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Question on Chest

T

tgw85

New member
I've seen some pics of Arnold around age 20, and in some of the younger pics the very bottom of his chest looks slightly thicker then some pics of him in his prime age 27/28, almost like even though as his whole chest grew the very bottom got thinner?

I'll use this pic of him to phrase my question:
http://img602.imageshack.us/img602/8468/m43u.jpg

In this pic, if his very lower chest (nipple line-down) grew, of course along with the rest of the chest, would this very bottom part get thicker? Or does gravity pull on the bottom in such a way that would make it get thinner, even though the fibers were growing?

Please specify which question you are answering, so I know for sure.
BTW this IS a legit question, just confused.
 
I'm responding to this quickly but he was working on perfection so he maybe reduced his lower pec size to come more inline with his upper body.
 
weirdo question...
my opinion is either the pictures you see of older arnold are when he's leaner for the olympia or mr universe so his less fat on his body makes this part look smaller.. or..

the pictures you look at aren't really comparable.. or..

As he got older he brought his upper pecs up on par with the lower chest making his lower chest appear smaller when in fact it got bigger but the upper chest got way bigger.. ??

Why dont you put both pics up that your comparing so we know what your talking about
 
My guess would be he's leaner in most of the later photos and has also brought up his upper chest thickness, which would make the lower chest appear smaller.
 
ebagz said:
weirdo question...
my opinion is either the pictures you see of older arnold are when he's leaner for the olympia or mr universe so his less fat on his body makes this part look smaller.. or..

the pictures you look at aren't really comparable.. or..

As he got older he brought his upper pecs up on par with the lower chest making his lower chest appear smaller when in fact it got bigger but the upper chest got way bigger.. ??

Why dont you put both pics up that your comparing so we know what your talking about
Click to expand...

I know the pics may not be the best to compare to but for now that's all could find. But I'm just curious is all.
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/6447/437r.jpg
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/9302/schwarzenegger.jpg
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7647/m220.jpg
http://img574.imageshack.us/img574/7029/m693.jpg
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/4474/ar280.jpg
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/7611/ar59.jpg
 
tgw85 said:
I know the pics may not be the best to compare to but for now that's all could find. But I'm just curious is all.
437r.jpg"][COLOR=

schwarzenegger.jpg"][COLOR=

m220.jpg"][COLOR=

m693.jpg"][COLOR=

ar280.jpg
"]http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/4474/ar280.jpg[/img][/URL]
ar59.jpg
Click to expand...


fixed......


Or maybenot wtf have you done arg!@#$%#@$
 
Last edited:
He's got just as much lower pec thickness and hang in the later photos as he had in the earlier, if not more. In the later photos he has far more bulk everywhere else to even it up.
 
I think you've answered your own question with your diagram, his upper chest just has more mass which results in his lower chest not looking "as" big.
 
ok, so while we are on this subject, and please correct me if im wrong, but to work the lower chest, would you be doing decline bench press and fly's? and to work the upper, doing incline etc etc? Also, to work the inner part of the chest, is doing close grip bench press the way to go?

or am i just talking S#!T?
 
labz2233 said:
ok, so while we are on this subject, and please correct me if im wrong, but to work the lower chest, would you be doing decline bench press and fly's? and to work the upper, doing incline etc etc? Also, to work the inner part of the chest, is doing close grip bench press the way to go?

or am i just talking S#!T?
Click to expand...

Talking shit mostly. You'll get the entire muscle belly just benching.
 
The early days of Arnolds career, he was solely focused on increasing muscle size with scant regard to definition, I think he was benching 450 or 500lb unassisted. It was only with the size he wanted that he began to really smash isolation exercises to chisel up and get the seperation and definition.

If I remember correcly, he devised a routine to do chest and back as "one superset" - alternating between chest and lat exercises - so working chest / lats rest, working lats / chest rests and so fourth.
 
well, that does make me feel a bit better...

so is there a way to work more of a specific area in the chest, or stop talking and do some weights?
 
There isn't really. The chest is a very small muscle and has from memory two heads, both adequately covered by barbell benching, dumbbell benching and dips. Flyes work well for some extra volume as do low inclines, but I can't see a reason for anymore than 8-10 sets or 2-3 exercises.

Just bring your bench up as high as possible (your weakness there will mostly be shoulders and triceps) so something like:

Chest/shoulders/tris
3x8-10 Bench
3x8-10 Military Press
3x8-10 Skull crushers

Or if doing a 4 or 5 day split:

'Chest'
3x8-10 Bench Press
3x8-10 Incline or dumbbell press
2x10-12 BW Dips or flyes (just to get some blood to the muscle)
 
You have to gain the muscle mass first, so do a 5x5 or PTC beginner style programme and once you have the foundations so to speak, then you can start doing isolation style exercises like cable flyes, incline/decline etc etc to define your physique if thats what you want to do.
 
you know the simple answer to the questions could be flexed and not flexed,

as you flex your pecs the muscle belly lifts up, you get a similar result when your pecs are pumped aswell.

But he has hell huge pecs. they are so big they over hang like breasts! Here are a few better pics

arnold-schwarzenegger-bodybuilding.jpg


arnold-schwarzenegger-training.jpg


arnold.jpg
 
Last edited:
You cant really isolate one part of the chest but incline activates more upper pec than flat bench, and theres alot of studies that show wide reverse grip bench activates more upper pec than incline.

Doesn't matter a great deal unless your planning on competing as a bodybuilder.. but I do see alot of guys whose pecs look more like breasts because the lower pec is big and upper pec is non existent.. but that could be more genetics than anything.
 
ok, good good info,

well, i suppose i wanted to know cos i look like i have man boobs, not bad, but while i still have too much body fat, if i can make my pecs look more square, then they wont look like man boobs as much...

wide reverse grip bench.. bit of a mouthful...not too sure how to even do that :D
 
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