Chest training, perhaps more so than other body parts, requires an understanding of the fundamentals and elemental basics concerning movement patterns, anatomy, optimal range of motion, and intention.
Moreover, there is a great deal of misinformation littering the internet and training facilities alike.
The purpose of this section is not to give an absolute in terms of chest training and hypertrophy, but rather a guide to fundamentals that will allow you to make informed decisions regarding how to structure your future training protocols and how execute the movements included in them.
Anatomy
Pectoralis Major
The primary muscle group targeted for building a massive chest is the Pectoralis Major.
This presents the bulk of the muscle tissue and attaches from your sternum, the medial third of your clavicle and the cartilage of your ribs, to the humerus at the greater tubercle.
The main function of the Pectoralis Major is horizontal adduction of the humerus (i.e; bringing your arm across the body). It also functions in internal rotation of the arm (turning the hands and arms inward).
There are additional functions found in the ability to flex your arm in the sagittal plane, which is executed by the upper fibers.
Muscle fibers, though varying by individual, are clustered within a relatively small percent range which remains consistent throughout the population.
The Pectoralis Major is typically made up of 57%-68% fast-twitch muscle fibers (Type IIA and Type IIB). This information allows us to make informed decisions regarding the loads to apply during training.
Type II fibers are more adaptive to relatively high loads, with somewhat high to moderate rest periods between load experiences, thus, tone could argue that the bulk of your chest workout should be structured to include this loading framework (note, this doesn’t mean this should always be the case, the training affect you’re chasing at a given time may supersede this).
Movement Control
Never underestimate the importance of control with exercise execution.
Somewhat slow movements are an absolute must in order to apply the desired intentions and stimulation to a particular area, all the while reducing the possibility of injury (at least when learning a new movement pattern).
Slow tempo and lighter resistance should be implemented from the beginning to ensure movement patterns are being executed correctly. Once you have the movement nailed, you can progress to a fast concentric.
A training regimen that utilizes free weights, machines, and cables will provide the trainee with several variances in coordination and function of the muscles being worked.
Even slight changes can shift force loads to other body parts (e.g. shoulders, triceps) during compound pressing movements.
Optimal Range of Motion (ROM)
‘Perfect’ range of motion is one of the most difficult items to identify due to the changes that occur not only from every movement, but also from every individual.
In order to appropriately determine the most effective ROM, we must take into account risks and benefits associated with each movement.
The safest and most efficient way to assess your own ROM involves locating your active range of motion (AROM).
This involves using the antagonist group (thus for chest, we will utilize the muscles involved with pulling backwards) to determine how far your body will allow your muscle groups and joints to go without added resistance.
In order to determine one’s AROM for a dumbbell press, for example:
Stand still and grab two (very light) items to act as ‘dumbbells.’
Bring your arms back, making sure to keep your posture the same, much like you’re dumbbell pressing (despite being erect, not prone).
The point at which the objects in your hands stop parallel (without a shift in body position), is the point that will serve as the extreme for your ROM.
This will allow an individual to alleviate stress from the front delt, thus an increase in chest activation.
Positioning of the Shoulders
Shoulder position is perhaps the number one deterrent from chest activation, if incorrect positioning is selected.
Not only does this limit hypertrophy of the chest, but it also will inevitably increase the risk for shoulder injury.
The direction of the fibers of the pecs allow for optimal stimulation and safety at 90% adduction of the shoulders (in the transverse plane).
Scapula manipulation is extremely important to ensure optimal positioning.
Some trainees (at an advanced level) are able to control this scapula movement during the process of a given exercise.
The scapula, which moves naturally through protraction and retraction, can be controlled through proper intention and focus.
A common practice (which works great for those athletes who have deficiencies in rib-cage depth) is to completely retract the scapula during any chest movement.
This is a common trait that many powerlifters exhibit and can drastically change the angle of humerus movement.
A final point to consider is internal rotation.
When pressing, internal rotation of the glenohumeral joint is unavoidable.
When using dumbbells or utilizing flye motions, one will have the option to rotate out at the glenohumeral joint.
Staying in constant internal rotation places a large degree of stress and emphasis on the upper chest.
Proper Breathing
Often times, we are able to pinpoint improper chest mechanics to be a manifestation of an incorrect breathing technique.
It’s important to be mindful of rib-cage positioning during pec training.
