My Top 3 Upper Chest Hacks
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- Want massive upper pecs? Try my top 3 tips for mass.
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0:00 Intro
0:08 Angles & tightness
1:57 Optimal incline
7:38 Old school form
11:43 EPIC Giveaway
12:39 Special Grip
17:27 Conclusion
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. - Навчання та стиль
Finally we're getting the shelf on top
That self is gonna protrude soon!!
*getting to the top shelf
Benched 115 for 5 today, goal is 315,
then eventually 405
BIG GOALS, LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO
You can do it!!! 💪💪💪💪
get em boss!
How old are you? And great goals
@@EriPages 17
Nice to see that such an experienced lifter like you is willing to take advice from others and not be so dogmatic. I know a lot of people who would disergard this information because their so stubborn.
Always willing to learn from other seasoned lifters, I truly value hard experience. And Jared Feather + Pete Khatcherian COMPLETELY changed my perspective on how to incline bench press correctly for max upper chest gains.
Hey Alex, this one came in handy! I've been struggling with upper chest since I started lifting. Keep up the great work man, you are one of the greatest source of inspiration for us naturals!
Glad this advice came in handy, Sapio! Cheers to continuous natty upper chest gains.
-30deg Incline Reverse Grip Bench
-20deg Incline Close Grip Guillotine Press
-Pec Minor dips/Pushdown
I don't know if you check messages on older videos, but I wanted to say this as a thank you. Watching your channel and seeing how well of a physique you're able to get as a natural might have added years back onto my lifespan. I'm 43, done having kids, and was diagnosed with low testosterone. My endocinologist put me on TRT, and I didn't feel right. I stopped after 6 months. That lead to a couple awful months of having VERY low testosterone, but I pushed through. I improved my eating, added LIS cardio, lifting, and quit drinking. My levels, off of TRT, are now normal. I don't look like anything impressive, but that wasn't the goal, so much as health and libido. Now, my goals are more cosmetic, but I feel I still have gas in the tank to do it as a natural, and in my opinion too many guys my are are jumping on TRT when they don't need it. Your channel helped make my decision. My sleep and blood pressure are both better than they've been in years. When you're happily married and done having kids, all that matter is your health and whether you willy works. If a guy can have that without a needle, all the better!
Why are you to say health is so important when you do say that now you want cosmetic? These are not the same. You should pic one.
@@sarnock1884 This might come as a shock, but people can have multiple goals, with one taking simply more priority than the other. There are more categories that all of A or all of B. So, that means my most important priority is my health, BUT I'd like to get lean enough to see my abs again as a secondary goal. That means I wouldn't diet down so low in bodyfat% that my testosterone level crashes, but I can still do cardio and diet until I have at least visible abs, and no visible love handles. If anything that would improve my health, primary goal, further. Have a lower % of fat, while still within the healthy range, would be one of the best things an older guy can do to keep testosterone levels as high as possible.
Part 2 pleaseeee. Very informative, and loved the safety implementation segment 💪
Never ceases to amaze me how insane that physique is Alex.
Alex, been following you for years, your content is always next level. Please do a video on eating for gains!
Thank you for this 🙏🏽 the higher incline with the arch is working for me perfectly 💪🏽
I've also been enjoying some incline pressing lately, has felt awesome on my pecs and I think it works my pecs perfectly since my arch is minimal. Has been a nice change from flat pressing for sure. Look forward to learning something new from this vid.
Jared's tip with starting higher and getting tighter and therefore going lower sounds kinda genius.
Jared's tip is an absolute game changer, I've been obsessed with it for months now. Makes sooooooo much sense.
I increased the incline on incline bench, arched my back and boom, my upper pecs light tf up. I've been struggling to build my upper pecs for years. Always coming in with the GOAT'd advice as always Alex 💪
Great insights in this vid. You're like the professor in all things bodybuilding dude. Keep it up
Used all your advice yesterday for my incline dumbbell press and felt my upper chest being activated like I haven't felt in ages. The DOMs today are making me realise I've been slacking on the upper chest gains, thanks for this gem of a video!
Ive sturggled with this exercise for so long. This man is God sent for sharing all this
Overhead focused pressing gave me most of my upper chest development, all thanks to your insight many years ago! Thanks for more great info and content! Looking yoked brother
Awesome Michael, guys don't realize how much OHP contributes here!!
Same here. Always had the feeling that ohp was building my upper chest, now i see that it is not just a a feeling.
