5 Common Mistakes Killing Your Chest Gains (and How to Fix Them)

Are you making any of these errors?

Mistake 1: Poor Exercise Selection

Why It Kills Your Gains

Many lifters focus too much on flat bench press and neglect other essential movements. While the bench press is a staple, relying solely on it can limit chest development, as it does not effectively target all areas of the pectorals. The chest comprises the clavicular (upper), sternal (mid), and costal (lower) heads, requiring varied angles of stimulation.

How to Fix It

Incorporate a mix of incline, decline, and flat pressing movements. Studies show that incline bench press activates the upper chest more effectively than flat bench. Additionally, including dumbbell presses and fly variations enhances range of motion and muscle fibre recruitment.

Mistake 2: Inadequate Range of Motion

Why It Kills Your Gains

A limited range of motion (ROM) reduces muscle activation and hypertrophy potential. Partial reps fail to stretch the pecs fully at the bottom of the movement, missing the opportunity for maximal muscle fibre recruitment.

How to Fix It

Perform each rep with full ROM, ensuring the barbell or dumbbell reaches just above the chest without bouncing. Research indicates that a greater ROM leads to increased muscle growth compared to partial reps. Additionally, incorporating stretching-focused movements like deep dumbbell flyes enhances muscle activation.

Mistake 3: Insufficient Eccentric Control

Why It Kills Your Gains

Neglecting the eccentric (lowering) phase of a lift limits muscle damage and subsequent hypertrophy. The eccentric phase is responsible for greater mechanical tension, which is a key driver of muscle growth.

How to Fix It

Control the descent of the weight for at least 2-3 seconds per rep. Studies confirm that eccentric-focused training stimulates more muscle growth than concentric-focused lifting. Implementing tempo training, where the eccentric phase is slowed down, can further enhance gains(9).

Mistake 4: Incorrect Elbow Positioning

Why It Kills Your Gains

Flaring the elbows excessively during pressing movements increases stress on the shoulders and reduces chest activation. Conversely, keeping the elbows too close to the torso shifts emphasis to the triceps.

How to Fix It

Maintain an elbow angle of approximately 45 degrees relative to the torso. EMG studies show that this position optimises chest activation while reducing unnecessary shoulder strain(11). Additionally, ensure your scapulae are retracted to stabilise the movement and prevent excessive shoulder involvement.

Mistake 5: Lack of Progressive Overload

Why It Kills Your Gains

Without progressively increasing resistance, muscle adaptation stalls. Repeating the same weights and reps over time fails to provide the necessary stimulus for hypertrophy.

How to Fix It

Increase weight, reps, or training intensity consistently. Research supports the principle of progressive overload as a fundamental mechanism of muscle growth. Implement variations such as rest-pause sets, drop sets, and forced reps to challenge the muscles further.

Key Takeaways Table

Mistake	Why It Kills Gains	How to Fix It
Poor Exercise Selection	Neglecting varied angles leads to incomplete chest development	Use incline, decline, and fly variations
Inadequate Range of Motion	Limits muscle activation and hypertrophy	Perform full ROM with controlled reps
Insufficient Eccentric Control	Reduces mechanical tension and muscle growth	Slow down the lowering phase
Incorrect Elbow Positioning	Increases shoulder strain and decreases chest activation	Keep elbows at a 45-degree angle
Lack of Progressive Overload	Prevents continual muscle adaptation	Increase weight, reps, and intensity progressively

Bibliography

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2. Barnett, C., Kippers, V. & Turner, P. (1995) ‘Effects of variations of the bench press exercise on the EMG activity of five shoulder muscles’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 9(4), pp. 222–227.
3. Lehman, G.J. (2005) ‘The influence of varying incline/decline angles on upper body muscle activation during bench press exercise’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(3), pp. 587–591.
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8. Roig, M., O’Brien, K., Kirk, G., et al. (2009) ‘The effects of eccentric versus concentric resistance training on muscle strength and mass in healthy adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis’, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(8), pp. 556–568.
9. McMahon, G.E., Morse, C.I., Burden, A., et al. (2014) ‘Impact of range of motion during ecologically valid resistance training protocols on muscle size, subcutaneous fat, and strength’, Physiological Reports, 2(6), p. e12033.
10. Clemons, J.M. & Aaron, C. (1997) ‘Effect of grip width on the myoelectric activity of the prime movers in the bench press’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 11(2), pp. 82–87.
11. Saeterbakken, A.H. & Fimland, M.S. (2013) ‘Effects of bench press variations on muscle activation and resistance characteristics’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 27(6), pp. 1824–1829.
12. Kibler, W.B., Ludewig, P.M., McClure, P.W., et al. (2013) ‘Scapular summit 2009: A summary statement from the international consensus conference on scapular dyskinesis in shoulder injury and rehabilitation’, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 47(14), pp. 877–885.
13. Schoenfeld, B.J., Grgic, J., Van Every, D.W., et al. (2019) ‘Loading recommendations for muscle strength, hypertrophy, and local endurance: A re-examination of the repetition continuum’, Sports, 7(10), p. 213.
14. Morton, R.W., Oikawa, S.Y., Wavell, C.G., et al. (2019) ‘Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men’, Journal of Applied Physiology, 127(3), pp. 615–630.
15. Schoenfeld, B.J. & Grgic, J. (2018) ‘Effects of drop sets on muscular adaptations: A systematic review’, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(10), pp. 2887–2895.

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