The Anatomy of the Chest
Understanding the function of the chest muscles is a vital step before throwing yourself into a vigorous routine. In the body, no muscle group is an island, and a basic knowledge of how the groups function together will help prevent you from causing injury, while simultaneously informing you of how and why the workout works. This knowledge will help you concentrate on posture, form, and performance.The chest is made up of two muscles the Pectoralis major, and the Pectoralis minor.
Pectoralis Major: Is the large fan shaped muscle that is located on the front of the chest. It originates from both the sternum (breast bone) and the clavicle and inserts into the humerus. This muscle is responsible for flexing and extending the humerus, as well as adducting and medially rotating.
Pectoralis Minor: Lies under the pectoralis major, and is a much smaller triangular shaped muscle that stabilizes the action of the scapula.
The Top 5 Exercises for Increasing the Chest
Top Chest Exercise #1 – The Barbell Bench Press
The undisputed king of chest expansion for hundreds of years, the bench press has been the standard for increasing strength and size in the chest by experts around the globe. It is possible to perform the bench press in a few variations, but for the purposes of this article, we will start by discussing the wide grip, pec pounding bench press.
Lie flat on your back on a standard Olympic weight bench. With your feet flat on the floor and your glutes tight to the bench, back and head on the bench at all times, unrack the bar from the bench and lower it to your chest. Pressing your feet into the floor while maintaining a flat position on the bench, use both arms to drive the bar straight up.
Top Chest Exercise #2 – Explosive Push-ups
The standard bench press will only get a person so far when trying to attain more muscle mass in the chest. To supplement normal weightlifting, it is important to incorporate more rapid motions into any chest program. This is difficult to do safely with weights, so smart bodybuilders turn over and put their nose to the floor for some push-ups that will create the most powerful resistance through explosive movements.
To begin, get down on your hands and knees. Extend your feet back and hold your position with your toes. Place both hands approximately shoulder width apart, and begin by flexing your arms so that your chest lowers to the floor. With as much power as you can muster, push against the floor hard enough to pop your hands off of the ground. You can increase the challenge by trying to jump your hands up to elevated boxes, or by clapping between each jump.
Top Chest Exercise #3 – Inclined Bench Press
This top chest exercise is extremely similar to the standard bench press listed above in that it works the same primary muscle groups (pectorals, deltoids and triceps.) The incline of the bench press however places a great deal more of the workload onto the upper chest.
Top Chest Exercise #4 – Decline Bench Press
Again, another workout that is very similar to the standard bench press. It works the same muscle groups (pectorals, deltoids and triceps). The decline of the bench press however puts a great deal of emphasis on the lower chest muscles.
To perform, use a press bench that is adjustable and move the seat into a decline. Unrack the weight and lower the barbell until it touches your lower chest, upper abdominal region. Once again, you’ll need to keep your elbows turned in to your body so that your arms are at a 45 degree angle to your flanks. If you allow your elbows to drift outward you’ll be placing excessive stress on the shoulder joints.
Top Chest Exercise #5 – Forward-Leaning Dip
The dip is no joke. It's a tough compound exercise that makes great use of your bodyweight. However, dips are usually performed in an upright position to target the triceps. By simply adding a forward lean to this already-effective exercise, you'll stimulate more chest activity.
You can attempt to do this on your own, but if you really want to get the proper angle you'll need a training partner to help you get into the right position. You can easily make it more challenging by adding weight via chains or a belt.
A word of caution for people with any shoulder issues: Start with a small range of motion and listen to your body to determine how deep you can go. I always advise getting a full range of motion, but not at the risk of injury.
EXECUTION:
1. Place your hands on the bars and push yourself up until your elbows are locked. Cross your legs back with your knees bent, core tight, and hamstrings and glutes braced.
2. Have your training partner hold and pull your legs back until you're in a forward leaning position, using just enough assistance to get you into the right angle. Your body should be at approximately a 30-degree angle to the ground.
3. Lower yourself until your shoulders are lower than your elbows, or you feel a good stretch across the chest. Listen to your body and don't push through shoulder pain.
4. Push yourself up by extending your elbows to 180 degrees for a full range of motion. Visualize the pec squeeze as you drive up.
The important thing is to integrate these exercises into your daily routine among other programs. You do not want to have a series of “target chest muscle” days. Combine individual workouts with your other muscle group routines to get the optimal increase in mass for your chest. Increasing the size of your chest takes significant effort and a lot of time. While it’s ok to occasionally put some training on hold to target individual muscle groups, don’t let the other areas of your body fall to the wayside while concentrating on your chest. Now go hit those weights hard.
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