Inner (Upper) Chest

[deeepsouth_nz]

Hi Guys,

Need some ideas for different exercise(s) for my inner (upper) chest area. I do all the usual mass building presses and flyes etc. Just prior to recently I was doing alot of pec dec and that seemed to be helping.....I switched to cable crossovers for some variety but seem to feel that more in the outer lower quadrant unless I bring the cables more in front of my chest and squeeze and/or lean forwards at the waist. I like the old school, unusual kinda exercises and prepared to give anything a shot if it works!

Cheers

ps The tips I was given for adductors seem to be paying off, so thankyou!

[FoTwenny]

So when you say about the crossovers you mean you've tried the ones where you have the cables set low and lift them up toward your upper chest, kinda like you were lifting dumbells?

Which gym in Invercargill do you go to btw?

[JamesR32GTR]

Superset Incline cable flyes with incline DB press.

On the cable fles make sure you get a peak contraction at the top really squeeze your pecs togeather,nice slow movements.

You can do this in pre exaust fashion e.g the flye movement first or if you are still needing alot of thickness in the area do the pressing movement first so you can handle heavier weight.

Good luck 8)

[SamWelly]

Deep Incline bench.

Cables are shit for chest, they just give you a pump as you can't go very heavy. The seperation you get is the gap between the muscles, not a specific muscle that you can target IMO. Build some mass, cut, and you should have some nice seperation going on.

[deeepsouth_nz]

At World Gym in Invercargill.

No I was meaning I have been doing the crossovers pulling down and in from the top set of pulleys.

Already do heavy incline presses but the incline cables sounds like a plan....

Cheers

[SamWelly]

I see two chest muscles...

http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/PectoralisSternal.html

http://www.exrx.net/Muscles/PectoralisClavicular.html

How do you shape a muscle?

I agree with hitting a muscle from different angles to help with stimulation, but not with growth in a particular area of the muscle...

Lats area good example. You either have a low insertion point of you don't. I havent found anyone who claims to be able to help solve this...

(Although if you do I would love to hear how as mine are a little high... :x )

[mike-311]

You probably already do em, but there's nothing wrong with push ups to finish off a good chest routine.

[JamesR32GTR]

Deep Incline bench.

Cables are shit for chest, they just give you a pump as you can't go very heavy. The seperation you get is the gap between the muscles, not a specific muscle that you can target IMO. Build some mass, cut, and you should have some nice seperation going on.

One of the functions of the chest is to draw the arms inwards like a hugging motion.flying movements work this purfectly , cables are best employed as they provide resistense over the whole ROM whilst also providing a peak contraction.

Done on an incline this isolates the upper/inner chest purfectly.

You should always employ heavy(for you) pressing movements in your chest routine but to say cables are shit for chest is silly , it is true you may not be able to move the whole stack on a cable flye but there is always more than one way to employ intensity to a workout than straight sets of heavy weights , hence supersetting as I outlayed above.

[SamWelly]

You probably already do em, but there's nothing wrong with push ups to finish off a good chest routine.

Yes there is... What do you plan to gain after your muscles are already exhausted and torn from the heavy weight session prior to it? Keep it simple and heavy.

I agree that you can isolate a muscle to the extent where inflammation is more prominent in a particular area due to the peak contraction point, but I don't think it is going to grow where it burns so to speak. I think genetics have more to do with shape than isolative exercises - Especially when talking about chest movements.

Chest separation comes with Mass combined with a Low BF % IMO.

[deeepsouth_nz]

This is all getting a little contradictory I think....an isolative exercise aims to work a certain area. If we say it is not going to grow where it burns.... then why do we bother having any variety in our training at all. By that what I mean is, why even bother doing incl presses are they not in themselves an isolative exercise - we might as well just do bench press for chest and nothing else....but the thing is I guarantee we wont be able to develop all areas of the chest proportionately to one another :shock:

[SamWelly]

Incline targets predominantly the Clavicular Head.

Flat bench targets predominantly the Sternal head.