Yes! The lockout on the OHP (by head positioning and spinal erection) may be mostly delts and triceps, but if you get your head way out of the way of the bar and retract your scaps and bring the bar down to your upper chest down at the bottom of the eccentric phase, then you have stretch under tension for the pecs and you turn the lift off beginning of the concentric phase of the standing OHP into what is essentially an incline bench press
Dudee,, I just hit 225 on seated ohp ( did it for the 2nd time ever ) I'm 17btw . I want to achieve a 330lbs incline bench by the time I'm 18-20 y/o@@AlexLeonidas
Looking insane bro, keep up the good work
Looking great Alex! Thank you for the great information as always!
Thank you Eshan, doing my best!
Great tips! I’m going to try that reverse bench grip and see if it reduces my shoulder pain and hits the chest better. Thanks!
anyone with anxiety about the reverse grip bench can just hit weighted reverse grip pushups on parallets. that way you can even add a deficit. it ends up looking between a pseudoplance pushup and regular pushup in terms of forward lean and arm angles. excellent for high reps as well if you dont wanna go weighted. itll shave off more reps than youd think compared to a standard pushup.
Smart alternative for sure
If anyone has been watching Alex for some amount of time number 3 should have come as no surprise. I'm excited to try it this year as i primary enjoy ring dips because i need a place to put my books.
As always, your videos are a nice contribution to my progress. You're definitely one of the guys that helped me to push through my plateaus :)
Golden Stuff Alex
Just tried setting up the bench on higher incline whilst arching on the smith machine, and it feels CRAZY. Thanks Alex 🙏
Great video as always Alex! Can't wait for the diet videos and I totally think spending this year lean is going to be productive for your channel!
Hey, thx so much.
I was really struggling with incline bench and was stuck on the same weight and same reps, i will definitely try this 45 incline with a massive arch❤
Arch down from a high Incline to a medium, optimal Incline
Bar higher up to Clavicle, press back
Amazing video! Just what I needed!
Awesome video man
Subbed LOVE your content - I feel pretty well educated and I always learn something new
Thanks Alex, needed this
Awesome advice. Going to focus on bringing bar higher up to my upper chest!!
It's that simple!
Balanced chest right there! Great work man!
Great video Alex, not sure what more to say at this point, keep up the great work
Your encouragement is enough Doug, thank you!
This was great. Chest has been my hardest muscle to connect with especially when doing incline and I get why now.
Really good tips, always struggled with upper chest to the point of not wanting to do it outside cables
Great video as always! 🙏
I like what you did with the b-roll of you talking in a circle over the lifting segment. That was cool. My lifts for "upper chest": reverse grip smith, incline smith, defecit guilitine ring pushups, low to high cable, occasionaly db incline
I remember that youtube short when you talked about close grip on incline bench/smith machine and bringing it almost to the clavicules.
Since I started doing this it milked the sh*t out of my upper chest, so just wanted to thank you for that Alex !
Glad you took advantage of that incline smith short! Keep it up.
So have you gotten good growth from that lift?
It works, great upper chest pumps and gains after I applied your tips! Thanks!
Idk if this is new, but the bg music just had the right fit today 😤
Thanks for the advice aswell lol, gonna apply this on my next training day!
Jesus, this guy’s physique got insane. Great work man!
Good tips. I would also add that the angle & depth of the lifter's ribcage has a big impact on upper chest stimulation. Most adult men do not have a flat ribcage (when viewed from the side), meaning the lower chest/sternum protrudes further forward than the upper sternum. The deeper your ribcage is, the higher the angle needed to target upper pecs
Was just literally thinking about upper chest to get that thickness in the upper half, and this video dropped thanks Alex
I've been thinkign about this same concept recently but first time i've ever heard someone talk about it - thanks
Credit to Jared Feather and the old school guys!
Love this incline knowledge. I have a rack and a bench, but for some reason, I can't get dialed in some days with the bench and bar placement within the rack. It always feels off. It's probably my form as you suggest. Thanks, man!
Alex would be cool to se a video on for example arms hypetrophy workout were you workout and walk us along on the components you use to stimulate growth
Alex you continue to get more stronger and jacked each year.Thanks for sharing your knowledge with this old dog that has been training since 1985.Its been very helpful
Reverse grip BP changed my life. After a minor pec tear years ago I always hated bench because of clicking and pain in the ac joint. Since reverse grip, those days are gone. No pain and best gains ever. So big +1 for switching to reverse grip.
