involve inner chest more. i know its very theoretical but worth trying out on my opinion. ive been doing cable chest flys going past the middle of the chest to grow my inner chest for some 6 months now.
Ring push ups are underrated. If you adapt to stabilizing rings (it is easy to adapt) it will blow up your chest. Also abs work pretty good at ring push ups.
Incline bench press also works the middle chest very well even the lower. So an incline is a value for money exercise since most people lack upper chest but have strong lower chest (also stored fat there)
We know that extrastretch excercices are superior, but we also have classical, fundamental principle of variability of training resources and that's probably what it's all about.
My feeling (aligned with this video) is that most exercises are essentially all the same. Therefore, that madness of changing the exercises continuously to only creates the illusion of change, while generating confusion. At the end, I choose to stick to the basic exercises forever. They have been used for decades and they definitely work.
From what I have heard, yes but no. The majority of exercises for a muscle are very similar BUT exercises can and do become stale after doing them for a long time. It seems that changing exercises (even to one almost identical in movement) can break through the plateau and continue hypertrophy. I have no idea why this would be the case but I can hypothesise (based off of no formal education in this) that it is something to do with adaption to specific tension curves. A bench press will have a slightly different tension curve to a fly. If you were to do bench press for years and not feel it as much, then try flies and ache like hell the next day, surely it is the difference in tension that you aren’t neuromuscularly adapted to. This is just my theory based off of not much but an alternative one could be muscle fibre recruitment is slightly different so changing to a similar exercise trains those less stimulated fibres and you get elevated hypertrophy again.
As the video discussed, those exercises arent definitively best. For upper, I would say guillotine presses bias the stretch and proper angle. And Dips have the same restrictions as pushups do for hypertrophy. (But most people don't outgrow the incredible benefits of pushups)
I am hoping there's a video for glutes. I find it hard to focus on those muscles because I've never focused on this set of workouts. All I know is that the elliptical machine, skating, and hip thrusts workouts are some of the useful workouts.
Essentially, you would do well to hit every muscle at every angle, in every rep range, at every volume, in every frequency through the course of your life. Look at it like this. We have a lifetime to discover and create all of the exercises and gains that are possible. Enjoy every huge pump and each little gain and just relax. It's a marathon not a sprint.
Very very true. In everyone's top ten incline dumbells press is included. And as the great late John Meadows preached low inclines are super. Hit the upper chest but also hit the entire rest chest. So maybe a low incline press is all we need for chest??
Anecdotal, but in terms of the bench I've found a 20 degree incline the perfect sweet spot as per hitting the full chest in terms of overall development of the mid and upper. I've not bothered with a flat bench since around 2005 a slight (20 degrees) incline is my default 'flat'
The late great John Meadows preached about low inclines. And indeed a low incline 10-20° depending on the bench you're using and how much you arch, hits the whole chest with slight emphasis on upper part which is nice. I also do slight incline with dumbells and it's my only pushing exercise for chest along with a pec deck for finisher. I think Mr Meadows knew very very well
A 50 min video is def helpful but you may want to consider getting out of the weeds in some areas for the sake of time. Especially given the overall conclusions. The sections named and time stamped is excellent. A more advanced lifter might want to skip to the summary to see if the rest is for them.
Hey All! Hope you enjoy and find the content useful in some way! Feel free to check out the Alpha Progression App: alphaprogression.com/HouseofHypertrophy
Timestamps + Further thoughts from the video below:
0:00 Intro
0:51 Part 1: Understanding the Pecs
1:59 Part 2: Maximizing Middle Pec Hypertrophy
18:26 Part 3: Maximizing Upper Pec Hypertrophy
27:53 Part 4: Maximizing Lower Pec Hypertrophy
31:17 Part 5: Isolation for the Pecs (Flys and Pullovers)
42:32 Part 6: A Surprising Study
46:30 Part 7: Summary
Note about electromyography:
As noted in the video, here are some extra details about electromyography.
