The pectoralis major is the large
fan-shaped muscle covering the anterior rib cage. Some people are
confused about this muscle as they believe there is an “outer” and
“inner” pectoralis muscle. This classification is anatomically
incorrect. But there is an “upper” and “lower” portion of the pectoralis
major. The larger sternal head of the pectoralis major, which originates
from the sternum, is the “lower” portion of the pectoralis major and the
smaller clavicular head, which originates from the clavicle, is the
“upper” portion. This separation is anatomically correct since each of
these two heads has a distinct action. Both heads insert on the humerus.
The action of the pectoralis major as a
whole (both heads working together) is to adduct the arm and bring it
medially across the chest (like when you are hugging someone) as well as
medially rotate the arm. The clavicular head flexes the arm and the
sternal head extends it. Extension of the arm by the sternal head can
only occur if the arm is flexed; the sternal head cannot hyperextend the
arm.
Pectoralis Minor
The pectoralis minor is a small, triangular
muscle, which lies deep to the pectoralis major. It originates from the
anterior surface of the 3-5 ribs and inserts on the coracoid process of
the scapula. The pectoralis minor’s actions include depression and
downward rotation of the scapula.
The Program
Chest Workout (Done two days a
week, i.e. Monday and Thursday)
-
Bench Press 3 X 3-5
-
Incline Bench 3 X 6-10
-
Flies/Crossovers 3-6* X 10-12
*Depending on your recovery needs, you
should do 1 or 2 sets for each angle.
Total Sets: 9-12
**All sets are stopped 1 rep shy of
failure. Training just shy of failure will improve your recovery time
and allow you to train your chest more frequently
Bench Press
I never really focused on bench press until
this past year. Everyone always said, “If your chest won’t grow, focus
on dumbbell presses.” Well I did that and still did not see the progress
I would have liked. I began bench pressing in the 3-5 rep range and
suddenly my chest started to grow. Why? Because I was pressing much more
weight than I could when using dumbbells. I also started to use a
little wider grip than before, which helps to increase the recruitment
of my chest while decreasing the recruitment of my deltoids and triceps.
This simple change in grip width completely changed the stimulus I
received from bench pressing. I had actually only changed my grip
because my left elbow was bothering me when I used my grip width I
normally did. So I widened it and BOOM, my chest loved it. Heavy bench
pressing is IMO vital for building a massive chest.
The question my clients ask me the most is
“when should I increase the weight for the exercise?” I do not increase
the weight on my bench press until I complete 3 sets of 5 reps for two
consecutive workouts. For example, today I benched 365 for 3 sets of 3
reps. Once I can bench 365 for 3 sets of 5 reps on two consecutive
workouts, I will increase the weight to 375. The reason I wait until I
can complete the given reps during two workouts instead of just one
workout is it pretty much ensures consistent progress. In the past when
I would increase the weight I used more frequently, I would often get
stuck at a weight for weeks. For example, when I was trying to work my
way up to 315 for 3 sets of 3 reps, I was increasing the weight I used
when I could complete the first set of 5 reps, the second set of 4 reps,
and the first set of 3 reps. I was aiming for 3-5 reps, so when I could
complete all sets as just stated, I upped my weight. While doing this I
had a hard time progressing. Not progressing for weeks can be
disheartening and frustrating. Thus far, this method of weight
progression, waiting until I complete 3 sets of 5 reps for two
consecutive workouts, has worked well.
Incline Bench Press
The incline bench press targets the often
underdeveloped clavicular head of the pecs. Some may feel that you
cannot really target the clavicular head of the pecs, but the difference
in the origin (sternum vs. clavicle) of the muscle fibers makes it
possible. When doing incline bench, you should lower the bar to the top
of your clavicle and really focus on pushing your chest up and
stretching your pecs. One thing that I have found to help the
development of my upper chest is to pause (I pause for 3 seconds) when
you are in the fully stretched position, but not resting the bar on your
chest. This isometric contraction targets the clavicular fibers and
allows you to fully recruit them.
During the concentric portion of the lift,
you want to focus on using the clavicular fibers of the pecs and not
your deltoids or triceps. In order to fully accomplish this, I would
recommend using a lighter load than you would normally press. Say you
can normally do 225 lbs for 6 reps. Drop the weight down to 185 lbs, go
for 6 reps, and really focus on the execution of each rep and add in the
isometric pause. Unlike bench press where the goal is to use a heavy
load and to stimulate the entire chest, incline bench presses focuses on
targeting the clavicular fibers of the chest, which are often hard for
people to train correctly.
Flies/Cable Crossovers
The final exercise for this routine is DB
flies, cable flies, or cable crossovers. If you choose to do DB or cable
flies, I recommend doing 1-2 sets of flat flies, 1-2 sets of incline
flies, and 1-2 sets of decline. If you choose to do cable crossovers, I
recommend doing 1-2 sets of high pulley crossovers, 1-2 sets with the
pulleys set at shoulder height, and 1-2 sets of low-pulley crossovers. I
do not like the term “shaping exercise”, so I will just say this setup
allows you to hit the pecs for all angles.
These exercises allow you to fully bring
your arms medially across your body, leading to a hard contraction of
the pecs. These isolation exercises are done in a higher rep range as
ROM and a solid contraction are of prime importance.
About the author:
Derek “The Beast”
Charlebois is an ACE certified personal trainer, competitive
bodybuilder, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from The
University of Michigan. Derek is the Promotions Coordinator/R&D at
Scivation/Primaforce and is involved in coordinating promotions,
research
and development,
advertising, and marketing. Derek is an accomplished author with
articles on such websites as Bodybuilding.com, Bulknutrition.com, the
online magazines StrengthAndScience.com and MusclesAndCuts.com, and is a
contributing author to the book Game Over:
The Final Showtime Cut Diet
You’ll Ever Need!
Derek is available for online personal training; personal training
inquiries can be sent to
derek@scivation.com. His website is
www.beastpersonaltraining.com.
Natural
Bodybuilding at its Finest - Lift for Life.com |
