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| Introduction to Chest Training
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BodybuildingPro.com  Exercise Index Chest Introduction to Chest Training
The Muscles of the Chest
(1) The Pectorals: The pectorals consist of two parts, the
clavicular (upper) portion and the sternal (lower) portion. The
upper part is attached to the clavicle (collar bone). Along the mid
- body line, it attaches to the sternum (breast bone) and the
cartilage of several ribs. The largest mass of the pectorals starts
at the upper arm bone (humerus), fastened at a point under and just
above where the deltoids attach to the humerus. The pectorals
spread out like a fan and cover the rib cage like armor plates.
Attached to the rib cage in the center and across to the shoulder,
this muscle lets you perform such motions as pitching a ball
underhanded, doing a wide arm bench press, twisting off a bottle
cap, swimming the crawl stroke, and doing parallel bar dips. In
addition, because of its attachment to the humerus, it plays a
large role in movements like chinning. There is, in fact, a
prominent interdependence between chest and back muscles. The chest
will not reach its full potential size unless the latisimus dorsi
muscles of the upper back are fully developed.
Function: To pull the arm and shoulder across the front of
the body.
(2) The Subclavius: The subclavius is a small cylindrical
muscle between the clavicle and the first rib. Function: To draw
the shoulder forward.
(3) The Serratus Anterior: The serratus anterior is a thin,
muscular sheet between the ribs and the scapula.
Function: To rotate the scapula, raising the point of the
shoulder and drawing the scapula forward and downward.
Training the
Chest
Depending on which portion of the chest you are looking to
develop, a variety of different exercises will be of help to
you:
Upper Chest
Exercises which isolate the upper chest are those which are
performed on an incline bench, for the most part. Such exercises
include the following:
- Incline Bench Press
- Incline Dumbbell
Press
- Incline Dumbbell
Flies
- Incline Machine
Press
Lower Chest
Exercises which isolate the lower chest are those which are
performed on an decline bench, for the most part. Such exercises
include the following:
- Decline Bench
Press
- Decline Dumbbell
Press
- Decline Dumbbell
Flies
- Flat Bench
Press
- Decline Bench
Press
- Cable
Crossovers
Middle Chest
Exercises which isolate the middle (or inner) portions chest are
not so easy to classify and can be found in a variety of
exercises:
- Machine Flies (Pec -
Deck)
- Flat Dumbbell
Flies
- Cable Crossovers (but
with more emphasis on lower chest)
Inner Chest
Exercises which isolate the inner portions chest are not so easy
to classify and can be found in a variety of exercises:
- Cable
Crossovers
- Flyes
- Pressing
Movements
- Narrow-Grip Bench
Presses
Outer Chest
Exercises which isolate the outer portions chest are not so easy
to classify and can be found in a variety of exercises:
- Flat Bench
Press
- Decline Bench
Press
Chest Training Tips
When you train your chest with dumbbells, sit at one end of a
bench and place both dumbbells on your thighs. From there, roll
backwards onto the bench with your arms straight. This will bring
the dumbbells to arm's length. To return to your starting point,
perform the movment in the opposite way, curling upwards and
placing the dumbbells on your thighs, once again. With the help of
a spotter, you can have your spotter grab one of the dumbbells and
take control of the other one. Dropping weights on the ground can
be dangerous to people and damaging to the dumbbells themselves,
and should only be done if necessary. If you are going to do this,
ensure that no one is around your training area as to prevent
injury. The safest way to drop the weights is to do so under
control, as best as possible. In other words, bring the weight down
as low as you can before dropping them.
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