how thick does the chest get from body weight vs weights?

[gotsmack]

I've been doing a lot of cardio and eating right since Feb and I lost all of the extra weight I put on last summer. Now that it's getting warmer I'm ready to hit the gym and start hitting the weights.

My concern is that I'll develop my chest and my shirts won't fit. I buy slim fit shirts and they're already tight (stressing the buttons) in the upper chest when I breath in all the way and expand my chest. If I buy a larger size the shoulder seam doesn't line up and there is too much material around the waist.

My question is, how much will my chest grow if I do chest exercises with weights? Right now my chest is only developed from doing push ups and planks. My lats are kind of developed from a long time ago when I used to do a lot of wide grip pull ups.

I need advice if I should use weights to work chest or just stick with body weight exercises to keep my chest small and tight.

I am also thinking of doing high reps with weights, but then I saw a Kalimuscle video and he does crazy reps and has a huge chest. So I'm uncertain if that is the method for me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SearchMaster]

Pectorals aren't a particularly massive muscle to begin with, and it takes YEARS of heavy lifting to get them large. You're not going to get enough growth by summer to make your shirts fit any more poorly.

If you want a bigger chest, go for it, and if your shirts start to get uncomfortably tight, lay off a bit. When people start lifting weights, they always say "I don't want to get TOO ripped", and that's really a laughable statement at its core. If only it were that easy...

 

[smackababy]

Pectorals aren't a particularly massive muscle to begin with, and it takes YEARS of heavy lifting to get them large. You're not going to get enough growth by summer to make your shirts fit any more poorly.

If you want a bigger chest, go for it, and if your shirts start to get uncomfortably tight, lay off a bit. When people start lifting weights, they always say "I don't want to get TOO ripped", and that's really a laughable statement at its core. If only it were that easy...

This. It isn't like you're going to just wake up one day and be like "wtf! I got too big!". Something that might be a problem, but only for a little bit (and it probably scares people off) is that if you have fat over an area, building muscle will artificially make it larger. As you lose fat, however, it will go down.

 

[norseamd]

I am also thinking of doing high reps with weights, but then I saw a Kalimuscle video and he does crazy reps and has a huge chest. So I'm uncertain if that is the method for me.

from what i have read somewhere endurance excercises increases muscle mass more than strength excercises do

 

[norseamd]

I've been doing a lot of cardio and eating right since Feb and I lost all of the extra weight I put on last summer. Now that it's getting warmer I'm ready to hit the gym and start hitting the weights. My concern is that I'll develop my chest and my shirts won't fit. I buy slim fit shirts and they're already tight (stressing the buttons) in the upper chest when I breath in all the way and expand my chest. If I buy a larger size the shoulder seam doesn't line up and there is too much material around the waist. My question is, how much will my chest grow if I do chest exercises with weights? Right now my chest is only developed from doing push ups and planks. My lats are kind of developed from a long time ago when I used to do a lot of wide grip pull ups. I need advice if I should use weights to work chest or just stick with body weight exercises to keep my chest small and tight. I am also thinking of doing high reps with weights, but then I saw a Kalimuscle video and he does crazy reps and has a huge chest. So I'm uncertain if that is the method for me. Thanks in advance.

why do you need a tight fit for your shirt

 

[z1ggy]

from what i have read somewhere endurance excercises increases muscle mass more than strength excercises do

Couldn't be more wrong. But solid citation from your source.

 

[sushiwarrior]

Couldn't be more wrong. But solid citation from your source.

I think what he's trying to say is high rep workouts (hypertrophy) lead to bigger (unflexed only) muscles than training for max weight with low reps (eg. 3x5).

 

[norseamd]

I think what he's trying to say is high rep workouts (hypertrophy) lead to bigger (unflexed only) muscles than training for max weight with low reps (eg. 3x5).

yep

sorry

 

[z1ggy]

Show me any where in this guy's work outs where he does "high rep" work.

