Exercises for the pectoral muscles: a review of the best and most effective programs for men (with dumbbells and exercise machines)

Different sports require different underwear

Elegant models with narrow straps can be afforded only when the breasts are small and its owner is going to do yoga, Pilates, stretching or walking.
In this case, the bodice tag may say “low impact” - there will be support, but not strong. But if you have to jump, run, make sharp bends and lunges, it is better to wear a bra marked “high impact”: such underwear reliably fixes the breasts in an anatomical position. When buying sports underwear, consider a few rules:

Look for a suitable model from manufacturers specializing in sportswear. This is a guarantee that the product is designed and tested to withstand increased loads, and that the brand itself has the experience and authority and uses advanced technologies and materials. Don't strive for versatility. Be skeptical of claims that a particular bra model is suitable for any type of activity

In reality, versatility often means some kind of compromise. Pay attention to the straps. A sports bra with good support is wide and quite rigid.

The most comfortable models are those with straps that cross on the back, and for girls with large breasts this is the only suitable model. Bras with thin, elegant straps are only acceptable when doing walking or yoga. It is necessary that the top fits very tightly. The main task of a sports bra is to securely fix the breasts and dampen their vibrations, so the feeling of compression should be very pronounced when trying on a new bra, otherwise during wearing and after washing, when the density of the fabric changes, it will not perform its functions. Focus not on size, but on sensations. A numerical or letter size designation is only a reason to try on a sconce, but a purchasing decision can only be made after careful fitting. Make sure that the wide elastic band tightly clasps the core under the chest, and that the straps at the time of fitting are in the position of the least tension and do not fall off when bending over. The elastic elements will stretch as you wear them, but you can adjust the tension of the straps. Synthetics are better than natural fabrics. Modern artificial materials wick away moisture and heat just as well as natural fabrics, but are more durable, elastic and support the breasts well in their anatomical position.

Possible mistakes

Review of chest press machines
Sometimes an athlete tries hard to train his chest for a long time, but the muscles still do not increase, and it is not possible to achieve a noticeable effect.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ykp63xI3pgk

Professional trainers believe that in this situation, one of two main mistakes is being made - the bodybuilder is chasing too many repetitions at the expense of technique, or training the same muscle groups without even realizing it.

Therefore, it is worth focusing on the technique of performing the exercises, and not on the number of repetitions or using too much weight (it is better to do less, but correctly).

If possible, you should consult with a professional trainer or take several individual lessons to understand what is causing the problem and how to fix it.

Anatomy and functions of the pectoral girdle (shoulder girdle)

Chest belt

Your body is made up of joints, muscles, and structures that connect one bone to another. The pectoral girdle, also called the shoulder girdle, connects your upper limbs to the bones along the axis of your body. You have two pectoral girdles on your body.

The pectoral girdle is made up of two bones that make up your shoulder:

The pectoral girdles are responsible for providing structural support to the shoulder area on the left and right sides of the body. They also provide a wide range of motion by connecting the muscles needed to move the shoulders and arms.

The pectoral girdles on either side of your body are not connected to each other. This allows your shoulder and arms to move and function independently.

The pectoral girdle consists of two main bones: the clavicle and the scapula.

Collarbone

The collarbone or collarbone is an S-shaped bone located at the front of your body in a horizontal position. It supports your shoulder, encourages a full range of motion, and protects your nerves and blood vessels that run between your body's core and your upper limbs. The clavicle provides the only direct connection between the pectoral girdle and the axial skeleton.

Your collarbone is made up of three parts:

• Medial end. This part of the collarbone is attached to the sternum. The sternal end of the clavicle is triangular in shape and forms the sternoclavicular joint.
• Side end. This part of the collarbone attaches to the scapula. This flat piece is often called the acromial end and forms the acromioclavicular joint.
• Shaft. This is the body of the clavicle.

The collarbone is one of the most commonly found bones in the body.

There are also some physical differences between men and women. In women, this bone is often shorter and less curved, while in men it is longer and heavier with a more pronounced curve.

Scapula bone

Unlike the collarbone, the scapula bone, or scapula, is located on the back of the shoulder. It is triangular in shape and connects the humerus to the collarbone. The scapula provides the point of attachment for a number of shoulder and upper limb muscles to the neck and back.

Your scapula is divided into three boundaries:

• medial border (vertebral border), which runs parallel to the thoracic vertebrae
• lateral border (axillary border)
• top border, thinnest and shortest of the three borders

It also has two angles:

• side angle
• bottom corner

Trauma or fracture of the scapula is rare, but can occur as a result of severe chest trauma, sports injuries, or a collision with a vehicle.

