The pectoralis muscle group consists of the pectoralis major, including the clavicular and sternal portions, and the pectoralis minor. The origin of the pec major is along the lower ribs, the sternum, and at the clavical.
The insertion is at the humerus. The origin of the pec minor is at the third, fourth, and fifth ribs and the insertion is at the upper part of the scapula. The pectoralis performs shoulder adduction, with the outer pecs adducting the arms low and in front of the body.
The chest is not one of those body parts that your average bodybuilding enthusiast tends to neglect. Consider starting with a lower weight to reduce your risk of injury. You should be able to pick up the weight without too much strain. Remember, you can always go up in weight if the exercise seems too easy.
To increase size, try 1 to 3 sets of reps for new or intermediate lifters or sets of reps for seasoned lifters, of a weight that is at the higher end of your 1 rep max. Rest minutes with more reps and up to 3 minutes for higher weight, lower rep sets. To increase strength, try 1 to 3 sets of reps for new or intermediate lifters or sets of reps for seasoned lifters, of a weight that is around percent of your max, depending on your experience.
Resist the urge to add extra weight. Doing so could increase your risk of injury. Here are the steps:. Note: If you have a hard time doing this unassisted, look to see if your gym has a machine that does assisted dips. No equipment at home and no time for gym visits? What to do: The next time you do Smith Machine bench press, on each side secure a band from the bar just outside of the weight plates to the bottom of the rack.
Do sets in this manner, then either move onto your next exercise or do a set or two more without the bands. Why to do it: Yet another way to train your pecs past failure is via partial reps, in which you perform reps in less than a full range of motion. For chest, partial reps are great on Smith machine presses, other chest press machines and dumbbell press. Since the triceps play a major role in the top half of the ROM when pressing, you often end up ending the set when the triceps fail, not the chest.
By doing reps in the lower half or three-quarters of your bench press ROM after reaching full ROM failure , the triceps are no longer the limiting factor and the pecs will be taken to full fatigue. What to do: On the last set or two of any or all of the aforementioned exercises, go to full ROM failure, then continue doing reps in the lower half to three-quarters of the ROM all the way down, but stopping well short of full elbow extension until you can longer push the dumbbells to the half way point.
What this chest-shocker ends up being is something of an extended set , where flyes steadily morph into presses as the pecs get more and more fatigued. What to do: Grab a set of dumbbells that will only allow you to complete around reps for flyes on an incline, flat or even decline bench. Perform these to failure, then immediately change your hand position and perform standard presses to failure. Do a total of three sets in this manner, resting two minutes between each. Why to do it: What better way to bust through a plateau than with a combination of intensity-boosting techniques , not to mention one of the most tried-and-true chest exercises out there, the dip.
What to do: Select an additional amount of weight for weighted dips that will have you fail at a somewhere around reps. Then return to the starting position. Repeat until you have completed this movement 5 to 7 times, or reached failure. Rest for a bit, then do 2 more sets. If you can perform 10 repetitions easily, add more weight. Use dumbbells or a cable station to do flyes.
Lighter weights are recommended for this exercise. The weight limit is determined by your shoulder, which is the pivot of a long lever formed by your extended arm. Lie on your back and grasp a dumbbell or cable handle in each hand. Extend your arms straight up in front of you.
Keep your arms extended and slowly lower your hands to either side of your body. Return to the starting position. Repeat for a total of 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions. Increase weight after you can perform 12 repetitions easily. Superset two or more exercises in order.
Supersets force your muscles to work harder, because you're doing one exercise right after another. They can be very effective in building up muscle. Or, follow the bench press with as many push-ups as you can do. Try drop sets. For a drop set, lessen the weight on each successive set and go to failure. Perform at least 10 reps of the bench press or flyes. Immediately remove 10 pounds and perform the exercise to failure. Then, remove 10 pounds again and once more perform the exercise to failure.
Do push-ups. For maximum benefits, do a variety of push-ups. Space your hands farther than shoulder-width apart, shoulder-width apart or close together. Place your feet on a bench and do decline push-ups, or place feet on the floor and hands on a bench for incline push-ups.
Push yourself to failure for each set. Do dips. These can be performed on a dip bar or even between two high-backed chairs. Hold yourself upright between the bars or chairs, then bend your elbows and lower your body until you feel a stretch in your chest. Return to the starting position and repeat. For added benefit, tie a weight plate around your waist or grasp a dumbbell between your ankles or knees while performing this exercise.
Do pull-ups or chin-ups. Pull-ups will not increase the size of your chest, but they complement your efforts by strengthening the back and stomach. Chin-ups with arms closer together in an underhand grip do engage your pectoralis major, but still focus primarily on other muscles. Part 3. Eat plenty of healthy food. Your body will consume muscle if you do not intake enough calories to sustain your activity level.
If you want to gain muscle, you need to create a calorie surplus, and most of that should be complex carbohydrates and protein. Avoid overloading on simple carbs and fats, which do not provide long-term energy and can encourage fat gain instead of muscle. Eat a balanced diet of whole grains, protein meat, fish, eggs, tofu, etc. Avoid sugary drinks and desserts, fast food, meat that is laden with nitrates and hormones, and salty snack foods.
Eat more than three meals a day. When you're focusing on muscle growth, your body needs a lot of fuel. Eating three regular-sized meals a day isn't going to cut it. Add two more meals, each with a protein source roughly the size of your palm. You may have to eat more than you actually feel hungry for, but you'll be happy with the results when you see your chest getting bulkier.
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