Oh, he's the guy on the top of the screen when you first click the MAX OT link, too.

http://www.ast-ss.com/maxot.php

 

[Pantlegz]

Ask any bodybuilder how to get bigger faster. They'll tell you higher reps, weight doesn't matter at all Kai Green said something along the lines of I'm a bodybuilder not a weight lifter. Will lifting heavy make you bigger? Of course. Can you get bigger faster with much lower weight and a shit ton more reps? You bet.

 

[iluvdeal]

As far as dress shirts go, if you put mass on in your chest and shoulders, if your shirts are tight now, yes you'll need to size up. Don't worry about shoulder seams or too much material at the waist, you'll find new shirts that work for you there's a ton of brands out there. BTW alterations can easily fix slimming the waist of a dress shirt.

So I wouldn't hold yourself captive to your current size just because of your shirts. Don't just focus on your chest either, build your shoulders, lats, traps too and you'll get that v-shape. You'll look better in all your shirts if you fill out.

 

[Zivic]

Ask any bodybuilder how to get bigger faster. They'll tell you higher reps, weight doesn't matter at all Kai Green said something along the lines of I'm a bodybuilder not a weight lifter. Will lifting heavy make you bigger? Of course. Can you get bigger faster with much lower weight and a shit ton more reps? You bet.

at kai's level and considering a perfect diet and drugs, sure, high'er reps probably work best for him.... but please don't think for a second he hasn't done yrs of heavy weights. what it comes down to is overload. the simplest/easiest is with a lot of weight. You want to move the most weight you can for the most reps you can generally speaking.


if all it took were reps, why don't marathon runners have massive legs?

 

[norseamd]

at kai's level and considering a perfect diet and drugs, sure, high'er reps probably work best for him.... but please don't think for a second he hasn't done yrs of heavy weights. what it comes down to is overload. the simplest/easiest is with a lot of weight. You want to move the most weight you can for the most reps you can generally speaking. if all it took were reps, why don't marathon runners have massive legs?

thinking about that

if at 80% rep max you could do 5 reps then you would be moving more weight than at your 1 rep max

 

[iluvdeal]

at kai's level and considering a perfect diet and drugs, sure, high'er reps probably work best for him....

Yep, a beginner should not be on the same training program as guy who's been lifting for years and on top of that on roids. For all practical purposes Kai is a different species compared to a natural beginner lifter.

 

[norseamd]

Pectorals aren't a particularly massive muscle to begin with, and it takes YEARS of heavy lifting to get them large. You're not going to get enough growth by summer to make your shirts fit any more poorly.

genetics also play a role like they do with everything

 

[gotsmack]

why do you need a tight fit for your shirt

Because I'm a first gen Asian and we dress well or we dress like crap, not much in between. I don't have a better answer for you than that. Also, clothing is supposed to be fitted. I don't consider my shirts a tight fit even thought 1/3 - 1/2 of my shirts start to stress the buttons in the chest when I fully inhale and flex.

As far as dress shirts go, if you put mass on in your chest and shoulders, if your shirts are tight now, yes you'll need to size up. Don't worry about shoulder seams or too much material at the waist, you'll find new shirts that work for you there's a ton of brands out there. BTW alterations can easily fix slimming the waist of a dress shirt.

So I wouldn't hold yourself captive to your current size just because of your shirts. Don't just focus on your chest either, build your shoulders, lats, traps too and you'll get that v-shape. You'll look better in all your shirts if you fill out.

I thought about just working out and then buying new clothes, the problem is that it would take a year of seriously lifting to put on the size to fit into the shirts that i'm worried about now. I'd have to go from a 15 neck to a 16 and then up a full size in the chest (about 2").
These are nicer sport shirts, not dress shirts so they are sold in S, M, L sizes instead of neck and sleeve length.


I totally agree with you on working out the shoulders. Mine are definitely under developed. I'm ok on the lats and traps. I used to do pull ups every day and my lats are a decent size and my traps aren't big but they "pop", I think it's because I've been doing Hindu Push-ups regularly for almost a decade now.