Joints of the pectoral girdle

There are four main joints in the pectoral girdle:

• The sternoclavicular joint. This joint is the point where the collarbone meets the sternum. This joint provides a direct connection between your upper limb and the axial skeleton, and allows your collarbone to move in three different planes.
• Scapulothoracic joint. This is where the shoulder blade meets the ribs at the back of the chest, also known as the scapulocosteal joint. This joint relies on surrounding muscles for control.
• Acromioclavicular joint. This is the point where your collarbone meets the acromion of your scapula. The acromioclavicular joint, like the sternoclavicular joint, promotes movement in three planes.
• Shoulder joint. Also known as the shoulder joint, it is a hinge joint between the humerus and the shoulder blade.

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Where is the best place to study?

We tighten the inner part of the arm: we work with the skin and muscles

Numerous examples prove that the best exercises for developing the pectoral muscles for men are push-ups, various pull-ups on the horizontal bar, and exercises with weights.

You can train yourself at home, but it will be difficult due to the lack of special equipment.

Such training is suitable for young people who do not have the opportunity to visit the gym.

At the same time, to achieve this goal, you need to have at least dumbbells (preferably prefabricated) in your arsenal. A barbell will not be superfluous either.

Some athletes train on outdoor horizontal bars, but doing this in front of everyone is not always convenient, and even an ordinary winter can interfere with training. Therefore, it is better to install a horizontal bar at home.

At first, you can use various available tools as equipment. For example, water bottles will do.

If possible, it is recommended to consult with a specialist or at least study numerous exercise videos on the Internet.

So is it necessary to pay for a subscription, or can you successfully study at home?

A significant advantage of fitness clubs is the presence of experienced instructors who you can always turn to for help.

It is also worth noting the presence of all kinds of exercise machines and equipment, thanks to which men will be able to perform a variety of exercises in the gym to effectively work out the pectoral muscles.

A wide selection of dumbbells and barbells will allow you to increase the effectiveness of your workouts over time by increasing the load.

One way or another, the results of training will depend not on the place in which the bodybuilder trains, but on compliance with the correct technique and intensity of training.

With desire and due diligence, you can always achieve significant results.

How does it work?

The position of our body is supported by a cylinder-like muscular frame (core). Its walls are made up of the transverse, oblique and rectus abdominis, multifidus (deep dorsal muscles) and erector spinae muscles. The cylinder is closed from above by the diaphragm, and from below by the pelvic floor muscles. It is a three-layer muscle plate stretched like a hammock from the pubic bone in front to the tailbone in the back. The thickness of the plate is about 1 cm. If all the pelvic floor muscles contracted individually, they would pull in different directions. However, they work together to support the bladder and intestines, the prostate in men and the uterus in women, and therefore partly control the functioning of these organs. In addition, the pelvic floor muscles strengthen the rectal sphincter and urethra (Fig. 1).

Contractions of the pelvic floor muscles can be regulated by volition, but usually they contract unconsciously, in coordination with the work of the deep muscles of the abdomen and back and the diaphragm and help control pressure in the abdominal cavity during physical activity. In an ideal situation, intra-abdominal pressure is automatically regulated. For example, when lifting a weight, the core muscles work in ensemble: the pelvic floor muscles rise, the abdominal and back muscles retract to support the spine, and breathing is not difficult. If any of the core muscles, including the pelvic floor muscles, are weakened or damaged, automatic coordination is impaired. Then, in situations that increase intra-abdominal pressure, there is a possibility of overload of the pelvic floor, it weakens and the pressure decreases. If this happens repeatedly, the stress on the pelvic organs increases over time, which can lead to loss of bladder or bowel control or pelvic organ prolapse.

To work as part of the core, the pelvic floor muscles must be flexible, meaning they can not only contract and hold tension, but also relax. Constant tension can cause the muscles to lose flexibility and become very stiff, and pelvic floor muscle stiffness is usually associated with weakness, which can lead to urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, pain with intercourse and difficulty urinating.

What are the chest muscles?

6 Yoga Poses for Athletes with Tight Hamstrings

The pectoral muscle complex consists of the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor and serratus anterior muscles. The pectoralis major muscle belongs to the group of superficial muscles and performs flexion, adduction and internal rotation of the shoulder. Attached to the proximal humerus, it fans out to:

• the inner end of the clavicle (upper part);
• the midline of the sternum and the cartilages of the II – VII ribs (middle part);
• the vagina of the abdominal muscles (lower part).

The pectoralis minor is a stabilizer muscle, located under the major muscle, and moves the scapula inward, downward and forward. The serratus anterior is actually the lateral chest muscle and is responsible for abducting the scapula.

Start and Attachment

The PSM originates on the anterior surface of the eight or nine upper ribs and is inserted on the medial border of the scapula.

We recommend reading: How to strengthen the transverse abdominis muscle

Conventionally, this muscle is divided into three parts:

• Upper: 1st-2nd rib → upper corner of the shoulder blade.
• Middle: 2nd to 3rd rib → medial edge of scapula.
• Inferior: from the 4th to the 9th rib → medial edge and lower angle of the scapula. This is the most powerful and outstanding part.

