A weakness in your chest would be indicated by weak "Push" movements. If your bench press or incline press is weak, there is a good chance that it is your pectoral muscles that need more work (although it could be your triceps that need work too).
As always, we can fix this!
First, make sure you are using enough weight for your "Push" exercises. If you need to do 12 reps of bench press, make sure that you are using an appropriate amount of weight. Find a weight that allows you to do 12 reps relatively easily on the first two sets and pushes you to the max for the last two sets. Ask yourself if you are truly burnt out when your last set of bench press is over. If not, add more weight! Of course, for the sake of safety you should always use a spotter. If you do not have a spotter available, add more weight to your machine press lift since you cannot drop the weight on yourself while using a machine.
Second, make sure you are doing the pressing movements properly. Make sure the bar touches your chest at the bottom of the lift, and make sure that you push the bar to just short of lock out at the top of the lift. DO NOT arch your back when doing a bench press! This can harm your back and it takes pressure off of your chest.
Third, if you have long arms consider doing more dumbbell and cable movements. A regular Olympic bar may not allow you to put your arms far enough apart when doing a traditional barbell bench press. Use cables or dumbbells to work in a wide enough arc to really stimulate your chest. If your grip is too narrow, you are probably using too much triceps strength and not enough chest strength.
Finally, you may wish to add some extra isolation movements for your chest to your routine. A few extra sets of pectoral flys or dumbbell pullovers can work wonders for your chest. Don't add too many extra sets or you risk overtraining!
Good luck!
Article courtesy of
www.mogulnethealth.com
