Top exercises for the pectoral muscles. Pectoral muscles - A scientific approach to chest training. A set of exercises with dumbbells to increase pectoral muscles

1. Set of three push-ups

This complex will help pump up all parts of the pectoral muscles one by one. Lifehacker analyzed each of these exercises in detail in.

Do push-ups with your feet elevated. This exercise puts stress on the upper pectoral muscles.

Immediately after this, do push-ups on the floor with your arms wide. The arms are positioned at the same level as the shoulders. This type of push-up will pump up the middle part of the pectoral muscles.

The last push-up in the complex is with your hands on a hill. It provides stress on the lower part of the pectoral muscles.

If you want to complicate the complex, put a backpack with dumbbells or other weights on your back. The main thing is that the backpack fits tightly to your back and does not move during push-ups. A tourist one, which is fixed on the body with the help of additional fasteners, is well suited.

2. Push-ups with body weight on one arm

This exercise is much more difficult than classic push-ups; it provides a serious load on the pectoral muscles, but requires training and arm strength.

Stand in a lying position, shift your body weight towards your right hand.
Lower yourself into a push-up and at the bottom point transfer your body weight to your left hand.
Push yourself up, leaning primarily on your left hand, and then transfer your body weight back to your right hand and repeat the exercise.
Repeat the approach with the other hand. In the second approach, lower yourself with emphasis on your left hand, and rise with emphasis on your right.

3. Raising arms on the floor

For this exercise, you will need a fairly slippery floor - tile or smooth linoleum - and two towels or pieces of cloth.

Stand in a lying position, place your hands on towels.
Carefully spread your arms out to the sides as wide as possible so that you can then stand up.
Collect your hands, taking the starting position.

Perform the exercise as consciously and carefully as possible: spread your arms only to the width from which you can rise.

4. Lateral push-ups

Lie on the floor on your right side, place your right hand on your left shoulder, and place your left hand on the floor in front of you.
Push yourself upward with your left hand so that your body rises from the floor. The pelvis remains on the floor.
Lower yourself to the floor again and repeat the exercise.
Repeat on the other side.

5. Dips

For this exercise you will need parallel bars. These complexes are sold with a horizontal bar and parallel bars for home use, on which you can perform many exercises. If you're not in the mood to spend money, you can find bars at any sports field or school stadium.

Jump onto the bars and keep your body weight on straight arms. Lower your shoulders, cross and slightly bend your legs.
Lower yourself down, bending your elbows, until your shoulders are parallel to the floor or slightly lower. Try to keep your elbows close to your body, pull your shoulders back and down, and squeeze your shoulder blades.
To work the pectoral muscles and not the triceps, tilt your chest slightly forward during push-ups - at an angle of about 30 degrees.
Push yourself up, tensing your abs, and repeat the exercise.

Exercises with free weights

1. Dumbbell Bench Press

Lie down on a bench or the floor if you're working out at home, and hold dumbbells in your hands with your palms facing each other.
Extend your arms in front of you.
Extend the dumbbells so that a right angle is formed at the elbow.
As you exhale, press the dumbbells up and repeat the exercise.
While performing the exercise, press your lower back to the floor, do not arch your back.

2. Dumbbell flyes

This exercise works the pectoral muscles well and does not involve the triceps.

Lie on the floor on your back, pick up dumbbells and lift them in front of you.
Extend your arms, slightly bending your elbows, wide enough to touch your elbows to the floor. Do not bend your elbows too much so that the pinch does not turn into a dumbbell press.
As you exhale, bring your arms in front of you and repeat the exercise.

If it is possible to perform the exercise on a bench, use it. This will increase your range of motion and allow you to better stretch and load your pectoral muscles.

3. Semicircle with dumbbells

Lie on the floor or bench on your back, grab dumbbells with an overhand grip and hold them next to your hips.
Move your arms, slightly bent at the elbows, over the sides of your head, turning your palms up.
Bring your arms back along the same path, connecting the dumbbells at hip level.
Perform the exercise without stopping at the extreme points: as soon as you put your hands behind your head, immediately return them back, touch the dumbbells to your hips - immediately start a new semicircle.

Resistance Exercises

For such exercises, you will also need a vertical stand or handle to hook it onto. Resistance bands can be purchased at any sports equipment store.

If you work out at the gym, these exercises can be performed in a crossover.