Innervation and blood supply

The PZM is innervated by the long thoracic nerve (C5-C7 roots of the brachial plexus). The blood supply to this muscle is provided by the lateral thoracic, superior thoracic and thoracodorsal arteries.

Regular sconce is not suitable

When choosing underwear for everyday life, women, of course, think about how it supports their breasts. But they tend to pay more attention to aesthetic aspects. Many would rather buy a bra in which the breasts look attractive, and the color, style, quality and materials seem suitable. Technical issues of bust support remain on the conscience of the manufacturer, but brands with a name and history, of course, strive to do everything possible for this.

However, regular bra models are not designed to be used for sports. They were invented to lift and model the breasts, while during active movements the underwear is required to do something else: to press the glands, squeeze them and dampen vibrations that are dangerous to the organ. And everyone who remains in a regular bra during training risks not only damaging the tissue of a delicate organ, but also experiencing the inconvenience of slipping straps and even pain. Meanwhile, research by Joanna Wakefield-Skeur shows that the right sports top reduces breast movement by 53% for A cups and 59% for D cups.

Separately, it is worth saying that during the feeding period, the comfort and practicality of underwear come to the fore. Neglecting this can provoke the most unpleasant consequences. Exercising in a regular bra can create a favorable environment for such a disease as lactostasis.

What to do?

Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. There are surgical methods, but we will not discuss them. There is electrical stimulation, in which an electrode is placed on the vagina or rectum. However, the ability of electrical stimulation to increase skeletal muscle strength remains questionable, and side effects are common with this procedure. In most cases, patients complain of soreness, local irritation, pain and psychological discomfort.

Drug therapy does not strengthen the muscles, but can reduce resting pressure in the urethra by increasing the tone of its smooth or striated muscles. Alpha adrenergic agonists commonly used are ephedrine, norepinephrine, or phenylpropanolamine; imipramine, clebuterol, duloxetine, estrogen. Clinical studies confirming the effect of these drugs are few.

The urethra is sensitive to the effects of estrogen, data on its effectiveness is conflicting, and use is fraught with side effects, such as an increased risk of coronary heart disease and cancer.

For incontinence, experts recommend bladder training—scheduled urination. Their essence is that the patient urinates according to an individual plan, at certain intervals, and restrains untimely urges by contracting the sphincter. Gradually, the intervals between urination increase. It is believed that this restraint will increase the activity of the pelvic floor muscles. This method has been practiced since the 1960s, mainly for urge incontinence, but its effectiveness is questionable.

The first choice method is exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.

Is it possible to enlarge breasts, a simple solution to the problem

Another option for breast enlargement is an iodine grid. Iodine has not only antiseptic properties. According to reviews from many girls, it is really capable of enlarging a woman’s breasts. It is enough just to make an iodine network on the skin.

Iodine improves blood circulation. As a result of increased blood flow, the mammary gland becomes large. Most importantly, you need to take into account a number of conditions:

• Before applying, take a shower and wipe your skin dry,
• a thin mesh is drawn with a cotton swab, avoiding contact with the previous layer,
• the product should be dosed correctly to prevent burns,
• long-term use may cause problems with the thyroid gland,
• You cannot use this method after cessation of lactation.

The simplest solution to what to do to grow breasts is visual enlargement. For this purpose, choose a special bra with additional inserts, blouses with lush ruffles, and high-waisted dresses.

It has been noticed that the mammary glands enlarge as a result of supplementing the diet with certain foods. What should be included in the menu: protein foods, cereal dishes, foods high in fatty acids.

Small breasts can naturally increase up to two sizes during pregnancy and after childbirth. But in this case, there is a big risk that the sharply enlarging mammary glands will sag. Especially if the skin is greatly stretched and then does not recover.

Mistakes when training chest muscles

1) Incorrect technique

When performing basic chest exercises, you must follow the correct trajectory of movement. This is when the pectoral muscle comes into play. Often people try to lift heavier weights, and because of this, the shoulders and triceps are involved too much. As a result, the chest loses the necessary part of the load and stops responding to work with weights.

2) Little attention to the upper chest

It is the upper part of the chest that creates a visually massive shoulder girdle. Therefore, the emphasis in training should be on this part of the muscle. The lower chest responds very well to loads. Of course, if the goal is to increase mass, then working on the upper chest will lead to success.

3) Inadequate weights

A person must sensibly assess his strength abilities and take those weights with which he himself, without the help of a partner, is able to do the required number of repetitions. Often people take a weight with which they do 1-2 repetitions, and the spotter helps them lift the remaining 6-8, this is wrong.

Having gone all out for 1-2 repetitions, the muscle can no longer work normally, the spotter helps more and more, but such a load is not suitable for muscle growth. Also, if the weight is too heavy, there is a risk of injury, and this can lead to serious negative consequences.

