Workout Anatomy – Pectoralis Major

The pectoral muscle does not have 3 parts, but for the most beautiful, most defined results, it can be divided into 3 parts. All chest exercises will work the entire chest, but there are certain exercises that more intensely target the lower-outer and upper third of the pectoral muscle.

The perfectly sculpted lower part of the pectoral muscle is straight at the bottom, the entire pectoral muscle protrudes from the upper body, and its upper third shows a curvature right up to the collarbone. The lateral parts of the pectoral muscle are curved, thus providing a perfect appearance, and this post is precisely intended to achieve this as effectively as possible.

 

BASIC RULES

1. Maximum 4 exercises for the pectoral muscle. More is unnecessary.

2. Two exercises should specifically target the middle third of the pectoral muscle, one for the lower-outer, and one for the upper third.

3. Warm up your shoulders thoroughly before chest training. You'll need it.

4. Many people make the mistake of working out in short-sleeved shirts or tank tops. On one hand, I understand this, because gym-goers are often quite vain. They want to see their bodies during their workout, but I would rather suggest working out only in long-sleeved sweatshirts. It keeps the muscles warm, thus avoiding injuries, and the muscle itself can develop better.

5. Know at least 7-8 types of CORRECTLY performed exercises for each muscle group and constantly vary them.

6. Breathing. Exhale when exerting force, inhale during the negative phase (when lowering the weight). Inhale slowly, the movement is also slow. Exhale quickly, the movement is also quick.

7. The ideal rest time between two exercises is 45 seconds.

8. Utilize the negative range as well. Lower the weight with resistance.

UPPER THIRD CHEST EXERCISES

Exercises for the upper third of the pectoral muscle are typically performed at a 30 or 45-degree angle.

 

45-degree incline barbell press

This is the sibling of the superstar flat bench press, which unfortunately did not have as big of a career as the horizontal version of this exercise. Since it is most often used in combination with the flat bench press, it is good to know that this is a much harder exercise than the flat press, so don't make the mistake of putting the same weights on this as you do on the flat bench press. If you're benching 80 kg, then don't put more than 65-70 kg on the 45-degree bench, but you'll figure that out anyway.

 

45-degree incline dumbbell press

The big advantage of the dumbbell version is that you can lower the weights much deeper than with a barbell, plus by squeezing the dumbbells together after pushing, you can achieve extra tension, which works the pectoral muscles even more intensely.

Chest press machine

There are two versions of this. One where you push horizontally, and one where you push upwards at 30 or 45 degrees. Obviously, we need the latter.

Cable crossover at 45 degrees

I like cable exercises the most. They are a kind of transition between machines and dumbbells. They allow for effective, intense workouts, not to mention that thanks to the adjustability of the pulleys, all three parts of the chest can be worked. Of course, here too, we need the 45-degree movement.

 

Single-arm cable press at 45 degrees

This is a bit more complicated, as it's important to keep your upper body stable while exerting force with one hand. To perform this correctly, adequate training of your other muscles is also necessary to counteract the one-sided movement. Stable stance, upper body counter-resistance, correct angle, powerful push.

Push-ups with feet on a bench. It's important to find a bench or anything of a height that allows your back to remain straight in the starting position, even with straight arms. Your feet, knees, hips, and shoulder blades should be in line.

Dumbbell flyes on a 45-degree incline bench

The dumbbell fly is a great exercise. It stretches and develops at the same time, and in the world of gyms, anything multi-functional enjoys great popularity.

 

Dumbbell fly on a fitness ball

Excellent exercise, in my opinion much better than dumbbell flyes performed on a stable, inclined bench, but the gym community looks askance at anyone who messes around on a fitness ball. For them, it's too gay. You understand, because staring at myself in the mirror for 2 hours a day is not. Anyway, dumbbell flyes on a fitness ball are better because they require more concentration. You have to actively stabilize yourself to keep the movement steady.

So, these exercises specifically target the upper third of the pectoral muscle. On chest day, choose one of these.

Middle third (full) pectoral muscle exercises

The body and arms form a perpendicular angle.

Flat bench press

Have you ever seen a gym without a flat bench press? Of course not, it's a fundamental exercise. The more of a beginner someone is, the more they can't imagine their workouts without a flat bench press. If you do it wrong, your shoulder will get messed up, which again brings up the greatest saying in the world, which goes, "I wouldn't let anyone near weights until they can do a proper push-up with correct posture."

Correct execution of the exercise: grab the bar with a grip wider than shoulder-width, and lower it to your chest, keeping your elbows back throughout. Not out to the sides.

Dumbbell fly

We've already discussed how important dumbbell flyes are. What we haven't discussed is that you should never do them with straight arms. There should be a slight bend in your elbow, otherwise you won't be able to decide whether your shoulder or elbow will hurt more, and besides, you can't train the pectoral muscle in a focused way with straight arms.

Pec deck machine

IMPORTANT. Don't just sit down at the machine as the person before you left it and push like a peasant; instead, adjust the seat to a height where your arms are perpendicular. More clearly, your shoulder should be in line with your elbow. This exercise provides an intense shock to the inner part of the pectoral muscle, so push it. This will create the line in the middle.

 

Machine fly

Adjusting the seat height is also fundamental here, only here the shoulder and wrist are in line, the elbow is slightly below. Slightly. So, it should be bent, but really only a tiny bit. What I didn't mention for the simple pec deck, I will now. Always bring your hands together, and hold them closed for 1-2 seconds, then release. Release, don't let it fall back.

 

Chest press machine

This is sort of a seated bench press, meaning if you're already doing flat bench press, don't overdo this one.

Incline dips

This is a classic triceps strengthening exercise, but not if you lean your upper body forward and push yourself up that way. At first, you won't be able to do it without assistance, but at first, many things won't work anywhere.

 

Push-ups

In my opinion, there is no machine or movement sequence that is greater than the push-up. This type of movement has completely disappeared from gyms today; specifically, in 10 years, I've seen someone do it maybe twice, even though it's truly great. If nothing else, add it as a +1 exercise. Don't do it for reps, but to failure at least four times.

 

Lower third pectoral muscle exercises

Exercises performed in a negative position and all downward movements

Bench press, flyes, cable exercises. By now, it's clear that these are the basic exercises and their variations for developing the pectoral muscle, and the only difference is the angle at which you perform them.

Pullover

The best exercise for the lower chest. I love it and hate it at the same time; I'd use it on every training day if I could, but as we know, you can't get hooked on one exercise all the time. This exercise can also be varied with a French bar, for example, but it's simplest with a dumbbell, because you don't have to fiddle with the plates.

 

Machine pushdown

Few gyms have it, but if it's there, use it.

Choose one of these exercises.

This is how an ideal chest workout is put together. A maximum of 4 exercises divided into 1-2-1. One for the upper third, two for the middle, and one for the lower third. I wish everyone pleasant, armored chest workouts.

In the next post, we will continue with training the biceps muscles.