An Isolative exercise aims to target a specific muscle , not part of the muscle .

I train with an NZBB who has one of the most impressive chests I have ever seen. All from 1 day of dips, and 1 day of incline - Not cable fly’s or 1 arm dumbbell presses. I do use these for flexibility and core strength though occasionally.

[SamWelly]

A burn doesn't mean too much either bud... I get a burn in my quads and calves from skipping but I don't expect to get any muscle gain from it.

[ngapuhi strong]

single arm dumb bell press on a swiss ball always feels like its hitting inner upper chest for me, and core of course

[mike-311]

Explain too me how theres somthing wrong with doing a natural exercise like push ups as a all over round off and stretch after doing several isolation chest movements.

Im not talking bout going mad with it just a soft landing.

I usually do a set of 10-20 push ups, Im a firm believer in stretching before and after heavy sessions for growth.

As for burn

A deep burn in ones muscles is a great indication that one has done enough damage to that muscle for some growth, and damage repair.

Which is another excellent reason for the stretch.

I dont know bout you but if I damage a part of my body I feel it.

[Tonka]

Hi Guys,

Need some ideas for different exercise(s) for my inner (upper) chest area. I do all the usual mass building presses and flyes etc. Just prior to recently I was doing alot of pec dec and that seemed to be helping.....I switched to cable crossovers for some variety but seem to feel that more in the outer lower quadrant unless I bring the cables more in front of my chest and squeeze and/or lean forwards at the waist. I like the old school, unusual kinda exercises and prepared to give anything a shot if it works!

Cheers

ps The tips I was given for adductors seem to be paying off, so thankyou!

Hey DS_NZ,

I reckon your on the right track. Inclined Cable and DB isolation work like cross overs and flyers etc are great for flushing the upper chest to finish it off. But Maintain your Barbell work in the incline bench but not only change your angles - change your grip width weekly. Keep it to 3 grips - close (pinky on the inner ring), medium grip (pinky on the outer ring) and wide grip (index on the outer ring).

For a bodybuilder I train, upper chest developnment is something that requires specific attention. I normally start him on close/medium grip incline do 6 x 5-8 (working sets only) and then to flush blood in (drop weight) do 1-2 sets of 10/15 - at a wider grip. This is normally followed up with some heavy incline DB presses onced again changing the pressing angle/grip - either palms in (elbows in) or thumbs facing (elbows out) weekly and finally (extreme) angled weighted dips (or unweighted) to finish it off before a stretching exercise.

Hope this helps.

[diamond]

I train with an NZBB who has one of the most impressive chests I have ever seen. All from 1 day of dips, and 1 day of incline - quote]

that's pretty much all i do for chest anymore. remember reading an article by franco columbo saying that all he ever really did to build his chest was bench.

[FoTwenny]

Yeah speaking of bench, try using a wide grip. As wide as possible. The pros say that wide grip = inner chest work, close grip = outer.

[SamWelly]

I train with an NZBB who has one of the most impressive chests I have ever seen. All from 1 day of dips, and 1 day of incline - quote]

that's pretty much all i do for chest anymore. remember reading an article by franco columbo saying that all he ever really did to build his chest was bench.

I'm glad someone agrees.

I did some Flat bench, and Incline tonight. Pumped up hugely. Getting another lot of measurements done tomorrow, or this time next week. Will see how the chest workout is going...

[mike-311]

I train with an NZBB who has one of the most impressive chests I have ever seen. All from 1 day of dips, and 1 day of incline - quote]

that's pretty much all i do for chest anymore. remember reading an article by franco columbo saying that all he ever really did to build his chest was bench.

I agree simplicity is best.

I have a huge chest, as a matter of fact its the best part of my body. I achieved it only because some army guy told me years ago that you know your doing well if you can bench you own body weight.

Which frustrated the hell outta me cos at the time I was 88kg and I could only bench 50kg.

Me worrying bout muscle size went right out the window, I wanted to be able to lift my body weight, so that became my goal.

