I’ve mentioned how incline presses, with a barbell or dumbbells, aren’t efficient at building upper-pec mass.
That’s because the active levers, the upper arms, move toward your chin as you press. They should move toward the insertion of the pecs, the sternum…
That means flat-bench presses or a very low-incline press are best so the upper arms drive toward the upper breast-bone fibers. And be sure to include a set of stretch partials—or maybe even all sets…
I remember seeing the movie “Pumping Iron” when it came out in 1977. Arnold and Lou Ferrigno on the big screen was an inspiring sight—heroes come to life…
Seeing Ferrigno in his New York gym, ferociously attacking the weights as he prepared to do battle with Arnold onstage was awesome—but even way back then something struck me…
When Louie was doing presses, including inclines, he did only the bottom third of the stroke—rep after rep of stretch partials.
No wonder he was so freaking big. He knew instinctively right where the sweet spot of the exercise was—no wasting effort pushing through the top two-thirds of the stroke. That involves too much triceps and front delt…
So if you like inclines, higher or lower, do them in stretch-partial style like Lou. Perhaps hulking upper pecs will be yours.
Note: For a chart of stretch-position exercises for each muscle, as well as the IDEAL and contracted-position moves, see pages 42 and 43 of Old Man, Young Muscle.
GROW like never before: Get the complete Stretch-First POF Pre-Ex Workout as well as the Base-STX Workout, which both include the ideal exercise for each muscle and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves for mass, in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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