We know that electromyography measures the electrical activity of a muscle. This is what fundamentally causes the muscle to be activated, and we know high activation of a muscle (high muscle fiber recruitment and tension from the fibers) is important for growth.
However, this is far from meaning electromyography perfectly and consistently tells us what will be better for building muscle. There are a range of considerations, as described in this paper ( pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35006527/ ).
In the past, I've been highly critical of electromyography, but my thoughts have somewhat loosened depending on the context. Let me describe some evidence/reasoning:
We have a paper ( pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37461495/ ) finding electromyographic recordings failed to correlate with actual muscle hypertrophy. One consideration of this paper is it compared a squat and hip thrust. Here, we are comparing two exercises that are quite different, particularly with regard to the muscle length being stimulated. Squats better stimulate the glutes at relatively longer muscle lengths, while hip thrusts better stimulate the glutes at relatively shorter muscle lengths.
My personal thinking is that EMG may be less accurate and useful in this context, since there's some data electromyography just tends to obtain higher readings during shorter muscle lengths.
However, I don't believe this means EMG is completely useless.
When we're comparing exercises that train a muscle over a more similar length, EMG could provide some valid insight. As one example, some electromyography papers ( content.iospress.com/articles/isokinetics-and-exercise-science/ies654 + pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20581696/ ) find calf raising with the feet outwards elicits higher medial gastrocnemius activity, while calf raising with the feet inwards elicits higher lateral gastrocnemius activity. Indeed, research ( pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32735428/ ) actually measuring muscle growth found this to occur: medial gastrocnemius growth was better with feet outwards, while lateral gastrocnemius growth was better with feet inwards.
Accordingly, electromyography could be more reliable when we're comparing subtler shifts. Therefore, I suspect studies that compare different bench incline angles, different grip widths and hand positions, or just biomechanically similar pressing movements in general might not be terrible.
On top of this, some well-controlled electromyography studies that have isometric force generated in different directions probably more or less accurately tell us how these force directions influence muscle excitation. I think such studies could be used to speculate (not make definitive conclusions) pertaining to exercise selection.
Excellent as usual!
I would like to mention, although pump and soreness doesn't necessarily affect hypertrophy, it should be a good measure as to whether the intended muscle is being isolated or properly targeted with the associated movement.
You don't have anything about myo reps approaches in your channel. Why? Is that myo reps stuff all bullshit?
Speak for yourself I like the scientific breakdown
Flat bench, incline bench and weighted dips. These three exercises have pushed me to comfortably bench 100kgs in a short turnaround time. Weighted dips simplifies life for me. It's my upper body go to exercise. I rarely do machines.
Trade in your flat bench for the decline press, and your chest will go to record setting muscularity.
@@richbrake9910flat is better
@@richbrake9910why would he switch to an exercise with less stability and less range of motion and putting more emphasis on the generally most overdeveloped part of the chest
@@Mitchellwhite35 plus hes already doing dips which is primarily hitting the lower chest anyway
Decline is pointless when dips of every form hit the chest better. I never do decline and my lower chest is fully developed. @@richbrake9910it is too unstable and doesn't offer any benefits that you can't get from the three lifts aforementioned. For some people I'm sure that switching to a decline press was what enabled them to grow a big chest but the data suggests that it's not the case for most people. Dips show much better development for the chest over decline but I always say that people should do what they like and what feels good and allows them to move the most weight. Whatever it takes to move heavy shit comfortably is key. Not any specific exercise. We all have to find our own way
I'm halfway through this video and I commend you for having a fine balance between science and giving advice that may not have that much evidence but still is practical while not sounding condescending like some other science based lifters.
Thank you so much!
