How to get tighter chest

[Tommy Wall]

I don´t think I have gynecomastia and I´ve just started workingout since May this year. I do see improvments but I would like to target the lower chest better to get rid of of some fat and get them a bit tighter and up.

57 years old with BF 24% which I´m working on.

Any good tips to improve what you can see on the pics.

 

[Nashtide]

As you drop body fat and increase pec musculature that lower flabbiness will go away. Mine went away when I got around 15% bf. Be sure you are doing other chest exercises besides bench press variations.

 

[Vince]

Bench presses on a decline, will target the lower chest.

Decline Bench Press
The Decline Bench Press is an upper-body lift that focuses on the lower part of your chest. Some people tend to skip this exercise, when doing chest, because it’s not as big of a show-off exercise. Many women love this exercise because it is known to keep your pecs perky. Use a grip slightly wider than your shoulders. A narrow grip will focus too much on triceps, while a wide grip will focus too much on shoulders.
Decline Bench Press: How to Work Your Lower Chest | Pop Workouts

 

[Mountain Man]

You definitely don’t have gyno, and you look really god for the amount of time you’be Been working out. Agree with Nashtide. Get,that body fat down, maybe throw in some barbell complexes or body weight stuff in a few days a week. Body fat drops to under 15 and you’ll look great.

 

[Pongo]

Adding Chest cable crossovers into my usual chest routine really helped lift & reduce fat in that area. No need to go heavy, just 3 to 4 sets of 30 reps do the job.

 

[GlennMarsh]

You have to do more weight and fewer raps, also do twice in a week.

how to lose weight

 

[Paul M]

Concentrating on one certain part of the pecs is not the way to go. If you want a big chest then lift big using compound exercises, either with dumbell or barbell, preferably mix it up. Many don't press properly though and bring the front delts too much into play where the delts will fatigue before your pecs. As for spot reducing fat by doing cable xovers. That's just plain silly.

 

[TestOneTwo]

I don´t think I have gynecomastia and I´ve just started workingout since May this year. I do see improvments but I would like to target the lower chest better to get rid of of some fat and get them a bit tighter and up.

57 years old with BF 24% which I´m working on.

Any good tips to improve what you can see on the pics.

Your BF% has likely been obtained from a BF% scale or a handheld device, right? They are useless. I’d recommend getting some calipers instead. You look more like 19%.

 

[Cips1975]

This is a body fat issue. Looks like your genetics predisposes you to hold fat in the nipple area. Not uncommon actually. Fat does not turn into muscle so doing things like declines or dips to so call ‘target’ lower chest is not accurate. The pectorals don’t work like that biomechanics wise. You can’t isolate sections of pectoral fibers to the point where you will hypertrophy that section. This is largely determined by genetics. Look at high level bodybuilders sauced to the max. You will notice many examples of bodybuilders with weaker areas of the chest, and trust me they are doing all this targeted stuff but still not able to develop lower chest for example. If there is any group that should not have any weakness, it would be these guys.

 

[Cips1975]

Concentrating on one certain part of the pecs is not the way to go. If you want a big chest then lift big using compound exercises, either with dumbell or barbell, preferably mix it up. Many don't press properly though and bring the front delts too much into play where the delts will fatigue before your pecs. As for spot reducing fat by doing cable xovers. That's just plain silly.

Great post. So much misinformation on training. I do want to say that the old adage of barbells and dumbells being the end all be all is not really true. Great they are
And I love them, but you can use machines and cables to hypertrophy muscles just as effectively if you know what your doing and have proper exercise selection.

 

[Paul M]

I do want to say that the old adage of barbells and dumbells being the end all be all is not really true. Great they are
And I love them, but you can use machines and cables to hypertrophy muscles just as effectively if you know what your doing and have proper exercise selection.

Agree completely, though I do prefer free weights due to bringing stabilizer muscles into play even though this doesn't necessarily lead to more hypertrophy overall. I do think it leads to a more effecient body structure though. I also think due to the limited plane of movement with machines injuries are more common, though that can be offset with people using free weights who haven't a clue on good form and usually using too much weight. That said, as you say, plenty of people have got big using just machines only.

 

[TestOneTwo]

Agree completely, though I do prefer free weights due to bringing stabilizer muscles into play even though this doesn't necessarily lead to more hypertrophy overall. I do think it leads to a more effecient body structure though. I also think due to the limited plane of movement with machines injuries are more common, though that can be offset with people using free weights who haven't a clue on good form and usually using too much weight. That said, as you say, plenty of people have got big using just machines only.

