Powerful chest muscles. How to quickly pump up the pectoral muscles

The days when people thought athletes were stupid are long gone. A huge amount of research has been done on sports topics, and many coaches devote their entire lives to finding the most perfect and effective ways weight gain and strength gains. Knowledge of the structure and location of muscles can significantly increase the effectiveness of the training process.

The muscle group of the chest consists of three main parts:

• Large pectoral muscle. The most massive part, starts from the collarbone, the rectus abdominis and the front of the sternum. Its main tasks are to raise and bring the hand to the body. It is she who is most susceptible to growth in the process of training.
• Small pectoral muscle. It is located under the large one, resembles a triangle in its shape. Attaches to the scapula and provides its movement.
• Serratus anterior. It is located on the side of the sternum, provides rotation of the scapula. It plays a big role in improving the appearance of an athlete and improving his physical performance.

The pectoral muscles are a large muscle group, which means that for its growth it is necessary to use basic exercises. However, not all so simple. They have a unique structure, muscle fibers are located in them under different directions. Therefore, if you want to develop a massive and powerful chest, then be sure to include bench press on an incline bench in your workouts.

Loading at different angles will allow you to work out the entire muscle group as much as possible. Carefully study the technique in each exercise and then carefully monitor it during their execution, only in this way you can injure the fibers of certain areas of the chest. Try different performances, different training schemes to find the most effective approach just for you, it will also avoid muscle adaptation to stress. You need to constantly keep your muscles under stress, new loads will give a sharp impetus to growth.

Thus, to achieve the effect of training, you need to have knowledge about the structure of the muscles in general, as well as the composition of the fibers specifically in your body. Take the time to study these issues and develop a program that is right for you, and you will save yourself a lot of time in the future, and will also develop even when progress stops for others.

Don't rely on your genetics alone initial stage, do not think that muscles will always grow with little or no effort, and do not despair if something does not work out at first.

Is it possible to achieve results not in the gym?

Every man who at least sometimes thinks about his shape dreams of having wide, pumped up pectoral muscles. After all, they give the body a truly masculine look. In addition, any girl just melts at the sight of such a pumped-up male body. It is simply impossible to develop your pectoral muscles in such a way that they are of an enviable width and volume without hard training.

Many rightly believe that such results can only be achieved in the gym. Indeed, it is impossible to pump up a voluminous chest that will bulge through a T-shirt at home without special equipment.

But at home, it is quite possible to correct and hone the shape of the pectoral muscles, as well as make them stronger and more attractive. It is quite possible to transform your chest using the right set of exercises. Believe that a clearly defined goal is already the first step towards your future success. If you are determined to take care of yourself and put your body in order, then this article is for you.

Training mode

An important point is the training regimen. Beginners, in pursuit of their dream of a beautiful body, begin to torment themselves daily with workouts that consist of large training complexes.

They mistakenly believe that the more and more exhausting you do, the better the result will be. This is an erroneous judgment. It must be remembered that when physical activity our muscles receive hundreds of thousands of microtraumas. After each workout, they need proper rest.

Otherwise, they simply will not have time to recover, which means that none of your exercises will give the desired result. However, do not take too long a rest between workouts, otherwise your muscles will begin to degrade.

Rest between workouts of a certain muscle group should, on average, last 5 days. If recovery has not occurred during this time, then you can wait another two days. At the same time, you should pay attention to your diet - maybe due to a lack of protein, the muscles do not have time to recover.

Effective program

Consider the most effective exercises for quick pumping of the chest muscles. If you perform them correctly, then you will feel the result after a couple of weeks of regular training. If you have any injuries, then before starting any classes, be sure to make an appointment with your doctor.

Let's start with classic push-ups

If you practice at home, but you don’t have time for other exercises, then you can limit yourself to push-ups. They do not take much time, and you will feel the effect in a week. However, in order to constantly progress, you need to train regularly (3-4 sessions per week). At the same time, using weights, you can develop not only the relief with endurance, but also muscle volume.

There can be several ways to perform the exercise (an article on the types of push-ups from the floor). By spreading your arms wide during the exercise, you will transfer the entire load to the middle part of the chest. Leaning your hands to the body, you will pump the upper chest, as well as the front of the shoulder and triceps.

To complicate this exercise, you can start push-ups with jumps or claps. This greatly increases the load on the pectoral muscles. In spite of high efficiency and the simplicity of push-ups, they will not replace a full-fledged set of exercises that is performed both with sports equipment and without them.

