How to develop bibs when they are lacking

eSpecialize one or more deficient muscle groups is a necessity of almost all athletes who train with aesthetic purposes, except very few lucky born with already perfect proportions, there are always some muscle groups that are struggling to grow while others seem to develop even with a minimum stimulus . In this case, specialization protocols are used, in which the quantity, the variety and the quality of the stimulus on a specific muscle group is greatly increased, while the workload for the other groups is lightened. In this article after a dutiful premise we will see how to develop the bibs when they are lacking.

A necessary premise on the muscle groups left behind

Let’s see what logic to follow and on which parameters to work to structure a specialization program for the pectoral exercises .

• Increased training frequency and total weekly work volume

The total working volume over the long term (usually the week is considered as a time interval for convenience), is probably the most important discriminating factor that influences muscular hypertrophy . The best method to increase the total work volume is to distribute it in more frequent sessions with a medium volume of work that provides an adequate stimulus but at the same time allows to recover quickly enough to be able to stimulate the group again soon muscle.

• Stimulation of all the qualities that contribute to the pectoral hypertrophy

As we know (I treated the topic in this article ->) hypertrophy has a multifactorial adaptation , and that is many different skills to train to maximize it.
The main ones are: mechanical damage , progressive tension , accumulation of metabolites such as lactic acid and the expansion of the muscle fascia through the so – called ” pumping “.

In a specialization program, exploiting the high frequency with which a muscle group is trained, all three skills will be stimulated within the same week (or microcycle), modulating the training parameters (loads used, volume of repetitions, recovery times, intensity techniques, choice of the type of exercise) depending on the type of work you want to do and the type of stimulus you are trying to make.

Modulation of workload on other muscle groups

The body’s ability to synthesize new muscle mass is limited, in this sense when trying to achieve the maximum possible growth in the shortest possible time, of a given muscle group, the stimulation on the other groups must be reduced to a minimum sufficient to maintain the mass and force already obtained precedents and not to stimulate further growth.

A common mistake is to increase the work on a specific group but not to balance it by lowering the work on the other groups enough, by penalizing the development of the muscle that seeks to improve more and dramatically lengthening the recovery time, in the worst cases we get to make a total amount of work that exceeds the body’s ability to recover, even experiencing worsening.

Modulation of intensity during the week

All those who have a good experience in the weight room know that it is not possible to train at the end of the day, at the maximum of possibilities and intensity, a muscular group with a high frequency.

The intensity should be modulated in the various sessions, high enough to be training but not excessive to undermine the recovery and compromise the subsequent workouts.

Accurate and intelligent choice of exercises for the bibs

The exercises are instruments, and as such they must be used. We will not go in search of the “best” exercise, but we will use a wide range of movements choosing from time to time the ones that are most suitable for the work we want to do. Rather than forcing the execution of certain exercises not suited to a particular job, we will use other movements and tools that are better suited to make a certain stimulus.

During a specialization protocol, the diet must obviously be high-calorie, with a surplus that is greater than the muscle to be specialized (training with large total volume, 3 times a week, the legs involves a certain energy expenditure, do it with the bicipti obviously involves a very different energy expenditure), to deepen laws also the article on how to speed up the metabolism, there must be adequate systemic rest (I discourage more than four sessions of training with weekly weights, maximum five for real phenomena with extraordinary recovery capacity ).

Before starting a specialization program it is good to analyze why the group you want to empower is lacking, often the causes are:

• Wrong technique of execution and control of the muscle during the exercises that interest him, the more we use multiarticular exercises, the more we risk to involve less our target muscle. Obviously we are not discouraging the multi-articular but only highlighting that with them it is easier to make mistakes.
• Subjective physical structure that makes that in the classic exercises for the given muscle group, the synergists carry out much of the work leaving the target group stimulated little and badly (here center the structure and not the technique of execution).
• Have never trained the deficient group with the same intensity and volume of the other groups (for example, train it after others and never from fresh to the beginning of training.)