I’m also a convinced free weights proponent BUT I have to admit that my chest blew up like never before once I had bit the bullet and incorporated Smith presses in various angles. Functional, compounds, stabilizers etc...it’s all nice and well and totally true but I do notice that the older I get the less I care about functionality. It’s almost like I became more honest with myself and now admit that I do all this for rather vain reasons. If I was after health only I’d be doing Yoga and Pilates. Therefore, while I still build my routines around compounds I can see myself adding more machine work in future. I just don’t have to impress the young kids anymore with lifts that look good but are unreasonably risky for little payback.

 

[stx359]

Just to chime in from a different perspective - my upper body looked very similar after a career as an Army officer (running every day, no weights) which is not a bad way to look in your 50's but not exactly muscular either. I started doing Crossfit four years ago which includes no machines or cables to speak and no bench press whatsoever. We do tons of barbell stuff but everything off the ground (deadlifts, cleans), lots of body weight stuff (pushups, pullups) and lots of cardio mixed in. After a couple years I had chest and traps like a gorilla and I am 50. Pretty much the only thing I do that even resembles bench press is push ups and burpees (1000s of them in the last four years). Interestingly I was messing around on a bench a few months ago with a buddy and put up 295 rather easily and I never bench. I weigh 245 (11% body fat). So obviously my strength hasn't suffered.

 

[TestOneTwo]

Just to chime in from a different perspective - my upper body looked very similar after a career as an Army officer (running every day, no weights) which is not a bad way to look in your 50's but not exactly muscular either. I started doing Crossfit four years ago which includes no machines or cables to speak and no bench press whatsoever. We do tons of barbell stuff but everything off the ground (deadlifts, cleans), lots of body weight stuff (pushups, pullups) and lots of cardio mixed in. After a couple years I had chest and traps like a gorilla and I am 50. Pretty much the only thing I do that even resembles bench press is push ups and burpees (1000s of them in the last four years). Interestingly I was messing around on a bench a few months ago with a buddy and put up 295 rather easily and I never bench. I weigh 245 (11% body fat). So obviously my strength hasn't suffered.

Aren’t those Cross fit guys usually lean and wiry? At 11% @ 245 you’re either a very big or very tall dude. Looking at your numbers I suspect big. Tall guys don’t bench heavy just by accident due to poor leverage. Also, an easy 295 freak bench from just push ups as chest exercise is remarkable. Pls tell me your secret.

 

[stx359]

Aren’t those Cross fit guys usually lean and wiry? At 11% @ 245 you’re either a very big or very tall dude. Looking at your numbers I suspect big. Tall guys don’t bench heavy just by accident due to poor leverage. Also, an easy 295 freak bench from just push ups as chest exercise is remarkable. Pls tell me your secret.

I am actually 6'5" and wouldn't call myself wiry but I am slim in the waist - I have a 36 waist and wear a 52 XL coat. You are right I have never been a good bencher due to poor leverage. I absolutely hate that exercise and always did even when I was playing college football. My max bench was about the same then as it is now and I was 30 pounds heavier.

The secret is less pushups than it is burpees. They are the most miserable exercise ever but highly effective as you are essentially breaking your own fall using the perfect weight - your own body weight - and then immediately exploding off the ground and back to your feet. It's that explosive movement done repeatedly that builds your chest. You probably do a couple hundred a normal Crossfit week just in the course of the daily workouts. You also do so much heavy barbell stuff off the ground (deadlifts, cleans, snatches) and pullups that you develop a monster back and good benchers will always tell you bench is as much about lat strength as it is chest. When I was bro-lifting and just doing pull downs and dumbbell rows my back was far less developed.

 

[TestOneTwo]

I am actually 6'5" and wouldn't call myself wiry but I am slim in the waist - I have a 36 waist and wear a 52 XL coat. You are right I have never been a good bencher due to poor leverage. I absolutely hate that exercise and always did even when I was playing college football. My max bench was about the same then as it is now and I was 30 pounds heavier.

The secret is less pushups than it is burpees. They are the most miserable exercise ever but highly effective as you are essentially breaking your own fall using the perfect weight - your own body weight - and then immediately exploding off the ground and back to your feet. It's that explosive movement done repeatedly that builds your chest. You probably do a couple hundred a normal Crossfit week just in the course of the daily workouts. You also do so much heavy barbell stuff off the ground (deadlifts, cleans, snatches) and pullups that you develop a monster back and good benchers will always tell you bench is as much about lat strength as it is chest. When I was bro-lifting and just doing pull downs and dumbbell rows my back was far less developed.

