My Upper Chest FINALLY Grew! Here's How.
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Naturals CAN have thick upper chests with proper training. In this video, I discuss my tweaks to incline pressing and what the missing links were.
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Disclaimer: Alex Leonidas is not a doctor or a medical professional. Always consult a physician before starting any exercise program. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Alex Leonidas will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this video including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness or passing.
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#upperchest #upperchestworkout #musclegain
Its a good day when this channel uploads
Fake ahh comment
@@igee1605 😂
💯
Simp
@@HerculesFit damn u jacked what's yo IG?
Alex is the definition of the upcoming platinum era for nattys
He jumped on juice not too long ago
@@claytonsmechanicalworld4733 nope he didnt
Are you delusional?? Serious question
@@archlifts947 there's always someone making the accusation haha
@@claytonsmechanicalworld4733 how ??? His body is obviously natty
I knew Franko Colombo and he showed me how he built his upper chest.I worked for Russell knip at world class gym equipment when I met Franko..When I was dropping off a calf machine at Francos home he showed me a shed behind his home he trained it at times.He had an adjustable incline bench built on a very steep angle.He would put the adjustable incline bench on a very steep angle also as if he was doing sholders.He put the adjustable incline bench under his Smith machine and focused on feeling and hiting the upper cheast.Thanks for the great video.
I envy you knowing Franco Colombo. An idol of mine. RIP.
you explained literally nothing in wall of text. good job
@@sengunvolkan you’re trying to shame someone’s cool story and helpful comment when in reality YOU are actually the retard here. What could you not understand? Extremely inclined bench press under smith machine. Very simple. How could you not understand that? And yet you’re out here trying to shame someone else!??? HAHAH wow the internet never misses
@@sengunvolkangood job on calling him out for it 👍🏼
When I was working out in the 80s as a high school senior that's where most of the pain was coming from when I worked out with my chest in high school
It’s impressive to see how much wisdom and growth you’ve accumulated just since the start of pandemic. You’ve been putting out banger after banger with great tidbits and suggestions that are really helping me. Don’t want to keep inflating your ego, but you and GVS are the two guys I go to most for advice. Always great stuff.
I have the same issue with my elbows and it has caused me seeve elbow pain.
What’s an arch nemesis?
Gvs is best guy
Pandemic?
I used to not watch you ba j in the day. But I love your insights. When I hear you talk about Missing links, and connections drawn, it’s like I’ve found my kind of people.
I truly feel the need to say congratulations Alex. I've been a long time follower (I remember the first video I saw of yours was one about weighted pull ups for big lats that somehow was even older than your first novice programs, 2015-2016 I think). I'm 24 now, but since I was 16 I've seen this channel mature and progress over the years with it's ups and downs and now it's one of the best fitness content someone can get on youtube, and I feel that I've matured along with this channel over time, and it was a great contributor to my fitness perspective in general. Saludos desde Argentina, capo! 🇦🇷
Grande Diego
Love the message! Machines (not just chest machines) are often looked down on by the average gym bro.
As time passes, I find myself incorporating more machines into my workouts (preacher bicep machine, hack squats, pec dec, etc) best for true isolation and therefore hypertrophy!
Also for upper chest, one of my favorite tips is to actually open up the chest and not tuck your elbows so much! It will be significally harder (you'll have to lower the weight) but the pressure on the upper pecs is IMMENSE!
Once you've been training for long enough and gains are really slow, you just want results and if machines deliver that (which they do given their maximum stability and ability to recruit the high threshold motor units + bias certain tissues in difference resistance profiles), then it's only smart to not be a dogmatic barbell purist gym bro. And this is coming from someone who prefers old school training and mostly works out at home.
Just don’t get too much stronger than you can stabilize . Otherwise you will be able to do it but if goes off balance you can get a hernia . More weight the more risk . As long as your smart about it tho and still strong on dumbbells I agree .