4) Too many isolation exercises

Isolated exercises on various machines and blocks are used by bodybuilders to define an already built muscle. If the goal is to increase meat, then the emphasis should be on heavy basic exercises.

5) Exercising your chest too often

The pectoral muscle is quite large and requires a long period of time to rest, recover and grow. Therefore, it is recommended to do chest exercises once a week or two, but then divide them into high and low intensity training.

If you don't give your muscles a rest, they won't grow and your body will go into overtraining.

How to Draw Chests - 5 Simple Pectoral Muscle Lines

We're going to look at how to draw chests. Our goal is to make it as simple and practical as possible so that it is doable and actually helps with drawing. Let us know if we succeeded!

This isn't really an anatomy video, but it does have some anatomy bits that might be helpful. It's about the lines and shapes to pay attention to when drawing, which will help you see more clearly and will influence your drawings. Let's first look at the chest as someone just rests with their arms at their sides. Then we'll look at how the shapes and lines change as the hands do different things.

The large muscles of the chest are called the pectoral muscles or pectoral muscles for short.

Pentagon Pecs

Let's first look at these muscles at rest from the front. They are approximately pentagonal in shape. The upper edge runs along the collarbone. The central edge runs along the sternum. The lower edge runs through the chest. It then rises up and attaches to the arm bone. This last line is formed by the deltoid muscle that we saw in the shoulder video. The chest is hidden underneath.

So, roughly speaking, from our point of view, there are 5 sides. They won't always be clearly defined, so don't be alarmed if one or two disappear!

In women, as we will see later, these two lines on the bottom edge become a softer curve due to the fatty tissue in the breast, and in fact in men it is also very often softer.

Curved sloping chest

The pectoral muscles do not rest on a flat surface, they are located on the chest. We have a lesson about this shape, but let's take a look at it from above. Here in the middle, at the sternum, it's a little flatter, but it curves more as it gets closer to the sides.

For a person standing upright, the front is not completely vertical, but slightly tilted outward.

Movable bones

Keys The collarbones move up and down as the shoulders rise and fall. They move independently of the rib cage. So, if the shoulder rises and the rib cage remains in the same place, our pentagon will extend with it.

Arm Moving the arm is the main job of the pectoral muscles, so they must attach to the bone in the shoulder. They are attached a little down the bone and not to one point, but at 4 or 5 centimeters. As the arm rises, this point will be pulled up, stretching the figure again. As the arm moves forward, this edge will be pulled along with it.

Ribcage The rib cage won't move as much, so the center line and bottom edge of the rib cage won't move as much. What will change is how much the ribcage sticks out. When the hand is raised, the protruding nozzle will smooth out. This will affect the shadows and shadows you use.

Useful Shapes for Drawing

Flat triangle Just below the collarbones is a wider triangle of relative plane. From these two sides, everything begins to curve outward more. I find that it is often very helpful to draw this triangle to understand the relationship between the rib cages on each side.

The Little Diamond At the top of the chest arc where it comes to a point is quite high and actually protrudes between the lower edges of the two pectoral muscles. It's not beneath them.

A small diamond shape may form between the ribcages and abs.

In our rib cage tutorial you can learn more about the shape of the rib cage in general. Just repeating one thing: the arch on the front of the torso that you see will either be the sharp arch of the ribcage itself, or on a more muscular figure, and depending on the pose, it may be shallower and more curved. the arch made by the press sticks out at the top.

Muscle and Fat Closer to the lower part of the chest, both men and women have more fatty tissue. This adds extra volume and also smoothes out curves. The transition from muscle to fat is usually quite smooth, so there is usually no line, but it can be fairly clear when a muscle is really tight.

Nipples The nipples are not in the middle of the chest, but slightly to the side. But keep in mind that people's nipples can be all over the place, so they're not entirely reliable guides to structural features. However, it is useful to check the angle of the line between them when drawing, but don't expect that angle to always tell you much about the structural features of the rest of the torso.

Summary

So, when you have a pose with visible breasts, pay attention to these 5 lines. Does arm position stretch muscle lines? Was the bottom edge flattened because the muscle was stretching, or maybe you'll see the fat soften and curve. See if you can see that flat triangle -s. Note that the shape is not flat, but rests on the upper ribcage, which curves back as it reaches the sides of the torso.

Hopefully, instead of being overwhelmed when you look at a figure and see so much information, you can only look for these few things.

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How to enlarge breasts at home? Functional training

Before training, be sure to warm up: jerks in front of your chest, circular movements with your elbows, hands, arms, and shoulders. Moving your arms to the side and behind your head, changing the position of your arms up and down. In general, we repeat the course of school and student warm-ups in physical education classes. And only after warming up the shoulder girdle do we begin training. You don't want to tear a muscle or dislocate your shoulder, do you?

