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.
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!
@@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.
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!
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
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
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
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 !
Went to the gym today and measured the incline bench angle that I typically use as 30°, turns out is less than 20° and I am a big arch dude. Used my phone to measure 30° and felt a good stretch in the pecs! Thanks for the tip Alex!
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.
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.
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 💪
W Alex, I just hit 180 lbs for 9 reps on my bench today. My goal was 225 before my 16th birthday in late January, I think I can get it! Been benching for 9 months so far.
Real recognize, and you can do 225 RIGHT NOW! I'm proud of you for hitting these numbers in 9 months, and doing it naturally at only 16. Keep the gains coming!
Bro, youre one rep max is 234. I use the calculator before, I did a couple pounds more than it said my one rep max was. You got this super easy. Already a gym bro
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?
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.
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!
Thank you. You answered my questions. I have been bringing the bar down lower towards the nipple line for years. What you say reminds me of the doc pumping iron when Lou ferrigno is doing incline barbell press and his father is spotting him. I noticed he is bringing the bar to the clavicles
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.
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.
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
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
Yo Alex two questions for your Q&A 1) how do you feel about stomach vacuums? I've personally been doing them twice a week for years, but don't have enough data to know whether or not it's helpful, I feel like it is, and it's so convenient to do I do it now without thinking. 2) Leanness factors: I recently did a cut where I dropped from fluffy to lean, and my bicep veins showed up. Funny thing though, on this current bulk, I've gained six pounds, but haven't lost the veins, and they were NEVER there at that weight - so does this normally happen? Do you retain Leanness even during a bulk longer because of the cut? Thanks bro!
For the second question, you're likely just leaner than you've previously been at that bodyweight and you likely just have more muscle, pushing the veins closer to the skin.
@@MaksKuaka that's what I figured, as the last time I was at that weight was my last bulk. The only confusing thing is I didn't have the veins on the way down, until I hit my goal weight. Then they stuck around at a weight they weren't before, and there's no way I gained muscle that quick. Very odd.
@nomadicstrength in the early stages of a bulk, you'll tend to fill out a bit more quickly since you're eating more carbs, retaining more water in your muscles, etc. While you may not gain muscle that fast, you do gain a noticeable amount of lean mass quite quickly. This is especially significant when you're lean as any size difference will be noticeable. It's a similar premise as to why bodybuilders will often increase their carbs right before a show and sometimes manipulate sodium and water intake.
@nomadicstrength as you do more cut and bulk cycles, you'll tend to be at a lower body fat at a given weight. This is usually what people refer to as muscle maturity.
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
0:40 yeah man. this is something I only realised when I watched menno henselmans videos. he took a picture of a arched flat press bench and then drew lines showing what he actual angle of the arm is in relation to the chest, and if you do a certain amount of arch it's actually a decline bench. If it's true for the flat, then the same must be true for the incline bench with arch
Great tips Alex! Upper chest is definitely one of the hardest areas to grow for a natural, I always start off chest training with an upper chest press. I press with that old school form you mentioned
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 !!
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.
The reverse grip is goated for tricep development. Ive been doing it for a few mesocycles now and its awesome. I passed it over for years because of the grip, but once I used the talon grip, its now my favorite variation. Close grip is second behind.
@AlexLeonidas 💯 agree, I'm almost as strong on the reverse press as I am on regular bench. I feel like I'll end up stronger because I can get that perfect tuck and tightness on the movement naturally.
Good for inner tricep development guys? I hate having to isolate so i dont want to do pushdowns and stuff. Willing to try reverse grip for upper chest anyway, will it also build inner tricep?
@user-dn4lg1dv5v ok ill def reverse grip then, inner tri was literally the only part not really growing and i was wondering why reg bench and dips werent building inner tri that much. Im excited to see
For me personlay , reverse grip bench press is king for my uper chsest .....people didnt know how to position on the bench and how to push , but its a great exercices
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.
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 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.
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❤
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
I was plagued with AC joint and rotator cuff issues last year. And the reverse grip bench is the only thing that allows me to bench heavy. I also do low incline reverse grip on the smith machine. I can see my upper chest improvement while nursing my injury. An A+ option if you can't do a regular bench. Fantastic variation even if you don't have a problem doing regular bench.
If you watch Dorian Yates do his incline bench press in ‘Blood and Guts’, he does everything said in this video. 45 degree incline, arched back with rib cage expanded, and brings the bar to the clavicle not the middle-lower chest. Arnold did this as well, there’s a video of it on UA-cam. Edit: it’s used in this video lol.
