posted June 06, 2000 12:18 AM            

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I've been bodybuilding for 3 years now but I have a feeling my long arms are part of the reason for my under developed chest(compared to the rest of of my muscle development). I find incline and flat bench pretty much usless(dumbell or barbell). Flies seem to work better as to cable crossovers and some wide hammer strength excercises. But I can't just do flies cause I'm missing out on the bigger mass building exercises. Any thoughts?

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posted June 06, 2000 12:21 AM            

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Go wide grip, and do dumb bell presses to
change it up.

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posted June 06, 2000 12:21 AM            

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keep doing the incline and flat bench presses man. The size will come slowly, buy it WILL come. I'm like you too, I am a tall mofo with long arms. It just takes us more time to get a nice chest.

<<<<<<<<<EAT SLEEP LIFT>>>>>>>>>>

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posted June 06, 2000 12:28 AM            

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6'3 here, arms down to the knees. My chest is just fine, what trouble are you having? My problem is filling out my arms!

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posted June 06, 2000 12:30 AM         

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I can't get my chest either. I heard about the pre'exaustion routine for chest . any one hear about it? if so please tell us.

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posted June 06, 2000 12:44 AM            

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How wide should my grip be? Wider than shoulder width?

The problem is that half way through a press I've already moved the bar a good foot and a half and my arms start doing most the work. My arms have alwasy fatigued first when doing any sort of bench. And it's not my form I've had plenty of people critique it. I even had the Atlantic Canada 1993 powerlifting champ tell me my form was ok. (I went to him with the same problem). He suggested to mabye try a closer grip, but that just seemed to make it worse.

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posted June 06, 2000 01:07 AM            

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I used to think the same thing about myself. I'm 6'1", but have the arms of someone 6'4"...they're long as hell. This has kept me from being a huge bencher, but hasn't hindered the size of my chest. It used to be small, but now my chest is like two big armor plates!

Make sure to use a full range of motion in all chest movements. Use straight bar bench until you get some strength, then switch to dumbells. Use very strict form in flys/cross-overs as well, and really focus on squeezing/contracting the pecs. Also, try breather squats and pull-overs to expand your rib cage. Good luck!

P.S. Give the close grip on bench more of a chance too. You need to get thickness in the pectoral muscles, and the closer grip will help. I'm not talking a drastic change either. Just move your grip in a few inches and be consistent with it. Conversely, keep your incline grip wide. Above all else though, stick with it, and don't get discouraged...it'll come, I'm living proof.

[This message has been edited by 2legit2quit (edited June 06, 2000).]

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posted June 06, 2000 04:04 AM            

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I had the same problem u do, and u know what did the trick? Decline dumbell presses, nobody ever does em but so many should!, It filled out the bottom half of my chest so good and made the entire chest look a hell of a lot fuller. And the other thing is to really pump in the carbs after a chest workout, I think chest really needs the glycogen after a workout to keep it pumped and full, if not it shrivels up and shrinks. Everytime I dont' eat enuff or wait to long to eat it shrinks, when I eat tons and have a good workout it's full, give it a try

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posted June 06, 2000 04:12 AM            

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juicyboy has a good idea another one that helped me is preexhaust, flyes followed by benchpress, thats it and it should help.

Bluesy

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posted June 06, 2000 08:03 AM         

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has nothing to do with the length of your arms. lou farino is a knuckle dragger by all estimation and your probably doing the same amount of androgens that he was doing in the early 70's. Chest just may be your week bodypart. Incoorporate tons of variety on your chest days. Drop sets, giant sets, all done to failure on a wide grip thuse eliminating as much tricep as possible

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215LBS of Twisted Steel and Pure Sex Appeal

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posted June 06, 2000 04:04 PM            

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Guys with shorter arms can bench heavier. But that's not your problem.
Try some different excercice. I do dips, dips and dips, all the way down. 5 sets of 15 reps. I try to do them 4 days a week since I like it. The other 2 days I do 2 x 8 starting with a light weight between the feet, going heavier every set.I now this is too much, but I do it anyway. I don't do bench anymore, since it does not satisfy me.

Jeff

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Don't look back, life is too short

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posted June 06, 2000 04:11 PM            

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decline DB press
incline DB flies
flat DB press

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posted June 06, 2000 04:17 PM         

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At 6'0 my arms are fairly long and my chest is probably my best bodypart. Lots of benching and incline over the years has paid off. Concentrate on flat bench, incline bench and incline dumbbell presses, these give you an awesome stretch when you pause at the bottom of the movement. Getting a big upper chest gives you an awesome, powerful look.

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posted June 06, 2000 04:25 PM            

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Heavy dumbell flyes actually gave me the width in my chest. With my shoulder problem... I can't bench worth ass. But my chest grows very quickly. I still pack in on pretty quick with the DEEP and HEAVY dumbell flyes.

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posted June 06, 2000 04:45 PM            

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due to an old snowboard injury , i too have a bum shoulder. ive found all the hammer strength machines(i know you guys hate em) to be a great help. if your gym doesnt have them do the dumbell thing.

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posted June 06, 2000 05:50 PM            

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I'm in the same boat as the Milk_Man. It's the arms that won't grow.

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If you have to tell people you're a bodybuilder...you're not.

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posted June 08, 2000 03:02 PM            

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I know about long arms, I am only 5'9" but long arms for my body. I have found when benching don't go to full extension. Only go as far as there is sill pressure on the chest, otherwise you are resting your chest at the top of every rep.

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posted June 08, 2000 03:11 PM         

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A BRO...DROP THE DETAIL MOVEMENTS (FLIES,CABLES)AND POUND HARD ON THE COMPOUND MOVEMENTS...(FLAT INLCINE BENCH..STICK TO COMPOUNDS FOR LIKE 6 OR 8 SETS OF 5-6 REPS...U NEED THAT VOLUME TO BUILD UP THE MASS...

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posted June 08, 2000 03:23 PM            

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Sorry for ya. I have long arms, and flat/incline/decline all work for me. I love flat bench, and size comes with it.

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SIZE MATTERS

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posted June 08, 2000 04:54 PM            

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Try working out 2x a day on your chest. Do it for month then rest for one and start again. It should work but not overnight unless you use the sauce.

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