This is incredible. You should do one of these for back, like all the different parts and the best ways to hit them all
I do plan to have more detailed info on the back some time! :)
Pick up surfing if you can. I have practically no pecs, but my back has more abs than my abs
I have two chest days per week. A "heavy" (4-8 reps) and a "light" (10-16 reps) day. Heavy day is flat BB bench - 4 sets, Weighted Dips - 3 sets, DB Flys - 3 sets, and shoulder / triceps exercises (irrelevant to chest convo) and light day is 30 degree Incline DB Bench - 2 sets, Bodyweight dips (I get 20-28 reps here for 2 sets), and seated cable flys - 2 sets, plus OH triceps work and delt work (again, irrelevant). I train to 100% failure on every single set (I have a spotter / partner).
This is my current macro cycle routine anyways. I do 6 week meso cycles, deload week, and another 6 week meso before taking a two week active recovery phase. After that I adjust exercise selection for a new macrocycle. I've had absolutely fantastic results. After 6 months of lifting 6 days / week I'm benching 245 lbs x 5 reps at a bodyweight of 178lbs. Sitting at about 12-13% bodyfat.
Wow, Your editing keeps improving as well as the content!!
The video is arranged in a perfect way and unpacks every scientific question about the pecs!
amazing work as usual🎉
Thank YOU for the kind words my friend!
בסרטונים שלכם אתם מביאים מפה מידע? כי אם כן אז זה מסביר למה הרמה שלכם הכי גבוהה בארץ
Exercise #1 Pec deck ...lol the 90's Mentzer HIT tapes still rolling in my head
I've never liked the pec deck... maybe I'm doing it wrong. My workout feels 100 percent better with cable flys as the primary exercise.
I dont know why, but some pec decks felt amazing, while others felt horrible
@@rubke2dumbell flies will mechanically destroy the pecs much more than the cables or pec deck
Here's the summery, enjoy 🙂
00:00 *🏋️ Maximizing Chest Development: An In-depth Analysis*
- Comprehensive exploration of chest hypertrophy through dissecting scientific findings.
- Discussion on the anatomy of the pectoral muscles and their functional separability.
- Analysis of various chest exercises focusing on shoulder horizontal flexion.
02:03 *📊 Middle Pectoral Region: Leveraging Shoulder Horizontal Flexion*
- Importance of leverage in activating the middle pectoral region during shoulder horizontal flexion.
- Examination of electromyographic research to understand muscle activation patterns.
- Evaluation of compound exercises like bench presses and their effectiveness for middle chest development.
06:09 *💪 Considerations for Exercise Selection*
- Rep range flexibility (6-35 reps) for effective muscle hypertrophy.
- Factors influencing exercise selection, including push-ups, dumbbell bench press, and machine variations.
- Importance of training proximity to failure and managing fatigue for optimal growth.
13:18 *🏋️♂️ Maximizing Stretch for Chest Hypertrophy*
- Exploration of the anabolic benefits of exercises that reach a deep stretch position.
- Discussion on muscle stretch and its role in stimulating hypertrophy.
- Consideration of exercise variations to achieve a better stretch for chest development.
18:08 *📈 Targeting Upper Pectoral Region*
- Evaluation of horizontal pressing exercises' effectiveness for upper chest development.
- Examination of incline bench pressing and its ability to preferentially target the upper pecs.
- Analysis of exercise variations and techniques to effectively stimulate the upper chest.
23:17 *💪 Upper Pectoral Training Options*
- Various grip widths in bench pressing preferentially target upper pecs.
- Closer grips and reverse grips recruit triceps more efficiently.
- Incline bench press with a closer grip may match or surpass wider grip incline for upper pec activation.
26:12 *🤔 Personalized Upper Pectoral Training*
- Individual preference and perception play a role in selecting the most effective upper pec exercises.
- Experimentation with different variations is encouraged to determine personal effectiveness.
- Subjective sensations like pump and soreness can provide indirect insights into muscle activation.
28:02 *📉 Lower Pectoral Training Considerations*
- Horizontal pressing exercises effectively target lower pecs.
- Dedicated lower pec training may not be essential due to the involvement of lower pecs in horizontal presses.
- Exercises like decline bench press and dips can specifically target the lower pec region.
