This is basically two different exercises. I assume we are talking flat bench. Basically the wider you go the more you work the pecs. If you keep your elbows close to your sides you are working your inner chest and triceps. You put more strain on your shoulders but you can usually move more weight. If you want to work the outer chest with close grip I would suggest you go deep and hold the dumbbells vertically. If you keep your elbows outwards you are working the whole chest, and the tris are only secondary in the movement. I go wide on all my bench exercises except when I want to go heavy on bench press, or when I'm holding the dumbbells vertically to achieve a different stretch.
You close grip bench more then you do normally? That is the first I have ever heard of someone being that way.
Inner/Outer chest don't exist in this sense of the word. It's a single muscle, it either activates or it doesn't. Maybe you mean the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, but in the majority of people the pec minor isn't going to make a visible difference no matter how much you work it. Depends on your goals what you want to do. With a narrower grip and tucked elbows, I agree that your shoulders will be doing more -work- but they will not be taking more -strain-. There is more natural separation of the shoulder with an elbows flared grip, and a wider grip than the other way around. If you would like to minimize the work being done by the deltoid muscle, by all means widen the grip, but for long term shoulder health and stability, and narrower (think just wider than shoulder width) is probably best. Elbows tucked/flared does have some effect in tricep activation, but so does grip width - a narrower grip will have more tricep involvement than a wider grip at the same elbow angle. You're never going to be able to remove the activation of the tricep in the bench press, so go ahead and activate them (because the tricep is 2/3 the muscle mass of the upper arm) and then hit your tricep exercises afterwards, or even the next day. Bench is a compound, so it matters more anyway. My current goals - Goal date november 1st 2014. - 195 lbs (88kg) without significant change in body fat (remain ~10-11%) (currently 185-188) - 315 (140kg) high bar back squat (currently 265) - 265 (120kg) front squat (currently 215) - learn to do a muscle up (lol) - Improve snatch technique, flexibility - Clean and Jerk 225 (100kg) (currently 195)
What How tall are you? Just curious to your height in reference to your weight goal. I'd like to hit 190-195 range but it's probably going to take me years lol
I'm 6'4 (193 cm). My long term goal is to weigh more like 230, and potentially compete in the 105kg class for weightlifting.
Does anyone know any military style training for civilians for efficient use of your body? One of the main traits in very jealous of when it comes to military style training is that they do not focus on bulking rather they focus on making the body an efficient machine that utilizes every fiber of their being and has an endurance that's through the roof.
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/tools/how-to-measure-bodyfat-using-calipers.html Anyone know if this chart is correct? Feeling pretty iffy about it. If you mean things that the military would do, my guesses are pull ups, bench, military/overhead press, and maybe jerks. If it were that easy then America wouldn't be so fat.
It's the food. :/ I'm quite fit but still 15-20lbs overweight because I love pizza and beer. ^-^ And the extra fat is just more weight to make my exercises harder. I'm in an endless bulking limbo.
1 pl8 = 1 plate = 1 45 pound plate on either side of a standard barbell = 135 lb (60kg) OHP OHP stands for over head press. If your interest is just in staying fit and healthy, take a just wider than shoulder width bench grip and keep your elbows at 30-45 degrees. As for your military style training, if there are crossfits in your area I recommend you check one of those out. It sounds like exactly the programming you want - but you have to be picky about the coaching you're recieving as the quality from one crossfit to the next can be WILDLY different.
I knew what a plate meant, but I was unclear on what OHP, still am actually. I was considering crossfit, but I'd like to make my own routine rather than have a coach direct me. It's also related to my study of physical therapy so two birds with one stone (kinda).
I thought the same thing until I tried one, so I made sure to shop around and find one that had a style of programming I liked, and that was flexible enough that I could do some of the things I wanted to, when I wanted to (mostly in addition to their programming). I definitely understand though if that's not your kind of thing. Over Head Press is just like it sounds. Standing up, feet shoulder width, take a barbell, press it from your shoulders, up over your head until your arms are full extended. Lower it, repeat.