Why do many people not get the desired effect from exercise? Because not everyone knows how to perform it correctly and when it is better to do it. Because of this, all efforts are often reduced to zero.

Push-ups on stools

You can take two stools and put them on the width of the arms outstretched to the side, which are bent at the elbows. If you take chairs or armchairs, remember that they should not be soft, as you can injure your hands if there is a rocking effect.

Feet must be placed on a sofa or chair. You need to do four sets of 10-20 push-ups. Keep your body straight, focus on doing the exercise.

During each push-up, try to get as low as possible below the level of the stools. If you feel that you can cope with this without problems, then do not rush to immediately increase the number of push-ups. For greater effect, it is better to start push-ups with a load.

We perform approaches - 4 to 10-20 repetitions. Between each set, take a break of 2-3 minutes or more if necessary.

Push-ups on the uneven bars

This version of push-ups is even more effective than the previous two in terms of muscle development. chest.

To create the correct and targeted load on them, you should spread your arms wider.

In this case, you need to literally feel how the pectorals work. You can round your back a little.

Choose wide bars themselves, since it is quite difficult to load chest bars on narrow ones and the efficiency will be low.

We perform approaches - 4 to 10-20 repetitions. Rest time is also given 2-3 minutes. It is worth noting that a narrow grip will develop the triceps more.

Reduction and dilution of hands in an emphasis lying

To perform, you will need all the same two stools and dumbbells (if they are not available, you can use sand bottles).

Place the stools in such a way that they do not cause you discomfort when you lie with your back on them. After you have taken a supine position, place your feet on the floor.

Take dumbbells in your hands and bring them together above your head. When performing this exercise, the arms should be slightly bent at the elbows, and the fists should be directed towards each other with palms.

Start spreading your arms as wide and low as possible. As in the previous exercises, do four sets of 10-20 reps, resting for 2-3 minutes.

Dumbbell bench press in a lying position

The exercise is performed in almost the same position as in the mixing-breeding of the hands, with the only difference being that here the hands need to be placed a little differently.

Bring your hands together with dumbbells at the top as if you have a neck in your hands. After fixing the hands in this position, begin to lower and raise both hands at the same time.

Here is exactly the same number of approaches as in all previous exercises.

The complex described above is enough, but if you want to diversify the technique, you can connect the set shown below in the video.

Progress Rules

Before starting training, remember a few basic rules that will help you achieve your goal in chest development:

• A wide grip will provide your chest muscles with maximum tension. And the larger it is, the more the outer borders of the chest will be involved. For beginners, it is preferable to make the grip narrower. However, do not overdo it - too narrow a grip will work the triceps, not the pectoral muscles.
• The higher you raise your arms above your head during push-ups or bench presses, the more will be involved upper section chest muscles.
• You need to perform a bench press or squeeze relatively quickly, and breeding smoothly.
• Push-ups will be most effective when the legs are higher than the head.
• Breathing is a very important part of any workout. Follow him during each exercise. Exhale with the greatest effort, and inhale with relaxation.
• If you find it difficult to do sets of 10 times in any of the exercises, then start with fewer, gradually increasing the number of repetitions. If you do not feel much tension, doing 15-20 times, then start doing the exercise with an additional load.
• Don't forget about rest. With intensive training, our muscles receive many microtraumas and are not able to recover in one day. So do it in a day or two and don't be afraid muscle pain. If you practice regularly, you won't notice them.
• When starting exercises, do not forget about safety precautions and the possibility of muscle strain. Chest training is actually easier than it seems. The main thing is a purposeful and systematic approach to training.

Class diary

Don't forget to record your results regularly so that you can see your progress in building muscle. We suggest that you print the following table with a set of exercises for the chest several times and keep notes in it at each lesson.

Before revealing the secrets of pumping an impressive chest, it is necessary to find out the factors by which, in many even professional athletes, the pectoral muscles are significantly behind in development against the background of general muscles.

Remember that there are only three real reasons why the majority of trainees do not have impressive pecs:

1. First of all, the athlete cannot, when performing chest exercise qualitatively feel the work of muscle fibers. It turns out a bad neuromuscular connection, the brain cannot 100% turn on the pectoral muscles and make microtraumas of muscle fibers.
2. Secondly, how can we talk about growth and overcompensation when there is no increase in training weights and the body does not receive stress, which is main reason muscle fiber growth.
3. Thirdly, most athletes incorrectly emphasize the load, always training only certain parts of the pectoral muscles.