31:27 *🏋️♂️ Compound vs. Isolation Exercises for Pectoral Growth*
- Compound exercises like bench press and incline press are likely sufficient for substantial pec hypertrophy.
- Isolation exercises may not significantly contribute to pec growth compared to compounds.
- Programs can be sensibly varied to include both compound and isolation exercises based on individual preferences and needs.
34:43 *💡 Pectoral Isolation Exercise Effectiveness*
- Various isolation exercises effectively target different parts of the pectoral muscles.
- Cable and machine variations provide tension throughout different muscle positions.
- Personal comfort and preference should guide exercise selection.
41:04 *📚 Critical Evaluation of Research on Pectoral Hypertrophy*
- Critical analysis of research findings is essential to draw accurate conclusions.
- Anomalies in study results should be scrutinized for potential methodological flaws.
- Replication and validation of research findings are crucial for establishing evidence-based recommendations.
You are a legend
This channel is like a diamond in the coal mine
Thank you so much! :)
WOW! I've found THE best fitness channel ever. no one else shows all the conflicting information and makes educated observations and conclusions about it. you also showed where we don't know a lot and did not jump into conclusions. you deserve a sub and share. continue the good work
Thank you so much, welcome to the House of Hypertrophy!
Lol a lot of channels do actually. Jeff Nippard, Muscle PhD, Renaissance Periodization(Mike Israetel)
@ you just listed literally THE worst ones out there, specially dr. Mike
Sometimes it’s hard to cut through all the different information and opinions one is exposed to and actually stay consistent. Your videos help tremendously! Hoping to see similar comparison videos for other muscles in the future.
Thank YOU so much for the kind owrds, more to come! :)
Just completely ignore opinions only empirical data, logic and experience matter, in that order.
Thank you this video is amazing 👏 we need to support this channel. Best detailed information.
I was wondering where you went since you haven't uploaded for quite some time. Glad to see you back!
Haha, yep! This one took a while to get done :)
I always enjoy these videos. Every time I see a new one I know it’s going to be a good watch.
Thank you so much! I appreciate you checking them out :)
Superb encyclopedia of chest! I've preached the benefits to both abs and serratus anterior activation from pushups to people over the years from personal experience, great to see the studies to back that up. Thanks for the plethora of information in this vid House Of Hypertrophy.
@@DeepVoicedOne deadlifts are way better for serratus anterior in my experience.
@@DuncanL7979
For me it's pushups (regular, or decline feet elevated), incline barbell press, OHPs and even dips (leaning forward) to some degree, but as always mileage may vary from person to person.
Thank you for this video. You consistently present complex information in an exceptionally clear, well-reasoned manner.
Thank YOU for the kind words!
Taking notes right now!
I hope for a FOREARM building video soon!
Coming soon! :)
@@HouseofHypertrophy OMGGG!!
Chest Day with a Chest Video! Super!
agreed
You got 72 studies and need a Video ? Maybe you should do a different Sport
Haha :)
Hope it's helpful in some way!
Pro tip: Avoid doing chest on Mondays so you don't have to get into swordfights to decide who gets to bench first.
@@djjankov6667 Not everyone reads studies bro.
Finnaly been waiting for this thnx man
Thank YOU for checking that out :)
fr bro this is a life savior
As a newbie I've pretty much only done benches with dumbbells because I want the coordination of both hands being free to move (also being able to train to failure without risking the bar falling on me).
My experience certainly lines up with the data. I tried doing triceps isolation work for the first time recently and the amount of soreness is eye-opening.
Oh, that's very interesting to hear! Best of luck with your journey!
On international chest day, how appropriate! Let's go 🍿
Haha, hope the video is helpful dude! :)
I've been waiting for this video for too long, thank you!
Haha, apologies for the wait! Hope it was worth it :)
This video's quality was superbly high. Such a pleasure to watch.
Thank you so much, that means a lot to me!
I have two different training days. It‘s upper/lower when I have a lot of time and know I can make at least 3 sessions per week and fully body if I only manage 1-2 sessions per week.