Thank you Alex, pls part 2 on calisthenics would be nice
I love the reverse bench and right now I've been doing additionally decline Ring push-ups and especially trying to extend arms at the bottom almost like a fly. Works wonders for my upper chest. I said no to Incline bench since I started. The only vertical pushing I do is dips and hspu or ohp
Thanks man added revese grip flat bench man i feel that in my upper chest so much. gonna get that Arnold chest 🦍💪
Hi Alex
It would be a cool idea if you make a video in which you talk about what you think is the best way to get a perfect v taper (key lifts, strength standards, programming, sets and reps, etc) it would be pretty dope with your useful info
I feel like ring pushups have been helping me with that
100%, ANY RTO ring pushups is gold for upper chest. Especially the decline version.
8:37 same here, I learned incline bench on a smith and it literally hurt to do it any way except basically bring the bar right under the chin. It transferred to free weights greatly
The form transfer is seriously underrated
Tip 2 is gold.
Based off hard, time proven experience!
Always great advice from a true natty!
Always happy to help the community!
Great video alex thank you brother❤
very very good point. i use to arch pretty bad on barbell incline. i recently fixed that.
Will definitely try the higher incline with arching next push workout. Thanks Alex
Let me know how it goes, cheers!
This is my year of the upper chest. I've been testing out high incline Smith press, angle at about 60 degrees. I arch enough to my shoulders comfortable, but I'm also flaring my elbows a lot more than I would on a free weight press because I don't have to worry about stability. So far, I'm really digging them.
In addition to upper chest, putting a lot of emphasis on arms this year.
60 with an arch still sounds reasonable to me!
I been watching dude for so mf long n seen him evolve over n over bruh shit is incredible
Part 2 brother💪🏽
Couldn't make it to the gym yesterday for chest/back, so i did all calisthenics on the rings yesterday. Ring dips definitely hit the upper chest. I can feel a deep stretch and intense contraction along the upper sternal fibers. I definitely feel the results today also.
as soon as I heard less shoulder joint stess I was hooked, gonna try reverse grip bench press
The timing of this video couldn’t be more perfect! Currently editing my program to specialize on upper chest and arms! 🦍
Never really even thought about arching on inclines
Still waiting for a full video about Burpees. Happy New Year btw! 💪
Great tips Alex, waiting on that video about dips. I got long arms af and they hurt my clavicle and shoulder
I got you bro, just need more footage
Today I did the incline smith bench press. It felt really good and I really felt it in my upper chest. Also in my anterior delts, which is good cuz that’s the whole area where I’m lacking. Most people have overdeveloped anterior delts but I’m the opposite.
CALVES VIDEO! please go on the lengthend partials trend on these, i've seen a huge difference on my calves training
I will give it a shot, my calves suck
I'm starting to learn later on your advice is so fucking helpful and awesome. You're right, the best range of body fat is 12 to 20 percent body fat. Since I started lifting up again more frequently and eating more, my lifts are going up a lot more, even my bench. I've been lifting heavy on a lot of stuff building strength and getting stronger. You're so right, the only way to go farther in your lifting journey is too just get stronger. I also love dumbbell presses and Flys. The bear mode physique looks so much better and you feel so much stronger and you hit way more prs in my opinion. I used to feel like being shredded was always so important but as I'm getting older being strong and getting strong asf with big number is way better.
Part 2 please! I’m trying to build upper chest, with limited success so far
Only UA-camr I can actually listen to without skipping
I appreciate you for watching through, Jonesy!
A lot of people will tell you that close grip bench press is for triceps, but i also feel it in my upper chest, so for me it replaced incline bench press, another benefit is that i don't have to change my bench angle and can just do it on flat
Brother you are so underrated!
Love the content Alex!!❤Also should I try to pause at the bottom of every set be it dumbells or barbell.
I developed a chest imbalance because I trained inclined one armed push ups as a progression to full one armed push ups. After maxing out on neutral one armed push ups, I would also do down sets with inclined one armed push ups.
I'm going to use this information and start doing lots of declined supinated archer push ups, as down sets after neutral one armed push ups. Thanks.
The highest angles on my adjustable bench at home are 65 and 50. I arch and retract when doing both and I feel tons of tension in my upper chest. At the 65 I feel it right under my clavicles.
Man those striations are crazy
I have tried this with a little arch .I like this concept.Great when doing some incline bench💪🏽I am going to have try some reverse grip bench.
Great video and detail
Thank you my brother, stuck to my classic flow!
