How to build pectoral muscles

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Scientists have found that these exercises load the chest to the fullest.

In order for the chest to become embossed, it is necessary to pump the large pectoral muscles. First, let's figure out how they work, and then we'll show the exercises.

How to build pectoral muscles

Imagine that the pectoralis muscle is the elastic that connects the shoulder, collarbone, and sternum. If you raise your hand to the side, and then pull on the elastic, it will move your shoulder forward. You constantly make this movement in everyday life - for example, when you close the door, push something with force, or strike with your elbow in the jaw.

Most pectoral exercises repeat this movement. The only difference is that they also use a barbell, dumbbells or crossover lines to create additional resistance.

The pectoralis muscle has two heads: the upper (clavicular) and the lower. Their functions are slightly different, and this is important. In order for the chest to be symmetrical, both heads must be pumped.

The fibers of the clavicular head are directed upwards, therefore, for additional load, you need to move the shoulder forward in the direction from bottom to top.

And in order to load the lower part of the pectoral muscle more, it is necessary to move the shoulder to the side forward and downward.

How and how much to do

Do strength training 2-3 times a week. If you are pumping all the muscles on each of them, include one exercise on the chest, if you arrange splits - 2-3 exercises per day of pumping the chest.

Alternate exercises to build muscle evenly. The bench press is great, but you shouldn't do it every workout because there are other good options.

Choose a weight so that the last repetitions in the set are difficult. If it's easy for you and your muscles don't get tired, they won't grow.

During the approach, do not fly in the clouds: concentrate on muscle work. It really helps to pump her better.

Do 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps. Don't get carried away with heavy weight. Especially at first, while you are not completely familiar with the technique.

What exercises for the pectoral muscles to perform

Lifehacker selected chest exercises based on data from scientific experiments with electromyography (EMG). With this research method, special sensors are attached to the athlete in the area of the working muscle. A person performs an exercise, and devices record the electrical activity that occurs in the muscles during their contraction.

Using this method, scientists figure out which exercises work best for the muscles, and determine the most profitable technique for pumping them.

1. Bench press

This is an immortal classic. The bench press has been studied up and down, and it engages the pectoral muscles 100%.

In the bench press, several joints work, and not only the chest, but also the muscles of the shoulders are strained. Do the bench press at the beginning of the workout: you do not need to tire the muscles with other exercises before it.

Lie on a bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grab the bar with a straight grip 1.5 times wider than your shoulders. A grip twice as wide as the shoulders only slightly increases the load on the chest, but it also greatly increases the risk of injury to the shoulder joint.

As you inhale, lower the bar to the lower part of the pectoral muscles, as you exhale, squeeze it back and repeat.

You can also do an incline barbell press. This option pumps the upper chest better than the bench press. Set the bench at a 45 or 60 ° angle and lower the barbell to your upper chest.

As for the bench press with a reverse incline, it will pump your lower chest no better than a horizontal one, so it does not make sense.

2. Bench press dumbbells

Scientists disagree on which press is more effective for the chest - barbells or dumbbells. Some say that dumbbells load the pectoral muscles more, others consider the exercises to be equivalent and advise alternating them to avoid a plateau. This is a good decision, because the bench press will work with larger weights, and the dumbbell press will add extra stress from instability.

Sit on the edge of the bench, lift the dumbbells from the floor. Lie with your back on a bench, press your feet to the floor, bend your elbows at a right angle, point your wrists with your fingers away from you. As you exhale, squeeze the dumbbells up, while simultaneously turning your palms with your fingers towards each other.

By turning the arms, you increase the range of motion of the shoulder: it not only translates from the forward side, but also crosses the body line, providing a greater load on the muscles.

As with the barbell press, you can practice with dumbbells and on an incline bench. This will increase the load on the upper muscle bundle.

3. Reduction of hands on the butterfly simulator

This is an isolated exercise: only one joint moves in it and mainly the pectoral muscles work. Reducing the arms on this simulator loads the muscles a little worse than the bench press, but it is almost impossible to get injured on it.

Sit on the simulator, press your feet to the floor, lower your shoulders. Grasp the handles, bend your elbows slightly. As you exhale, bring the handles in front of you, hold for a second and slowly spread them back.

4. Crossover of arms in a crossover

This exercise pumps your chest as well as a butterfly. In addition, here you can adjust the position of the arms and shift the focus to different muscle heads.

Set your weight on the two blocks of the crossover, grip the top block handles with a straight grip, and stand in the middle. Put one leg forward for stability and tilt your body forward slightly, keep your back straight. Spread your arms out to the sides to shoulder level and bend your elbows slightly to protect the joint.

As you exhale, fold your arms in front of you crosswise. Hold for a second and slowly spread back.

To shift the focus to the lower part of the muscle, bring your arms together at the bottom.

You can also load the upper part well, but for this you need to change the upper block to the lower one. Grasp the handles and pull them up and down and crosswise. The position of the body and the rules of execution are described above.

The following exercises are inferior to the first four in efficiency or have not been sufficiently studied. But they are quite suitable to diversify the workout and "finish off" the muscles. This means that you will be doing the exercise at the very end, after the main presses and knees.

5. Bench press

There is such a simulator in almost any gym. Performing an exercise on it is as easy as shelling pears: set the desired weight, sit down, press against the back, grab the handles and move them forward.

If you finished the exercise with effort, but at the same time did not bend your whole body, then the weight was selected correctly.

6. Breeding dumbbells on the bench

A set with dumbbells pumps the chest worse than presses, but better than push-ups.

Sit on the edge of the bench, lift the dumbbells off the floor. Lie on a bench and stretch your arms with dumbbells in front of you, fingers towards each other. Bend your elbows slightly to protect the joint.

As you inhale, slowly spread your arms with dumbbells to the sides of your body. As you exhale, bring your hands in front of you, returning them to their original position.

7. Dips on the uneven bars

Exercise works well on the lower pectoral muscles. You can do it without weight or with a weight belt.

Jump onto the uneven bars, lower your shoulders and bring your shoulder blades together. Bend your elbows and go down until your shoulders are parallel to the floor. As you exhale, squeeze yourself up and repeat.

8. Push-up on the loops

Loops add instability and strain on the pectoral muscles. If there are no loops in your gym that are not fastened together, do push-ups on the rings. Such push-ups significantly increase the load on the muscles in comparison with the usual ones from the floor.

Adjust the hinges or rings so that your hands are 30 cm from the floor. Stand in support lying with support on the loops, stretch the body in one line, tighten the abs and buttocks so that the lower back does not sag.

Perform push-ups keeping your body straight. Lower yourself as you inhale, squeeze yourself as you exhale. You can lower your chest below the level of the rings or loops - this will further increase the load.