For the rest of the reasons, just forget, they are not justified and invented by theorists of glossy magazines to force you to buy another newfangled supplement that will definitely bring your muscle development to a new level.

Surely you have a question, but what about the technical nuances of the exercise, because it plays an important role in the development of a certain muscle structure. The answer to this question lies in the first paragraph, which knowingly occupies the initial position. Why do you need a technique when performing an exercise in order to qualitatively load muscle fibers. However, if there is no neuromuscular connection, no technical tricks will make your pecs grow.

Proper technique is necessary so that the brain can select the optimal range of motion and qualitatively reduce the training muscle. Using the right technique, you make it easier for your brain and give it the opportunity to optimally bring the muscles to failure point. Naturally, the consequence of such an attitude to training is an increase muscle mass and strength.

Therefore, the exercise technique and the ability to correctly contract muscle fibers are concepts that cannot exist separately. What conclusion can we draw from the above:

• correct technical skills with poor neuromuscular communication will not help you qualitatively reduce a working muscle group;
• a good neuromuscular connection, even with a satisfactory exercise technique, will bring your muscles to failure and trigger the mechanism of overcompensation and growth.

Without understanding the above points, it simply does not make sense to describe the instructions for increasing the pectoral muscles. Because athletes will apply new recommendations without correcting simple fundamental mistakes that will not give the opportunity to increase muscle size.

How to solve the above problems that inhibit the growth of the pectoral muscles of 90% of training athletes?

1. All exercises aimed at developing the pectoral muscles should be performed with perfect technique.
2. Daily visualization before bed.

You need to conduct daily training of the neuromuscular system. Before going to bed, do an imaginary exercise without additional weights for 5 minutes. This is necessary in order to learn how to properly include muscles in the work. At the same time, the effect is stunning, your brain will learn to contract the muscle group in a highly efficient way at the time of the exercise.

No progression in training loads!

There is a well-known and indisputable axiom of iron sports that in order to start the growth mechanism, it is necessary to systematically increase training weights. This is what 90% of athletes cannot understand and put into practice. The bulk makes an ambiguous increase in the bench press and then trains with this weight throughout the year. Naturally, growth is out of the question.

You can ignore all the other rules and still increase muscle mass by adding 1 kilogram per month to the bench press. Believe me, you will grow even if the technical moment is a deuce.

You can change the intensity of the training different methods: increase in projectile weight, reduce rest between sets, increase or decrease the number of sets and repetitions. But until you bench press 140-150 kilograms, cyclic weight gain is considered the main anabolic for you.

Focus on the lagging areas of the chest muscles!

If you really want to have a chest like Arnold Schwarzenegger, then you need to start focusing on training the lagging sections of the pectoral muscles, and forget about strengths your chest, allowing you to work with the largest training weights.

Naturally, this is the upper and inner part of the chest muscles. It is these areas that betray the volume of the breast and, due to their genetic location, react poorly to a progressive load.

Remember that 70% of your time should be spent on training the upper chest and only 30% on working out the powerful bottom.

Now take a look at how you and the bulk of the gym goers train, accented bench presses on a horizontal bench and many other exercises aimed at developing the lower part of the chest. As a result, a hypertrophied bottom and a very underdeveloped upper chest are obtained.

In this state of affairs, the final refusal to train will lead to sagging of the pectoral muscle, which will greatly spoil appearance physique. To prevent this from happening, always focus on the upper chest and pay less attention to the lower chest.

What exercises should be used to develop an impressive chest?

All exercises for training the chest can be divided into two groups:

1. Presses- performed in simulators, with a barbell or dumbbells.
2. Wiring- which can also be performed with dumbbells and a crossover.

Effective chest exercises at home

Naturally, first of all, it is necessary to focus on basic exercises, and the decisive one among them for pumping up the chest is.

The technical nuances of doing the bench press on an incline bench!

1. First of all, the inclined angle of the bench should be 30 degrees. This position will allow you to qualitatively work out the top of the pectoral muscles and minimize the participation of triceps and deltas. Make the angle sharper and the triceps and deltas will immediately begin to steal the load. The horizontal position will connect the lower chest to active work, and the upper part will remain unused.
2. Secondly, it is necessary to adjust the correct setting of the hands on the neck. The grip should be slightly narrower than average. This position will provide a greater range of motion and will make it possible to better engage the top of the pectoral muscles in the work.
3. Thirdly, perform the movement within the amplitude. In practice, this means incomplete extension of the elbow joint in order to turn off the participation of the triceps and provide the pectoral muscles with maximum contraction throughout the entire exercise.