Lots of bench and lots of incline and flyes.

Not only did I manage too lift my own weight but awesome size and shape became a great by-product.

However Im starting to do DB bench now to mix it up a bit and it a nice change.

[vracula]

At World Gym in Invercargill.

No I was meaning I have been doing the crossovers pulling down and in from the top set of pulleys.

Already do heavy incline presses but the incline cables sounds like a plan....

Cheers

Try this its worked wonders for me and my upper chest ,try to do the cable flyes standing and instead of pulling them from above ,try bringing them from below to above (reverse cable flyes? dont know what its called exactly),and stick to your dips,i had a good improvement in the upper region once i added this to my workout try it for a month and see if it makes any diff to you.another thing is when you doing working on the pec deck dont concentrate on making the pads meet rather concentrate on flexing you pecs,if you do that youll never touch the pads together makes a world of differnence trust me.

this is what my chest workout looks like

4x 8 incline bench press

4x 8 flat bench

3x8 reverse cable flyes

3x8 flat bench flyes ( i start with the bench at 45 degrees ,then next set lower it to 30 and then the last set is flat)

3 x 8 -15 dips really slow and really low,look down while doing the dips emphasises your pecs more than your triceps

and 2 x 8 pec deck.

and stick to the routine ,if you keep changing your routine its not going to help,try this routine for a month or two ,if no improvements then change.

[SamWelly]

That is a lot of work for just 2 muscles :shock:

I wouldn't recomend what is above at all. No offence bud, but pretty much everything after your incline bench is just going to give you a pump - unless you went too light on the flat and incline...

Look at power lifters, they have a HUGE well shaped chest, albiet with a fair bit of bodyfat. If they were to cut it would be pretty amazing... Look at any mass monsters training regime and photos, great size, shape, and definition (with the right BF %) and most do just the three main excersizes:

Flat Bench.

Dips.

Incline Bench - Decline Bench.

I'll post some pics up of my chest in a few weeks if you want, as I am shredding for an up comming fight next month. Hopefully the seperation will come with the drop in BF%, if not then here come the flys and 5 exercise chest workouts :pfft:

[frogie2001]

think everything has been said above in one way or another.

Incline BB and DB press Flat BB and DB press, this fatigues the large muscle stimulates growth etc. as far as i understand the "isolation" exercises more just ensure the major muscle groups are fatigued by utilising less stabilising muscle groups. that is doing the presses brings in the shoulders as well, so doing flyes will than ensure the major muscle group is finished off and stimulating growth etc.

this is how i understand it anyways.

[vracula]

That is a lot of work for just 2 muscles :shock:

I wouldn't recomend what is above at all. No offence bud, but pretty much everything after your incline bench is just going to give you a pump - unless you went too light on the flat and incline...

Look at power lifters, they have a HUGE well shaped chest, albiet with a fair bit of bodyfat. If they were to cut it would be pretty amazing... Look at any mass monsters training regime and photos, great size, shape, and definition (with the right BF %) and most do just the three main excersizes:

Flat Bench.

Dips.

Incline Bench - Decline Bench.

I'll post some pics up of my chest in a few weeks if you want, as I am shredding for an up comming fight next month. Hopefully the seperation will come with the drop in BF%, if not then here come the flys and 5 exercise chest workouts :pfft:

yeah i know it seems a lot but i have had some good results from it,plus when i do any less than that ,i dont feel like ive had a good workout for some reason.i really like working my a$$ off.im not sure thats a good thing but its woking for me.and i also keep it very intense.

[vracula]

think everything has been said above in one way or another.

Incline BB and DB press Flat BB and DB press, this fatigues the large muscle stimulates growth etc. as far as i understand the "isolation" exercises more just ensure the major muscle groups are fatigued by utilising less stabilising muscle groups. that is doing the presses brings in the shoulders as well, so doing flyes will than ensure the major muscle group is finished off and stimulating growth etc.

this is how i understand it anyways.

exactly!!