1. Lateral pull of the expander

Secure the resistance band at shoulder level, stand with your right side to the counter and take the loop in your right hand.
Overcoming the resistance of the expander, move your hand forward. The final position is opposite the chest or opposite shoulder.

2. Lunge Row

This exercise works the lower head of the pectoral muscle.

Secure the resistance band just above shoulder level.
Take the loop in your right hand, step back a little, stretching the expander, and turn your right side towards the counter.
Lunge forward with your left leg, place your left hand on it to make it easier to maintain the position.
In the starting position, the right arm with the expander is extended to the side and slightly bent at the elbow.
Overcoming the resistance of the expander, move your right hand forward and down so that at the end point it is located above the bent knee.
Return your hand to the starting position and repeat.
Perform the exercise with the other hand.

3. Two-arm row

This exercise will work the middle and upper parts of the pectoral muscles.

Secure the expander at hip level, grab the loops with both hands and turn your back to the rack.
Step away from the rack while pulling on the resistance band.
Take a step forward and transfer about 70% of your body weight to your front leg.
Raise your shoulders until they are parallel to the floor, bend your elbows at an angle of 90 degrees - this is the starting position.
Overcoming the resistance of the expander, move your arms forward and up so that the palms of your outstretched arms are at face level.
Return your hands to the starting position and repeat.

4. Push-ups with an expander on the back

This is a regular push-up, made more difficult by using an expander.

Take the resistance band by both ends, passing it behind your back.
Stand in a lying position, pressing the ends of the expander to the floor.
Perform push-ups against the resistance of the expander.

As for the number of approaches and repetitions, choose it yourself based on your capabilities, the resistance of the expander or the weight of the dumbbells. The main thing is that the last two or three times in the approach are really hard for you.

And don't forget about food! Even the most rigorous workouts will not help build voluminous pectoral muscles if you don’t have them in your diet.

Want to perfect your chest workout? Try these 5 programs for developing pectoral muscles from real professionals!

Muscles can be such finicky guys sometimes. You can chest press 100kg and your chest still won't feel like a wheel, because pumping up your pecs is a little more than just lifting as much weight as you can. As these fellow trainers can attest, you need to train your chest from different angles to improve and get better.

Are you wondering how to do this in a hall setting? Don't worry, these elite athletes will teach you what to do. Try some of these killer combos to spice up your chest routine.

Nick Twam

Variation is the key to Nick Twam's chest growth program. “To achieve results, the chest must be trained from different angles,” says Nick, “this will provide all the conditions for muscle growth.”

Nick prefers to start with heavy compound exercises to gain mass in the upper pecs. “Most people have a clear deficiency in the upper region, the most difficult,” he explains.

“To achieve results, the chest must be trained from different angles,” says Nick, “this will provide all the conditions for muscle growth.”

Having finished with the top section, Nick moves on to the middle section. He does a superset - a special set of two exercises done one after the other - for many repetitions to achieve maximum fatigue.

“By focusing on high reps, I get better muscle contraction,” he says.

And although after this the pectoral muscles are simply fried, he finishes with crossovers and push-ups.

Program:

Incline chest press (2-3 warm-up sets, 4-5 sets of 6-12 reps, increasing weight after each set).

Straight chest press (3-4 sets of 6-12 repetitions)

Superset:

Incline chest press on the machine (4 sets of 12-15 reps)

(4 sets to failure)

Superset:

Crossover (4 sets of 12-20 repetitions)

Push ups (4 sets to failure)

Jimmy Everett

The MuscleTech-sponsored athlete insists the secret to developing strong pecs is prioritizing form. "Get a weight that's achievable, even a little more, and focus on feeling your muscles contract," he says. “Many people neglect this and just press on without thinking.”

"Make sure you're well warmed up before you start," he recommends. “Start by relaxing your shoulders to avoid injury.”

Jimmy prefers a 10x10 protocol for all his exercises, which makes his workouts very challenging. "Make sure you're well warmed up before you start," he recommends. “Start by relaxing your shoulders to avoid injury.”

Jimmy's program starts with heavy compound exercises, and then, when the muscles reach failure, he moves on to isolation exercises.

Protocol from Jimmy:

Incline chest press

Butterfly with dumbbells (10 sets of 10 reps)

Pullover with dumbbells(10 sets of 10 reps)

Crossover(10 sets of 10 reps)

Weighted dips (10 sets of 10 reps)

Push ups(3 sets to failure)

James Pulido

Magazine cover model James Pulido echoes Jimmy when it comes to shoulder health. "The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body and can be easily injured, so it's important to warm up well," he says.

James' program always begins with a serious warm-up, which includes numerous dumbbell raises in different directions for 12-15 repetitions. "When doing dumbbell lateral raises, start with your arms at your side. Raise your arms 45 degrees, thumbs pointing up, then overhead." Everyone should do this warm-up exercise, but, unfortunately, it is often neglected.

“While chest machines have serious potential, if the goal is maximum muscle hypertrophy, then there is nothing better than a simple incline bench with an incline of 15 and 30 degrees.”

Interestingly, James does not use any exercise equipment. “While chest machines have serious potential, if the goal is maximum muscle hypertrophy, then there is nothing better than a simple incline bench with an incline of 15 and 30 degrees.” He claims that these angles engage all muscle tissue, leading to greater muscle potential.

Chest training program from the man on the cover

Push ups (2-3 sets to failure)

Butterfly on an incline bench (5 sets of 8 slow reps at 15 and 30 degrees)

Bench press (5 sets of 8 slow reps at 15 and 30 degrees)

Dips with body weight or weights (5 sets of 8 slow reps)

Eirin Goli

If you want to build your pectoral muscles, you need to visualize, he says. It also includes a 1 second pause at the end of each pressing movement. A wide range of motion is critical for muscle growth. He does not extend the movement to the point of straightening his arms, so as to maintain tension in the muscles throughout the entire approach.

When doing incline dumbbell presses, he focuses on the widest possible range of motion, using not only the pectoral muscles, but also the triceps.

His program also includes the classic finish - push-ups. A set of 100 reps - with breaks if needed - will get your chest to the limit. “I like to end the program this way because it fills the chest with blood and gives me maximum pump,” he says.

"Pumping" program from Eirin

Chest press (6 sets of 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps, last set - triple drop set)

Butterfly with dumbbells(5 sets of 15, 12, 10, 8, 8 reps)

Incline Dumbbell Chest Press (3 sets of 12 reps, last set is a triple drop set)

Superset:

Butterfly on a bench at right angles (3 sets of 25, 20, 20 reps)

Weighted dips (3 sets to failure)

Pullover with dumbbell (4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps)

Push ups (100 times)

Dave Dries

The upper chest is the biggest training target for magazine cover model Dave Dries. “A lot of people don’t pay any attention to the upper section at all,” he notes, “so I want to emphasize that I pay special attention to this object.”

Dave also believes that it is important to extend the amount of time the muscles are under pressure during the press as long as possible. “I almost never fully straighten my arms so that the muscles are constantly under tension.”

“A lot of people don’t pay any attention to the upper section at all,” he notes, “so I want to emphasize that I pay special attention to this object.”

Finally, Dave makes the most of repetitions to push his own muscles through multiple intensity levels.

Dave's Upper Chest Workout

Incline Dumbbell Press (5 sets of 6-8 reps)

Wiring on a crossover on a bench (4 sets of 10-12 reps)

Chest press in the simulator(5 sets of 8 reps)

Bench press (5 sets of 8 reps)

Dumbbell push-ups(3 sets to failure)

It is no secret that the basis of a manly torso is formed by developed pectoral muscles. Therefore, the main goal of training for most men is to work on the (pectoral) muscles. Fitness centers offer many options for chest training. But what should those who do not have the opportunity to attend a sports club do? It is for such men that we have selected exercises for the pectoral muscles that can be performed at home.

Features of chest training

To achieve success in working out the pectoral muscles, we recommend adhering to the following training principles:

Don't overload your chest. The rule “more is better” does not work in this case. Beginners need to do 1-2 workouts per week (3-4 exercises for the pectoral muscles), trained athletes - a maximum of 3 sessions per week (4-6 exercises).
Perform the negative phase of the exercise a little slower than the positive one. For example, when doing push-ups, go down slower than you go up. This method will increase the useful load on the pectoral muscles and accelerate its growth.
Build your training on basic exercises. It is the “base” that gives the most volume to the muscles. Many athletes do not use isolation loads at all and get excellent results. If you want to pump up a powerful chest, lean on presses and push-ups.
Don't work your chest and triceps on the same day. The fact is that by training the pectoral muscles, you indirectly engage the triceps. Conversely, when training triceps, the chest indirectly pumps. Dividing the load will improve the growth of both muscle groups.
Be sure to use weights. To pump up the pectoral muscles at home, a man must use additional weight. These can be dumbbells, barbells, weights, as well as improvised items, such as water bottles or a heavy backpack.
Complete the required amount of training. In basic exercises do 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions. In insulating elements, increase the number of repetitions up to 12-15 in each approach. In this case, the weight should be such that tension is felt.

