what are the best for getting it more full? i need some good idea's fro hitting the center of the chest, for most of mine seem to hit the outside more than anything.
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what are the best for getting it more full? i need some good idea's fro hitting the center of the chest, for most of mine seem to hit the outside more than anything.
I like guillotine presses. They seem to hit mine more than regular bench
To hit the inner - Try cable crossovers- emphasizing the latter portion og the movement and going BEYOND the other hand- meaning the part where you cross over each hand - am I explaining that clear? The key: ""pushing beyond the centerline of your body to the other half""Quote:
Originally Posted by MxxC82
Pec Dec- touch the pads and hold for a moment before relaxing- The inner pecs only can be hit that way, momentum and leverage give out on dumbells and barbells if in fact you develop an imbalance this way.
it may be that your pec/front delt and traps are tight with weak rhomboids and infraspinatus. all the above will work but unless you build some length to the muscle through proper biomechanics(muscle strength balance) you'll always have the problem. here's a long term solution to your problem IMO...
. build/strengthen the following areas, I've listed recommended exercises next to them.
1. rhomboids: bent over laterals or rows emphasizing on bringing scapula together behind you. or grab a resistance band and pull them apart from narrow grip
2. mid/lower trap: any rows that brings scapulas backwards and down wards. bent over shrugs, deads, downward shrugs using lat pulldowns
3. external rotators, especially infraspinatus: use cable or dbs, tuck your elbows bent 90 degrees to your torso and rotate your upper arm outward while keeping elbows bent 90 degrees
stretch/lengthen following areas
1. pecs/delts: use doorway stretch
2. lats: hang on chin bar with 1 arm
3. upper traps: grab left hand on right temple and pull to left, repeat other side
4. subscapularis: position just like the external rotator exercise, just rotate .
upper arm outward.
5. bicep brachi: hold db lying on incline bench and let arms hang behind you
other tips
1. consider using more underhand and neutral grips for pressing and pulling exercises.
2.make sure your pulling strength exceeds your pushing strength.
I like dumbbell flat bench , but everybody is different
Bro- your asking about the inner chest? Correct? "fro hitting the center of the chest, for most of mine seem to hit the outside more than anything"Quote:
Originally Posted by MxxC82
Overview
The chest is made up primarily of the pectoralis major muscle. This muscle is divided into two parts for the inner and upper chest. Several exercises work these parts of the chest individually and simultaneously. To get the best results in your upper inner chest, perform two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise on three nonconsecutive days a week.
Pec Deck Workout
This exercise targets the inner part of the pectoralis major. Sit at a pec deck machine with your arms open, horizontal and bent at the elbows. Grasp the handles of the machine with an overhand grip and place your forearms against the pads. Inhale and bring your elbows together, squeezing your chest muscles at then end of the movement. Exhale and return to the starting position.
Cable Crossover
This exercise provides an intense workout for your upper inner chest. Stand between two high-cable machines with your legs slightly apart. Grasp the handles of each cable and lean your torso forward a bit with your arms spread apart and your elbows slightly bent. Inhale and squeeze your arms together until they cross. Exhale at the end of the contraction, then carefully return to the starting position.
Incline Dumbbell
This exercise primarily targets the upper part of your chest. Sit on an incline bench angled between 45 and 60 degrees. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended vertically above your chest and your palms facing. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows throughout the exercise to prevent unnecessary stress on your joints. Inhale and extend your arms to horizontal, then raise your arms back to vertical while exhaling. Squeeze your chest muscles at the end of the movement.
Incline Bench Press
The incline bench press mainly works your upper chest. Sit on an incline bench angled at 45 to 60 degrees. Grasp a barbell with an overhand grip wider than your shoulders. Inhale and lower the barbell to your chest. Press the bar back up to the starting position by extending your arms. Exhale at the end of the movement. You also can use dumbbells for this exercise.
Decline Pushup with Hands Close Together
Your upper inner chest is targeted when performing decline pushups with your hands close together. Support yourself face down on the ground with your feet elevated on a sturdy bench or chair. Position your hands as close as you comfortably can, at least narrower than shoulder-width. With your back straight and your abdominal muscles contracted, inhale and bend your elbows to bring your chest to the ground while keeping your body in a straight line. Push your body back up by extending your arms. Exhale at the end of the movement.
Mostly all others stress the outer, despite the entire pectral girdle is hit to a lesser degree- I had the very same issue for years- Flat bench press regular or wide grip or flyes DONT HIT INNER
Ok you seen how I did it- heres how some other Expert trainers say:
Inner chest bothers many guys, probably you also, as a part of pecs that needs to be developed in order to “fill up the gap between my pectorals”, “make my chest show the line down the middle”, “have the whole inner part of my pecs thick including my upper inner pecs, lower inner pecs and my middle inner pecs”.
