The Science behind “Monday is the Chest Day” at the Gym |
Posted: March 12, 2015 |
If there always seems to be a line for the bench press on Mondays at the gym, then there’s a good reason behind it. Yes, there is a scientific explanation for the seemingly pointless insistence of men doing chest workouts to start off the week. Even though you’ll find scores of “experts” claiming that this is simply bad science, a study conducted by the University of Washington leads us to believe that the inclination is pure instinct. What researchers found is that people are more interested in working their chest on Monday mornings because they want to look “formidable” for the rest of the week. They also found that men with greater upper-body strength are more likely to get angry, therefore getting results in their favor. So, would it surprise you if we said that most people tend to obey men who have more upper body strength, as it determines their fighting ability? The Psychology of Obedience to StrengthOne may argue that in contemporary society, physical strength is no longer an important benchmark for determining the social hierarchy of an individual. While this is indeed true, the basic instinct that has been drilled into our psyche still makes us seek the favor of men who have greater upper body strength, or alternately, to avoid getting into conflict with them. In primitive societies, an average-sized man had a lesser chance of survival than the stronger ones. Moreover, a stronger upper body is considered to be better for fighting than height, weight or a stronger lower body. For most of human history, and even in the few remaining hunter-gatherer societies of today, one-third of all male deaths are caused by violent clashes. That is why we instinctively know the type of men that we would like to side with in a brawl. We possess an innate ability to immediately size up the strength of an opponent based on his upper-body strength. Even though in the contemporary world we are more likely to be robbed by a stock market crash than by another person, the psychology of obedience to strength is undeniably true. This has been proven conclusively in a study participated in by college students from across the globe. The common observation from the reactions of these participants was that firstly, men with greater upper body strength are considered to be more formidable and commanding of respect when seeking to get something done. Secondly, it is believed that a person who is formidable is more capable of winning a fight. The Flip Side of the ArgumentMany trainers advise against focusing only on building upper body strength, and their arguments are not worthless. Overtraining the chest can lead to shoulder injuries that will force you to stop training, and lower body exercises are important for improved your performance in sports. Although the chest is only one of the major muscle groups, it consists of less body mass as compared to your thighs, lats and glutes (which also need to be strengthened and developed). So, why stick to only building your chest? Well, it seems that women prefer a well-proportioned guy.
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