Top 8 best exercises for chest muscles

Below are a variety of exercises that allow you to pump up your pectoral muscles at home. At the same time, the “selection” is made so that everyone can find suitable loads for themselves (with their own weight, with dumbbells, with a barbell, on parallel bars).

Without a dumbbell or barbell at hand, you can use classic push-ups to give your chest a good workout.

Lower yourself into a position lying on straightened arms.
Keep your torso in line with your lower body.
Place your hands on the floor slightly wider than your shoulder joints.
Smoothly lower your chest as low as possible.
Straightening your elbows, rise to the original stance.

Tips for implementation:

2. Chair push-ups

This version of push-ups allows you to increase the depth of lowering the body, which improves stretching of the pectoral muscles.

Place two stable chairs opposite each other.
Rest your hands on the seats.
Take your legs back and place your toes on the sofa or third chair.
Thus, you should take a “lying position” on the chairs.
Slowly lower your chest below the seats.
Also smoothly return to the starting position.
Inhale as you lower, exhale as you rise.

Tips for implementation:

Go down a little slower than you go up.
Maintain an even body position without sagging.

3. Plyometric push-ups

The exercise allows you to use the deep muscle fibers of the chest, as well as strengthen the entire shoulder girdle.

Starting position - lying on straight arms.
Smoothly but vigorously lower your chest toward the floor.
Push off with your arms and throw your upper body up.
As you land, immediately begin the next repetition.
Inhale as you lower, exhale as you push up the body.

Tips for implementation:

Maintain a straight body position when pushing (do not stick your buttocks up).
To complicate the exercise, add clap of your hands when pushing away.

The exercise can be performed on the floor. But we recommend building an impromptu bench from three stools.

At the same time, lower the dumbbells to the sides of your chest.
With a powerful but smooth movement, squeeze the shells upward.

Tips for implementation:

Move the dumbbells in a small arc.
To improve muscle stretch, lift your chest slightly upward.
At the bottom point, hold for 1-2 seconds.

5. Lying dumbbell flyes

The exercise can be performed on the floor, but the amplitude will be incomplete. Therefore, it is better to use three stools as a bench.

Lower your back onto the “bench” and lift the dumbbells above your chest.
At the same time, spread your arms to the sides.
With a powerful but smooth motion, bring the projectiles together over your chest.
Dilation while inhaling, reduction - while exhaling.

Tips for implementation:

When raising, bend your arms slightly.
Lower your elbows below body level.
At the lowest point, take a slight pause for 1-2 seconds.

6. Pullover

The exercise stretches the pectoral muscles well in an unusual plane for them (up), which improves.

Lower your back onto the “bench” and lift the dumbbell above your chest.
Hold the projectile between your palms.
Slowly lift the dumbbell behind your head (as low as possible).
With a smooth movement, return the projectile to the starting position.
Inhale as you lower, exhale as you rise.

Tips for implementation:

Keep your arms slightly bent throughout the entire approach.
To improve muscle stretch, push your chest up slightly.
Hold in the lower position for 1-2 seconds.

7. Bench press

If you have barbell racks at home, then the bench press should be the main exercise in the program.

Lie with your back on the bench so that your forehead is under the barbell.
Take a closed grip on the bar and remove the implement.
Slowly lower the barbell onto your pectoral muscles.
Press the barbell up with a powerful but smooth movement.
Lowering while inhaling, pressing while exhaling.

Tips for implementation:

Tilt your body slightly forward.
Don't go too low to avoid damaging your shoulder joints.

Mistakes when training the pectoral muscles

We list the fundamental shortcomings in the technique that interfere with effective chest training and increase the risk of injury:

Incomplete range of exercise. This mistake worsens the stretching of the pectoral muscles.
Fast execution. The fast pace does not allow focusing on working the chest.
Open grip bench press. This grip increases the risk of the barbell accidentally falling out and resulting injury.
Underweight. If a strong tension is not felt at the end of the approach, the exercise loses its effectiveness.
Working through pain. Ignoring pain in your hand joints can lead to serious injury.

Sample program

To pump up your breasts at home, you need to create a clear training plan. We offer an example of such a plan.

If you don't have barbell racks at home, replace the bench press with weighted push-ups (with a heavy backpack on your back). At the end of the session, stretch your pectoral muscles. This will help them recover faster.

Conclusion

Pumping up the pectoral muscles at home can be a good replacement for training in the fitness room, especially for beginner athletes. Of course, you won’t be able to pump up voluminous breasts at home. This requires heavy equipment and constant progression of loads. But you can definitely strengthen your breasts, make them more prominent and more courageous. And the recommendations and exercises discussed above will help you with this.

Chest training at home in video format

Hello again, comrade Contreras! Or rather, not like that. Hello, the results of studies that provide a scientific basis for determining the best (not in words, but in deeds) chest exercises. In mine, I have already managed to tell you about the most effective, from a scientific point of view, triceps. And today it’s time to tell you how to properly train your chest and what exercises are best suited for this. This information can be accepted or rejected, but you should not ignore it.

Introduction

If you don’t know who Señor Contreras is and what kind of research he did, I’ll tell you. This is a very famous fitness trainer, writer, researcher . He is constantly developing new exercises and training programs. Changes them beyond recognition, comes up with unusual, progressive and more effective ways to transform the body. In other words, Bret Contreras is a pioneer, a fitness rebel, fanatically dedicated to the sport, but armed with modern scientific equipment.

So, in 2010, he conducted research that split the bodybuilding world. Using an electromyograph medical device, he experimentally found out which exercises involve the maximum number of muscle fibers and are the most effective in terms of muscle gain. muscle mass for each muscle group.

Everything would be fine, but the results he obtained came into serious conflict with the dogmas, axioms and rules accepted in bodybuilding.

The conclusions voiced by Contreras are not the absolute truth, but as it turns out, many sports stars are already widely using them to gain muscle mass and give it an ideal shape.

That's all in a nutshell. It's time to move on to chest exercises, which our restless fitness guru has awarded the status of the very best. No, not everything, one more thing: in his research, Contreras determines not so much the best exercises for the entire muscle group, but the best for its most important, mass-forming and forming segment.

For the biceps, this is the outer, largest bundle, responsible for increasing the muscle mass of the entire biceps muscle. For the triceps, this is a long bundle, and for the pectoral muscles, this is the top of the chest. Therefore, today's top five best chest exercises can easily be called a hit parade of exercises for the upper pectoral muscles. So:

1. Incline Dumbbell Upside Down Press

I'm certainly not a fitness guru. But I realized long ago that this chest exercise gives the most noticeable increase in muscle mass in the upper segment, even without medical devices. I just took one exercise after another, started with it, did it, and listened to my feelings.

Bench press on an incline bench, as many still claim, I abandoned many years ago. This is a really cool exercise, but not for the chest. Compared to a barbell bench press, the load on upper segment of the pectoral muscles practically does not increase, but the impact on the anterior delta will increase many times over.

3. Bench press

This exercise for the pectoral muscles is also old and thoroughly forgotten, but nevertheless quite effective. Like the guillotine, this exercise targets the entire chest at once, and is a great way to increase overall muscle mass and build strength.

The high effectiveness of this type of barbell press is due to the following conditions:

The back support becomes much wider. This makes it easier to perform the movement with more weight than usual.
Shortened trajectory. Promotes growth of working scales. But the load on the shoulder joints, thanks to this very trajectory, on the contrary, is reduced
"Clean" robot. As with the guillotine, eliminating the legwork helps put much more stress on the chest muscles.

In theory, everything looks great, but I was never able to try this exercise for chest training in my expensive, modern and “stuffed” gym. We don’t have barbell stands that are low enough to bench press while lying on the floor. But I was afraid to lie down on the floor, crawl under the barbell and press it directly from the floor. For beautiful girls are wandering staggering around the hall with dumbbells in their hands, trying to perform the next fashionable exercise. And try to guess whether such a beauty will stagger past you or drop a dumbbell on her head, unable to wander further.

So I found another way to fulfill Bret Contreras' request and do this exercise. To do this, I installed a bench in a power rack, set the limiters lower and began to press there, in a shortened amplitude, while placing my feet on the bench. Of course, this is just a stripped-down version of the barbell floor press. And if your gym has the opportunity to perform it, do it exactly as recommended.