Extreme viewpoints are almost always stupid. At first people looked down on the use of machines exclusively. It was argued that using only machines would build imbalances etc. and they're not good for overall strength. But people took it too far and stopped using any machines and would throw up at the mere mention of the Smith machine. The thing is even the more silly machines can probably used for something useful if you think about it at a bit and incorporate it into a well rounded programme.
Can’t substitute for proper form and good ‘ol time under tension 🙌
That would destroy my shoulders
Dude I found your advice for upper pecs in a previous video and had been applying the same principles. Sucked that I had to drop a decent amount of weight but i absolutely feel my upper pecs engage way more now that I've gotten my form flatter on the bench and not arching during an incline bench press.
Can't wait to start seeing some gains like you have, thanks man!
Awesome man!! That previous video combined with these tips will further maximize your gains, enjoy 💯
Spot on brother! 💪 Increasing the angle by just 10-15 degrees on incline press is 💯% one of the best pieces of advice for most people. Including the dumbbell incline press & low to high single arm cable fly’s are other keys to building a stronger & bigger upper chest.
Never spit on your brother lol
@@klw3786 😂 Oops!!! Autocorrect can be a real pain. Fixed it, thanks!
Could you recommend a video for the cable fly?
Thank you, I was trying to remember your channel last night and God blessed me with the algorithm by bringing you to my front
You look like Jughead from Riverdale
Man... At first my journey to gym or building muscle I couldn't understand most of the things you said ( plus I'm learning English) but as I rewatched many of your videos , I noticed that it is a gem 💎 ... And lot of things are starting to make sense .. Plus you are a true inspiration..
at what point do i start rewatching his vids ?
That's alex's charm. He talks weird 😂
The only form of bench pressing I’ve been doing is the 30 degree incline SM press. I love the movement.
GOATED upper chest movement 🔥🔥
Yup. This is exactly what i do since last summer and after a decade of training, my upper chest finally grew quite a bit!
@@GuillaumeLeValiantbro is that you in your pfp
@@chad7573 It is, my man
@@GuillaumeLeValianthow much do you arch your back
Maybe the best content about upper chest I've ever watched. I really strugle to hit that damn part and will sure try these tips 👍
I have hyper mobile ALL joints. Thanks you so much for bringing that up! I get a lot of injuries from that and no-one seems to address it! Great vid.
I'm happy to help someone like you can relate!! Most guys don't understand the struggles we go through and view our weird movement patterns as "excuses". Time for you to thicken up that upper chest bro!
Just rewatched this video thankful for it really helped my upper chest compared to what it was 2 months ago
Dude that's awesome to hear!!!!
Nice work Alpha, you earned it with your hard work and determination to educate yourself and others.
Your physique is mental lad. Seriously respect for all the game you give to the younger generation!
Honored to inspire the newer generation of serious lifters! Showing how it's properly done without drugs.
Upper chest completes the Aesthetic Physique, thank you for making a video about it, greetings from Bolivia 🇧🇴
The quack timing is spot on
He’s helped me with uneven shoulders / traps , Alex an absolute unit !! G fr
Easy enough to just say this and it make sense, because it does. Going through it though makes the message (and the experience) so much more impactful.
The advice hits different when it's truly experienced based yet also simple. Goes to show that a lot of lagging muscles don't need anything fancy to be corrected.
Love the outdoor vibe
More on the way, weather is finally nice here in Canada 😎
Been working out for 9 months. Minimal progress on flat BB bench. And incline really. Tried incline Smith bench randomly and it's doing wonders for me, even on normal flat! I love to hear that others are doing this!
Can't thank you enough for what you've done for the Natty community
Thank you Zach, I love serving the natty community.
@@AlexLeonidas you're not natty anymore, aint fooling anyone
@@irltryhard Good luck getting them to admit it. You're right.
Yeah completely agree. There have been some changes in both his physique and personality within the last two years that make no sense otherwise
@@vvoof2601 my gymnastics coach (he used to coach the national men's team, 40+ years of experience) used to tell me "you reach 90% of your genetic potential within the first 3 years of training, and 95% in the first 5"
The cadence of this guys speech is just insane 😂 love the videos.
