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.
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.
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 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🎉
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.
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. :)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 😂
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. 😅
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.
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.
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?
I have other videos on those topics :) Periodization video: th-cam.com/video/H-DffGucBNk/w-d-xo.html Volume video: th-cam.com/video/OpsAr_1R1qk/w-d-xo.html
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?
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'
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.
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.
For those who want so save time. One flat press of your choice One incline press of your choice One fly of your choice That’s it. No magic. More is useless.
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.
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
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)
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.
Can you do a video on training density? For example, studies usually show that it's best to rest longer for maximum hypertrophy but this is when you equate volume. But with the equivalent volume low rest periods would take like half the time as long rest periods for a workout. So based on this, someone who does low rest periods could do a lot more sets in the same amount of time. So is more dense training with less set quality, but more total sets near failure, superior or inferior? I find it hard to believe that, for example, 3 sets of curls to failure with 3 minutes rest is superior to 5~ sets with shorter rest periods that takes the same 10 minutes. Sure the 3 set group will get more reps in those 3 sets, but they get 2 less sets so it's unlikely they will achieve more stimulus by getting to failure 3 times versus 5. To me it just makes sense intuitively that supersetting or giantsetting (with antagonist muscle groups) and making my training more dense will result in more gains because I get more volume in the same amount of time. But study bros always say that it's better to rest 3-5 minutes and get as much quality out of every set as possible. Have there been any studies where they equated gym time instead of volume, and then had a group try to squeeze as much juice out of every set as possible with longer rest times and the other try to squeeze as much juice as possible out of the time they're given? I feel like density is overlooked in this sense, let's say Person A did 10 minute EMOM of pushups to failure and Person B did 3 sets of pushups to failure with 3-5 minutes rest so they both took 10 minutes. Person A might get like 100 total reps, and person B might get like 70 total reps assuming the same rep max of pushups. Person A gets more total reps, and because he's got less rest his reps are actually closer to failure on average, so the ratio of 'effective' reps is skewed in his favour too. How can more rest be superior to more volume in the same timeframe? It seems like more rest is only better if you have a limited amount of sets that you're sticking to no matter what, IE you have only three sets to work with but outside of this limitation it intuitively seems like maximising volume within a timeframe through supersetting, low rest periods etc is superior.
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.
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)
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.
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
Failed to uncover the reasoning behind fly movements which is for targeting pectoralis minor which is a deep muscle and not superficial like the pec major. I like this channel but you missed on this one unfortunately and no mention of guillotine's although I will say that even the researchers probably have no knowledge of such techniques because it is fairly niche conversation.
How do pushups involve horizontal flexion? If you don't flare out elbows you're just pushing like in a dip. A pushup is more like raising your arm in front of you. Keep your arm close to the body, bend elbow 90. And now extend your arm such that is straight and parallele to the ground. That doesn't really involve any horizontal movement like a straight arm chest fly would? It's basically just a front raise from a bent elbow positon.
personally ive found much better chest gains focusing on the middle and lower portions instead of the clavicular head since those parts are much larger than the clavicular portion. does this make sense scientifically?
![[ไฮไลต์] ฟุตบอลหญิง เยอรมนี vs ออสเตรเลีย รอบแบ่งกลุ่ม | โอลิมปิก 2024](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/i_8UO61YqO8/mqdefault.jpg)
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
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!
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
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! :)
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
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.
This channel is like a diamond in the coal mine
Thank you so much! :)
On international chest day, how appropriate! Let's go 🍿
Haha, hope the video is helpful dude! :)
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 :)
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
Thank you for this video. You consistently present complex information in an exceptionally clear, well-reasoned manner.
Thank YOU for the kind words!
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.
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 :)
I've been waiting for this video for too long, thank you!
Haha, apologies for the wait! Hope it was worth it :)
Been waiting for this video for so long. And now it’s finally here 🙏
Hope the wait was worth it! :)
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!
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! :)
Amazing video as always
Thank YOU for checking it out! :)
Thank you so much for this holy grail of a guide
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.
Thanks. Great video. One of the best fitness guides. It would be good do similar videos for Quads, Glutes, and Delts.
Love this! 💪
Finnaly been waiting for this thnx man
Thank YOU for checking that out :)
fr bro this is a life savior
Love your videos man
Thank YOU for checking them out! :)
Great info, subbed!
Thank You! Welcome to the House of Hypertrophy :)
various cable presses and cable flyes. done.
Your video was very helpful my friend 🙏🏼
Thank YOU for checking it out! :)
thanks for the amazing content
Thank YOU for checking it out!
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. :)
This video's quality was superbly high. Such a pleasure to watch.
Thank you so much, that means a lot to me!
The "surprising study" actually makes sense, incline has more ROM than flat.
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.
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 😊
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
Great job!