But I, unable to resist, took and mixed the “guillotine” with a barbell press in a shortened amplitude. I don’t know what Contreras would say if he saw such inconsistency, but I really liked the result. The sensation in the muscles was very strong, especially where it was needed - in the area of the collarbones. So I advise you to include this exercise in your chest workout, you won’t regret it.

4. Bringing your hands together in a crossover

When it comes to chest training in a crossover, associations usually arise with bringing together the lower or upper blocks. I periodically do both variations and feel that the chest muscles work great in these exercises. Moreover, by bringing the upper blocks in front of me, I can specifically work the middle of the pectoral muscles, or their lower part. But bringing the lower blocks in front of you loads upper pectoral muscles. Everyone knows this, this is a common truth.

But Contreras disagrees with this. Based on the results of his experiment, he brazenly declares that the upper chest, and the entire muscle as a whole, receives maximum load when the rollers are installed in an intermediate position between the top and bottom, approximately at the level of the chin.

Fortunately, my gym has such a crossover and I, inspired by the results obtained from the “guillotine,” decided to try pumping my chest with this position of the rollers. It would not be correct to say that thanks to this information in the crossover, I was able to improve my shape and gain muscle mass in my upper chest, because I do a whole range of exercises in training. But one thing I can say for sure is that you definitely need to try them. At least to make your pectoral muscles work in a new way.

But what if the crossover in the gym has rollers that are tightly fixed and cannot be moved? Contreras is silent on this matter, but in my opinion, the exercise most similar in biomechanics is the crossover fly while lying on a horizontal bench (analogous to the dumbbell fly).

5. Incline Dumbbell Flyes/Incline Barbell Press

These two chest exercises complete our hit parade, fraternally placed on its last, fifth step. I see no point in describing the technique of performing these well-known movements, because I myself no longer include them in my chest training.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't either. It’s just that, through selective selection, I found out that they don’t give me anything to gain muscle mass in my chest, and I focused on finding more effective exercises. On those, in particular, that top our rating.

But if you feel that these chest exercises are working for you, continue doing them. I know a lot of people who have pumped up massive, wide, and excellent chests by doing these, as Bret Contreras says, ineffective exercises. Science is science, but in the battle for muscle mass, the first place is played by the ability to separate the wheat from the chaff, choosing those exercises that are right for you.

I hope that my next story about the results of scientific research will help you change your training of the pectoral muscles, so that every visit to the gym gives a tangible effect. May the force be with you. And the mass!

Massive wide chest- the dream of any athlete. Achieving such success is easy. It is important what exactly to train and how to do it. Read more about everything in this article.

Structure of the pectoral muscles

The anatomy of the pectoral muscle is as follows:

The pectoralis major or major muscle is the most massive. The main purpose of its purpose is to raise the arm and pull it towards the body. It is the largest component of the front part of the body. Accordingly, if an athlete has set himself the goal of having beautiful breasts, then he should work on this muscle first. To increase it, you will need to do exercises with heavy sports equipment.
The pectoralis minor muscle visually represents a small triangle. Located directly under the large muscle. She is responsible for the movement of the shoulder blades.
Subclavius muscle. It was not by chance that this name was given to it. It is located between the rib and the collarbone. Its main purpose is to control the collarbone: lifting it down, moving it forward, fixing it necessary to raise the rib.
The serratus anterior muscle is necessary to control the scapula: carries out its alternation forward (inside) and backward (outside), as well as a rotational movement when raising the arm. Distributes along the lateral part of the entire pectoral muscle group. The protruding teeth are attached to the medial edge of the scapula and the upper ribs.
The intercostal muscles are the most important. Due to them, a person can fully inhale and exhale. There are two types of this anatomical group: internal and external.
The hypochondrium muscles are located in the lower part of the ribs. They are also involved in the process of inhalation.
The diaphragm is the main muscle that ensures proper breathing. It is presented in the form of a muscle-tendon septum located between the thoracic and abdominal cavities.

In total, a person is equipped with two groups of muscles - his own pectoral muscles and those related to the shoulder girdle and upper limbs. An athlete who wants to have beautiful breasts should pay due attention to each of them during physical activity.

Training mode

You can effectively work this muscle group at home. This does not mean that such success cannot be achieved. To do this, you need to create the right training plan.