 

[blackdogdeek]

I thought about just working out and then buying new clothes, the problem is that it would take a year of seriously lifting to put on the size to fit into the shirts that i'm worried about now. I'd have to go from a 15 neck to a 16 and then up a full size in the chest (about 2").
These are nicer sport shirts, not dress shirts so they are sold in S, M, L sizes instead of neck and sleeve length.

Where do you get your sports shirts? I usually get mine from ctshirts.com and they have classic, slim and extra slim sports shirts.

 

[Pantlegz]

at kai's level and considering a perfect diet and drugs, sure, high'er reps probably work best for him.... but please don't think for a second he hasn't done yrs of heavy weights. what it comes down to is overload. the simplest/easiest is with a lot of weight. You want to move the most weight you can for the most reps you can generally speaking.


if all it took were reps, why don't marathon runners have massive legs?

No resistance and endurance sports cause the body to become catabolic because muscle makes running more difficult.

Yep, a beginner should not be on the same training program as guy who's been lifting for years and on top of that on roids. For all practical purposes Kai is a different species compared to a natural beginner lifter.

At no time did I say he should mimic Kia's routine that was simply a quote that stood out. What I'm saying isn't anything new, look at any bodybuilding routine. I don't follow any of them but it doesn't change the fact that higher rep ranges result in more hypertrophy.

A quick google shows more than enough research to back it up. One instance below suggests the ideal range for hypertrophy is 65-85% they suggest medium reps but 8-12 is commonly used as a range which I(and most strength athletes) consider higher rep.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_hypertrophy_specialist

 

[norseamd]

Yep, a beginner should not be on the same training program as guy who's been lifting for years and on top of that on roids. For all practical purposes Kai is a different species compared to a natural beginner lifter.

yah i would say that kai uses roids

then (my guess)

now (my guess)

 

[norseamd]

A quick google shows more than enough research to back it up. One instance below suggests the ideal range for hypertrophy is 65-85% they suggest medium reps but 8-12 is commonly used as a range which I(and most strength athletes) consider higher rep.

honestly i would go for a wide range of excercises

do long reps like 20 or more, 8 to 12, 5 to 8, 2 to 4, and then 1 rep max

add in calisthetics, cardio, flexing, stretching, balance work, swimming, speed work, and some isometric excercises

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

if your chest gets too big, just buy some new shirts. that's a good problem to have. if you want to go cheap just pick up some of the slim fit shirts from jcrew factory or uniqlo or target. i'm guessing you wear your sport shirts/ocbds untucked. those have short tails so you should be good. if you need longer tails i think the ones at jcp are longer.

for dress shirts just pick them up from ctshirts when there's a sale or somewhere else and get them tailored. should be around 15-20 a piece for alterations. or get a mtm from ratio or something.

 

[gotsmack]

Where do you get your sports shirts? I usually get mine from ctshirts.com and they have classic, slim and extra slim sports shirts.

I've been going to different stores and tried on a whole bunch of different brands of shirts. The only ones that fit right are: Theory, Hugo Boss, Zara, and Club Monaco. There are a lot of brands that fit, but for some reason have a lot of material in the upper chest, but then are normal in the mid to lower chest area. Maybe that will be fixed if I work shoulders a lot? Then there are the brands that have a slim fit line, but they really mean people that are shaped like an "l" not a "V"

The Theory and Club Monaco shirts are the ones that currently stress the buttons when I inhale and flex. So it's just at both ends of the price range where my shirts are in danger of not fitting if I get a thicker chest.

 

[alkemyst]

There is a lot of skinny fashion out there. DO YOU WANT TO WEAR THE LABEL OR WANT YOUR BODY?

 

[gotsmack]

There is a lot of skinny fashion out there. DO YOU WANT TO WEAR THE LABEL OR WANT YOUR BODY?

Good point, but why can't I have both? I'm not looking to get big, just more defined which is increasing muscle and decreasing fat.

 

[iluvdeal]

What next? Worrying that working out your legs will cause your skinny jeans not to fit anymore? What is the world coming to?