The chest is one of the most impressive muscle groups. Most men want a more muscular chest, better proportioned and more attractive, but few manage to get it.
How to train at home for an impressive chest?
The chest is the basic part of a complete physique, so don’t leave it below his standards when you could train him hard and hold him up with pride. Look how many men can boast a muscular chest!? Not many. Your chest can differentiate you from the rest of the crowd by giving you well-deserved attention.
A well-built chest is the cornerstone of a harmonious body, and the chest exercises presented here will do just that. These exercises are the best exercises to increase your muscle mass, as well as endurance, speed, and explosive strength.
To better understand the chest exercises, let’s look at the anatomy first.
You can also read: The beginner’s guide for push-ups: benefits, correct execution, tips, and variations
Chest Muscle Anatomy.
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From an anatomical point of view, the chest is made up of 2 large muscles: Pectoralis Major and Pectoralis Minor.
1) Pectoralis Major
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Pectoralis Major consists of 3 sections:
• Upper / Clavicular Head
• Middle / Sternocostal Head
• Lower / Abdominal Head.
The pectoralis major is a large, substantially fan-shaped muscle. And, as you might guess from the word “major,” it makes up the majority of your chest muscle mass. It originates in the collarbone, ribs, and sternum and is inserted in the upper part of the humerus (the bone of the upper arm from elbow to shoulder).
The pectoralis major helps to flex the shoulder joint and moves the arm to and over the chest. When you train your pectorals, you will probably notice that your shoulders and triceps also benefit.
2) Pectoralis Minor
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The pectoralis minor is a thin, triangular muscle that is located under the pectoralis major. It attaches to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th ribs and reaches the scapula (shoulder blade). Think of this as the little (but very strong) brother of the major pectoralis. His task is to help pull the shoulder back and forth.
3) Anterior Serratus
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Serratus Anterior is positioned on your rib cage below your pecs and armpits.
The Serratus Anterior, although not part of the thoracic anatomy, is usually grouped as part of the thoracic muscle group because it attaches near the pectorals on the ribs. Its functions are to move the scapula back and forth.
All of these parts work together to bring the arms closer to the body, rotate them inward, and extend the shoulder.
Chest Muscle Mechanics
Without going into technical terms, the main function of the pectoral muscles is the proximity of the arms in front of the body (in all angles of the transverse plane).
Basically, from the point where your arms are relatively close to your feet (imagine pushing something down next to your body) to very close to the point where your arms are outstretched above your head.
As secondary functions, the chest muscles help to:
• Rotating the arms inward (which is why they can accentuate postural problems)
• Shoulder extension.
Why choose push-ups?
Many professional athletes choose to work their pectorals by doing push-ups. Why do so many people who need functional strength choose to work on exercises that are performed with bodyweight instead of working with free weights?
The reason is simple: push-ups are a workout for pectorals far superior to free weights. In competitive environments, where speed and explosive power are essential, there is no substitute for push-ups. They build endurance, speed, and upper body strength.
Push-ups can be done almost anywhere and do not require equipment.
What muscles are targeted when you’re doing push-ups?
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Push-Up work:
• The chest
• The triceps
• Shoulders
• The abdomen
• Anterior Serratus.
If made to order, they can also strengthen the lower back and torso by tightening the abdominal muscles.
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How to do a proper standard push-up:
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1. Start from a high drawing position, with your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart and your palms just below your shoulder line. Your body will need to form a straight line from the heel to the neck.
2. From this position, involve moving the trunk muscles and pulling the shoulder blades down and back.
3. You begin to descend to the floor by bending your elbows and pushing your shoulders forward.
4. Lower until your chest is about 2 inches off the floor. Pause, exhale, and push your body back to the starting position.
3 Execution mistakes very common in push-ups:
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1. The position of the hands with the body.
When performing push-ups, most people place their hands apart on their upper body. The correct position, for the health of the shoulders and maximum results, places the hands at approximately 45 degrees from the body.
2. Allowing the hips to fall and rotating them forward.
By bending at the hips, a smaller percentage of body weight is used, making exercise easier. In addition, keeping your hips closer to the ground limits the range of motion.
In addition to sabotaging the results that can be obtained, this position can place the spine in a position of risk.
For maximum benefits, push-ups should be performed with the abdomen and bottom muscles contracted, obtaining a posterior rotation of the hips.
3. Incomplete range of motion.
The lower part of the movement involves a higher percentage of body weight than the upper part. That’s why it’s more difficult. That is why many people do not go down low enough, performing partial rather than complete repetitions.
11 Benefits of push-up:
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• Improving strength by fully activating the body
• Health and vitality
• Training the cardiovascular system
• Defining the muscles of the whole body
• Shoulder toning
• Correction of body posture
• Toning the back
• Complete and free body training
• Maintain and increase muscle density
• Metabolic rate increases
• