by Eric Bach
Top 5 Exercises for Sculpted Pecs
Here are the three strategies and five exercises you need to build big pecs. And the flat barbell bench press isn't one of them.
Many lifters struggle to build their chests for three reasons:
- Blind love for the barbell bench press.
- Ego-driven lifting: Chasing weight rather than chest growth.
- A poor mind-muscle connection.
Here are some key strategies and five pillar exercises to revamp your chest training.
Strategy 1: Improve Your Mind-Muscle Connection
If you canāt feel a muscle contract, youāll have one hell of a time making it grow. This happens a lot on the barbell bench press. Your anterior delts and triceps take on the brunt of the work, leaving the chest as a weak point.
This is often an issue of focus, exercise technique, and ego. Many focus on lifting the weight instead of contracting the tissue. This results in a lack of eccentric control, a shorter range of motion, and sloppy reps.
This doesnāt mean pushing heavy weight on the bench isnāt important. You just need to switch your focus from lifting as much as possible to recruiting the target muscles. The mind-muscle connection is crucial. Being able to isolate your chest independently helps you integrate your chest into your compound exercises more effectively.
Strategy 2: Hit a Variety of Angles
Donāt just do the flat bench press. To maximize muscular recruitment of your pecs, hit a variety of angles, from a short decline to 15-45 degrees of incline.
Research by Muyor et al. reviewed muscle activation of the pec major, anterior deltoids, and triceps during bench press angles of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 degrees with 30 trained adults.
EMG activity of the upper pecs was highest at 30 degrees, with the middle and lower portions being highest at 0 and 15 degrees, respectively. Inclinations greater than 45 degrees produce significantly higher activation of the anterior deltoid and decrease the muscular performance of the pectoralis major.
Strategy 3: Go Beyond the Barbell Bench Press
Continue using the barbell bench variations for strength but with a low-volume approach. That way, youāll still get your nut every Monday with 3-4 sets of 3-8 reps. Then, hit the majority of your hypertrophy-focused work with classic set and rep schemes for growth using some of the exercises below.
The Top 5 Exercises
1. DIP (FORWARD LEAN)
Dips are a staple exercise for building a powerful chest, not to mention strong arms and shoulders. But how you perform the dip goes a long way in determining how effective it is for chest development.
Some crucial cues:
- Lean your torso forward, put your legs forward, and then shift more weight onto your pecs.
- Use a medium to wide elbow position. This puts your chest under a greater stretch.
- Avoid full lockout at the top of the movement to keep constant tension on your chest. Avoid jerking your head like youāre on a roller coaster. Changing neck position leads to subtle changes in shoulder kinematics and, therefore, muscular recruitment.
- Treat dips like a primary strength and muscle-building exercise. Aim for 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps with external resistance.
2. LOW INCLINE DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS
Using 15-30 degrees of incline is ideal. (Thatās about 30 degrees in the video.) Remember, higher angles tend to shift the resistance to your anterior delts.
When doing dumbbell bench press variations, focus on lowering the dumbbells to the outside of your chest, maximizing the stretch on the eccentric or negative. At the top, imagine touching your nipples together (kinky, I know) and squeeze your chest as hard as you can without clanging the dumbbells together.
Do 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
3. INCLINE BARBELL PRESS
If youāre going to use a barbell bench press variation, make it an incline. The incline angle helps you more effectively target your pecs, particularly the āupper pecsā near your collarbone.
Squeeze the bar and imagine trying to bring your hands together while you press. This isometric action incorporates the adduction role of the pectoralis major for better chest recruitment.
Perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
4. COSTAL CABLE FLYE
Also known as the high-to-low flye, this hits the costal or lower fibers incredibly well. The constant tension of the cables creates consistent mechanical tension in your chest that dumbbell flyes canāt match.
You can do these at the beginning of your workout and focus on hard muscular contractions. This will teach you to feel your pecs working. Just donāt create excessive fatigue before your compound lift of the day. Remember, better isolation yields improved integration.
Or you can do them toward the end of your workout. In this instance, the goal is to obliterate as many muscle fibers as you can to maximize the growth response.
Do 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
5. CONVERGING RING PUSH-UP
The standard ring push-up is a great exercise. It requires a ton of stability through your core and shoulder girdle, helping you to build a strong and resilient upper body.
The converging ring push-up adds another element. You actively bring your hands together, squeezing your pecs at the end of the movement. This results in a much harder contraction.
To increase difficulty, elevate your feet. To decrease difficulty, get your torso more upright.
Program this exercise toward the end of your workout and do 3 sets of 8-15 reps. Control the tempo. Take 3 seconds on the lowering portion of each rep. Because of the inherent instability of the rings, take your time and focus on feeling each rep. Donāt hurry the reps just because your chest is on fire!
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