Here‘s what I do:
Day 1:
- 5 sets of heavy dips (8 to 3 reps) (focusing on the eccentric part and going for a deep stretch)
- 3 sets of incline dumbbell press (45 degrees) of 15 to 10 reps
- only on upper sessions: 2 sets of dumbbell flies 20-15 reps
Day 2:
- 3 to 5 sets of deficit push-ups with 15 to 10 reps (if training at home done on yoga blocks and with a focus on a controlled eccentric and deep stretch, overall reduced and controlled tempo)
- 3 to 5 sets of single arm kettlebell clean and press in the 15 to 8 rep range (great to build even strength in both arms)
- 2-3 sets of dumbbell flies (20-15 reps)
This alongside with some triceps and shoulder isolation work is the foundation of my push training and I really like that it’s covering all planes of motion of the chest and shoulders. As long as all prime motions/functions of a muscle are trained I think we can expect all relevant fibres to be trained as well.
Been waiting for this video for so long. And now it’s finally here 🙏
Hope the wait was worth it! :)
Thanks. Great video. One of the best fitness guides. It would be good do similar videos for Quads, Glutes, and Delts.
Very good and detailed video! Admittedly, my goals have always revolved around having a big 1RM bench more than chest hypertrophy, but I have to say that heavy flat barbell benching for years has made my chest my best feature. It might not be the best or most efficient way to build the pecs, certainly, but I definitely find myself sore across all 3 areas of the pecs for a couple of days following a few sets of max effort bench triples and heavy singles. I''ll usually do a supplementary movement on chest day, such as an incline dumbbell press or a floor press, but my chest program is probably 75 percent flat barbell, mostly because it's my favorite lift at the gym, period. I find that dumbbell incline press hits my upper chest well and I really feel dumbbell floor flys in my inner pecs. Dumbbell floor flys right into a set of dumbbell floor presses really fries the triceps as well, if you are doing a chest/tri day. I have to track down your lat video next. :)
Deficit pushups on yoga blocks & dips are doing it for me at the moment.
Hey, you're doing what im doing and I wanna maybe help u
What if you Tried decline deficit pushups to hit upper chest
by elevating your feet or raising your hips higher than your shoulders..
Bruh, that plus dips... . The Gains are crazy😅
Cause dips smash the lower chest hard plus Triceps
And decline deficit pushups smash the upper chest and front delts
I know you know that last part already but I had to say it anyways 😊.
I know you know cause as I typed this the video voice over gave out the same advice I just typed. 😂
@@KeskaNJ Yup, doing that, too :-)
The presentation on your videos remains unmatched. As a content creator myself, I am absolutely floored by your editing and graphics, and I have no idea how you do these videos on a consistent basis while maintaining such high quality. You deserve a million subs.
Thank you so much for the kind words fellow content creator, they mean a lot to me! :)
Thanks for all the information! I always watch the entire of your videos with little to no skipping. Can you please do a quad and hamstring one? Or just thigh mass in general including abductors/adductors
Thank you so much for the support! I do plan to have seperate videos on both the quads and hamstrings (perhaps even the adductors too, and in so far as abductors, some content are the glutes as well)
@@HouseofHypertrophy still anxiously waiting
Amazing video as always
Thank YOU for checking it out! :)
Thank you so much for this holy grail of a guide
started doing partials for 12-15 reps after pulldowns to help me build my lats as i’ve had a hard time connecting to them and it’s helped a lot
The best RUclipsr out here .
IMO, the best point you brought up was the section about individual differences. I've always been pretty strong in the triceps. No matter how strict I perform my presses, they always tend to take over the work from my pecs. Lately I only perform 3 cable isolation exercises and I experience a much better connection and DOMs.
various cable presses and cable flyes. done.
We also need an ab guide. While many people in the fitness industry believe, that you only need to do compound lifts to get ab, I'm not that sure. I managed to get a 10-pack and seriously doubt that I would have ever achieved that without ab exercises. But I'd like to hear your science based opinion on that.
