Important Question About the Bench Press

[Contender]

You know how if you have a wider grip on the bench press it works the outer region of the pec, and if you have a closer grip on the bench press it works the inner region of the pec.

Well, I want to improve my entire pectoral region. How do I get both areas worked fully?

 

[Contender]

Yes, those cover the various fiber regions... but depending on your GRIP with each exercises, you workout different sections of the pec region.

Btw, a muscle contraction is the same thing as flexing a particular muscle, right?

 

[doctoroxygen]

You can't work different parts of a muscle. The enervating neurons in the muscle are dispersed such that the entire muscle flexes when any of its fibers flex.

 

[Skilla_Staz]

The wide grip bench press hits the pecs more, where as the narrow grip works more of the TRICEPS. Techically you can't work outer and inner, as they are split more into upper and lower. (As far as I know)

Thats like saying I want to work my upper bicep and my lower bicep, but you can't. I'm sure there are ways to hit the 'outer' and 'inner' bicep, since there are two heads.

I'm rambling, and I'm not even sure I'm right.

 

[madgame]

My chest is probably the most-well worked out part on my body (girls like it and I think it looks good too ) and all I have ever done was do bench presses on a flat bench with a...naturally wide grip...rather broad to hit the pecs more, but basically a grip im comfortable with...

The secret is committement and patience..I really feel like most people who start to work out worry WAY too much about little details, when 90% of them won't keep going if they have been lifting for a mere year and can't believe that they haven't accomplished what they wanted to accomplish yet (b/c building takes patience). Of course you have to take care a little so you dont overtrain..and that you work out properly....but all those little details dont really have that big an influence..

 

[Adone]

The secret is committement and patience..I really feel like most people who start to work out worry WAY too much about little details, when 90% of them won't keep going if they have been lifting for a mere year and can't believe that they haven't accomplished what they wanted to accomplish yet (b/c building takes patience). Of course you have to take care a little so you dont overtrain..and that you work out properly....but all those little details dont really have that big an influence..

That's SOLID advice. You should ask for this to be a Sticky, because most people in here (I used to do that too) worry about things that don't even matter until you are 50 lbs heavier than your starting weight.

 

[Contender]

My chest is probably the most-well worked out part on my body (girls like it and I think it looks good too ) and all I have ever done was do bench presses on a flat bench with a...naturally wide grip...rather broad to hit the pecs more, but basically a grip im comfortable with...

The secret is committement and patience..I really feel like most people who start to work out worry WAY too much about little details, when 90% of them won't keep going if they have been lifting for a mere year and can't believe that they haven't accomplished what they wanted to accomplish yet (b/c building takes patience). Of course you have to take care a little so you dont overtrain..and that you work out properly....but all those little details dont really have that big an influence..

Good points.