The number of repetitions is necessary to perform from 20 to 30 times for beginners to understand the mind-muscle connection, experienced athletes can do from 6 to 12 repetitions. For the first few years of training, eliminate other barbell presses from your training program completely, because they are not able to affect the upper sections of the pectoral muscles.

When to isolate?

With regard to isolation exercises, they should only be performed after several multi-joint exercises, when the pectoral muscles are already so depleted that they reach failure before the ligaments and joints. Isolation is also included in the training program when progressive addition of weights is not necessary.

Examples of complexes for the development of impressive pectoral muscles:

Now it's time for the truth, you can do as you see fit, or use a truly correct training complex.

1. Bench press on an incline bench 4 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
2. Incline Dumbbell Press 4 sets of 8-12 reps.
3. Wiring with dumbbells 3 sets of 8-15 repetitions.

If you are a beginner in iron sports, wiring can be excluded from the training program. Be sure to change the angle of the bench when performing wiring. For example, today you perform on a vertical bench, and the next workout you use a horizontal bench.

How to eat to pump up the pectoral muscles?

Surely everyone understands that training leads to muscle microtrauma, and nutrients contribute to the restoration and hypertrophy of muscle fibers. One factor cannot exist without the other. Right away, properly distribute the nutrients and stick to this scheme until your chest muscles become like an Apollo:

• Proteins - 30%;
• Carbohydrates - 60%;
• Fats - 10%.

Protein, it is necessary to use only animal origin, its component should be 2 grams per kilogram of body weight of the athlete. It is this amino acid set that will provide the injured muscle fibers with the necessary building material.

Carbohydrates, must be strictly complex, which means that you need to eat only cereals, pasta and potatoes. Eliminate everything from your diet confectionery. The body should have 7 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram.

Fats, consume predominantly omega 6 and vegetable fat with olive oil. Completely exclude from the diet, animal fats and fast food.

Use between meals a large number of fruits and vegetables. You can take casein protein before bed and ideally use whey protein in the morning. Before training, always drink liquid carbohydrates, this will help increase blood flow to the working muscle.

How to build chest muscles? All just follow the above recommendations and in a year, all the people around you will envy your pectoral muscles. Make a body worthy of your spirit.

Muscular, inflated chest is an indicator of a good physical form and health. Guys with big breasts look more confident than the rest, and for this reason, like a magnet, they attract the attention of girls. Every young man at least once thought about pumping up his chest. Today we will talk about how you can do it at home.

How to pump up muscles

Not everyone wants to go to the gym. Therefore, the first question that arises in your mind is: is it possible to pump up the pectoral muscles at home? Of course you can. Everything depends on you. If you are ready to improvise and come up with something new, then you will succeed!

In order to pump up your chest at home, you will need:

1. Your wish.
2. Backpack.
3. Dumbbells or weights.
4. Bars.
5. Chairs or stools.

Let's start with why we need a backpack . Your goal is to increase breast volume. Accordingly, you will work to increase muscle mass. As you know, when gaining mass, you should work with such weights to perform no more than 10-12 repetitions per set. When you learn how to do a lot of push-ups, you will wear a backpack on your back, in which there will be discs from dumbbells. This will help you increase the muscle mass of your chest.

So, we need dumbbells to perform bench presses. That is, if you have dumbbells weighing at least 12-15 kilograms, then you can work out your chest muscles well. You can build yourself a bench out of several chairs and do dumbbell bench presses. They should be collapsible so that you can put discs from them in your backpack for weights in push-ups from the floor and from the uneven bars.

And also with dumbbells, you can do breeding while lying. This is also a very effective chest development exercise. When the weight of the dumbbells is not enough for you to press, replace it with arm extensions.

We need chairs and stools so that we can somehow replace the bench and bars. By the way, about the bars . They can be found in any yard. However, if you didn’t succeed in doing this, purchase hanging bars complete with a horizontal bar at a sports store. As a rule, the price does not exceed two thousand rubles.

Dips are a key exercise for chest development. It is performed even by bodybuilders who work out in gyms. Technique for this exercise:

In talking about chest training at home, one cannot fail to mention the classic push-ups from the floor. Technique:

1. Take an emphasis lying down. Spread your arms wide, keep your back straight.
2. Slowly lower yourself and pause at the bottom. You do not need to touch the floor, this will reduce the effectiveness of the approach.
3. With a powerful movement, rise, and linger at the top for a second.