DUDE I’m so happy that you’re doing this - lol I’ve let my ego go and decided to use machines for bodybuilding
It's always an ego thing my bro! Don't get me wrong I LOVE & PREFER old school training, especially barbells but some machines are super effective for hypertrophy. We can't allow ourselves to be dogmatic in this game, results are the only thing that matter.
Point about the arching is gold. Thank you Alex for your tireless dedication and commitment to the finest nuances of natural bodybuilding
Could you explain the point about arching-overarching that he mentioned? I didn't quite understand it, I thought retracting my shoulders back and down and having an arch on my back is necessary for eliminating the front delts. Does that hinder upper pec growth if you do it on the incline?
@@tornadoakias so yeah you're right about that arch for putting more load on your lower chest, but you want the angle of your chest to be at around 30deg to target the upper chest the most (as Alex was saying). So if you're arching a lot on your incline bench, you're effectively reducing that incline angle and de-targeting your upper chest. For example, if you arch a ton, you may make your chest parallel to the floor even on an incline bench, and then the angle is the same as someone doing a flat bench with no arch. Also to de-target your shoulders and tris, try using a wider grip. Hope this helps!
Looking great Alex!
Great video man. The incline smith press, to the clavicle or upper pec, is great for the upper pecs. Probably my favorite. I haven’t gone back to a barbell since, but I’d be curious to see if that bar path does translate a bit more like you mentioned. The incline plate loaded/hammer strength press is something I initially felt in my delts a bit more too, but I fixed this by moving my butt forward on the seat a bit, this helped a ton. You could even try putting a yoga block or something behind your butt to standardize it a bit more. Also gets a bit more rom at the bottom so I’ll never turn that down!
Something about a free weight incline barbell bench, I just can’t get on board with. Much prefer the Smith.
Glad you enjoyed the video man. It's also my favorite, heck if I had a smith attachment it'd be tempting not to use my barbell as much. I think you'd be surprised regarding the bar path carryover, sure it's a "false movement pattern" for strength, but more biased for upper chest so it's all good. Interesting about the hammer strength seating, I will need to try that because it's felt totally off.
@@AlexLeonidas I have two Bully Glyder's (USA made by Buffalo Bully Fab) attached to my rack. They function as side-loaded trolleys for cable movements with my DIY pulley setup (better than a loading pin, easier to load and no swinging) as well as a dual function smith machine. I can keep them separate for something like a deficit smith press or join them together with a pipe (1.5in internal, 1.9in external, 6ft long. ~$60) for JM presses (love the fat grip), smith hack squats, and smith presses. They are a bit pricy ($345 ea.) and you usually have to start at the bottom for pushing movement, but overall it's been the most versatile addition to my gym for bodybuilding recently. I've also heard they have a version in the works where you can slot your barbell into it for smith work.
I tried the incline machine at my gym today and it felt terrible. I'll try to adjust the seat! Although I also thought it was because of the resistant profile (harder at the top, which is weird unless you're training lockout strength).
Smith is not natural. More for women or old men. And say goodbye to your rotators
This video was life-changing for my upper pecks, bringing the bar to the clavicle. It leveled up my work out and chest routine.
I got crazy freaky upper chest growth from two exercises, which both sound odd, but work. Low incline (10-15 degrees) reverse grip, close "grip" (elbows almost at sides), dumbbell floor press. Your elbows rest on the floor, and when you press up over your line of sight, you can really fell your upper pecs clap. Followed that with very wide "grip" (elbow right out to the side) floor flies (press flies as you fatigue), you feel a deep stretch because your scapula are pinned together by the floor.
how do you do floor presses with a 10-15 degree incline? Did someone pour your foundation wrong?
@@drygordspellweaver8761he means that’s the second of the two exercises that helped, the first being the incline press
What do you mean by floor flies
Peter K is legit if Leonidas says so. Im glad because I love his no bs content too.
God those glasses are nostalgic back to the forest days
Haha OGs remember!!
