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Off-Topic Why do you need a big chest?

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Wolv3rus

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From my understanding, the other great apes use their impressive pecs to move around while hanging from trees. Its main function lies in adduction and internal rotation of the arm on the shoulder joint, hence it's big working connection with the lats.

I can't think of any sports or real-life situation (except weightlifting, duh), where big pecs really come in handy. Whether you punch, throw or push, the source of power are the legs, followed by the core and the shoulders.

Besides aesthetics, and the sake of benching a lot, are there athletic reasons to develop a huge chest, or are you just fine doing OHP and TGU?
 
Armor maybe. We don’t ever really think of muscle that way any more though. Even if it is merely aesthetics it doesn’t mean it’s useless. We are still upright forward facing bipedal etc. I think the ancient Greeks had a word for chest, though it alludes me right now, which went beyond just being “chest” (which is Stithos) and this word had more of a “manly virtue” meaning, like it was equated with heroic virtue. Again aesthetics. If you don’t want to bench don’t bench. The bench press is a very new lift. There was an old school bodybuilder contemporary of Weider called Vince Gironda and he wouldn’t alllow his bodybuilders to bench at all. He would tell them to do dips instead. I do dips and push-ups and have a broad chest. Like I said muscle is armour too.
 
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Kev said:
Armor maybe. We don’t ever really think of muscle that way any more though. Even if it is merely aesthetics it doesn’t mean it’s useless. We are still upright forward facing bipedal etc. I think the ancient Greeks had a word for chest, though it alludes me right now, which went beyond just being “chest” (which is Stithos) and this word had more of a “manly virtue” meaning, like it was equated with heroic virtue. Again aesthetics. If you don’t want to bench don’t bench. The bench press is a very new lift. There was an old school bodybuilder contemporary of Weider called Vince Gironda and he wouldn’t alllow his bodybuilders to bench at all. He would tell them to do dips instead. I do dips and push-ups and have a broad chest. Like I said muscle is armour too.
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That's a really good point. With that way of thinking, you're covering 1/3 of your anterior torso, esp your heart and lungs, to some extent.
 
Wolv3rus said:
That's a really good point. With that way of thinking, you're covering 1/3 of your anterior torso, esp your heart and lungs, to some extent.
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Muscles always a good thing. It causes bone growth too as the bones need to take the strain of the attachments. Muscle actually scars bones and thickens them. This is how archaeologists etc can dig up a skeleton and be like “wow this guy was a tank”. Muscle also raises the metabolism causing more calorie expenditure. Dips man. Dips rock and so does the humble push-up. Ring dips if you have an anchor point but even a good old fashioned dip station (if your shoulders can take dips) will build you some good chest armour. I begrudgingly benched when I was a barbell lifter. Anatomically all my dads side of the family are broad chested Gorilla folk from Armagh lol. I can do 20 push-ups and my chest just blows up.
 
Wolv3rus said:
I can't think of any sports or real-life situation (except weightlifting, duh), where big pecs really come in handy.
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Weightlifting

Weightlifting is a misused term by most.

Weightlifting is defined as Olympic Lifting.

Secondly, Olympic Lifter don't focus that much on the Bench Press or other type of chest training.

Powerlifting

Since one of the lifts in it is the Bench Press, it the focus involves more chest training; Dips, Incline Pressing, etc.

Chest Training

Some Chest Training (Bench Press, Dips, etc.) are functional for some sports.
 
There's plenty, plenty of sports that see carryover from the bench press to the sporting event.

The sports, of course, depend on whole body strength and not just pecs, deltoids and triceps. But you can't have weak links and more strength I always good as long as it doesn't take away more than it gives.

The bench press itself is also a whole body lift.
 
I bought something called the "Chest Krusher", and its made my whole upper body get bigger. It was expensive but man it really works the upper body. That plus dips and pushups is all i need for my chest
 
Is chest training so non-functional? I don't think you can even distinguish that much between "shoulders" and "chest" contributing to a movement.

Also, I think pecs have an important if underappreciated role as stabilizers in horizontal arm movement. Holding and carrying any large objects that are not training weights will require applying force from the outside to prevent them from slipping out, and pecs would be the main muscles providing that force. Ditto for any pushing movement with less than perfect angles - the chest may not provide much concentric force, but it sure should prevent the arms from going to the sides. I may be taking out of my rump here, but I think it would be a lot harder to deflect away a punch from someone with strong chest, even if that chest doesn't contribute much to the striking force.

Pavel has recommended kettlebell crush curls for combat types, claiming these will make holding a rifle in front of you easier. That would support my thinking from above paragraph.
 
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Hung said:
Things like bending pan or nails required chest strength
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I bent 6 inch nails without benching. I attributed that to a lift I saw Adam T Glass do where he pressed a kettlebell upside down in a crush grip with another bell attached via a lifting belt. That’s a hellish lift that is.
 
I’m pretty sure powerful punchers have existed since before the invention of the bench press.
 
Antti said:
The load of the implement in the sport has a lot to play in how much strength is needed. For example, javelin throwers need less than shot putters. Both have great benches, though, but they're more common among shot putters.
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Yes, a strong chest is helpful for many sports. OP mentioned a Huge chest, which IMO, less important.
 
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Kev said:
I bent 6 inch nails without benching. I attributed that to a lift I saw Adam T Glass do where he pressed a kettlebell upside down in a crush grip with another bell attached via a lifting belt. That’s a hellish lift that is.
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Good to know
 
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Don Fairbanks said:
Yes, a strong chest is helpful for many sports. OP mentioned a Huge chest, which IMO, less important.
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The way I took it, OP equated a big chest with a strong chest and both with a big bench press.

I'm not inclined to disagree.
 
Kev said:
I never considered throwers. Yes they are monsters.
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There are also some surprising sports where it helps.

I once read that all top sprinters in the World benched at least 300lbs. And when you're looking for the Olympic gold, you don't bench 300lbs unless it helps you. Ben Johnson famously benched 400lbs in the Olympic village.

And yes, before anyone points it out, Ben Johnson was the only athlete to use PEDs ever!
 
Antti said:
There are also some surprising sports where it helps.

I once read that all top sprinters in the World benched at least 300lbs. And when you're looking for the Olympic gold, you don't bench 300lbs unless it helps you. Ben Johnson famously benched 400lbs in the Olympic village.

And yes, before anyone points it out, Ben Johnson was the only athlete to use PEDs ever!
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I know what’s the odds? The one they caught was a juicer lol I’ve kinda always been able to just bench 200lbs whether I’m training it or not. I’ve not been near a barbell in 4 years but I know I could. Ross Enamait is the one that makes me laugh/envious. Just does dips and push-ups and when he feels like benching he unracks 340lbs without a spotter and reps them out. Sickening is what it is but good on him.
 
Wolv3rus said:
I can't think of any sports or real-life situation (except weightlifting, duh), where big pecs really come in handy.
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Actually, big pecs aren't very useful in weightlifting.

Many weightlifters never bench -- I do it only rarely.

If your pecs and anterior delts get too tight, it can inhibit getting into the clean rack position and the overhead position of the snatch.

Plus there is the issue of excess mass in a weight class sport -- it better be beneficial.

But horizontal pressing is useful in American football and rugby, where there is a lot of fending. I benched regularly when I played football.



 
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