11 top chest exercises muscle and training program option

Rounded pectoral muscles are now more and more popular. Such can be seen in many competitions right up to Olympia itself. AT In this article, you will learn how to pump up the upper chest muscles, What exercises are better to choose to build massive muscles with good proportions.

More details on how to pump up the pectoral muscles at home.

The main muscle we will try to increase is clavicular, which is involved in the reduction of hands by rotation in the shoulder the joint and is part of the so-called large thoracic the muscles.

Many amateur and beginner athletes will notice problems with building up the upper chest muscle. It is connected with so that many do not know about some of the features of this muscle. All the fact is that the top, bottom and middle of the chest have different innervations and therefore, you need to download them separately.

Read more: how to pump up the bottom of the pectoral muscles.

You may think that you are working on them when do bench press and other basic exercises for the chest, but the thing in that this muscle group includes muscle fibers, located at different angles, therefore, it is necessary here correctly selected set of exercises.

The upper part of the pectoral muscles must be pumped separately and in in case you just want to make the breasts in general It looked massive, and if the top is behind, then isolated elaboration is required.

One of the most common problems is to choose which upper chest muscles exercises are most effective to as a result, the torso looked decent and acquired the desired relief.

But don’t worry, we have solved this problem and will show you the most working options.

• The best exercises for pumping the upper chest
  • Reverse Grip Bench Press
    • Video – Reverse Grip Bench Press
  • Inclined push-ups with legs on a bench
  • Dumbbell Bench Press
  • Bench press in block simulator
  • Dips
  • Crossover Hands
  • Plyometric push ups
  • One-hand finger press
  • Sloping arms with dumbbells on an incline bench
  • Bench press at an angle
  • Dumbbell Pullover
• Training programs
• The main mistakes in training
  • Muscle overload
  • Exercise exclusively on the chest
  • Bench Press First Exercise At Each Workout
  • Doing exercises at the same angle
• Important aspects
  • Why can’t you build muscle?
  • How long does it take to bring the pectoral muscles to perfect shape?

The best exercises for pumping the upper chest

We offer you the 11 most effective exercises for the top parts of the pectoral muscles. They must be included in the main training program (based on your level of training).

Traditionally for pumping upper chest athletes use the bench press on an inclined bench at an angle of 30-45 degrees. Although this is not very effective, for comparison, the bench press horizontal bench loads this part less than five percent. At the same time, work increases on an inclined bench (almost twice) deltoid muscles.

True, there is a bench press option, now half-forgotten, which It works out exactly what is needed. This is a bench press on horizontal bench. But everything is not as simple as it seems. All feature in grip mode. For greater efficiency it is necessary use not the usual grip, but the reverse. To complete the exercise you will need a partner to help remove the bar from the racks and put back after approach.

With this method of doing bench presses, just the top part of the chest. Her activity increases by more than thirty percent. In this case, the activity of the shoulder and other muscles remains almost unchanged. It should also be noted that the weight for this exercise should be one third less than your working weight standard bench press.

Reverse Grip Bench Press

Level: Advanced

This is one of the best exercises for the upper chest. the muscles.

It includes a change of grip during the bench press, and aims to relieve the load on the muscles of the shoulders, and at the same time work on the top of the chest and triceps.

An important aspect: in the process of performing this exercise, other groups muscles begin to work only by changing the execution technique, and not due to the fact that you are performing a radically different movement.

Equipment:

• Lie on a bench and grab the barbell or dumbbell reverse grip.
• Keep your hands shoulder-width apart, thumbs tight grasp the bar.
• Now squeeze the weight to the starting position; no need straighten your elbows too much. You need to keep them slightly bent, when you bring the weight to the top position; fully straighten your arms here not required.
• Pull your elbows towards you and lower the bar to the lower thoracic the muscles.
• Then, push the bar up and return to the original position.

Tip: When you lower the bar down, you need to take the bar to position under the chest one level with the lower pectoral muscles (to where the upper abdominal muscles are located). It’s more convenient to hold the bar and at the same time it will be possible to achieve maximum load in the process performing exercises.

Video – Reverse Grip Bench Press

By the way, it is actively used by people involved powerlifting. But for some reason bodybuilders use. Although a more effective exercise is difficult to come up with.

Inclined push-ups with legs on a bench

Level: Beginner

This option of push-ups should be one of the required exercise, as it improves efficiency and intensity push ups.

This is due to the fact that the level at which your feet are in the process of doing the exercise, higher than the level, at which are your palms. Push ups are an exercise not only for the upper pectoral muscles, but also for the arms, back and shoulders.

