When fitness-minded people consider ways to get bigger and stronger, the chest is an obvious answer—but how do you build your chest? There must be more to it than just the bench press and pushups, right? Yes, there is absolutely more than just the basics and it isn’t as complicated as you might think.
In this guide, we’ll break down which muscles make up your chest and what they do, offer tips on how to train the chest properly, go through a variety of exercises to try out those tips, and include workouts to increase the size and strength of your chest.
Chest Anatomy
There are four major muscles of the chest. The biggest is the pectoralis major, which raises and rotates the arm inward toward the body. It also internally rotates the upper arm. The pectoralis minor is responsible for pulling the shoulder blades down and spreading them apart. The other two muscles are indirectly related to the pecs—the serratus anterior helps move the scapula up and forward while the subclavius helps depress the clavicle and elevates the first rib. The following workouts will focus on the pec major and pec minor muscle groups because those are the most connected to chest growth.
Tips for a Bigger and Stronger Chest
Because of the popularity of the bench press, lifters tend to focus on lifting the heaviest weight possible. Increasing the size of the chest requires a more varied approach. Commit to using a full range of motion and performing the reps more slowly.
Let’s break down the incline bench press as an example: Take three or four seconds to lower the bar to your chest, then briefly pause before pressing the weight back up to start with straightened arms. If you focus on the chest contracting and stretching more than simply lifting and lowering the weight, you’ll find that each rep is more productive and you should see greater results in the long term.
Training with a new angle will also alter the focus of your workout. If you perform chest exercises on a 30-45% incline, then the upper portion of the pectoralis major is more involved. The shoulders will assist as well, but the chest is still doing the majority of the work. Conversely, a declined bench position or performing an exercise while leaning forward will target the pec minor and the lower portion of the chest.
Chest Exercises
These exercises can be performed in a health club or at home if you have a barbell, dumbbells, an adjustable bench, and a rack. If you’re limited on equipment options, we will have alternatives listed at the end.
Incline Press
Lie on an incline bench that has a barbell in the rack above or lie on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand. If you use the barbell, you should hold it with a grip wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your feet flat on the floor, unrack your barbell and hold it at arm’s length over your chest. Slowly lower the bar until it reaches your chest. Pause briefly, then press it back up to the starting position. Do not allow your elbows to lock out.
If you are using dumbbells, sit on the bench and hold the dumbbells on your knees. Pick up your legs to help get the dumbbells up to your shoulders as you lie back on the bench. Make sure your palms face away from you and plant your feet flat on the floor. From this starting position, press the weights up until your arms are straight. Slowly lower the weights back down until they reach a point close to your chest and repeat.
Flat Dumbbell Press
Lie on a flat bench with a barbell in the rack or lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand. If you choose to use a barbell, use the same grip that you would for the incline press. Keep your feet flat on the floor. Unrack the barbell so it is at arm’s length over your chest. Slowly lower the bar until it reaches your chest. Pause briefly before pressing it back up to the starting position.
If you choose dumbbells, hold one in each hand and bring them to your knees. Roll back onto the bench and position the weights so they are at your chest with your palms facing away from you. Press the weights up until your arms are straight. Slowly lower back to the starting position and repeat for the desired reps.
Source: active
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