How to develop bibs when they are lacking

In the specific case of the chest, a perfect scapular control , a good muscular proprioception and the adequate technique of execution are essential to avoid that in all forms of thrusts a large part of the work is not performed by the anterior deltoids and triceps. If these fundamental aspects are not treated first, it is useless to start specialization programs.

In the program that we will propose there are no bench presses with the barbell and the reason is simple: it has already been treated carefully in this article by Marcello Delfitto on the flat bench in bodybuilding , the reason why the flat bench is not recommended (and so analogous the distances with barbell in similar angles) is when we are faced with subjects with a certain type of structure.

If an athlete is interested in a breast specialization program, he is probably not one of those structurally fortunate for the development of this muscle group, and because the barbell distances are highly synergistic exercises, where the deltoids and triceps are heavily called into question, rather than forcing executions to minimize the work on synergists, I find it more logical to use alternative exercises that best match the work you are trying to do.

In practice, the specialization for bib numbers

Having made this necessary introduction, we descend into the practical and see how to apply these concepts to a specialization program for bib numbers:

We will train the chest three times a week every other day (for example, Mon-Fri-Fri or Mart-Jun-Sat) focusing on a different quality and type of stimulus in each session (mechanical damage, pump and metabolic work, progressive tension) while work on the remaining muscle groups will be reduced to a minimum, and can be divided into either an average volume with a low frequency (once every 7-10 days) or a low volume with a medium frequency (once every 4-6 days).

We will use many different exercises and tools:

• Bench presses in various angles with dumbbells (the classic for chest exercises with dumbbells )
• Bending and Parallel to the rings or similar convergent independent supports (of which I have explained the advantages in the article of the alternative exercises to develop the bib  , valid for training the bibs at home )
• Stress and crosses in various angles to the cables
• Postural exercises important to maintain the correct balance at shoulder level as a pullover with handlebar and facepull with rope. Or simply relax with dumbbells, make sure you complete the ROM (see: shoulder exercises )

Day 1 – Muscle mechanical damage

In this session, we will aim to provide a purely mechanical stimulus to the muscle so as to damage it just to stimulate its subsequent supercompassation.
To do this we will use medium-high loads (6-8RM) emphasizing the eccentric and the stop in stretch and long recovery times (2-3 minutes), as we are interested in keeping the loads high during the series, and do not produce metabolic or exhaust glycogen, which will be a work dedicated to another session.

To achieve good mechanical damage it is necessary to choose exercises that allow the eccentric muscle to be heavily overburden and have a strong stretch under load.

The best choice in this case are the distances with heavy dumbbells, or the bends and the parallel to the overloaded rings .

We will use two, one that works more on the declined plane (sternal and abdominal bundles) and one that works more on the inclined plane (sternal and clavicular beams).

A great choice could be:

• Benches on inclined bench (20-30 °) with 5x6RM handlebars 3 min recovery ( exercises for the high pectorals provide even higher angulation)
• Parallel with wide elbows (gironde style) to the rings with overload on the neck (through chains, ropes etc) 4x8RM 2’30 ” recovery

Both exercises will be performed with a negative emphasized of 3-4 seconds, a stop at the bottom in maximum length of two seconds and an explosive concentric, with a complete rom (avoiding only the joint block at the concentric end)

An interesting technique to experiment in this session is to use exercises in which the negative phase is overloaded more than positive. We know that it is the eccentric phase of the movement that brings more muscle damage, and that the muscle is noticeably stronger at this stage (20% and more).

Exercises that lend themselves are the bends to the wide rings, in which we will normally perform the concentric, while the eccentric we will execute it like a cross trying to stretch the arms and thus increase the lever and the actual load on the bibs, and the pushes with dumbbells which can be performed in the same way with classical concentric and cross-like eccentric.

This technique can be very burdensome on the shoulder joints given the high loads used so use it sparingly and evaluate if your joints allow it.

The long-term objective will be to increase the loads used for the same number of repetitions ( load intensity progression ).