He has another added advantage: position the body in which you perform such push-ups requires stability and the balance of the whole body.

To complete this exercise, you will need leg support, for example, a bench or a low Swedish wall.

When you just start execution, choose not too high leg support so that your body is in the process of working the correct position.

Technique of the movement:

• Place your palms and knees on the floor, in front of the support (bench, Swedish wall or platform). Press your palms to the floor, wide shoulders. Place your feet on a support.
• Try to keep your body in a straight line. Not bend down and do not bend your back.
• Bend your elbows slightly and lower your chest to the floor.
• When you go down, raise your head, but do not bend your back.
• Push off the floor; try to maximize elbows, but do not straighten them completely; then return to the original position.

Professional advice: If you take your pelvis back a little, you don’t you have to arch or hunch your back, doing push-ups, and this, in in turn, it helps to avoid the unnecessary risk of injury. Plug in buttocks and deep body muscles to hold your back smooth; try to use other muscle groups too.

Dumbbell Bench Press

Level: Beginner

We perform this version of the bench press on a bench fixed at an angle, and holding the dumbbells so that you can touch the clavicular head of the chest.

This exercise is essential to add to your regular complex for the pectoral muscles; it helps to achieve excellent terrain chest and pump up triceps and deltoid muscles.

Technique of execution:

• Lock the back of the bench at an angle of 30 ° – 45 ° and lie on a bench.
• Take dumbbells in each hand and hold them over your chest.
• Keep your arms straight; palms turned down towards the feet.
• Now lower the dumbbells to chest level, and again lift them to starting position.

Tip: when you lift the dumbbells to the top point of the amplitude, close hands and hold in this position until you stop feeling tension in the upper chest. Then slowly lower again dumbbells down. The speed with which you lower the dumbbells should be two times lower than the speed at which you lift them up – This will increase the load on the muscles. “Time under stress “(i.e., the time when your muscles are under stress) promotes muscle growth, so it should be used on to the maximum.

For beginners: after doing this exercise first times, calluses may appear on the palms and the hands will hurt. Gloves help you reduce stress on your hands and protect your skin. palms from rubbing.

Bench press in block simulator

Level: Beginner

This exercise allows you to hold your pectoral muscles under constant load.

Here’s how it works:

• Choose and set the weight that you can lift to the simulator, adjust the seat height convenient for you.
• Before starting, the simulator handles must be at the very top of the chest.
• Straighten, keep your head straight, bring your shoulder blades together.
• Squeeze the handle of the simulator forward; movement must go through elbow joint.
• When you bring the weight to the top of the exercise, stop at second and then return the weight to its original position.
• It is necessary to strive to ensure that the weight is not taken back during pauses while you do the necessary number of repetitions.

Tip: try to perform this exercise 8 to 12 times; on the such a simulator is not difficult to work, but you must take care of to choose the right weight and move from the right provisions, only in this case it will be as effective as possible.

Dips

Level: Intermediate

Many ignore or even neglect it, but push-ups on parallel bars is one of the best exercises for the upper chest muscles.

One of the biggest advantages of this push-up option is that it allows you to use a lot of muscle fibers.

This happens because in this version of the push-up exercise You do not use the bench as a support for the upper part of the body. Among other things, you have to keep your feet away from gender.

All of the above means that in order to keep body balance, you have to use more the muscles.

Equipment:

• Grasp the parallel arms and hold the body on height of outstretched arms.
• Take a breath and go down, hold your elbows a little divorced to the sides. You must feel how stretched chest muscles.
• Tighten your chest for a second while pausing at the top movement.
• Engage your chest muscles to push the body back to the starting position. Remember that this part of the exercise is necessary. perform as you exhale.

Tip: This exercise is by no means included in the complex only. for beginners. If you want to increase its effectiveness and increase load, in the future you can perform push-ups on the bars, using a belt for extra weight.

Crossover Hands

Level: Intermediate

If you want to pump up the pectoral muscles, you should try mixing рук в кроссовере.

This is a great way to dilute your training complex for upper pectoral muscles with new exercises and make work clavicular part.

An additional advantage of performing this option is that it allows you to keep muscles in tension throughout movement.

Equipment:

• Fasten the two handles on the crossover cables and grab them with both hands.
• Stand with one foot slightly ahead of the other.
• Keep your arms extended, bend your elbows.
• Lean forward without bending your back.
• Now bring your hands together by pulling the cables, and then slowly return to starting position.

Tip: bring your hands crosswise one above the other, pulling the cables the crossover closer to you – in this case you will increase the voltage and load on the muscles, and also work out the deep pectoral muscles.

