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While most of the trainers train all of their body muscles, it is possible to skip a few muscles and focus on the rest. The best example is all of the guys who don't care about the legs and can end up looking like chickens. What I'm looking for is more example for this unevenness.

How would a guy that only does chest-press but never chest-fly look like?

How would a guy that only does back exercises but not shoulders look like?

How would a guy that only does triceps exercises but not biceps look like?

Is there anywhere photos of such cases?

Although I'm curious about the subject in general, specifically I'm a bit more interested in the first example (chest-press without chest-flies) because that's my current workout due to itching shoulders.

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The biggest outcome you should be worried about is the potential for injury. Someone with overdeveloped quadriceps and underdeveloped hamstrings will constantly pull their hamstrings when they play sports.

In a rather extreme case of this, I'll recount the story of one of my classmates on the basketball team. He started doing bench presses, and it seemed like that's all he did. Big solid chest, but looking at him from behind you would never know he worked out. In teenage logic, it seemed like all was well. One day, when he went to throw the ball in, he collapsed in pain. Apparently the doctor told him that because the back was underdeveloped, his chest separated his sternum. Had his back been stronger, it would have kept his ribcage together.

Now, there are several types of back exercises you can do. My personal routine involves the big four compound lifts: squat, bench press, overhead press, and deadlifts. I also have power cleans. Of those, the overhead press will help get more of your back muscles than the bench, and the deadlifts and power cleans complete the work that I need.

I don't know what "itching shoulders" are, or why that would prevent you from working your back, but I would strongly advise you to at least keep the muscles you are working balanced as much as possible.

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  • Thanks for your informative answer. I didn't say I'm not working on my back - I actually do, pull-ups and lying T-Bar rows, what I don't do is working on my "rotator" or whatever it's called that is affected by chest-fly exercises. Sep 20, 2011 at 20:12
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    With the rotator cuff, you just need to make sure you have enough flexibility and range of motion in that region before loading it with weight. I personally don't do dumbbell flys, but you do need some range of motion to get the overhead press right. Sep 21, 2011 at 12:12

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