Alex's advices really do make a big difference in my progresses
One important factor for forcing the chest to grow is to train it more frequently than the current rate. So if training chest 2 times a week is not improving the chest size (after say 5 to 10 years), I would add a third session. Sessions 1 and 2 can involve upper and middle chest, while session 3 would be focused on upper chest only. Lower chest training can be easily implemented within any of the 3 sessions. That being said, gradually increasing weights/resistance for natural lifters is essential after several years of training + protein intake in a surplus caloric diet.
man it is so good to see are still at it, I was on bed for 6 month straight cant wait to get back in the gym now.
Thanks for the tips. I personally have an underdeveloped upper chest (been that way since forever) and have to focus on upper chest specifically to have it grow. Angle, range of motion and performing the exercise correctly is key. I was only doing upper chest once a week before, but are now focussing twice per week and thinking of adding it to my third day as well just for extra focus. I'm working out 3-4 days a week. Would like to do more, but I'm 45, my body really is having a hard time adjusting and recovering. So to avoid injury I try to be careful and not overdo it. Got a severe back injury two weeks ago that is now slowly on the mend.
This was explained very well. Good job bro. Lots of info. Used yourself as an example. The muscle recruitment and FOCUS allowed by a smith machine is unparalleled.
Also I was huge into the rings for a long time and was dip focused, so my upper chest was lacking but also my mid and lower were very developed. I had to really focus on the upper chest for 18 months now to start to start seeing a difference
Smith machines be looking at you saying “Mr. Anderson, we’ve been expecting you”
Alex, that has got to be the most badass thumbnail you have ever made
Goodnight Sir Alex once again from Australia 🫡🫡
Good morning again from Canada Sir Miro, preciate you! 😎
Great video. Just to clarify, you believe 30 degrees is superior to 45 degrees for the upper chest? Thanks.
the hyperextending elbow compensation epiphany immediately flipped some stitches in my head
thanks lol
Let me guess, rack pull above the clavicles?
Your content and telling voice are way better than before. Haven't watched your content in years. I thought you were a bit arrogant or knowitall like in 2015 or smth, but now the content is really good
Thank you very much, Max.
Was about to ask you a question related to this topic, guess i wont need to do that now lol. Thanks man, your videos are always great!
I am 52 years old started working out for the first time when I was 50 and I agree 100% with this this is the exact situation I found myself in this last year and have done the same and have seen much improvement in my upper chest
I also have double jointed / hyper-mobile elbows and strongly agree with the smith machine for incline bench!
We're on the same page brother! Very few people get us.
randomly found this video and incline smith is a staple of my chest day glad ive been doing it now explains the growth. Stability + Mind Muscle good stuff
That thumbnail is actually crazy, you look literally like the guy on the right, minus steroid grainy skin
I was quite shocked myself! Franco's obviously got a lot more mass but the skin differences are mind-blowing. And this was during the Golden Era, now the graininess would be even more drastic.
The thumbnail is something else!
Alex!!! Can you do a video on farmers carry’s possibly with a hex trap bar
I could!
Video on carries would be great! Mostly on programming movements like that!
@@robingeveke6001 yes!
@@AlexLeonidas awesome! Looking forward to it!
You've surpased the natty "limit". 👏
Exactly, bro!!! That is literally what i found out through the years!!!Cheers!
Thank you Alex for doing the leg work and giving us the important info I’m glad to see you’ve progressed so far even your beard has progressed with you for a future could you give us an example of a proper set up in regards to the bench angle and range of motion for a beginner I feel this would benefit more than just beginners thanks man an stay lifting
This channel uploads makes my day
I needed this one! I started really leaning out over the last month and it's become clear my upper chest could use some work. Time to revisit the ole incline press! Great video!
Columbo Mogging you at the gyno gains. amazing look u achieved
So much progress at such a young age! With enough nutrition and other good lifestyle factors, your progress may never stop!
My Dad's about to turn 75. His arms grew 2 inches in the last 20 years, from 15 to 17 inches, and he's still growing! All natural, no TRT, not even any creatine or whey. Almost all from just chin-ups and dips. (He does use soy. Lol)
He started out with just push-ups to offset his lifelong alcoholism and then eventually stopped drinking completely, in his 50's. When he got up to 10 sets of 100 push-ups, he bought a chin-up and dip bar he's been using ever since.