Plyometric push ups

Level: Intermediate

Your usual set of push-ups on the chest can be a little dilute if you change the pace of the exercise.

In this case, plyometric push-ups are ideal. They are very effective for enhancing muscle growth because focused on the work of rapidly contracting muscle fibers in the upper parts of the body and, accordingly, help them develop.

Among other things, such push-ups are well included in the work triceps and front deltas.

The advantage of plyometric push-ups is that the more muscle fibers involved in this exercise, more you manage to develop strength and endurance.

Equipment:

• Take a supine position as if you were planning perform normal push-ups, keep your feet shoulder width apart.
• Keep the body in a straight line, straighten spine.
• Slowly lower your chest to the floor and squeeze from the floor as usual, the only difference is that your palms should be off the floor, when you are at the highest point of the exercise.
• If you can, try to go even further and clap your hands at this stage of doing push-ups.
• After that, return to the starting position.

Tip: It is extremely important to correctly calculate the time of separation of the palms from gender. You need to straighten your arms as much as possible before you do this. do it. If you lift your palms off the floor too soon or too late, miss the right moment and do not reach the desired high point so as to make cotton.

One-hand finger press

Level: Intermediate

This exercise focuses on the upper and middle sections. nursing.

Let’s talk frankly: even if your level physical fitness average or above average, raise high heavy dumbbells are not always easy and simple.

This exercise offers a good alternative because produces the same effect as the dumbbell bench press, but does not require such serious precautions during execution.

Equipment:

• Set the desired weight on one end of the bar.
• Feet shoulder width apart. In this case, to your left, in parallel with head should be barbell bar.
• Grasp the end of the bar with your left hand.
• Squeeze the bar up, try to straighten arm completely.
• Carefully return the bar to its original position.
• Repeat the exercise with the other hand.

Sloping arms with dumbbells on an incline bench

Level: Advanced

Some completely neglect the exercises for the upper part. chest muscles, performing the usual complex for the chest in the hall; mixing hands with dumbbells on a bench at an angle will help not to miss this important point.

This movement is aimed at the work of the nursing; you use your muscles in the course of its implementation, when you withdraw your hands in front of you.

In addition to pectorals, flattening arms with dumbbells involves deltoid and triceps. It’s just fantastic exercise, it helps to develop muscle perfectly.

Equipment:

• Lock the bench at an angle of 30 ° – 45 °; lie on the bench with feet on the floor on either side of the bench.
• Take a dumbbell in each hand. You need to keep them in neutral position i.e. your palms should be turned towards each other to a friend.
• Straighten your arms over your chest, keep your elbows slightly bent.
• Lower the dumbbells in a wide semicircular motion to the sides, until the end.
• When you bring your elbows to shoulder level, stop and then reverse.

Tip: the elbows should always be slightly bent; They have to stay in the same position so that you can move load on the pectoral muscles.

Bench press at an angle

Level: Advanced

When working on breasts, you can use a bench for training, locked at an angle.

This makes the front deltoid muscles of the shoulders work with a greater load than the chest. But if you set a goal to develop the upper pectoral muscles more, something will have to change.

To make the upper part work, you need a bench fix at an angle.

Equipment:

• First make sure you set the weight to the barbell.
• Lie on a bench, put your feet on the floor on either side of benches. Bend your back and bring the shoulder blades together.
• Grasp the bar with a medium grip. It means your hands should be shoulder width apart.
• Starting position: remove the bar of the bar from the holders and hold her over the chest. Hands are straight.
• Gently lower the bar to the level of the sternum. Bend elbows while holding the bar to prevent her from banging on chest.
• Tighten the latissimus dorsi muscles throughout the process performing exercises.
• Touch the bar of the torso, then straighten your elbows to return the barbell in the starting position.

Tip: To build muscle in the upper chest, Narrow the grip on the neck gradually while doing this exercise.

Dumbbell Pullover

Level: Advanced

Pullover is another often underestimated exercise for pectoral muscles, which not everyone understands and not everyone performs correctly.

Some try to use it to develop muscle chest relief, but I would like to immediately dispel this myth and to say that this exercise is actually aimed at work upper pectoral muscles.

Below is the principle of this exercise. The trick is that you must carefully follow the technique of its implementation, so that the whole the load was on the top of the chest, and not on the latissimus dorsi backs.