Yep, compound exercises won't be enough. I'll have a complete guide to abs soon :)
@@HouseofHypertrophy Awesome, already looking forward to that.
The "surprising study" actually makes sense, incline has more ROM than flat.
Flat bench, incline, flyers. That’s all I do 3x10 reps on each. I’m going to adjust the angle of the incline based on this video, thanks 😊
Love this! 💪
As someone who just started going back to the gym, I find machines are great for reestablishing the mind-muscle connection. On the flip side, I also find that they are designed for shorter people than me and so I'm already migrating to everything else now that I'm more comfortable with the movements.
if you are having trouble with initial upper peck growth I found doing an elevated cable cross over at about just overhead level was super helpful.
Love your videos man
Thank YOU for checking them out! :)
I found that my shoulders hurt after doing cable flys for my upper pecs. The solution for me was to bring my elbows closer in when performing the flys rather than flaring me elbows.. This transferred the tension to my upper pecs and lowered the contribution of the front delts. Cf., 49:34. I think the key is where the elbows are placed.
What do you mean elbows closer in
@@Ror0009 The closest image of it would be the "scooping" motion that Eric Janicki uses when doing an upper peck fly on cables. It naturally brings the elbows in closer and keeps the shoulders out of the movement.
@VernCrisler thanks I'll look, im getting the same pain in the shoulders I'm lening towards doing dumbbell fly's because I don't get that shoulder pain
Great info, subbed!
Thank You! Welcome to the House of Hypertrophy :)
Bridge on the ground when you floor press to give more stretch, it also reinforces your scapula 14:35
30:48 Ring Dips just activating every muscle in the upper body seems accurate lol
I think it's fair to say that there's an argument for RTO Dips with the rings hung wider than shoulder width being a great overall chest builder, even the upper pecs
Your video was very helpful my friend 🙏🏼
Thank YOU for checking it out! :)
thanks for the amazing content
Thank YOU for checking it out!
Great job!
Thank you! :)
@@HouseofHypertrophy 👽💚
Great video, Lots of distilled info. I was surprised to call a 1997 paper as a classic. Is this more for scientific literature?
Love the video!
Would love to have one for the back!
Is there an ultimate guide for glutes and/or hamstrings? Or maybe a comparison between best exercises that augment sprinting?
Not yet! But it's on the to do list :)
My New Meta workout: One-Armed Barbell Floor presses. I start laying under the barbell on my chest and press while rocking left to right in the rep to maximize stretch and squeeze. Failure lands you in start position for other arm. Then I roll out at the end. 😅
Your videos are like the old strength theory articles (now stronger by science) but in video format instead of article. Given that Greg is my favorite fitness guy I really like this channel. I enjoy learning more about the science and studies. Quick question. Is there a limit of how much muscle our bodies can gain in a short amount of time. So if I do 20 sets/week for everything and my sleep and eating are amazing. Will I grow all areas by x amount. Or if I do 20 sets for biceps and the other muscle groups 6 sets my biceps will grow more than they would if everything was trained hard?
Great stuff. Glad to see you mentioned landmine presses. What about Viking presses though? They use a wider grip for a better stretch.
Thanks for your useful/educational videos!
Thank you for the kind words!
As far as I undestand, that movement much more closely replicates an overhead press. It probably trains the upper pecs to some degree, but we know very high angle angles (which get you closer to a pure vertical press) tend to shift tension away from the upper pecs to the front delts :)
@HouseofHypertrophy for me they feel equally as good in my pecs and belts and even work my lats. Give them a try if you ever get a chance. Terrific upper body movement. And depending on the angle you work you can get more pecs vs more delts.