Imagine what's possible with a full home gym and a lifetime of healthy living!
2 inches in 20 years is not that much
Awesome, imagine how big his arms would be if he did pushdowns and curls
17 inch arms at 75 years old without TRT, damn!!! And the fact that he started in his 50s, imagine what all of us can do especially with all this great information. Long-term consistency is the only thing that can hold us back.
@@adtjtjdjsj A lot of people think it's impossible or at least too difficult to actually gain any muscle at all after 60 or 70 without TRT or other steroids. The fact that it can be done with just 2 bodyweight exercises and consistency is impressive and gives a lot of hope.
Hi Alex i am now watching you for almost 4 years. I wanted to say Thank you ! Much love from Berlin !
Much love from Canada OG, 4 years is a long time and your support means a lot! Keep grinding S Joshi 🔥🔥
Twice in a row upload is a godsend
The incline machine press and the smith machine are truly goated
2:53 the moment you get closer to vertical you're weak as 🎶🦆
Incline Smith press is GOLD. wish i started using it years ago. Between that, incline flyes and a machine or two that I really connect with, my chest finally grew a ton.
Ohhh this makes so much sense, I too have hyper mobile elbows and never liked the normal incline bench, especially the 45 degrees one. I'd sometimes record it from the side and I would literally press forward instead of backwards. Eventhough it felt like I was pushing to the back. I'll definitely give this a try next session
Drives me nuts that you have "only" 300k subs, that shit should be 3 mil. But im sure those 300k are active lifters who actually watch your videos. Keep the grind man💪🏽
You are a blessing to this community brother, truly appreciate you 💪💪❤ NO NATTY LIMITS !!!
Thank you Mate, I'm blessed for your support!! 💪💪❤
Body is Fantastic.Well done for overcoming.
Will definitely be implementing these tips in my chest day tomorrow. Ive been focusing on getting a better chest as it is my weakest body part. Im hoping by next year it will be caught up with everything else!
A full year of correct upper chest specialization can 100% make a noticeable difference!! You got this Justin.
The one, the only 😤
Bro looks close to franco columbu at a natty state...bro crossed human limits. 100% going down in history
I appreciate you saying that brother 💯
no need to incline bench to get the ROM that will target your upper chest. You can do flat dumbell press, but rotate the weight at the top, to get maximum squeeze, and ensure the path of your elbows results in maximum length-change of your upper chest muscle. This is what I do and my upper chest has blown up.
interesting
Cool back with the outside commentary
Smith incline with 30 degrees is indeed a game changer, paused and pinpresses are also a option for it.
This help tall guys with long arms as welll. I totally understand the constant problem to correct the elbow angles during press movement- stronger forearms helps too like a linked Chain
damn bro your chest is like Arnold's one, really defined! definitely gonna try the incline smith machine press tomorrow on my chest day!
Bro the fact that you’re so comparable to Franco in the thumbnail is insane
Hi Alex, I'm wondering what are you thoughts on low-high cable flyes? Seems like another decent upper pec exercise.
Don't this emphasize the lower chest?
@@LUKA_911 High-low cables would be lower chest. I stick to good old barbell movements and progress on those. Still unsure if cable flyes are even worth doing.
Underrated chest exercise dumbbell middle chest press go heavy light reps place 1 dumbbell between ur chest hold with both hands don’t lock out at the bottom and press
Your physique is lit, man! And these exercises are awesome. Question for you... have you ever tried Next Level Diet? I got a muscle-building meal plan from them that's worked wonders for me.
Stop spamming all UA-cam fitness accounts with this post man
I’ve always had issues building my inner chest. I can build everything else in my chest. Can you make a video on inner chest
Inner chest doesn’t exist that’s genetics you can’t change it
@@MrDemile I think it’s changeable. I just think that Genetics makes the angles difficult to manipulate that part of the chest. I think using different type of it can be done.