Hi Alex, or any commenters. Really enjoy watching the videos. I'm a relatively new lifter (can bench my weight for a 1RM), but have persistent left elbow pain on any presses (bench, dip, tricep extension, etc.). Taking 3 weeks off doesn't help.
geez mate, really got them pyramide traps goin', looks like they're goin up a 60-70% incline which is ridiculous. always fun to watch your videos, even though I'm of the few lucky guys who actually get more upper chest than anything out of flat presses and flys, so I actually need some lower chest work to maximize overall chest growth and even decline still fries my upper chest(or mybe it's just my natural form, idk). guillotine style pressing, in my case usually flat machine chest press, hit's my entire chest more but it does help to get more upper chest as well
Dude you looking enhanced af thanks for the tip on arching harder on higher incline
You looked awesome dude on that cut, striations, perfecto 👌🏻
I agree with you the Smith machine on the high incline coming down to the clavicle has made all the difference in the world
I'm not an English speaker, please tell what did he meant
100 goals, awesome work!
ive been doing the clavicle benching thing since u mentioned it be4 in a vid with the smith machine and i attest this shit ABSLOUTLY WORKS god damn it !!
Hell yeah man!!!
Q&Hey alex, love the videos and tips, it has really helped my body weight body building journey. Here's a Q&A question:
How much do genetics play a role in body fat distribution? Ive had a bicep vein and a slight chest seperation for a while now as I maintain my bodyweight 178-185 at 6ft 2in but almost never had full abs. I partially neglect direct ab work, but I do so because a majority of calisthenics movements heavily recruit the abs and I've developed a decent level of strength without direct work (I can do tuck dragon flag raises without training). I know that I just need to increase my direct ab volume, but is my lack of abs largely due to bodyfat distribution genetics, or a lack of hypretrophy work? Love the content man, i believe you'll hit 400K by the end of 2024
Been noticing my upper chest is lacking. My gyms incline bench is around 30 degrees, never felt upper chest before on the exercise but i tried the flat back for the past few sets and its insane how much difference it makes
Gonna definitely try playing with the grip a bit but these tips have been incredible, thanks for sharing the top quality info Alex! 💪
Fire intro, bro literally flexed on us 😂
Ive neglected upper chest and shoulders for ten years. You motivated me at the the end of last year. Went from 100kg x2 on incline at the end of the summer to hitting 10 reps on high incline this week. Thanks mate 👍
guaranteed your doing the 15-30 degree angle aka doesnt count
@@Born2Punch ok mate
@Born2Punch Why is it so hard for you to believe? Plenty of normal guys training in gyms across the world are strong.
@@Born2Punch30 degree with no arch is legit
@@Adam-gn5kh ive been training 12 years these people go to the gym for a month, sack it off and hate.
Awesome video as always! Just one question, what body fat do you hover around most of the time? Would you say staying at a higher bodyfat range is better for muscle growth in general? Thanks!
Hey Alex, are u gonna make a full video on the behind the neck press? I, and im sure many others would love to hear your thoughts and guidelines on that movement more in depth, as well as why you think all these critics are wrong about the movement.
I 100% will
Wow this video helped me so much. I’m prioritizing incline for this bulk and I always wondered why my db incline at 30 degrees felt “off” compared to my incline bb. I would set the bench to 30 degrees for incline dbs and would arch similarly to my incline bb but I was benching at your typically preset 45 degree station. Next chest day I’m gonna set the bench to 45 and continue to arch
Now you understand exactly why, cheers James!
This came out on my chest/day. You're tips for incline db press about altering the angle you push and using a higher incline but more of an arched back really made me feel it a ton more specifically in my upper chest.
I'm not an English speaker can you tell me what his advice is?
@@robbenvanpersie1562 lots of people arch their back when they do bench press. Arching your back reduces the angle the chest muscles are working in. So if you arch your back set the incline higher than the recommended angle and your arching will bring your muscles back in line with what you want the angle to be.
The reverse grip is fire. People really underestimate how much the upper chest affects your whole chest´s look.
Question: I have an obsession with ring pushups. How would you adjust them to hit upper chest more?
Elevate your feet and/or use an underhand grip. Nothing changes with rings, other than stability
Ring pushups (especially from a decline) are one of the best upper chest buidlers. You get to turn them out which better hits the upper chest, natural scapula movement, and the perfect angle.
Hey bro!!, do you do any meditation/breathwork, stretching, or mobility work on top of your Lifting/Cardio routine?
If so, for how long & how often in a week?
Top 3 Upper Back and Top 3 Lats Builder Video Waiting for it❤
Upper back gotta be some kind of row from a low/mid angle, especially with a somewhat pronated and/or wider grip, like dumbbell rows, cable machines, row machines, barbell rows. Lats gotta be some kind of neutral or even supinated grip from a higher angle like pullups/neutral grip pullups/chinups, 45° high cable rows, high row machines, straight arm pullovers, lat pulldowns.