Push-ups from the floor and on your knees with different hand placements

It is in vain that many girls neglect push-ups, citing weak arms. So what's the problem? Get off your lazy butts and start improving your body. Tested: learning to do push-ups from zero to 12-15 times a week is real!

Push-ups with classic hand position

The easiest way to enlarge your breasts at home. Large load on the pectoral muscles + uniform pumping of the triceps and deltoid muscles.

Push-ups with wide arms

The technique is easier than the previous one by reducing the work of the deltoid group and increasing the load on the pectoral bundle. The wide position of the arms was invented for powerful pumping of the pectoral muscles. Don't miss your chance to have an amazing bodice!

Elevated push-ups

We present the most difficult and most effective push-ups only for the pectoral muscles. By performing 3 approaches 15 times a day, your dream of a luxurious bust will come true in a month!

Don’t believe that your breasts will take on a beautiful shape? Look at this photo. The girl worked on herself for only 3 months

Please note: before losing weight, the bodice resembled spaniel ears, now they are elastic apples

The most effective exercises for the chest muscles

The best exercises for the chest muscles are bench presses in various positions. The techniques give positive results when performed correctly. You can include the following exercises in your training program:

• Bench press on a horizontal bench. It is imperative to perform this exercise with a spotter, especially if you are working with heavy weights, as there are frequent cases of falling equipment and chest injuries. When lifting the barbell, do not place your elbows too wide, as this creates additional stress on the shoulder girdle. The good thing about this exercise is that it works several muscle groups at once: pectoral, triceps, biceps, trapezius, and partially deltoids.
• Bench press on an inclined bench with your head down or up - the technique is similar to the classic version of the press, but differs in that it creates additional load on the lower and upper parts of the chest, respectively. During the exercise, be sure to secure your legs under a special cushion on the bench so that they do not rise. The bar must be held with a wider than shoulder-width grip to properly distribute the load. When lowering the barbell, you want the bar to touch your lower chest. It is necessary to lift the projectile not jerkily, but gradually.
• Classic lifts on an inclined and straight bench. The exercise forces all the chest muscles to work at once, but you can focus on a specific area by changing the angle of the bench. On a straight line you pump the entire chest, on an inclined head down - the lower part, with your head up - the upper part.
• Bringing your arms together on the machine is the reverse technique compared to the previous one. When bringing your arms together at chest level, fix your body in this position for a few seconds to increase the time of muscle contraction, gradually spread your arms and relax the muscles.
• Dips - the exercise should be dynamic, so you will get the best effect. When lowering your body, make sure that your elbows are bent at a right angle, take a static pause, then push your body back to the starting position and repeat.

Pectoral College: A Smart Four-Move Plan for a Chiseled Chest

What will be most useful to you in life: mastering mathematics, anthro - or how to build a perfectly molded chest?

Unless you're launching rockets or digging ruins for a living, you'll probably choose the latter.

If colleges offered a course on building pecs—call it Chest 101—it might go something like what I'm about to teach you. This isn't like information you'd get from any old magazine, or from an old trainer, or from your roommate. This is hard, science-backed, gym-tested data designed to produce flawless results.

When you click play, you'll also see how I use resistance bands and other advanced techniques to create the ultimate guide to building great pecs. Follow this and you'll get an A!

You see, I was once just like you—if you had small pecs. And I tried all kinds of exercises and methods to pump up my chest. Unfortunately, none of them worked as well as I wanted.

Through my own testing and experimentation, I've learned that my chest responds best to low repetitions of heavy pressing movements, which are typically performed by powerlifters rather than bodybuilders. When I talk about low reps, I'm talking about 3-5 heavy reps.

So why does training with low reps lead to breast growth, but training with higher reps does not? Training with heavy weights and low repetitions stimulates more motor units and therefore more muscle fibers than training with lighter weights.

Gym, class

Okay, time for some science. Muscle contractions are signaled by action potentials (electrical signals) in the plasma membranes of muscle fibers. This signal is transmitted by nerve cells known as neurons from the central nervous system (CNS) to muscle fibers. The nerve cells that innervate muscle fibers are called motor neurons.

The motor neuron originates in the central nervous system and reaches the muscle, where it divides into several branches. Each branch forms a connection with one muscle fiber. A motor neuron and all the muscle fibers innervated by its branches are known as a motor unit. The muscle fibers of a motor unit are fibers of one type (fast or slow). Motor units are recruited according to the "Principle of Size", which states that motor units are recruited from smallest to largest. Slow twitch Type I muscle fibers are small, and fast twitch Type II muscle fibers are larger.

When lifting a submaximal load, smaller, slow-twitch muscle fibers are recruited before larger, fast-twitch muscle fibers are recruited, if at all. When lifting near maximum load, both the larger fast twitch and smaller slow twitch muscle fibers are activated simultaneously! You must lift weights to fully stimulate fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are the muscle fibers with the greatest potential for producing strength and growth.