Hot take : Incline bench one of the best chest exercises better than flat bench for chest hypertrophy , but not because of anything to do with the upper chest. For many people including myself incline pressing is more comfortable on the shoulders . The incline allows you to stretch your chest and shoulders more than flat. I do arch because my goal is to maximize chest hypertrophy, not the upper chest. Could be wrong, but Dr. Mike has made a decent case that arching means a deeper stretch. Upper chest activation and more front delt are nice additions (if at an appropriate angle; shoulders will never be a limiting factor, meaning more shoulder gains without affecting chest gains. Correct me if I am wrong.) For these reasons, I would unconfidently make the claim that incline barbell bench beats most chest exercises, excluding deficit, pushups, and cambered bars. It beats dumbbells bench due to interested stability and more loading potential. Another point is that you take about the importance of horizontal pressing and incline work opposed to flat is an easy way to make a vertical press a bit more of a hybrid. Would love for people to poke holes in this just stating a idea I have come to
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.
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?
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
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.
@@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.
Just the latest video with the updated Retraction & Arch style I was looking for. out comes the Pen Time to take some notes 👍 Upper Chest seems tedious to bias Ngl
So have you changed your stance on arms out versus arms tucked on benching that either is fine your body will adapt? For years now I've mostly done the shoulders retracted arched back powerlifting style of benching. But before that I did the classic arms out bodybuilding style, and it worked great for me. I feel that the bodybuilders of the 1970s had proportionately a more developed chest than their shoulders and I think this might have something to do with the arms out style bench it might be less safe but I feel it hit the pecs harder. What are your thoughts or is it mostly just greater ped use?
That talon claw tip on the reversed bench is gold.. any time I’ve tried it I’m like fuck this is awkward and uncomfortable. I’ll be using that one next time I fuck with that lift, cheers!
I saw the most growth in my upper chest when I started benching 3 times a week. But that was more of a specialization. Monday was heavy flat bench and incline bench for higher reps, wednesday was heavy incline with higher rep ohp and friday was heavy ohp with higher rep flat bench. The higher rep presses were usually some type of db press, except the ohp, because I did that standing.
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.
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.
@@sarnock1884 why should someone pick only one?
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.
Finally we're getting the shelf on top
That self is gonna protrude soon!!
*getting to the top shelf
I don’t get it? What does shelf mean in this context? And also sorry for my bad english grammar by the way?
@@andrjsjan4231 upper chest
@@andrjsjan4231that’s what they calling the upper chest my bro
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
-30deg Incline Reverse Grip Bench
-20deg Incline Close Grip Guillotine Press
-Pec Minor dips/Pushdown
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
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
Never ceases to amaze me how insane that physique is Alex.
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?
Went to the gym today and measured the incline bench angle that I typically use as 30°, turns out is less than 20° and I am a big arch dude. Used my phone to measure 30° and felt a good stretch in the pecs! Thanks for the tip Alex!
What app did you use?
I've used a random app from the app store
@@Tommaso_Paoli mhm
Props for measuring bro, let's get these gains!!!!!!!!
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.
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
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 💪
W
Alex, I just hit 180 lbs for 9 reps on my bench today. My goal was 225 before my 16th birthday in late January, I think I can get it! Been benching for 9 months so far.
Real recognize, and you can do 225 RIGHT NOW! I'm proud of you for hitting these numbers in 9 months, and doing it naturally at only 16. Keep the gains coming!
@@AlexLeonidas thanks man. I’m gonna test it next Sunday since that’s the last day of my current mesocycle.
Oh shit bro my 16 year old lil brother just 225 as well😂. You got this shi bro💪💪
@@bigzipper4851 W
Bro, youre one rep max is 234. I use the calculator before, I did a couple pounds more than it said my one rep max was. You got this super easy. Already a gym bro
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.
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!
Thank you. You answered my questions. I have been bringing the bar down lower towards the nipple line for years. What you say reminds me of the doc pumping iron when Lou ferrigno is doing incline barbell press and his father is spotting him. I noticed he is bringing the bar to the clavicles
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.
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.
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!
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
Great video Alex, not sure what more to say at this point, keep up the great work
Your encouragement is enough Doug, thank you!
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
Yo Alex two questions for your Q&A
1) how do you feel about stomach vacuums? I've personally been doing them twice a week for years, but don't have enough data to know whether or not it's helpful, I feel like it is, and it's so convenient to do I do it now without thinking.
