Is Training Chest 3 Times A Week Too Much?
Table of Contents
Introduction
It is also very visible to them, unlike the back. Having a big muscular chest is something that every lifter wants. This article will explore whether training chest 3 times a week is overkill or whether it can actually work.
Is Training Chest 3 Times A Week Too Much?
For most people, training chest 3 times a week would be too much. A happier medium would be twice a week. However, this is also contingent on various factors.
If you are able to keep the number of sets and total volume low in each session of chest training, then you could train chest 3 times a week. If you are trying to train chest with high volume or high intensity 3 times a week then it would be overkill.
If you are using the bench press as your primary chest exercise in your chest training sessions, you have to be careful with how heavy you go. Heavy benching 3 times a week would be too much and is likely to lead to injuries.
Training chest 3 times a week is only ok if you are not sacrificing training the rest of your body in the process. You also have to vary the exercises that you use to reduce overuse strains and injuries.
Overall, you don’t grow in the gym. You grow when you are resting and recovering. Therefore, it is important to just stimulate the muscles. You don’t want to destroy them with too many exercises and sets.
Beginners Should Not Train Chest 3 Times A Week
As a beginner the focus should be on working all the muscles in the body each week and seeing which areas respond the best to your training. Everyone has a body part that responds the best to their weight training.
For some people, their shoulders grow easily, for others they have an easy time building their legs. Beginners should just follow a basic full body or split program to start with and see what progress they can make.
Don’t Neglect Other Body Parts
If you are going to be training chest more frequently it crucial not to make this mistake. You shouldn’t train chest more at the expense of training other body parts.
There is a time and a place where you can adopt a more specialised chest program. I will touch on this later in this article.
Don’t Do Too Many Sets For Chest
Instead the focus should be on quality over quantity in each chest portion of your workouts. Focus on working the muscle with the minimal amount of volume in each workout.
Rotate movements every once in a while to keep things fresh and spur on more muscle growth in the chest. Also be sure to not overuse certain pressing exercises. You could do an incline bench one day and barbell bench on a different day.
Try to use a good mix of dumbbells, barbells, machines and cables in your chest training. This will ensure that you hit the muscle from all different angles and get the best bang for your buck.
Specialisation Is Better For Advanced Trainees
They know what has worked for them and what hasn’t. They will also be acutely aware about which body part responds best to their training. A lagging body part can then be tackled with more specialised training.
Training chest three times a week would be a great idea for an advanced trainee who is lagging in their chest development. They could follow a specialised program for the chest for a certain length of time – 1 or 2 months.
In this time horizon they can keep training their other body parts at maintenance level. In fact, powerlifters who specialise in a certain lift train in a similar manner.
Bench press specialists will focus the bulk of their training around the bench and pressing muscles. They will still work the rest of their body, but the main focus will be around exercises that can support and build their pressing strength and improve their bench press.
Final Thoughts
Is training chest 3 times a week too much? This article has delved into this topic in detail. I am now going to summarise the salient points. Firstly, that beginners should not train chest 3 times a week or do specialist training at their stage.
Advanced trainees with lagging chest development can benefit most from dedicated chest training or a specialised program to improve their chest musculature.
Lastly, if you are going to train chest three times a week, it is important to ensure that other body parts are not neglected. You must also pay close attention to your volume and intensity. You shouldn’t perform too many reps and sets, instead the focus should be on stimulating the muscle.
Training more efficiently and often in this manner would yield the greatest benefits in terms of training your chest three times per week.
If you have any comments please leave them below. As always, stay safe and enjoy your training!
>> THE BLAST YOUR BENCH PROGRAM CAN ADD 50LBS TO YOUR BENCH!