Thank you! :)
@@HouseofHypertrophy 👽💚
Love the video!
Would love to have one for the back!
The best TH-camr out here .
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!
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.
Now that's a lot of studies 😮
Perfect.
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! :)
Dumbells provided me with the greatest gains.
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
Taking notes right now!
I hope for a FOREARM building video soon!
Coming soon! :)
@@HouseofHypertrophy OMGGG!!
Yes
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.
I'll literally watch every video this long if they're all like this.
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.
Chest day today and this video comes up 👍👌
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 :-)
Thé moreover man!
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. 😅
yan you do a vid on back thickness exercises
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.
I love how this channel has never discussed anything lower body ❤
😂😂😂 - coming soon
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.
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
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.
Bridge on the ground when you floor press to give more stretch, it also reinforces your scapula 14:35
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?
72 studies 🗣️
Grate video! I wish you add some Periodize/volum for a week for best results.
I have other videos on those topics :)
Periodization video: th-cam.com/video/H-DffGucBNk/w-d-xo.html
Volume video: th-cam.com/video/OpsAr_1R1qk/w-d-xo.html
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?
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'
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.
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.
For those who want so save time.
One flat press of your choice
One incline press of your choice
One fly of your choice
That’s it. No magic. More is useless.
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.
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
Flat barbell and dumbell press are best for progressive overload. Get a big bench and you will have big chesticles.
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 :)
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 :)
I'm finding rev grip dumbell flat bench quite good for the upper pecs
BIg Chest! Big Video!
Haha :)
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)
Can you make a muscle imbalance video?
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.
Can you do a video on training density? For example, studies usually show that it's best to rest longer for maximum hypertrophy but this is when you equate volume. But with the equivalent volume low rest periods would take like half the time as long rest periods for a workout.
So based on this, someone who does low rest periods could do a lot more sets in the same amount of time. So is more dense training with less set quality, but more total sets near failure, superior or inferior? I find it hard to believe that, for example, 3 sets of curls to failure with 3 minutes rest is superior to 5~ sets with shorter rest periods that takes the same 10 minutes. Sure the 3 set group will get more reps in those 3 sets, but they get 2 less sets so it's unlikely they will achieve more stimulus by getting to failure 3 times versus 5. To me it just makes sense intuitively that supersetting or giantsetting (with antagonist muscle groups) and making my training more dense will result in more gains because I get more volume in the same amount of time. But study bros always say that it's better to rest 3-5 minutes and get as much quality out of every set as possible.
Have there been any studies where they equated gym time instead of volume, and then had a group try to squeeze as much juice out of every set as possible with longer rest times and the other try to squeeze as much juice as possible out of the time they're given? I feel like density is overlooked in this sense, let's say Person A did 10 minute EMOM of pushups to failure and Person B did 3 sets of pushups to failure with 3-5 minutes rest so they both took 10 minutes. Person A might get like 100 total reps, and person B might get like 70 total reps assuming the same rep max of pushups. Person A gets more total reps, and because he's got less rest his reps are actually closer to failure on average, so the ratio of 'effective' reps is skewed in his favour too. How can more rest be superior to more volume in the same timeframe? It seems like more rest is only better if you have a limited amount of sets that you're sticking to no matter what, IE you have only three sets to work with but outside of this limitation it intuitively seems like maximising volume within a timeframe through supersetting, low rest periods etc is superior.
It depends how you do the overhead pullover. It can be chest or lat
I’m waiting for the trap version of this
When i do machine benchpress, laying horizontal, I often feel like a little snap in my elbow throat. How can I avoid that?
Subjectively, no other exercise lights up my entire pec region like dips.
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.
Make a video on regional hypertrophy, broscience or real science?
Do one for the whole back
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)
would a press stretch the pecs more than a fly because you're able to get your elbows further behind the body?
what is the best type of push up for each muscle 🥺
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.
Inclined db,cable fly,decline db,machine flys great pump.
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
Failed to uncover the reasoning behind fly movements which is for targeting pectoralis minor which is a deep muscle and not superficial like the pec major. I like this channel but you missed on this one unfortunately and no mention of guillotine's although I will say that even the researchers probably have no knowledge of such techniques because it is fairly niche conversation.
Don’t have a bench can do like 60 or more pushups so it looks like we are going to need a weighted vest
How do pushups involve horizontal flexion? If you don't flare out elbows you're just pushing like in a dip. A pushup is more like raising your arm in front of you. Keep your arm close to the body, bend elbow 90. And now extend your arm such that is straight and parallele to the ground. That doesn't really involve any horizontal movement like a straight arm chest fly would? It's basically just a front raise from a bent elbow positon.
I grew my chest with overhead press to failure And push ups.
personally ive found much better chest gains focusing on the middle and lower portions instead of the clavicular head since those parts are much larger than the clavicular portion. does this make sense scientifically?