2) Leanness factors: I recently did a cut where I dropped from fluffy to lean, and my bicep veins showed up. Funny thing though, on this current bulk, I've gained six pounds, but haven't lost the veins, and they were NEVER there at that weight - so does this normally happen? Do you retain Leanness even during a bulk longer because of the cut? Thanks bro!
For the second question, you're likely just leaner than you've previously been at that bodyweight and you likely just have more muscle, pushing the veins closer to the skin.
@@MaksKuaka that's what I figured, as the last time I was at that weight was my last bulk. The only confusing thing is I didn't have the veins on the way down, until I hit my goal weight. Then they stuck around at a weight they weren't before, and there's no way I gained muscle that quick.
Very odd.
@nomadicstrength in the early stages of a bulk, you'll tend to fill out a bit more quickly since you're eating more carbs, retaining more water in your muscles, etc. While you may not gain muscle that fast, you do gain a noticeable amount of lean mass quite quickly. This is especially significant when you're lean as any size difference will be noticeable. It's a similar premise as to why bodybuilders will often increase their carbs right before a show and sometimes manipulate sodium and water intake.
@nomadicstrength as you do more cut and bulk cycles, you'll tend to be at a lower body fat at a given weight. This is usually what people refer to as muscle maturity.
@@MaksKuaka ah I get you. Thanks brother.
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
0:40 yeah man. this is something I only realised when I watched menno henselmans videos. he took a picture of a arched flat press bench and then drew lines showing what he actual angle of the arm is in relation to the chest, and if you do a certain amount of arch it's actually a decline bench.
If it's true for the flat, then the same must be true for the incline bench with arch
Great tips Alex!
Upper chest is definitely one of the hardest areas to grow for a natural, I always start off chest training with an upper chest press. I press with that old school form you mentioned
Classic reversal order, I did the same during last year's cut!
Awesome advice. Going to focus on bringing bar higher up to my upper chest!!
It's that simple!
Arch down from a high Incline to a medium, optimal Incline
Bar higher up to Clavicle, press back
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!!!
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.
Ive sturggled with this exercise for so long. This man is God sent for sharing all this
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!
The reverse grip is goated for tricep development. Ive been doing it for a few mesocycles now and its awesome. I passed it over for years because of the grip, but once I used the talon grip, its now my favorite variation. Close grip is second behind.
Same brother, the talon grip unlocked a whole new world of gains. Zero wrist pain, easy unrack, wish I knew about it years ago.
@AlexLeonidas 💯 agree, I'm almost as strong on the reverse press as I am on regular bench. I feel like I'll end up stronger because I can get that perfect tuck and tightness on the movement naturally.
Good for inner tricep development guys? I hate having to isolate so i dont want to do pushdowns and stuff. Willing to try reverse grip for upper chest anyway, will it also build inner tricep?
@Thleta yes, it builds all heads of the triceps. Seriously, best triceps exercise, in my opinion.
@user-dn4lg1dv5v ok ill def reverse grip then, inner tri was literally the only part not really growing and i was wondering why reg bench and dips werent building inner tri that much. Im excited to see
For me personlay , reverse grip bench press is king for my uper chsest .....people didnt know how to position on the bench and how to push , but its a great exercices
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
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.
Alex has perfected the Natty life to such a degree that he no longer looks natty. What a beast
Great insights in this vid. You're like the professor in all things bodybuilding dude. Keep it up
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
ngl, bro's upper body is my lifetime goal, lets see how long it takes... thankfully I have pieces of his knowledge, early in my lifting journey
been watching this guy over the years, he finally achieved the ultimate natty body
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.
Thank you for this 🙏🏽 the higher incline with the arch is working for me perfectly 💪🏽
Part 2 pleaseeee. Very informative, and loved the safety implementation segment 💪
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❤
Thanks man added revese grip flat bench man i feel that in my upper chest so much. gonna get that Arnold chest 🦍💪
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
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
Just tried setting up the bench on higher incline whilst arching on the smith machine, and it feels CRAZY. Thanks Alex 🙏
Looking great Alex! Thank you for the great information as always!
Thank you Eshan, doing my best!
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
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 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!
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!
This was great. Chest has been my hardest muscle to connect with especially when doing incline and I get why now.
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
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.
Only UA-camr I can actually listen to without skipping
I appreciate you for watching through, Jonesy!