Interesting. I don’t actually BB bench myself for the same reasons. I find it to be the most overrated lift there is plus it doesn’t make my chest grow and my shoulders hate it. I do dumbbell bench though. Smith also only rarely these days. At 50 you are a couple of years my senior yet I wouldn’t do most of your exercises anymore. My chest is pretty solid and together with my back they are my best body parts but I would never bench more than 225 max anymore, if I did bench regularly that is. If forced, I would prob be able to BB bench 1-2 reps 225 MAX with good form despite my well developed chest. I’m 6’4, 259 but 16% and gibbon arms - you see why I was a little surprised when you said you easily benched about 300 as an afterthought without having actually trained for that specific exercise.

 

[stx359]

Interesting. I don’t actually BB bench myself for the same reasons. I find it to be the most overrated lift there is plus it doesn’t make my chest grow and my shoulders hate it. I do dumbbell bench though. Smith also only rarely these days. At 50 you are a couple of years my senior yet I wouldn’t do most of your exercises anymore. My chest is pretty solid and together with my back they are my best body parts but I would never bench more than 225 max anymore, if I did bench regularly that is. If forced, I would prob be able to BB bench 1-2 reps 225 MAX with good form despite my well developed chest. I’m 6’4, 259 but 16% and gibbon arms - you see why I was a little surprised when you said you easily benched about 300 as an afterthought without having actually trained for that specific exercise.

We are basically twins - I am just a few weeks of pizza away from 259, and I could not agree more, bench press is an overrated movement and clearly not a functional movement. Furthermore guys who do it for a lifetime almost invariably develop shoulder problems from it. I will admit this - I AM on TRT which is clearly performance enhancing and that heavy rep was at a time when I was at peak fitness which really only happens a few times a year what with injuries and career/family responsibilities. I was throwing some weight around this week with my son who is a high school football player and did 5x5 at 225 and my shoulders were barking. I was reminded what a dumb exercise it is.

 

[TestOneTwo]

It’s funny, while I’m feeling pretty good I haven’t had any improvements from TRT in the strength department at all. In fact, my strength fluctuates wildly but always down, not up. I have up to 15% fluctuations with no apparent pattern. Other than the initial water retention that made my muscles appear to be a bit bigger there was no benefit at all. I’m currently shedding some fat so maybe it will prove useful in retaining muscle. I actually meant to start a thread on this but haven’t come around it yet.

 

[stx359]

I don't know that TRT increased my overall strength by that much. What it did do is allow me to engage in extremely hard Crossfit workouts for an hour a day six days a week. I could not have done that before to the same degree I do now. My recovery time is pretty good for an old guy thanks to TRT.

I have to say I was at 275 when I started on TRT with more of a powerlifter (fat) body - 21% body fat. TRT got me down to where you are now. It was hiring a nutritionist and scrupulously tracking my diet that got me to 11% body fat with discernible abs. That diet transformation was far more dramatic than TRT. My diet - which would probably look much like yours - is:
around 2800 calories per day
305 grams of carbs
190 grams of protein
85 grams of fat
30 grams of fiber
In other words a healthy balanced diet - nothing extreme here and definitely no calorie restriction.

By all means start a thread!

 

[TestOneTwo]

I don't know that TRT increased my overall strength by that much. What it did do is allow me to engage in extremely hard Crossfit workouts for an hour a day six days a week. I could not have done that before to the same degree I do now. My recovery time is pretty good for an old guy thanks to TRT.

I have to say I was at 275 when I started on TRT with more of a powerlifter (fat) body - 21% body fat. TRT got me down to where you are now. It was hiring a nutritionist and scrupulously tracking my diet that got me to 11% body fat with discernible abs. That diet transformation was far more dramatic than TRT. My diet - which would probably look much like yours - is:
around 2800 calories per day
305 grams of carbs
190 grams of protein
85 grams of fat
30 grams of fiber
In other words a healthy balanced diet - nothing extreme here and definitely no calorie restriction.

By all means start a thread!

Mine’s pretty similar. I’d just adjusted it further down to 2650. Tried 2900 first but could only get to less than 1lb/week. Target is 1-1.5/week. Now I’m on track. I have actually a pretty easy time losing weight since I’m naturally lanky and skinny. It seems the body constantly tries to pull towards its natural state while adding weight had always been my main challenge. My current ratio looks like this:

231 carbs
231 protein
89 fat
No alcohol, no sugar.

Yup I guess I’ll start another thread. Would be interesting to see how others fare.