The break between workouts should be 4-5 days:

Even if you follow the correct training regimen, the effect of the exercise may not be observed. This is due to poor nutrition. Athletes should consume protein foods more than ordinary people. This substance in the body is important, especially for muscle growth.

Sports equipment for training

Is it possible to conduct training without special equipment? Yes! But it is unlikely that this type of activity will achieve a positive result.

If an athlete sets a goal to pump up the pectoral muscles, then he will need:

Barbell. It is better if it is curved. It will be easier for the athlete to hold on to it, and the muscles will work better.
Dumbbells or weights. Not everyone has such a device at home. As an alternative, two filled bottles of water of any size will do.

The weight of sports equipment is determined arbitrarily, depending on the level of training of the athlete. It is recommended for a beginner to start with 3-5 kilograms.

In addition to this you will also need:

Rubber mat or sports bench. It will be inconvenient to perform many exercises on a “bare” floor, and the degree of effectiveness will noticeably decrease.
Comfortable clothing and shoes will be required. It is better to prepare special things intended for sports. A person will feel comfortable in them, and nothing will limit his movements.
It is advisable to take a bottle of cold water with you to training. Most likely, a person will want to wet his throat during classes.
Another important component is the selection of musical accompaniment. It is required that the melodies evoke positive emotions in a person and put them in a “working” mood.

So, everything you need for training is ready. Now, you can begin to perform the physical elements that will allow you to achieve perfection.

Home workout program

A home training program should look standard, like any other sporting event:

The total training duration is about 1 hour. You should choose a workout yourself or consult an experienced instructor. The weight of the sports equipment, the type of exercise and the number of repetitions are selected strictly, focusing on the physical capabilities of the person.

Typically, 8 to 16 repetitions of each exercise are performed without a break. In total, it is recommended to perform from 1 to 3 circular approaches.

Options for warming up exercises

Unfortunately, only 5 percent of athletes pay due attention to warming up. The rest of the people are putting their health at risk.

Lack of warm-up can lead to the following negative factors:

Sprain. This is the most common problem for novice athletes. It appears due to improper preparation of the body for subsequent loads. This is a very unpleasant and painful symptom.
A more serious problem is joint injury. It happens for a similar reason. This disease requires complex and lengthy rehabilitation.
If the body is not prepared for sports, this increases the load on the heart. Sometimes, this leads to fainting and dizziness.
A sudden load on the body can also cause a surge in pressure, this is fraught with hypertension or hypotension.

Take the time to do a warm-up, which lasts from 7 to 15 minutes. This will make exercise more effective and protect the body from unwanted health problems.

Just do a few simple exercises:

Cardio warm-up. Play upbeat music. Start actively walking or running in place. Try to raise your knees higher. The total execution time is 1 minute.
Rotate your head clockwise and counterclockwise.
Rotate your shoulders forward and backward. The total duration of execution is 30 seconds in each direction.
Elbow rotation. The total duration of execution is 30 seconds in the forward direction, 30 seconds in the backward direction.
Rotation of the pelvis. The total duration of execution is 30 seconds on the left side and 30 seconds on the right side.
Rotation of the knees. The total execution time is 30 seconds clockwise and seconds counterclockwise.
Rotation of the feet in any direction. The total duration of execution is 30 seconds for each leg.
Tilts of the body towards the legs. The left hand should touch the right leg, and vice versa. The total execution time is 1 minute.
Spread your legs. Squat down slightly. In this position, turn to the right and left. The total execution time is 1 minute.
Slow step in place. The total execution time is 1 minute.

This complex contains cardio, static and dynamic exercises. It allows you to maximally prepare each part of the body for the main workout.

Exercises to develop the pectoral muscles

Training the pectoral muscles is necessary for absolutely every person, no matter whether he is an athlete or not. Large and firm breasts will make him look stronger and more powerful. Thus, he will look more attractive in the eyes of women and will command respect from other representatives of the stronger sex.

But to achieve such a result you will have to work. Next we will talk about basic exercises that will make you “work” your chest muscles.

Push-up– the most useful exercise for men. It is not for nothing that boys in school, soldiers in the army and all people related to sports activities are forced to do it. It has a positive effect on all the muscles of the chest, back, and forearm.

How to do it correctly:

A beginner may initially have problems performing this exercise. It is recommended to first do it leaning on a windowsill, table or bench.

Narrow push-ups

The difference between narrow and regular push-ups is only in changing the position of the hands. In the second option, they should be located strictly under the chest. This body position increases the load on the triceps.