Use the following 4 best inner chest exercises for men:
1. Dumbbell Bench Presses, with a low decline
2. Hammer or Smith Machine Presses, emphasizing exagerated contraction
3. Standing Cable Crossovers, emphasize the last section of crossover
4. Machine (Pec Deck) Flyes.
Inner chest workouts aimed to develop a line down the middle of the pecs in weeks, not months, starting TODAY must include above exercises to hit lower inner and upper inner chest muscle in one workout with the middle part also. You may call this ultimate inner chest workout.
Inner chest workout – technique and implementation.
1) Dumbbell Bench Presses, decline-flat-incline
Dumbbell presses hit inner chest the most because they allow you to stretch your chest at the bottom and squeeze it hard at the top. Do it every repetition of your dumbbell presses and you will see INSTANT results and feel your inner pecs crying.
Remember: stretch at the bottom, squeeze at the top. You will get maximum activation of fibers in your inner pecs, maximum blood supply and you will get your chest strained in a stretched position (at the beginning of a movement) which is the only technique known to cause hyperplasia – fiber splitting, fiber amount increase.
Keep your lower back pressed against the bench! The more arched your back, the lower impact on your chest! No swing and momentum of dumbbells during motion!
Decline – use it to hit lower inner chest
Flat – use it to strain middle inner chest muscle
Incline – use it to hit very stubborn upper inner chest muscle
Start your chest training with dumbbell bench presses at different angles as a first exercise in your inner chest workout – from decline to incline depending on which inner area you want to hit the most. The higher the angle, the more upper inner chest you will be working out. Do 3-12 reps in each set to failure. Use the same weight for different angles at different repetition range (you may do 12 for flat press and end up doing only 8 for incline with the same weight – that’s okay) or use different weights for different angles so that you perform 8-12 reps in each set. Total sets – 5-6, rest period between sets – 2-3 minutes. The higher your heart rate during these exercises the more lean muscles you’ll get.
2) Hammer or Smith Machine Presses
This is a must in the inner chest workout for men because: With Smith Machine Press you can’t cheat – all your load are placed right on the pecs. It activates inner chest tremendously and generate maximum tension in them. Hammer Presses is even more effective as they force you to do a kind of movement that more like press at the beginning and like flyes at the end – your inner chest muscle will be crying. Aim at lighter weights and 20+ reps.
Your task – to feel your inner chest working and burning. Using this mode in your inner chest workouts you will accelerate the effect of the first exercises tremendously due to maximum tension in the inner pecs. These is the only technique for “unstubborning” any muscle – very high-rep explosive movements with lighter weights. This fills your muscles with blood to the fullest extent and forces it to grow.
3) Cable Crossovers (Standing and Low Cable)
4) Machine Flyes (Pec Deck Machine)
Use these two as the third exercise in your body building workout for 3-4 sets at 10-12 reps to failure – you will generate maximum tension in your inner chest. They are similar in effectiveness and absolutely a must if you want that sexy line down the middle of your pecs. Make absolutely sure when doing these cable crossovers (high cable crossover also) or machine flyes (flies) that you really squeeze the middle part of your chest hard at the very end of a movement when your hands meet together. I know other guys will envy you and hot chicks will give you attention you deserve. Go for your ultimate inner chest workout!
Now mostly this is a GENETIC issue, because you realistically cant isolate a ,"portion" of a muscle but you can make some improvements. although different excercises hit the muscles differently, (there isnt an isolation excercise that just singles out the inner chest.) However, tere are a few excercises that allow greater contraction, for example cable crossovers. With these, you can go a little farther than with flys for example, and that should help you contract your inner chest more fully. To get the full benefit, go past the point where your arms cross and flex and hold at the top.
Maybe this is why my chest sucks, all I have is a barbell and power rack.
Maybe I should invest in a pair of adjustable dumbbells, any recommendations?
This is excellent info guys, thanks! I will incorporate these exercises into my workouts and hope to see great results by the end of the year!
Just keep track of your strength gains. Write down your workouts and make sure you are continually getting stronger and stronger. If you are getting stronger, then the muscles are probably getting bigger.Quote:
Originally Posted by tiny
As for dumbbells, I like regular dumbbells of every variety. I have used the cheap all cast iron and very expensive high end rubber coated dumbbells in fancy gyms. They are all good in my opinion, so go cheap on dumbebells. Power blocks are good if you are short on space. The only issue with power blocks is you can NOT drop them onto the floor. You have to be kinda dainty with them, but they will work.
My chest has never been a problem and all I can say is I have done a bazzillion dips and benches of every type. Thats what has worked for me, but what works for me might not be the answer for you. Try the stuff mentioned in this post. Good luck.