Special Considerations for Chest Exercises

Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash

All resistance training exercises share a great deal of similarities. These similarities include the desire to tax muscle fibers in hopes of making them grow but also components of the lifts. The components of repetitions are twofold

1. The positive of the repetition (the weight is being lifted up)
2. The negative of the repetition (the weight is being lowered down)

Technically there is such a thing as a static rep where a certain amount of weight is simply held at a specific position for an allotted amount of time but it is my opinion that such doesn’t tax the muscles quite as much as a traditional rep and as such is best utilized for the end of one’s workout and for exercises that involve machines. Most repetitions involve the traditional positive and negative (both of which are equally important for building muscle).

Any experienced lifter will know that they are actually measurably stronger for the negative portion of the lift than the positive. I.E. An individual might have a maximum bench press of 225 lbs but can probably lower at least 250 lbs in a safe and secure manner. Knowing this, as one goes through their workout and begins to fatigue the targeted muscle group, they will begin to struggle with the positive portion of the lift despite still being strong for the negative. True failure…