Now that's a lot of studies 😮
I love how this channel has never discussed anything lower body ❤
😂😂😂 - coming soon
Great video!! I curious if dumbbell flyes are inherently slightly better than other pressing and isolation movements as they are the most difficult at the streached part. Eventhough all the exercises probably streach the pecs the same as dumbbell flies, with dumbbells the movement is most difficult at the start. This is just a hypothesis, but tension in initial range of motion might be more effective at growing muscle instead of performing movements which streach the muscle more (preacher curls vs incline curls study)
I am curious to know your opinion on this one though!!
I think that's a very interesting speculation! It could be the case but we don't have data on it currently. My current thinking is that decent tension *around* that lengthened position might be enough (but this is speculative on my part)
could you back as well, like chest supported rows vs t-bar and free bar rows, also the importance of deadlifts and if one can use a straight bar or hex bar
I likely will have more detailed content for the back at some point :)
Dumbells provided me with the greatest gains.
yan you do a vid on back thickness exercises
The issue with Free Weight Pullovers is the angle that the back hits the bench. The three different variations (incline, flat, and decline) give me radically different stimulus. Incline hits the clavicular pec and lats, flat is almost all lat, and decline hits the lower and middle chest with some lat at the deep stretch
I was doing declined push ups and weighted push ups for years, l did make some gains.
But when l bought a set of Adjustable dumbbells and a folding bench.
My chest blew up and I'm over 60 and retired.
Push ups are good but limited nothing beat real weight.
flat bench, close grip flat bench, flat bench pause reps, machine press and cable flyes. working to approx 80% or one rep max for 5x5. on the pauses and close grip 3x8 at 60/70% flyes sets of 3x12. my chest feels much stronger doing all these x2 a week. not all in one session. find the db press to hard on my shoulders, struggled with tendonitis for years, only db's flares it up now. quite a new lifter i've increased from 80kg initially to 110kg after about 4 months. think i can push 115kg now. but wanting to get more volume in to grow more before doing it, 110kg was hard when i got that, i want 115kg to be easier when i try it. worth noting i do rack pulls and squat sessions, with the chest sessions each week. feel like the back helps having a stronger bench.
Perfect.
For powerbuilding, I will usually start with the bench press, then some kind of incline press that has a larger ROM and then some kind of fly exercise to hit the chest a different way. My chest is super pumped and absolutely fried after that.
The amount of effort that goes into these videos is insane, only criticism i have of this channel is that you tend to repeat the same point just worded differently. However thats a consequence of using predominately science based resources as they also do this so its not a major criticism
Has there ever been a study that compares a program that includes only pressing motion vs a program that only includes flies vs a program that mixes both for pec hypertroohy?
I think that the injury risks of pec training is because of enhanced individuals not having their connective tissue growing as fast as their muscle and then ripping of
Yes
Grate video! I wish you add some Periodize/volum for a week for best results.
I have other videos on those topics :)
Periodization video: ruclips.net/video/H-DffGucBNk/видео.html
Volume video: ruclips.net/video/OpsAr_1R1qk/видео.html
Flat barbell and dumbell press are best for progressive overload. Get a big bench and you will have big chesticles.
Can you make a muscle imbalance video?
nice about to hit gym within an hour and today is chest day
Hope you have a great training session!
@@HouseofHypertrophy had a great session
i dont know if its too late to comment, but in his video on inner chest training michael from dr gains referenced region specific hypertrophy studies on triceps and quads. the result was that different exercises were causing hypertrophy on different parts of the muscle.
so regional hypertrophy is real
that being extrapolated on chest training, he said that outward pressing (direction away from middle of the chest) would involve the outer chest more and inward pressing (hand in the direction of and past the middle of the chest) would involve inner chest more.
i know its very theoretical but worth trying out on my opinion. ive been doing cable chest flys going past the middle of the chest to grow my inner chest for some 6 months now.
Usually it doesn't just grow the inner chest, but overall chest making it look like the inner is specially growing.
@@Kuplpa so u would say its the same situation as with lower chest?
(targeting it is superfluous bcs its already involved in other movements)
I have long arms and I always feel my pecs better on the DB Bench Press when I DONT lockout at the end. If I lockout, my triceps getting more.