I was plagued with AC joint and rotator cuff issues last year. And the reverse grip bench is the only thing that allows me to bench heavy. I also do low incline reverse grip on the smith machine.
I can see my upper chest improvement while nursing my injury. An A+ option if you can't do a regular bench. Fantastic variation even if you don't have a problem doing regular bench.
Love this, good job on being tough and finding workarounds.
If you watch Dorian Yates do his incline bench press in ‘Blood and Guts’, he does everything said in this video. 45 degree incline, arched back with rib cage expanded, and brings the bar to the clavicle not the middle-lower chest.
Arnold did this as well, there’s a video of it on UA-cam.
Edit: it’s used in this video lol.
Mannnnn I tried to bring the dumbbells more to a face point (elbows a bit tucked) damn?! It’s just perfect
Perfect alignment!!
Hot take : Incline bench one of the best chest exercises better than flat bench for chest hypertrophy , but not because of anything to do with the upper chest. For many people including myself incline pressing is more comfortable on the shoulders . The incline allows you to stretch your chest and shoulders more than flat. I do arch because my goal is to maximize chest hypertrophy, not the upper chest. Could be wrong, but Dr. Mike has made a decent case that arching means a deeper stretch. Upper chest activation and more front delt are nice additions (if at an appropriate angle; shoulders will never be a limiting factor, meaning more shoulder gains without affecting chest gains. Correct me if I am wrong.) For these reasons, I would unconfidently make the claim that incline barbell bench beats most chest exercises, excluding deficit, pushups, and cambered bars. It beats dumbbells bench due to interested stability and more loading potential. Another point is that you take about the importance of horizontal pressing and incline work opposed to flat is an easy way to make a vertical press a bit more of a hybrid. Would love for people to poke holes in this just stating a idea I have come to
Dude you looking enhanced af thanks for the tip on arching harder on higher incline
thanks for the video, great content, fyi min 3:30 your hands are not gripping the bar symmetrically it seems to me.
Never really even thought about arching on inclines
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
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
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?
I notice the bar path advice also seems to applies in reverse for lower chest. Decline+straight bar path
Smart observation, you're exactly right about that.
Looking insane bro, keep up the good work
Started growing a top shelf as soon as I started doing revere grip bench/dumbbells
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 :)
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
second tip actually made my upperchest grow a lot on smith machine.
Take a look at Franc Columbo here. What a change from the bear mode and yoke days.
Really good tips, always struggled with upper chest to the point of not wanting to do it outside cables
Once i started to do super high and high inc. with arch, al my inc. presses exploded. Gained like 6kg on my dumbell presses.
Weakness corrected aka new strength gains!
Was just literally thinking about upper chest to get that thickness in the upper half, and this video dropped thanks Alex
Your physique is insane
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.
Just the latest video with the updated Retraction & Arch style I was looking for. out comes the Pen Time to take some notes 👍
Upper Chest seems tedious to bias Ngl
as soon as I heard less shoulder joint stess I was hooked, gonna try reverse grip bench press
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!
So have you changed your stance on arms out versus arms tucked on benching that either is fine your body will adapt? For years now I've mostly done the shoulders retracted arched back powerlifting style of benching. But before that I did the classic arms out bodybuilding style, and it worked great for me. I feel that the bodybuilders of the 1970s had proportionately a more developed chest than their shoulders and I think this might have something to do with the arms out style bench it might be less safe but I feel it hit the pecs harder. What are your thoughts or is it mostly just greater ped use?
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.
Still waiting for a full video about Burpees. Happy New Year btw! 💪
I been watching dude for so mf long n seen him evolve over n over bruh shit is incredible
Part 2 please! I’m trying to build upper chest, with limited success so far
That talon claw tip on the reversed bench is gold.. any time I’ve tried it I’m like fuck this is awkward and uncomfortable. I’ll be using that one next time I fuck with that lift, cheers!
Always great advice from a true natty!
Always happy to help the community!
I saw the most growth in my upper chest when I started benching 3 times a week.
But that was more of a specialization.
Monday was heavy flat bench and incline bench for higher reps, wednesday was heavy incline with higher rep ohp and friday was heavy ohp with higher rep flat bench. The higher rep presses were usually some type of db press, except the ohp, because I did that standing.
Subbed LOVE your content - I feel pretty well educated and I always learn something new
It works, great upper chest pumps and gains after I applied your tips! Thanks!
Awesome video man
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!
My top 3:
Close grip presses
Reverse grip presses
Mid to high incline presses (medium to close grip) [45-60°]