In the proposed scheme the exercise that emphasizes the work on the clavicular part is carried out first, and after that which emphasizes it on the sternal-abdominal part. If you want to give priority to the breast-abdominal chest band you can reverse the order of the exercises, but always doing the first with a% RM and a recovery greater than the second.

Day 2 – Pump and metabolic work

In this session, diametrically opposed to the first, we will aim to produce both lactic acid and metabolic waste to obtain a good pump and iron the band . To do this we will use relatively low loads (around 15 RM) short recovery times (60 seconds or less), techniques such as strippingand super series and continuous voltage executions , using exercises that keep the voltage constant over the entire ROM and allow a strong peak contraction in maximum shortening.

Exercises that lend themselves to such a job are:

– Bends to the wide rings (if you are able to make at least 12-15 with your body weight)
– Stress and crosses to the cables

An excellent scheme can be:

• Folds to wide rings or bench press declined with dumbbells or Chest Press if you have the right models: 4x15RM 60 ” recovery, with a peak contraction of two seconds in maximum concentric (joining hands)
• Crossover to high cables: 3 × 12 + max + max in stripping each time about 20% of the load, peak contraction of two seconds in maximum shortening
• Crosses standing from the bottom up to the cables + Pullover Man lying on the bench (feet on the bench) 3x15RM + 15RM

The handlebar pullover is a highly synergistic exercise where the main motor is the long head of the tricipte but a huge work is also done by the abdominal bundles of the chest and the lats. Performing it in superseries with the chest already very congested, we will make it the limiting muscle of the movement and at the same time we will increase the time under tension. The pullover emphasizes the extension of the backbone of the vertebral column. This area physiologically is not made to extend. If you have joint problems in this area avoid it, otherwise your structure will absorb all the insults without problems.

The loads in this session are of secondary importance, we are not interested in developing a high tension to recruit all the muscle fibers  or to make muscle damage, but only to produce metabolic waste and stretch the band.

The long-term goal will be to lower recovery times with the same repetitions ( Density progression ).

Day 3 – Progressive tension

In this session the objective will be to develop a sufficiently high voltage for a sufficiently high voltage, to do this we will use a medium repetition range (8-10RM) exercises that maintain constant tension throughout the movement but also allow us to use adequate loads, carried out with a controlled execution speed and a direct voltage with average recoveries (90-120sec)

An excellent scheme can be:

• Bending or Parallel to ballasted rings or bench press declined with dumbbells: 5x8RM 2 ‘recovery
• Flat bench press with dumbbells: 4x10RM 90 seconds recovery
• Inclined Chest Press (if you have a suitable model) or pushed to the cables on the inclined bench: 3 × 10 90 “of recovery.

The long-term objective will be to increase the serial number per exercise, at the same load and repetitions ( volume progression ).

If you repeat the day 1 after the day 3 is too stressful and you can not recover, you can add another day of light Pump without intensity techniques, in which the muscle is only slightly stimulated and the blood supply increased to it. to speed up recovery.

Training of other muscle groups

As for the other muscle groups, the volume of “maintenance” is subjective and relative to the athlete’s level.

5-8 sets every 4-6 days or 10-12 sets every 7-10 days for large groups (back, legs) and a slightly smaller volume for smaller groups (shoulders, arms, calves etc) could be adequate.

I recommend during the specialization of the chest to train the upper back and especially rhomboids, middle and lower beams of the trapezius and posterior deltoids at least twice a week to maintain a proper balance at shoulder level and correct posture.

Facepull with rope with extrarotation, Rowers with 30 ° bench dumbbells with open and wide elbows are excellent exercises for this job.

Conclusions of pectoral exercises.

The specialization cycle can last from 3 to 8 weeks, then it is good to perform a general discharge and wait at least 6-8 weeks before resuming another period of specialization of the same muscle group. As always, you will tune the result if you manage to increase the training parameters and if you combine the right mix of stimulus-nutrition-recovery.

See Another Article: High chest exercises: what to do.