You have been offered the most effective exercises for the pectoral muscles at home. Now our task is well-designed training program.

Training programs

We will now bring to your attention a few effective programs workouts for home. Each of them will have slightly different goals, and they will be based on the means available to you. From the proposed list of programs, choose the best one for yourself, and customize it for yourself.

Classic program:

1. Dumbbell bench press - 3 sets of 12 reps.
2. Push-ups on the uneven bars - 3 sets of 12 repetitions.
3. Push-ups from the floor - 3 sets of 12-15 times.

If you have dumbbells and you have found parallel bars, follow this program. Pick up the weight to perform the indicated number of repetitions, and then you will definitely pump up a powerful chest.

Breast undercut program:

1. Push-ups on the uneven bars - 4 sets of 12 times.
2. Chair deep push-ups – 4 sets for max reps.

With the help of such a set of trainings, you will pump the lower part of the pectoral muscles well. Your chest will take on a clear outline, and visually it will appear barrel-shaped.

But what to do if no sports equipment could be found? How to pump up the chest with push-ups?

Bodyweight training program:

1. Classic push-ups from the floor.
2. Head up push ups.
3. Head down push ups.

In each exercise, you need to perform 3 sets for the maximum number of times. But you still try to find relief. In any case, you should have a backpack at home. After all, you wore textbooks in something when you went to school or college. You can put books, water bottles or sand in the backpack. Of course, the weight will be small, but it's better than nothing. It should be understood that by training in this way, you will not increase the muscle mass of the chest, but will only work out the relief a little.

All these programs need to be done 2 times a week. . You are pretty good at loading your muscles., but still the load is much less than in gym. Therefore, 2 workouts per week are needed.

A set of training for advanced:

The first day:

1. Push-ups on the uneven bars - 5 sets of 10-12 reps.
2. Lying Dumbbell Row - 5 sets of 12-15 reps.

Day two - superset:

1. Deep push-ups on chairs - a maximum of times.
2. Push-ups from the floor with a narrow grip - a maximum of times.

This superset must be repeated 5-6 times. The essence of this program is that at first we work with a lot of weight for the development of muscle mass, and then we pump the maximum amount of blood into the pectoral muscles. Such a varied training significantly accelerates muscle growth, and involves all inactive muscle fibers.

Training features

Naturally, all people different bodies. Lagging and prosperous muscles are also different for everyone. However, despite this, each muscle has its own characteristics that must be observed. And the chest muscles are no exception..

The training process should be varied. If you keep doing the same exercise all the time, then your progress will stop very soon. Muscular adaptation must be avoided. To do this, follow different kinds push-ups. Change training programs every 3-4 weeks.

Men and women need to train their chest differently. For men, volume is important, so they need to work with weights. For girls, fit is important. They need to keep their muscles toned in order to look sexy. And for this, it is enough to do push-ups 2 times a week.

It is necessary to train the chest together with the triceps, since both of these muscle groups perform the same function - pushing. If you are creating a training program to work out the whole body, then put the chest and triceps on the same day.

Warm up properly before starting your workout. When doing exercises on the chest, the shoulder joint is actively working. And he, as you know, the most traumatic.

Don't wait quick results. You will notice the first changes in the size of your pectoral muscles only after a few weeks. You will have a “powerful chest” only after six months of training.

Experiment constantly! Try one-arm push-ups, or two-arm power-ups. After all, these exercises also affect the growth of your pectoral muscles. Moreover, they involve muscle fibers that “sleep” during ordinary push-ups.

Now you know how to build muscle at home. Choose one of the training programs suggested above and customize it to suit you, and then you will pump up a chest that you could not even dream of, and you will look like a real man! I wish you success!

Do you want to pump up a wide and embossed chest? This program specially designed to help you build muscle and develop every muscle in your body from head to toe. All details below!

Breast. In many ways, it is she who characterizes a man. Broad, barrel-shaped, muscular and proportionate chest exudes strength and power. Many of us, growing up, looked with admiration at our fathers - they were bigger, stronger and taller than us. We were always impressed by how much they could lift, pull, carry and push. Didn't their sight inspire us with awe and inspiration? Didn't we wish one day to be like them?

Visually they are an indicator of strength human body. They testify to strength and power. One way or another, at some point, most men want to pump up a stronger and more powerful chest, whether they are amateur athletes or compete in bodybuilding competitions.

And although many athletes spend countless hours exercising on the simulator and performing, only a few manage to pump up impressive muscles, and not huge conceit. They do all the workouts, which often last for hours, and do set after set of every exercise known to mankind, but do not get any results.

