I’ve got two problems: my legs are too big, and my chest is too small. I’d like to increase the size of my chest more than I want my arms to increase. Is there any good way to target pec muscles without calling on too much effort from my arms?
Also, my legs are too big. They’re almost entirely muscle, so cardio won’t do anything, but they’re just too darned big. Is there any way to keep them muscular and strong while making them a bit smaller?
Huh, that’s pretty much the opposite problem most guys have.
I’ll let Ultrafilter cover the chest but when I had the same problem with my calves, I just stopped working them. They stay lean from everyday activities but I don’t want them to get any bigger so I never do calf specific exercises.
It sounds like aerobic work like running or walking will help your legs become smaller but still toned.
As for the chest, bench presses with a wider grip will put a greater demand on the pecs than the arms versus a narrow grip. By wider I mean farther apart than the shoulders. Right at shoulder width is pretty balanced between arms and chest, effort-wise. Bringing your hands closer together on the bar will exercise the arms more than the chest. Also, you can try exerecises like the chest fly with single-hand barbells or on a machine.
And don’t forget to work your back muscles too! Your goal is to get properly proportioned, after all.
Seriously. I asked my dad (amateur bodybuilder) and he just said he was pissed that he didn’t have the same problem. We got distracted and I forgot to get a straight answer from him. I wouldn’t mind so much if I didn’t have to buy pants a waist size too big simply to squeeze my legs into them.
If your gym has a pec deck or seated fly station, that will work the pecs without working the arms. If you don’t have access to one you can do flys on a flat or incline bench.
How far is your daily commute? Commuting via bicycle may be your solution to the big legs issue. It will definitely keep your legs firm without adding (much) mass. If you add bicycling without increasing your food intake it will also burn some fat, if you have deposits around your glutes or thighs. Depending on your location this might be the best time of year to start bicycling.
Wide grip bench presses are for people who want to have shoulder surgery. If that’s not you, don’t do them. Close-grip bench presses with the bar right around the base of your ribcage will provide plenty of stimulation for your pecs. If you feel like you need something more, dumbbell bench presses are probably your best choice. Just don’t forget that you have muscles you can’t see in the mirror, and that they’re important too.
Flat bench flys and cable crossovers work wonders for my chest in the gym. If you’re interested in body aesthetic, making your chest look bigger, make sure you work your back bunches – especially the upper middle portion with upright rows and plenty of lat and traps work. If you develop your chest muscles without doing the same for your back, the muscles of your chest will pull your shoulders forward and sort of make you suck into yourself, making you chest seem smaller. Working your back will pull your shoulders back and improve your posture, making your chest seem even bigger than it is.
Well if you’re doing it with your grip really, really wide, yes. But if you’re putting your hands just slightly wider than shoulder width it isn’t a problem and you get the greater chest to arm effort ratio.
Regarding the legs issue, are you doing weightlifting for your legs? If so, I guess the answers above are useful. But if your legs are just naturally muscular, then you can’t really do much to lose muscle mass that would be healthy.
I’ll join in on doing flies on a machine if you want isolate the pecs.
Also, IMHO, most guys don’t make dramatic changes in body shape from weightlifting. They can make noticeable changes in muscle mass but you are largely limited by your skeletal structure, muscle belly size, and hormone levels.
I am interested in hearing more about this–I do bench presses with my hands elbow-width apart. That is, if I were to extend my arms straight out to the side, I grip about where the elbows are. Near the beginning of the lift my elbows pass through a right angle. What’s too wide, and why is that bad for your shoulders? I’m concerned because I’ve got one bad shoulder that I’m always babying anyway.
Sure, but that’s not a wide-grip bench press.
Like I said above, you want the bar to touch down just above the bottom of your ribcage. Try that with an empty bar, and you’ll figure out the right width pretty easily.
Since this is seeking advice, it is better suited for IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Just to reiterate what several others have said, if you want your chest to get bigger, make your back stronger. If you want to get your biceps stronger, make your triceps bigger. Muscles work together, so if you’re isolating them in one direction you’re not going to see the same gains you would see if you make sure to get them both.
There are two schools of thought, doing push-pull in the same day (chest and back one day, legs the next, arms the next day, and a light shoulder day each week, for example). The other is to work your push muscles one day and your pull muscles the other (chest, then triceps one day, legs the next, back and biceps the third day, and a light shoulder day, for example). Both work well, just remember to switch it up when you start to plateau.
Yes it is. Just not really wide grip.
Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I thought I knew a lot about weightlifting, but I never understood the true importance of exercising the back. It’s always been a secondary after-thought to me; something not to ignore, but nothing I paid much attention to. I’ll dedicate a lot more energy to that.
Here my latest “after” photo that shows my front, from about a month ago. Can you tell from this picture if I’m developing my back muscles enough?