The more motor units you can activate, the greater the stimulation of muscle fibers. So how can you gain the most motor units? Lifting HEAVY! So why not train with heavier weights (eg 3 reps) on every set and every exercise? Because although slow-twitch muscle fibers are recruited during near-maximal lifts, they cannot be fully "weighted" or stimulated. As bodybuilders who care about both size and strength, we want to fully stimulate ALL muscle fibers, which means we need to perform both low and high rep sets.

through the group

To achieve these results, we will use advanced techniques using resistance bands. Resistance bands offer a different stimulus for hypertrophy and strength than traditional free weight exercises.

For this workout you will need two different types of resistance bands:

• Heavy Resistance 2 ½" Wide
• 1 "Medium resistance

I recommend using SPRI SUPERBAND. SPRI Superband is thick, very durable and ideal for heavy-duty applications.

Hardcore chest workout by Derek "The Beast" Charlebois

EXERCISE 1 Bench press

7 sets of 3 reps

• Start with a lighter weight and add 20 pounds. in each approach, bringing your maximum weight to 3 repetitions.
• Taking a full two minutes of rest between sets will allow you to maximize recovery and strength to lift the highest possible weight for your next set.
• Using a Power Rack for the bench press in powerlifting is good because it has safety bars that allow you to safely lift heavy weights without a spotter. It's always better to have a spotter, but if you don't, you can still perform this type of bench press on the Power Rack.

EXERCISE 2 Reverse Band Bench PRess

5 sets of 5 reps

• Keep the weight where you left off on the bench press and attach 2 ½-inch wide bands to the barbell. Watch the video to learn how to properly attach the ribbons.
• For the next four sets, continue to add 20 pounds of weight gradually until you reach a maximum set of 5 reps.
• Placing bands at the top of a power rack results in less weight as you lower the bar due to the tension in the bands increasing as they stretch. The weight increases as you press down on the bar and the tension in the bands decreases. This allows you to overload the top of the bench press movement and increase lockout strength.
• If you hit failure before 5 reps, that's the end of your set. You don't want to gain weight and do a rest pause or drop set, done! The goal is to achieve maximum performance with maximum weight in each set.

Safety Tip: When removing the strap, make sure you leave at least 135 pounds on the bar, otherwise the bar will fly into the air due to tension.

EXERCISE 3 Incline Dumbbell Press

3 sets of 6-10 reps

• While I'm a big fan of lower rep training to achieve hypertrophy, I also feel that some higher rep work is necessary to maximize muscle gains.
• Personally, I find that my chest responds better to higher reps of incline pressing movements than to lower reps; Using less weight allows me to focus more on my form and really focus the tension on the clavicular head of the chest (upper chest).

EXERCISE 4 Incline Bench Press

3 sets of 6-10 reps

• Since we're using bands, you'll have to use less weight than usual for this exercise because the bands offer extra resistance.
• Attach 1-inch wide strips to the support beams directly behind the handle where you push the weight. Watch the video to learn how to properly attach the ribbons.
• As you push the weight forward, the bands stretch and you have to accelerate the weight faster. It also increases the eccentric portion of the movement, which increases muscle damage and can be beneficial for muscle hypertrophy (increasing muscle cell size). Avoid pressing movements that target the head of the sternum, commonly called the lower chest.
• Remember from your physics lesson, Force = Mass X Acceleration . To overcome the tension of the bands, you must accelerate the bars quickly, which requires you to apply more force than without the bands.

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Bench Press - Medium Grip

7 sets of 3 reps

+ 4 more exercises

Severe warning

This is a hardcore workout, and I recommend doing it once a week for four weeks for hardcore results. However, doing this workout for more than four weeks may lead to overtraining due to the added resistance from the bands.

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Common mistakes in training the pectoral muscles

When pressing, the barbell should not bounce off the chest. Also, you should not jerk the barbell, because when the load moves by inertia, your muscles are not loaded.

When pressing dumbbells at the end of the approach, you should not throw the equipment on the floor. This damages the rotator cuff. You need to place dumbbells on your hips and at the same time raise your torso. Then just lower the dumbbells to the floor.

Movements during training should be smooth and with maximum amplitude. When doing this, always keep your elbows slightly bent to prevent wear and tear on the elbow joint.

2-3 days before chest training, do not pump up your deltoids and triceps, otherwise the effectiveness of the workout will sharply decrease.

Additional exercises for the chest muscles

Non-standard push-ups for pumping up the chest without equipment:

Exercises in the gym:

Here's one exercise from Jeff Cavaliere. Suitable for the gym and home (who has at least one dumbbell or kettlebell):

Or this option from Jeff in a crossover, with rubber loops:

When creating this material, I have no idea where you will train and with what. Perhaps in a gym with an abundance of various equipment, or perhaps at home, you have no equipment at all, and not a single exercise is suitable for you. Therefore, here are training programs at home: https://makefitness.pro/programma-trenirovok-v-domashnih-usloviah/.

