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Thread: Adding stimulous & stress to the chest

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Posts
    7

    Default Adding stimulous & stress to the chest

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    Hallo all,

    As I'm looking into the Program with it's 3 phases and applying it on myself, i have some questions regarding the work induced on and strength developed in the pecs.

    - The lower body, legs, glutes, posterior chain, are all trained every workout through the squats and alternating DL/PC.
    - Same goes for the back muscles, be it the 1 set of DL or sub-maximal in the PC, and also in the pullups on phase 3.
    - The shoulders and triceps, being involved in every pressing movement, get their share of stress on every workout, be it the Press or the BP.

    As it seems, the pecs which are used almost exclusively in the BP are getting stress only once every 2nd workout.
    I know it was said by Coach Rip many times before that the chesticles are overrated and that the press is a much more important and effective exercise for general strength and everyday life..

    still, if i look at the bench as a movement incorporated in the program, which is important since it allows us to handle more weight and thus be getting stronger, the biggest muscles which are part of this movement are getting stimulated every 96 hours.

    96 hours i assume are getting us passed the peak of increased performance in the SRA model curve, for the pecs anyway.
    so, to my understanding, all major muscle group are getting stimulated every 48 - 72 hours while the pecs which are eventually a large group get stimulated every 96 - 120 hours.


    Is it a good idea to add stimulation to the pecs within the SS routine to give them additional stress and in line with the other muscle groups' 48-72 recovery time frame?

    And, if yes, what exercise would be beneficial and when, in order to get the additional stress but not adding fatigue to other muscle groups?
    like, if i add dips than i add stress and hence fatigue to the shoulders and triceps which are already stressed systematically every workout.. what exercise can be used to get the desired stress for the pecs in a quantifiable and measurable way from workout to workout?

    I your opinion is not to add anything, i would also like to hear your thoughts and explanations for that.

    Thank you.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    53,562

    Default

    If you want to bench more often, go ahead.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Posts
    7

    Default

    But, wouldn't additional pressing sets bring to lack of adequate recovery of the muscles involved until the next workout day?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Posts
    7

    Default

    Well, I've decided to try the following:

    Workout A:
    Squat 3x5
    Bench 2x5
    Press 1x5
    DL 1x5/PC 3x5

    Workout B:
    Squat 3x5
    Bench 1x5
    Press 2x5
    Pullups 3x15

    This keeps pressing movements at 3 sets per workout but allows the bench to be stressed more frequently.

    The reason for the bench being first every workout is that it provides decent warmup for the press, but the press does not do so for the bench..
    I can go right into a heavy 5 RM press set after doing the heavy bench (with the normal rest between sets ofcourse..
    Note: the press will be with less weight than it would be if it was first but hopefully progress will be possible in the same manner).

    This still enables 3 sets of 5 RM for both bench and press over an A-B interval.

    I'll try to update on that once enough data is accumulated.

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