• Lie across a bench locked at right angles. Legs bent, hips down.
• Grasp the dumbbell with one hand so that it doesn’t hold horizontally and vertically. Arms extended and slightly bent.
• Move the dumbbell to the position above the chest – this is the initial position.
• Now move with the dumbbell over your head so that the dumbbell passed behind her head. Try to make the movement like this so that the dumbbell goes so far above your head so that she can touch the floor.
• You should feel your chest muscles stretch.
• Tighten the upper pectoral muscles and translate the dumbbell to the original position.
• Hold the dumbbell over your chest and tighten your upper pectoral muscles again. before you repeat the exercise again.

Tip: you should try to perform a movement with the dumbbell back and down behind your head instead of pulling the dumbbell too high above head – otherwise the whole load will not be on the chest, but on latissimus dorsi.

Training programs

It goes without saying that on some bench presses you can’t go far to them. add other exercises to the upper chest. It can be the same presses, but dumbbells already. And also breeding hands with dumbbells on incline bench.

The training program should be rich and varied. For example, this:

• bench press with reverse grip – 3×8-12
• bench press with a straight grip – 2×8-12
• dumbbell bench press on an incline bench – 3×8-12
• breeding dumbbells on an inclined bench – 3×12-15

Advanced Workout Program

1. Incline bench press: 5-6 sets x 6-12 repetitions.
2. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 5-6 sets x 6-12 repetitions.
3. Breeding hands in the crossover, lying on an inclined bench (20-30 degrees): 3-4 sets x 8-15 reps.

The main mistakes in training

Now you already know what exercises you need to perform for strengthening and training the upper chest muscles, but if you will make serious mistakes when performing the complex, all hard work in the hall will go down the drain.

This is what you should try to avoid.

Muscle overload

When you try to pay due attention to work on nursing muscles should not go to extremes in the process training sessions.

That is, if you have neglected exercise so far for training the upper chest, and this is your weak point, its just need to be strengthened, but not to focus on it the process of training in the hall.

But even if this story is not about you, try not to overload the muscles too.

It doesn’t matter why you do it – just strive to bring the body in good shape or you are a professional athlete – in any of these cases of three training sessions per week will be quite enough.

However, if you are a bodybuilder, a set of exercises for the muscles of the chest you will need to perform three or even four times a week.

Exercise exclusively on the chest

Even if your main goal is to work on your upper chest, so how do you want to achieve that ideal terrain that you always dreamed, try to work on the chest from different angles; perform exercises exclusively for specific sites and groups muscle is almost impossible.

Among other things, this means that the process of working on the muscles Breasts will need to train both legs and back.

This is important, because with an intense load on the legs in the body more growth hormone and more testosterone are secreted – and all the above helps to develop including the chest muscles.

It should also be noted that, if during training you devote attention and back muscle training, this is the most positive image will affect posture.

Bench Press First Exercise At Each Workout

You surely know that bench press is one of the best exercises for the chest, but it is possible you are not doing it on the most successful stage of training.

If you always start your set of exercises with a bench press at an angle, your upper pectoral muscles get tired quickly and the pace of work in generally reduced, which does not allow the entire complex exercises to the end.

Change the routine of exercise a little to increase their effectiveness; for example, do exercises on the bench first tilted so that you have enough strength then perform exercises with big weights.

Doing exercises at the same angle

Remember that if you want to build muscle, you can’t constantly perform the complex in the same way, otherwise the ability of the body gaining muscle mass is seriously reduced.

This does not only apply to what you do every time. the same exercises, but also to what angle of inclination you are working.

For example, try a bench press at an angle of 20 °, and then another version of the bench, but at an angle of 45 °. When you perform such exercises within one complex, they are more contribute to a set of muscle mass.

Important aspects

Proper exercise is necessary for the development of small pectoral muscles that are often overlooked during training.

The set of exercises listed above will help you strengthen and develop upper chest.

However, it is important to avoid the most common mistakes in the process. training (such as overload, for example) – then you will succeed build muscle mass and achieve symmetrical relief.

Why can’t you build muscle?

You may not be doing enough exercise.

Do exercises on the bench at an angle of 30 ° to 45 °, so that tap the top and try to include in your training complex exercises for both upper and lower parts of the body, because it also affects the condition of the chest the muscles.

How long does it take to bring the pectoral muscles to perfect shape?

Be patient and be prepared to work hard and hard – in order to eventually have well-developed and trained pectoral muscles require two to three years of regular performing strength exercises in the gym since the upper chest muscles by themselves are not very large.

For the same reason, it can be difficult to achieve beautiful trained biceps or pump up your shoulder muscles.

Sources: https://www.thefitnesstribe.com/upper-chest-exercises/