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• Individual selection of a set of exercises
• Training program for beginners - girls
• Workouts at home, or how to pump up at home
• Calorie consumption counter
• Training Plan for Beginners - Men
• Daily calorie consumption calculator
• A set of exercises for weight loss
• Women's diet for weight loss
• Weight loss exercise program for men
• Workouts for girls on relief with emphasis on the hips and buttocks

• How to pump up your chest - exercises and techniques
• 3 tricks that will make your pectoral muscles grow
• Essential exercises for breast growth: a personal trainer's view
• How to pump up your chest at home with push-ups
• Chest exercises for women

Crossover at the top block

The best chest shaping exercise to complete your workout.

However, in the first year of training you should forget about it until you have gained a sufficient amount of muscle mass. The exercise stretches the upper pectoral muscles as much as possible without loading the joints.

It is performed both standing and on an inclined bench.

In the latter version, the most difficult to grow area of ​​the “collar” (the middle upper part of the pecs next to the neck) is extremely loaded. The pace of this chest exercise is slow (carefully controlled).

In the contracted position, a pause is made for peak muscle contraction.

In principle, this exercise is performed from both the upper and lower rollers.

Read more about this exercise in the article: “Exercise: crossover from A to Z”

I also recommend watching this visual video:

Actually, that's all. I hope you found it interesting and informative. Until next time.

Please note: This video below is provided as an advertisement:

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The best exercises for the pectoral muscles

So let's finally get to our list of the 10 best chest exercises at the gym, listed in no particular order. In it you will find basic exercises for the pectoral muscles, as well as isolation exercises, depending on your training goals.

Bench press

Reason for inclusion in the list

This chest exercise is good for working the middle and lower part of the pectoral muscles, but requires proper technique.

You can generate maximum force by performing different barbell exercises, so the standard bench press allows you to lift the most weight. In addition, this chest exercise allows you to balance the weight better than an exercise with heavy dumbbells. The bench press is easy to belay and relatively simple to master. There are many variations of this chest exercise that you can use to increase strength and mass.

BENCH PRESS

Place in the training program

Perform bench presses at the beginning of your chest workout, using heavy weights but limiting your reps to low reps. Try different grip widths for a more detailed workout of the pectoral muscles.

Dumbbell bench press

A great exercise to tone all parts of your chest muscles. It involves the upper, middle and lower thoracic regions.

Reason for inclusion in the list

Chest exercises with dumbbells allow each part of the body to move independently of the other, this engages the stabilizer muscles. The dumbbell press requires additional effort to balance them, as it is necessary to constantly maintain the correct trajectory. Dumbbells also provide the opportunity to increase the range of motion compared to the barbell press, both in the lower and upper phases of the exercise. The dumbbell bench press will allow you to lift quite a lot of weight, and can also be a good alternative to the long-practised bench press.

DUMBBELL PRESS ON A HORIZONTAL BENCH

Place in the training program

Perform flat dumbbell presses to begin your chest workout, using heavy weights for low reps. We generally don't recommend this exercise in addition to the bench press because the exercises are so similar.

Their identity was confirmed through electromyography (EMG), which revealed no significant differences between them in terms of muscle activation.

Bench press at an upward angle

Reason for inclusion in the list

The main working muscles are the upper chest.

Often the bench is placed at a very steep angle, thereby forcing the front deltoids, rather than the pectoral muscles, to be involved in the work. Therefore, if you want to focus on developing the upper chest and not overload the deltoids, use a less steep incline of the bench. You can also do this easily with an adjustable bench on a Smith machine.

EMG results showed that a narrow grip allows for significantly better work of the upper pectoral muscles.

BAR PRESS AT AN ANGLE

Place in the training program

Often, chest workouts at the gym start with bench presses and later move on to incline presses, but it's time to break this bad habit. Start practicing incline presses from time to time. The advantage will be that you will be able to handle more weight and, as a result, better work the upper pectoral muscles.

Reason for inclusion in the list

Some machines (for example) allow you to work each arm separately, independently of each other, which is a great advantage for chest training. In addition to the usual position, in such machines you can sit sideways and perform a bench press with one arm across your body. This will give a completely different load than what would be in the standard position.

With such a transverse movement, the pectoralis major muscle comes into play. Think back to the butterfly or crossover exercise to get an idea of ​​the exercise. Sitting in this position, you maximally load the pectoral muscles, which means you enhance the effect of the exercise.

HAMMER CHEST PRESS

Place in the training program

Perform free weight chest exercises early in your workout because they require more balance and alignment than machine exercises. Therefore, the cross press in the machine is suitable as the last multi-joint exercise in your training program.