Excessive exhaling during the concentric (positive, or ‘push’) of the movement will decrease the rib-cage, thus drastically altering the angle of the pecs.
Although exhalation is ideal during the concentric portion of an exercise, shallow breaths are a vital weapon for those looking to maximize hypertrophy in the chest.
Furthermore, keeping one’s rib-cage full will ensure that limited emphasis is being placed on the anterior heads of the deltoids.
Inner and Outer Pec Specificity
The contraction of the Pectoralis Major through resistance training has no effect on targeting a specific ‘area’ of the muscle.
It’s often preached that particular exercises are used to target different sections of the pecs (e.g. inner and outer pecs) due to the level of contraction.
It’s common to ‘feel’ the inner pecs being worked more thoroughly during a tighter contraction, despite there being no way to place more emphasis on that particular region.
This ‘feel’ is exacerbated by some equipment (most notably flye / pec dec machines) which place more resistance at the concentric extreme of the movement.
Incline and Decline Movements
Despite being unable to target particular lateral regions of the pecs, as described above, there is a great deal of importance that needs to be stressed concerning changing the stress load as it pertains to the shoulder joint.
We do so habitually, switching from flat to incline/ decline movements during the course of our training.
Selection of Exercises
Assessing the information so far, we are able to utilize it to create a program / training schedule that will be very efficient at setting us up for hypertrophy gains.
Furthermore, it is imperative to be aware of a movement’s resistance profile, which is basically where (in the course of the movement) the resistance is at its highest / lowest.
Although it is important to consider range of motion during all exercises, chest training in particular stresses different levels of resistance throughout different parts of the movement.
It is ideal, then, to stay within the parameters of maximum resistance for each movement when training.
A primary example would be to analyze two different flye movements – dumbbell flyes (which have zero resistance when the dumbbell is above the shoulder at the shortened end, and great resistance at the fully lengthened end of the movement) versus cable flyes (which present the opposite resistance profile).
Ideally, variation in movements that have differing profiles will constitute one’s chest workout.
In order to properly perform movements involving chest stimulation, one must fully understand the resistance profile of each to ensure optimal results.
Below are a list of common exercises that are NOT optimal for pec involvement (not to say they should never be used though) as well as alternatives for each:
Chest Dips
Dips are comparable to an extreme decline press, as the arms are in the sagittal plane and thus, the fibers of the pecs are not in a position to receive massive stimulation.
Passing beyond the active range of motion (which is extremely common) will place undue stress on the shoulders.
Instead of attempting to manipulate this movement to be more effective, it is often recommended to try a different exercise, most notably Decline Cable Presses.
To do so, use a decline bench (20-45 degrees) and place it in a narrow cable tower.
The cables should be approximately 30-45 degrees of abduction at the shoulders.
This movement drastically decreases GH joint stress and has far greater emphasis on the pec when compared to dips.
Cable Crossovers (as typically seen performed!)
Cable crossovers can present movement deficiencies due to a lack of stabilization in the trunk and/or hips.
Any such instability detracts from target specificity.
Other mistakes include standing too far in front of the cables, protracting the shoulders far too early, and not keeping the cables in line with the arms.
A movement alternative from typical execution is to place the cables slightly below the shoulders.
Performing a flye movement, the hands should be slightly below parallel to the ground to start, and during peak contraction, should be slightly above shoulder level.
This also calls for trunk stabilization though, and one should make a conscious effort to improve strength in that area if it is a weakness.
Dumbbell Flyes
As a general statement, most free weight exercises for chest present similar resistance profiles.
As aforementioned, dumbbell flyes present resistance profiles that are non-existent at the top of the movement.
Proper execution in order to stimulate the pecs at the weakest point can increase injury risk and moreover become repetitive concerning resistance profiles, if your chest training is composed of entirely free weight movements.
A great alternative would be a seated flye machine which adds resistance at the top (fully shortened) end of the movement.
To End
There are a myriad of other common mistakes that are observable in nearly every gym, including combinations of all of the mentioned mistakes, as well as moving too fast during the movement, showing a lack of tempo / control, flexing the cervical spine by lifting your head off of the bench, etc.
Creating an optimal chest routine requires a careful analysis of the fundamentals presented above.
Be careful to not fall into the hype of ‘revolutionary’ techniques, as the fundamentals will invariably remain the same.