Of course, training increases strength and builds some percentage of muscle mass, but wouldn't it be great to do a program that is both effective and efficient, and also promotes significant muscle development?

Let's hope this article sheds some light on how to pump up the notorious pecs. This is not about a strength development program (although you will get stronger), but about special program development of the pectoral muscles, designed for building muscle mass and overall muscle development of the whole body. Strong, harmoniously and proportionately pumped breasts will be the finishing touch to your appearance, regardless of whether you just want to show off on the beach or perform at a bodybuilding competition.

Wouldn't it be great to engage in a program that is both effective and efficient?

A bit of anatomy

The musculature of the chest consists of three groups of two muscles. Let's look at each muscle and its functions.

Large pectoral muscle. This fan-shaped muscle is located in front of the chest, starts at sternum in the center of the chest and attached to humerus near shoulder joint. The main function of the pectoralis major muscle is to flex the humerus towards the chest.

Small pectoral muscle. It is located under the pectoralis major muscle, begins approximately in the middle of the chest and is attached to the coracoid process of the scapula. The main function of the pectoralis minor is to move the shoulder forward.

Although the chest area includes these two muscle groups, many exercises will affect various areas pectoralis major. The incline or flat bench presses and the raises will determine which areas are more developed than the others.

In addition, the pectoralis minor, which is sometimes used during body stability, can also be targeted.

Pumping up a wide chest!

Now that you know about the anatomy and mechanisms of movement, let's figure out how to pump up a wide chest. The presented movements and exercises are designed to get the maximum result every time you visit the gym. Remember that it is always necessary to use the correct technique and not to lift too much weight so as not to risk your safety.

Incline barbell presses, Smith machine presses, and dumbbell presses: these exercises are part of most programs. Flat bench exercises develop the lower and middle portions of the pectoralis major, positive incline work primarily engages the upper and, to a lesser extent, middle portion, and negative incline bench presses help build the lower portion of the pectoral muscle. All of these actions can be performed with a barbell, dumbbells, or on the Smith machine - each option has its own advantages.

barbells

Usually rods are used when maximum load is needed, general development muscles and muscle building. It is good to take them at the beginning of the complex so that the athlete can lift a lot of weight.

To perform a barbell press, simply grab the bar a little more than shoulder-width apart ( the best option- when the forearms are perpendicular to the floor when lowering the bar to the chest).

On a positive incline bench, lower the bar to your upper chest, on a flat bench to your middle or lower pecs, and to your bottom on a negative incline bench. Lift the weight up without swinging the bar or fully extending your elbows.

Dumbbells

The advantage of dumbbells is that they can be used alternately. In this way, the athlete can not only even out imbalances, but also make the pectoral muscles work interdependently, bringing their hands together at the top point to achieve a strong contraction.

When working with dumbbells, follow the same movements as during the barbell press, but lower them to the sides of the chest, and then simultaneously push them back up towards the center, avoiding their contact. Make sure you don't fully extend your elbows to keep the muscles under constant tension.

Smith simulator

The Smith machine is best used in the middle or end of a workout when the muscles are already tired and therefore balance and balance are important. correct technique performing exercises.

Intelligence

These exercises will make the main parts of the pectoralis major muscle more prominent and inflated, such as the internal (on blocks) and external (with dumbbells).

Simply lie down on a flat bench (for mid-pectoral), positive (upper) or negative (lower) incline bench, grab dumbbells or D-handles on a block machine with palms facing each other . For block work, use a standard machine with the pulleys in the lowest position.

Spread your arms as if you are about to hug someone. The elbows should be slightly bent to take pressure off the joints. Lower the dumbbells or D-rings to about chest level (or a comfortable position), then reverse the motion in the same way.

Advice. When working with dumbbells and blocks, there is a slight difference in the technique of performing exercises. When using dumbbells, try not to touch them at the top. Bring the dumbbells together until the distance between them is approximately 15-20 cm - this way you will keep the load on the pectoral muscles. When doing a block exercise, bring the handles together to achieve an intense contraction and squeeze the muscles.

Press on the simulator

Most gyms have some variation of this machine for doing chest presses. Just make sure you follow all the above recommendations - do not fully extend your elbows and slow down when moving your arms to your chest.

Butterfly simulator

Another favorite trainer for most athletes is the Butterfly trainer. They are usually available with forearm pads or long handles for straight arms.