Reduce the amount of subcutaneous fat

No matter how pumped and developed your pectoral muscles are, no one will be able to see their movements under a layer of fat. Even with a normal weight, the chest will look round and too voluminous.

The optimal level of subcutaneous fat is 7-10%. With this indicator, you will have a sculpted body, where every muscle and every movement is visible.

It is not recommended to go below 5% - it is harmful to health.

How to dry your body

Perform the exercises described at the beginning of the article, and at the same time change your diet. You cannot starve or go on strict diets, because in this case muscle mass will suffer. And you worked so long to develop it. To get rid of fat, you need to follow the following rules:

1. Avoid fast carbohydrates. To achieve a beautiful figure, you will have to give up sweets, baked goods, fast food, carbonated drinks, chips and other junk food.
2. Complex carbohydrates before 2 pm . You cannot completely give up carbohydrates, because they are necessary for the normal functioning of the body. The main thing is to consume them in the first half of the day and in small volumes - 1 g per 1 kg of weight.
3. Limit fats - don't give them up completely, but reduce them to a minimum.
4. Eat more protein – To develop muscle mass and gain strength, you need to eat more protein foods. These products include eggs, lean meat, fish, legumes, and low-fat dairy products.

After consulting with your doctor, you can take fat-burning medications. The main thing is to follow the instructions and do not violate the specified dosage.

Soon your pectoral muscles will become more visible.

Types of simulators

There are several types of chest exercisers.

Conventionally, they can be divided into two large groups:

1. Press structures
2. Models for bringing hands together

In press variations, basic multi-joint exercises are performed that promote the growth of muscle mass throughout the upper shoulder girdle (chest, shoulders, triceps).

Mixing machines promote more isolated pumping of the chest. They are designed to improve muscle detail and give the breasts an aesthetically pleasing shape.

Next, let's talk about the most famous models

Hummer for bench press

This chest machine is one of the main ones in this segment, designed to perform basic movements.

There are:

1. Classic

They use a lever load pattern, and discs from a barbell are used as weights.

1. Modified Hummers

Here, a block type of load is used, and weight plates act as a load.

Smith machine

Another classic of the genre is the Smith machine, which pumps not only the pectoral muscles, but also other muscle groups. Read more about it here.

It performs basic exercises for developing the pectoral muscles - different versions of barbell presses - horizontal and inclined (up and down).

Gravitron bars

This is an analogue of parallel bars, only with a counterweight. Thanks to it, you can reduce your own body weight, which makes this basic movement easier to perform.

People with different levels of physical fitness work at Gravitron. Even beginners can easily cope with such a complex exercise as dips.

"Butterfly"

A popular chest machine for isolated muscle training.

There are modifications with different initial hand positions. But in general, their essence is the same - an imitation of the movement of a fly with dumbbells while lying down.

Crossover

Another device for isolated breast pumping, which is mainly used by men.

The weight-block design allows you to work the muscles from different angles. Exercises are performed both in a standing position and additionally using a bench.

The crossover is believed to help define and contour the pectoral muscles.

“Breasts are just like tits!” or “How to draw pectoral muscles correctly”

Even if you're not an artist, it's important to understand how the pectoral muscles work—for science.

Everyone knows some people's fascination with anime boobs, be they flat as pancakes or gravity-defying hot air balloons, but what about the male equivalent? With popular anime like Free! and the plethora of otome games where every character has to go topless at least once, the male form has its share of fans in the otaku world.

But it seems that not all artists are able to illustrate them.

Twitter user wahrheit79chris, an artist and self-proclaimed maniac, expressed concern about the way some artists treat men's precious pecs, saying:

“Because the pectoral muscles change shape as the arms move up and down, those who have trouble drawing them may be better off focusing on... learning how the pectoral muscles stretch and contract. I feel like a lot of people who have muscle problems tend to just draw their chests as a square..."

They posted this rough sketch to show how the enlarged pectoral muscles are squeezed together by the arm muscles to form a "cleavage", just like a woman's breasts.

https://twitter.com/wahrheit79chris/status/709316565754228737

They then provided some helpful sketches of different types of pectoral muscles and asked us to mark the placement of the shadows.

https://twitter.com/wahrheit79chris/status/709333038312792068

Here's a quick description of what's happening in each photo:

Top left: "Regular type" . The standard macho body type, they are the easiest to master. Top right: "Type of Kung Fu" . Denser and more shapely breasts, like martial arts star Jet Li. Below by . These breasts are very full in the center with the nipples pointing downwards.

So there you have it: men's breasts come in all different shapes and sizes, and they're more flexible than you think. It's nice to see the male form getting even more recognition in the manga world, but maybe it would be nice to see some variations beyond the "crazy ripped" ones in the future. In the meantime, I'm going to find a model for "artistic research."

You can check out more drawing tips and tricks in our other articles here.

Source: Togech Images: Twitter /

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