@@wolfemode inner chest doesn’t exist I’m afraid bro all you can do is build your chest
Its your insertions homie. Hate to break it to you🫤
Been doing more incline bb pressing lately and ive been loving the gains so far!
Ive never felt my chest "work" on regular flat bench, but with incline I actually feel the muscle fibers contract
I regret not doing this sooner
I feel you on the regret of not doing it sooner!
Fucking love this guy Alex👊😎. The best info on UA-cam. Straight to the point. Zero bullshit. And for fucks sake just look at this man’s physique. This is what hard mother fucking work will get you! Take notes fellas🙏
Real recognize!!!!
I never understood why my Barbel Incline Pressing never targeted my Chest, but the Smithmachine did. My Solution was to train for a while using the Smithmachine and then shift over to DB Inlcine Pressing.
Love this guy, so informative
Dude, the smith machine is actually extremely underrated for the upper chest. At least in my case, it allows me to get the juiciest, most flesh ripping stretch ever in my upper chest. I can feel every single fiber feeding off that sweet resistance. I will never go back.
Of course I'll be careful when it comes to joints.
Great video Leonidas D Alexander !
Thank you Matt C!
Hey Alex, if you had time I'd like to hear your thoughts. Do you think your traps and upper back would be where they are today if you had not done heavy rack pulls back in the day? If not what would your strategy be to develop them to current size? I just remember back then your traps literally exploded out of nowhere.
Honestly, I don't think so. That yoke phase gave me permanent gains and I'm very grateful.
Canada outdoors looking beautiful!
I really couldn’t see noticeable upper chest improvements until I started doing OHP seated/standing and put as much emphasis on it as ‘chest days’…once I was able to do barbell 185x 5 standing/215x5-7 seated I was finally able to see noticeable upper chest definition that didn’t just go away when I lost the pumpppp
I'd say start using dumbbells for your incline bench, lower the weight and let the dumbbells touch your side delts or even your biceps get that full stretch. You have so much more ROM with Dumbbells that you're missing out on with a barbell.
My current combo has been AD Press, Incline machine press because my gym has the Atlantis equipment which is godlike. Then finally incline DB press, super ROM Mike isreatel style with pauses to really milk the stretch.
Noticed tremendous upper chest gains in the past year with this.
Love your combination, guaranteed upper chest gains!!
Is the machine you’re using for incline plate loaded ?
@@a-m-g63 Yeah
So basically i need to do incline bench at a 30° incline and lower the bar to right above my neck?
Correct and not retract the scapula for 30 degrees, but 45 degrees you should
What about calisthenics based movements, is it worth doing more decline pushups for upper chest/front delts or stick to standard weighted pushups.
Yes! Decline is actually superior, in addition to RTO ring work.
See ua-cam.com/video/b_oLSTZ_NMA/v-deo.html&t
God damn that thumbnail really puts into perspective how big you are. Obviously the pose and angle has to do with it but the fact that you can be next to Franco and not look tiny is crazy.
Thanks brother, I couldn't believe it myself.
Whenever Alex or Bald Omni Man uploads a video it's a happy day
Why don't you both collaborate on some videos that would be Epic!!!!
We will, all in due time my bro!
@@AlexLeonidas the Collab we all need.
Literally have upper body today going to the gym rn ty brudda
I remember a while back you mentioned using hammer strength machines for chest. Ive been incorporating the incline and decline ones on my push day and damn are they a game changer. You get the adduction movement of a fly and you get the strength of a press
excellent video format
Hi Alex, loving your videos, how would you recommend growing upper chest and legs with calisthenics. I don't have a membership for certain reasons so these muscles are kinda hard to hit. I know tree trunks quads are hard to get but hopefully I can build some decent athletic legs (calves especially !!!!)
If you check out my Calisthenics playlist I actually made some videos on that. You'll want to do decline pushups and RTO pushups/dips. For legs, sissy squats and Nordics.
@@AlexLeonidas Bro you made my day by replying, thank you so much. You and Team 3d Alpha are my favourite gym youtubers. And thanks I'll check out the playlist.