Most important rule when performing these exercises (similar to the information described above), straighten your shoulders and open your chest wide. So you can apply heavy load on the chest muscles and remove it from the shoulders. Be sure to squeeze the muscles for a couple of seconds to increase the strength of the contraction and engage the muscles even more.

Crossover on blocks

For development internal parts and giving an overall defined chest look, nothing beats crossovers on blocks. There are a huge number of ways to do this exercise, depending on your goal.

To perform a traditional high pulley crossover, grab the two D-handles that are above your head and stand between the uprights of the machine. To begin with, bend your elbows slightly to take pressure off your joints.

Put one leg forward 30-60 cm and spread your arms wide. In an arcing motion, lower your arms forward (as if you are hugging someone) so that the brushes converge at approximately waist level. Slowly return to the starting position by raising your arms in the same arc. This exercise develops mainly the lower and inner part of the pectoral muscles.

Push ups

Recently, this good old exercise has been used not only in the barracks to train soldiers, but has also become especially popular among athletes who train certain muscle groups. When pumping up the chest, push-ups are best left at the end of the program in order to disperse the blood a little more in this area.

As options, you can use push-ups with a positive incline to develop lower parts muscles (hands on the bench, feet on the floor), with a negative slope for the upper parts (hands on the floor, feet on the bench) and push-ups from the floor for the general development of the chest muscles.

Advice. For an even more intense chest workout, try doing a set of two three-step push-ups as the last exercise. Start with a negative incline, move to floor pushups, and end with a positive incline - this counts as one set, so don't take breaks between exercises.

Push-ups on the uneven bars

Dips, which are also used to build triceps mass, can be easily used to develop chest muscles. Stand inside the machine and grab the bars shoulder-width apart. As you lower your body, lean forward and spread your elbows slightly. As you move down, you should feel a stretch in your chest muscles.

Remaining in a forward bend, lift yourself up, focusing on the contraction of the chest muscles. You can add weights in the form of a dumbbell that your partner places between your calves, or in the form of a pancake belt. Note: Before adding weights, work out the technique of performing the exercise well with your own weight.

Pullover with dumbbells and a barbell from behind the head lying down

Another great exercise that focuses on the pectoralis minor and overall development is pullover. Although many athletes use it to isolate their back muscles, it is also extremely effective for completing chest exercises.

To perform the dumbbell pullover, lie crosswise on a flat bench and grasp the inside of a medium-weight dumbbell. In the starting position, the weight should be directly above the head, elbows slightly bent. Lower the dumbbell behind your head in an arc towards the floor, constantly controlling the movement of your hands.

As you lower the dumbbell, take a deep breath and stretch your chest muscles. Stretch the muscles only to the limit of comfort, then reverse the movement as you exhale. Remember that deep breaths will help you contract your pecs.

When performing a pullover with a barbell, lie down on a flat bench lengthwise, grasp the barbell at a distance slightly more than shoulder width apart with a reverse grip. While holding the barbell to your chest (as you did with the bottom of the reverse bench press), maintain a 90-degree angle at your elbows. Raise the bar up and lower behind your head in an arc towards the floor.

Make sure the muscles are stretched, then reverse the movement, lowering the bar to the torso. Remember to maintain the correct angle at the elbows at all times and inhale deeply as the bar moves down.

Training plans

Perform one of the following complexes 1-2 times a week with at least 4 days between them to ensure maximum results. You can alternate exercises and choose the ones that suit you best.
Note: Perform 2 sets of 10-15 reps of the first exercise with light to moderate weights to warm up the muscles.

Terms you need to know

superset- two exercises are performed consecutively without rest.

Refusal- the moment during the exercise when the working muscles are so tired that you can no longer perform a repetition with clear biomechanics. You should take your post-warm-up sets to at least the point of short-term muscle failure, or better yet, take them past it.

Beautifully drawn, well-developed chest muscles in men attract a lot of attention and play a big role in a holistic body image. In addition, the chest muscles help us perform biceps, triceps, and upper back exercises, and lift more weight in strength training.

You can pump up this muscle group not only in a specially equipped gym, but also at home. Let's take a closer look at what chest exercises you can do at home.

Types of push-ups on the chest

Push-ups are a basic exercise that effectively works out not only the chest, but the entire upper body. There are several types of push-ups, each of which is aimed at working out a specific part of the muscle group.

Classic

1. To perform standard push-ups, take an emphasis while lying on your stomach on a gymnastic mat, straight arms are shoulder-width apart, palms parallel to your shoulders, toes rest on the mat, feet slightly apart.
2. While inhaling, bend your elbows, while the entire torso forms a straight line. As you exhale, take the starting position.

