Why Weak Chests Don't Matter (But This Does)

Stop obsessing over how your chest looks - here is the real truth about why the bench press is mostly just for show and how to actually use it to get that fit, wide-chested look.

Personal trainer Jermiah Blount explains the real truth about bench pressing. While it’s a great way to build muscle and burn calories, it doesn't carry the same injury risks as back training. He also clears up the myth that you can change your breast shape through exercise; instead, muscle growth happens all over. Ultimately, the chest is mostly for looks, and when combined with strong shoulders, it gives you the wide, fit appearance many people want.

0:00 - Meet the Expert: The Heaviest Method
0:21 - The Bench Press Breakdown
0:57 - The Truth About Bench Press & Bones
1:14 - Lift Heavy, Burn More
1:34 - Why Chest Imbalance Isn't Dangerous
2:07 - Bench Pressing for Women
2:51 - Calling Out That "$135 Chest Workout"
3:24 - Building the Perfect "V-Cut"

"Realistically, the chest, unless you're talking about getting off the ground, is a show muscle."

"Strong people aren't just built in the gym, they're built outside of the gym."

"If you have one side of your back that's overdeveloped and underdeveloped, now you're gonna have back problems. But if your chest is underdeveloped, you're perfectly fine."

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About Jermiah Blount: Jermiah has harbored a deep passion for health, fitness, and strength ever since his tenure in the Air Force. He finds fulfillment in assisting individuals in enhancing their lives by promoting strength, well-being, and proper nutrition through the utilization of Heavyish principles.

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#fitnesstips #strengthtraining #chestworkout

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

When you think about the bench press, it's a gym bro or dude exercise, especially aesthetically. Businessmen that like to wear a button-up shirt. If you can develop your upper side of the chest, it gives you that nice little V cut. So when you walk in, it gives the illusion of this big broad chest, especially the lining of your neck. So if you pair that with a good set of shoulders, you could look realistically more fit.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Welcome to It's Supposed to Be Heavy with Jeremiah Blount, a show about strength, longevity, and building a body that carries you well for decades. Because resistance creates adaptation. And some things are supposed to be heavy. Let's get to work.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

My name is Jeremiah Blunt. I'm a personal trainer out of Franklin, Tennessee. I am the creator of the heaviest method. And today we're going to be talking about why everybody should bench press. Strong people aren't just built in the gym, they're built outside of the gym. When you're talking about bench pressing and things like that, you're primarily the focus on the bench press is because it's a lot major muscle grouping. When we're bench pressing, besides your shoulders and your secondaries and things along those lines, I really don't correlate bone density with the bench press, more or less, for just focusing on that muscle grouping when you're getting up and off the ground, pushing things along those lines. If you fall face first, push-ups, even pushing yourself off the ground, right? And then the deadlift will correlate with that because you still got to get your feet under you and things, and then you're standing up, right? So if you could stand up with 135 pounds, 235 pounds, then absolutely they correlate together. But the movement itself, when it comes to bone density, that's not what I necessarily focus on. When we work our major muscle groupings, you're gonna burn more calories. The bigger we can make the muscle, the more calories you're gonna burn. So stimulating the muscle and lifting heavy, right? It's just a repercussion. So when you lift heavy and you're stimulating that muscle, you're gonna gain muscle. That's just what happens from lifting heavy. So if we can increase that muscle size in the chest, stimulate your front delts and things along those lines, those secondary muscles, or your triceps, because they're the biggest muscle in your arm, they're gonna burn more calories. When we break down the chest, besides pushing yourself off the ground, is all aesthetics, right? Even if you have more upper chest than lower chest or outer chest and inner chest, that portion, even if you're slightly unbalanced in that area, isn't gonna cause a great difference in your body, unlike your back, right? So if you have one side of your rear back that's overdeveloped and underdeveloped, now you're gonna have back problems, now you're gonna have hip problems, now you're gonna have all these problems. But if your chest is underdeveloped or I've seen guys with great big shoulders and a huge back and everything and a little chest, and they're perfectly fine. Realistically, the chest, unless you're talking about getting off the ground, is a show of muscle.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Yeah. And women, I see women bitch press, and they develop muscle differently, but it's really attractive on women. It's more fit.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

It looks more fit, but it depends on the female and realistically how she's genetically developed, right? So, of course, we all want to have muscle in the chest, we still want to build those muscles. Uh, as an effect, women do tend to lose cup sizes when they start developing in certain areas because they're burning those calories. There are a lot of coaches out there that say they can build a chest by certain chest movements. There's actually one right down the road here, and she charges $135 an hour to come in and do a chest workout that's supposedly going to make your breast cup size larger. And it just it unless she's giving them a shot or something, I don't know because that's not how the body works, it just doesn't. So when you think about the bench press, it's a gym bro or dude exercise, especially aesthetically. Businessmen that like to wear a button-up shirt, if you can develop your upper side of the chest, it gives you that nice little V cut. So when you walk in, it gives the illusion of this big broad chest, especially the lining of your neck. So if you pair that with a good set of shoulders, you could look realistically more fit as long as your midline region isn't protruding over your belt.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

Thanks for listening to It's Supposed to Be Heavy with Jeremiah Blount. Train hard, recover well, stay capable, and remember aging is mandatory. Weakness is optional. See you next time.