The three exercises (
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...27&postcount=3 )are essentially the same movement performed in three different planes. In order to fully isolate the pecs, these muscles must be excluded from chest training. Precise technique in performing these exercises is critical. Any deviation from proper technique will render the exercises useless pertaining to chest development.
Without going too deep into the theories behind these exercises, let me explain how they are performed:
These exercises are performed on a cable crossover machine. Dumbbells are a waste of time for these exercises. You lay down between the pulleys. The pulleys must be positioned at shoulder height. If the pulley heights are adjustable, you may lay down on a flat bench. If they are not, you must lie on the floor and use the lower pulleys. Performing these exercises while standing will not work. You will waste too much energy on body stabilization, and open yourself up to cheating.
Next, you need to grasp the cables. A completely supinated grip is required. I used to use PVC and webbing handles, sliding the grip sideways, allowing me to grasp the handle in full supination. Recently, my training partner convinced me to simply grab the cables by the rubber stops. While not completely comfortable, especially without gloves, gripping the cable in this way has been adequate.
Essentially, you could describe the movement as a supinated cable fly. This description stops way short of the technical precision required to make these exercises work. All control of the movement must be focused on the elbows. While the hands connect your arm to the cable, they must remain completely uninvolved as if your arm didn't exist below the elbow. All visual and mental concentration must be focused on performing these flyes with supinated elbows.
These movements are very unnatural. Your body does not normally perform them in the real world, except for treading water. The difficulty in performing these exercises properly is that your brain will try to reposition your arm to bring the anterior deltoid into the movement. The deltoid has better leverage and is better suited to perform the movement. This is why complete supination is critical to the success of these exercises. Anything less than absolute supination allows the deltoid to override the pecs and the exercise is rendered useless.
In the starting position, you'll find yourself lying in a horizontal iron across position with your arms extended to the pulleys, grasping the cable (handle) with your hands and elbows rotated to full supination. To avoid excess strain on the elbows, the arm should be slightly bent. Perform the movement by squeezing the elbows toward each other until the arms are parallel. I try to move the elbows in as high an arc as possible, reaching as high as I can without my back coming off the bench. At that point, to squeeze out a peak contraction, I slightly rotate my elbows further toward each other while keeping my arms parallel. After this slight squeeze, I return to the starting position under full control.
To perform the flat bench equivalent, your arms will arc straight over your chest. To develop the lower pecs, arc them at a 45-degree angle over your belly. To develop the upper fibers of the chest that attach to the upper sternum and clavicle, you must scoot the bench toward your head about two feet, positioning your belly button directly between the pulleys. This causes you to arc your elbows in about a 30 to 40 degree arc across your chest toward your neck. This will feel totally unnatural, but it is the best way to put those fibers in the best alignment to exert force. If you watch someone who has done these exercises correctly for weeks, you will be able to see how awesome these movements cause the pecs to contract.
Let me emphasize that your body will naturally try to cheat. If your hands lead the movement, you will have rotated the anterior deltoid into full control of the movement. Also, at the top of the movement, many people will try to continue the movement by rotating their hands toward each other rather than the elbows. This will transfer all of the stress from the pecs to the anterior deltoids.
The best characteristic of these exercises is that done properly, you don't have to, nor can you, use very heavy weight. That means way fewer injuries. The average male can usually only perform the exercise properly with about 15 or 20 lbs. I taught the exercise to a police officer that easily benched 400 lbs. He was only able to perform the exercise for reps with 30 lbs. While teaching the exercises to my college students for the first time, I got a kick out of demonstrating the exercise with 40 lbs. I then asked the strongest guy I could find in the class to give it a try. The class was usually amused when he was unable to do even one rep.
Many of the guys I teach this exercise to come back weeks later telling me that they are up to 40 or 50 lbs. on the exercise. Without a doubt, every time I check them on their technique, they have grossly deviated from correct form. The anterior deltoids are capable of performing the movement with a lot of weight; proportionately more than the pecs. After correcting their form, these guys are always disappointed that they hadn't progressed as far as they thought they did. I have found that 2.5 lbs. is about the maximum amount of increase that can be sustained and still be able to progress week in and week out without losing technique.
06-11-2007, 04:20 AM
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