Classic push-ups work the pectoralis major, anterior delta, triceps, trapezius, and serratus anterior.

Important: do not bend in the lower back and do not help yourself with your stomach and pelvis! Work only top corps.

Narrow hand stance

1. Take the same position as in the previous exercises, but the hands are exactly under the chest.
2. Position your palms so that thumbs touched each other.
3. While inhaling, bend your arms, while they should go parallel to the body, when the elbows are almost pressed to the body, while exhaling, straighten them.

Performing the exercise with a narrow setting of the palms helps to shift the load on the middle part of the chest and triceps. At the same time, trapezoids and deltas do not work as actively as in the classic version.

Leaning forward

1. Take an emphasis lying down, hands are shoulder-width apart. Place your feet on a slight rise.
2. With your arms bent, lower your chest to the floor, keeping your body in a straight position, keeping your back straight.

With inclined push-ups, the main part of the work is taken over by the upper chest, the front bundle of the delta, and the triceps.

Do push-ups with a narrow stance or body tilt only if you have already mastered their classic technique to perfection.

Types of exercises with dumbbells

If push-ups are aimed at working out the relief and strength of the upper body, then strength exercises with dumbbells will help build muscle mass.

Breeding hands lying

1. Lie down on a horizontal bench with your shoulder blades, head and tailbone firmly pressed against the surface.
2. Take 2 dumbbells in your hands and raise them above you, palms facing each other.
3. While inhaling, spread the dumbbells as far as possible to the side, while not fully extending your arms to avoid the risk of injury.
4. As you exhale, combine your hands and hold them at the top for a couple of seconds.

The exercise is mainly aimed at working out the pectoralis major, but also indirectly involves the deltas and the biceps of the shoulder, the press.

It is the reverse version of push-ups from the floor.

1. To perform the bench, accept horizontal position lying on the bench. Spread your legs slightly apart, placing your foot on the floor.
2. Raise your straightened arms with dumbbells up above you at about shoulder width.
3. While inhaling, lower the projectile to touch the chest, while exhaling, squeeze the dumbbells up and hold them at the extreme point, straining the chest as much as possible.
4. Lower the dumbbells at a slow pace, stretching the chest muscles, and raise them with a sharp jerky movement.

Note: when performing the exercise, it is very important to monitor the position of the elbow joints. They must be clearly fixed and always in motion along the same trajectory.

You can vary your load in this exercise. So, when pressing on an inclined bench, the top of the chest does the main work, since in the classic performance on a horizontal bench, the load goes to the middle and bottom of the chest.

1. Lie down on a horizontal bench with your head at its very edge.
2. Grabbing the dumbbell with both hands, lift them up.
3. Slightly bending, lower your arms with the weight down, stretching the muscles, and then take the starting position.
4. The projectile must always move along the same trajectory.

The pullover helps to isolate the chest and expand the chest itself.

Exercises with other equipment

This exercise helps to include in the work not only the chest, but also the rest of the muscles of the body.

1. To perform it, take an emphasis on the uneven bars, straightening your arms.
2. Lean your body forward slightly elbow joint, slowly descending.
3. Then straighten your arms, do not help yourself with jerky movements.

For the best work on the pectoral muscles, go as low as possible until the palms are parallel to the bottom of the chest.

If you have a barbell or bar in your arsenal, but no dumbbells, then you can do a bench press with a barbell. Its execution technique remains the same.

Exercise with an expander

Such additional equipment as an expander helps to give our body an unusual load. With it, you can perform various training options, stretching it at different angles.

1. Work your chest once a week. You can either assign a chest workout on a separate day or combine it with a back or arm workout.
2. Perform each exercise 8-12 times in 4-5 sets.
3. Start your workout with a joint warm-up for all muscle groups, which will help reduce the risk of injury and prepare the body for stress.
4. Make the first approach warm-up: take half of your maximum working weight and do 25-30 repetitions. This approach to building a workout will help prepare the muscles for a more serious load.
5. Do not forget about the hitch: it can be both stretching and light cardio.
6. Do the base first, then the isolation.
7. Don't forget about proper nutrition. For muscle growth, you need to eat at least 2 grams of protein per kg of body per day.

These exercises will help you pump up your pectoral muscles without leaving your home. But do not forget that the load must be gradually increased in order to constantly surprise your body. Then the result will not keep you waiting!