Another version of this exercise is push-ups on stools. The devices must be placed shoulder width apart. You can use any low surface as a footrest: a sofa, chair, stool or armchair.

The exercise is performed in the same way. The difference is that the depth of release of the body increases. Accordingly, the load on the entire body increases.

Push-ups on books are performed in the same way.

How to do it correctly:

Sports equipment is ready. Now you need to make a rectangle out of it.

Two stacks of books should be at shoulder level, and the second pair at foot level. The approximate distance between them is 5-7 centimeters. It’s not difficult to guess that these are the supports on which push-ups will be performed.

Experienced athletes often practice paused push-ups. In other words, they are called locked push-ups. Their main goal is to increase the load on all muscle groups.

How to do it correctly:

Most likely, it will be difficult for beginners to withstand such a pause. It is recommended to start with the maximum available time and gradually increase it.

Reduction and extension of arms in prone position

Purpose of the exercise– make the upper and inner parts of the pectoral muscles work. With regular training, your breasts will acquire a beautiful, sculpted outline.

How to do it correctly:

This exercise is often called the “butterfly”. Each movement should be smooth and slow, only in this case the entire muscle group will be worked out.

Exercises on the horizontal bar

In order to pump up, you must visit the gym! This opinion has long been erroneous. Sports fields have suitable equipment. For example, a horizontal bar.

How to do it correctly:

If you need to pump up your chest, then you should use a narrow grip.

Ring exercises

How to do it correctly:

This is a more difficult exercise compared to the one performed on the bar. This is due to the fact that the rings are unstable.

Exercises with dumbbells

There is one effective exercise with dumbbells. It allows you to pump up the upper chest muscles and deltoid muscle bundles.

How to do it correctly:

During such a workout, tension should be clearly felt in the chest and arms. The back, abs and back of the head remain uninvolved.

Barbell exercises

The upper chest and deltoid muscle can be pumped up in another way. For this you will need a barbell.

How to do it correctly:

Lie down on a bench at an incline.
Take the barbell in your hands at chest level.
Raise it towards the back of your head.

It is worth considering that the sharper the angle, the more effectively the chest muscles will be worked.

The serratus anterior and minor muscle groups can be pumped up through exercises with dumbbells.

How to do it correctly:

Pay close attention to how you feel during your workout. It requires that there be tension in the central chest and upper arms and forearms.

Strengthening the upper pectoral muscles

The upper part of the chest creates an attractive image. The most effective way to pump it up is to do incline push-ups.

Incline push-up- This is an exercise aimed at preparing a specific area of the chest - the upper muscles of the chest. With regular push-ups, the load is directed not only to the chest, but also to the back, arms and shoulders. With this option, all the emphasis goes to the top.

How to do it correctly:

This version of the exercise is quite difficult to perform. But it is very effective. A positive result can be seen after just one month of regular training.

How to pump up the lower chest?

A person who wants to have beautiful pectoral muscles must remember that to achieve success, he needs to regularly train absolutely all muscle groups, including the lower minor. Certain exercises will allow you to achieve a positive result.

Dips

Dips- This is an excellent exercise for pumping up the lower pectoral muscles and strengthening the shoulder girdle.

How to do it correctly:

Fix the hands on the bars.
Push off with your hands, moving your body up.
Lock the position.
Go down.

During training, you need to fulfill one condition - your feet should not touch the ground.

How to pump up a woman's pectoral muscles?

Men go to the gym and do exercises at home in order to become the owner of powerful and strong breasts. Girls dream of elastic forms, but at the same time they do not set out to pump up massive arms. Accordingly, it is required to perform exercises without additional weights.

How to do it correctly:

A woman's breasts will look firm only if the skin is tight and elastic.

To create attractive forms, additional measures need to be taken:

Take a contrast shower every morning. Alternating massage with hot and cold water increases blood circulation.
Massage your mammary glands regularly.
Pay attention to proper nutrition. The more healthy proteins it contains, the stronger the muscles will be.
Exfoliate regularly. This cosmetic procedure makes the skin more elastic and firm.

From an anatomical point of view, the chest is a large muscle group consisting of many subgroups. From a human point of view, it is the most attractive part of the body, which attracts both men and women equally.

Exercises aimed at increasing and strengthening the muscle group will make this part of the body powerful, fit and beautiful.