Ring push ups are underrated. If you adapt to stabilizing rings (it is easy to adapt) it will blow up your chest. Also abs work pretty good at ring push ups.
Incline bench press also works the middle chest very well even the lower. So an incline is a value for money exercise since most people lack upper chest but have strong lower chest (also stored fat there)
We know that extrastretch excercices are superior, but we also have classical, fundamental principle of variability of training resources and that's probably what it's all about.
I'll literally watch every video this long if they're all like this.
My feeling (aligned with this video) is that most exercises are essentially all the same. Therefore, that madness of changing the exercises continuously to only creates the illusion of change, while generating confusion. At the end, I choose to stick to the basic exercises forever. They have been used for decades and they definitely work.
From what I have heard, yes but no. The majority of exercises for a muscle are very similar BUT exercises can and do become stale after doing them for a long time. It seems that changing exercises (even to one almost identical in movement) can break through the plateau and continue hypertrophy. I have no idea why this would be the case but I can hypothesise (based off of no formal education in this) that it is something to do with adaption to specific tension curves. A bench press will have a slightly different tension curve to a fly. If you were to do bench press for years and not feel it as much, then try flies and ache like hell the next day, surely it is the difference in tension that you aren’t neuromuscularly adapted to. This is just my theory based off of not much but an alternative one could be muscle fibre recruitment is slightly different so changing to a similar exercise trains those less stimulated fibres and you get elevated hypertrophy again.
Incline bench and OHP for upper
Flat bench and DB flies for mid
Dips for lower
As the video discussed, those exercises arent definitively best.
For upper, I would say guillotine presses bias the stretch and proper angle.
And Dips have the same restrictions as pushups do for hypertrophy. (But most people don't outgrow the incredible benefits of pushups)
I am hoping there's a video for glutes. I find it hard to focus on those muscles because I've never focused on this set of workouts. All I know is that the elliptical machine, skating, and hip thrusts workouts are some of the useful workouts.
BIg Chest! Big Video!
Haha :)
Essentially, you would do well to hit every muscle at every angle, in every rep range, at every volume, in every frequency through the course of your life. Look at it like this. We have a lifetime to discover and create all of the exercises and gains that are possible. Enjoy every huge pump and each little gain and just relax. It's a marathon not a sprint.
what is the best type of push up for each muscle 🥺
when doing calisthenics, i do the one that's the toughest for me, because that means the muscles involved must work harder.
bro is good
Thé moreover man!
Incline dumbbell chest press seems to be the most popular choice among bodybuilders including CBum, when asked for essential exercises.
Very very true. In everyone's top ten incline dumbells press is included. And as the great late John Meadows preached low inclines are super. Hit the upper chest but also hit the entire rest chest. So maybe a low incline press is all we need for chest??
Anecdotal, but in terms of the bench I've found a 20 degree incline the perfect sweet spot as per hitting the full chest in terms of overall development of the mid and upper.
I've not bothered with a flat bench since around 2005 a slight (20 degrees) incline is my default 'flat'
The late great John Meadows preached about low inclines. And indeed a low incline 10-20° depending on the bench you're using and how much you arch, hits the whole chest with slight emphasis on upper part which is nice. I also do slight incline with dumbells and it's my only pushing exercise for chest along with a pec deck for finisher. I think Mr Meadows knew very very well
A 50 min video is def helpful but you may want to consider getting out of the weeds in some areas for the sake of time. Especially given the overall conclusions.
The sections named and time stamped is excellent. A more advanced lifter might want to skip to the summary to see if the rest is for them.
When you mention rep range for push-ups at 7:01, you said 6-35. Does that mean per set?
Yes, per set.
72 studies 🗣️
Chest day today and this video comes up 👍👌
Subjectively, no other exercise lights up my entire pec region like dips.
I'm finding rev grip dumbell flat bench quite good for the upper pecs
I’m waiting for the trap version of this
Inclined db,cable fly,decline db,machine flys great pump.