Lifters can learn that they have poor chest genetics in several ways. Disproportions in the placement, form, and size of the upper and lower chest muscles and nipple are among them. Chest gaps are another common issue.
1) Chest hole(s)
Insertion sites that aren’t ideal for a full chest cause gaps to appear. The ‘pec gap’ occurs between the two pectoral muscles and may be seen most clearly when the pecs are completely developed. This is because the insertion points into the sternum are not close to one another on either side. This space between the ribs could result from how the skeleton is constructed. No amount of exercise will bridge the gap because there is no muscle there, to begin with. This is an undesirable feature.
If a lifter’s chest workouts and gains are hindered, it’s not because of bad chest genetics but because of these 11 mistakes. Training plateaus can be overcome, and barrel chests can be developed if individuals put in the extra effort by raising the volume, cycling out exercises, and modifying training methodologies.
2) First, a higher volume of training
This is the most common mistake weightlifters make when training their chest or any other muscle group: not putting in enough effort.
Those genetically predisposed to a smaller chest will need to put in extra effort.
3) Boosting practise sessions
Lifters, especially those with poor chest genetics, should carefully consider training frequency and volume. However, this is also true for individuals with superior chest genetics who want to maximize their biological advantage. Most weightlifters fail to strike the chest muscle often enough to see improvements. They then frequently turn to the “genetics” excuse.
The chest muscles need to be worked out twice and thrice a week to receive enough stimulus to grow and develop.8 Hypertrophy can be significantly enhanced by employing undulating periodization approaches, such as altering the intensity and volume every day. Muscles will require more time to recover from the increased frequencies. Thus, this is just as important.
Not Engaging All of the Chest Muscle Heads
This is a typical issue among weightlifters who spend years training their chest muscles yet see no noticeable results. Flat bench presses, which focus on the middle of the chest, were traditionally where weightlifters put most of their attention. They focus on the middle of their chests and don’t give the top and lower chests the same attention.
Therefore, the chest of such weightlifters would be inadequately developed, as they would either lack upper pecs, lower pecs, or both.
4) Positioning the shoulder blades properly
Chest presses rely heavily on the scapula (shoulders) for stability and as one of the leading movers (together with the pectoral muscles and the triceps). However, a standard error many lifters make is to rotate their shoulders, which leads to various problems.
Shoulder rotation increases the activation of the shoulder muscles during the press and leads to a less stable bench press, both of which reduce the recruitment and drive required to activate the pecs fully. Furthermore, the shoulders are vulnerable, which increases the risk of injury.
To maintain correct tension throughout the press, lifters must keep their shoulders retracted (pinched back), and their upper back drives into the bench. A more robust, more efficient, and safer lift will be possible due to this.
5) Improving the link between the brain and muscles
Generally, if a person has poor chest genetics, their pec muscles will be at a biomechanical disadvantage when performing the bench press or any other chest exercise.
The “mind-muscle connection” occurs when a person believes their muscles are contracting when doing resistance exercise. Concentration occurs when a person lifts weights and pays special attention to the muscle they are contracting.9
The mind-muscle link is typically more vital with isolation lifts than complex moves like the bench press, which uses multiple muscles simultaneously. Performing cable flys and crossovers, two isolated chest exercises will help the lifter feel the contraction more effectively. After a workout, muscle soreness can reveal which ones are holding up under the pressure.
6) Limited mobility
Using a short range of motion when performing chest exercises can exacerbate the effects of poor chest genetics. Full range-of-motion (ROM) exercises, especially those targeting the chest muscles, contribute to greater muscular activation and hypertrophy (growth) because more muscle fibers are used.10
Although the bench press is a cornerstone lift, it does not allow for a complete range of motion. Thus, it is essential to include other exercises that do. These would be the dumbbell press and the dumbbell fly.
7) Getting around mobility problems
Limitations in joint mobility are a common obstacle to building pec muscle mass during weightlifting. Tight or stiff muscles and joints cause mobility concerns in strength training, limiting the range of motion through which lifters may put their muscles, inhibiting activation, and encouraging the muscles to grow.11
Those genetically predisposed to tight chest muscles should take extra precautions before and after a chest workout to avoid injury. For example, foam rolling and deep tissue massages will go a long way toward relaxing these muscles and restoring their natural range of motion.
8) Putting on size and weight by eating more
Disappointing characteristics like chest gaps are a direct outcome of inherited features that affect the chest area. These characteristics become especially noticeable in slim people.
Increasing caloric intake, leading to muscle gain and a higher body fat percentage, is one option. Since no muscle has the range of motion to reach those far-flung insertion places, this will assist in filling in the empty spaces, giving the chest a fuller, smoother appearance. However, this should be done moderately to avoid gaining weight and damaging the hard-earned physique.
9) Overemphasis on good reinforcement
Bodybuilders often rush through the eccentric (the part of a lift where the muscles are extended under pressure) portion of their workouts. To put this into perspective, the bar should be lowered slowly and steadily before being lifted with more explosive force when performing a bench press.
The eccentric motion is responsible for the bulk of the muscle injury, prompting a robust recuperative response.12 The slower the eccentric, the more time the muscle adapts and grows.
10) Training
Overtraining is common, especially among those who have reached a point in their training when they are no longer seeing significant improvements from their chest exercises. Trainers should also incorporate this strategy to counteract poor chest genetics: taking a break from exercise for a while so that your body can recover and prepare for a new workout program.
Even if lifters have bad chest genetics, which is outside their control, they can still do these things in this article wrong and make it easier to create a massive chest.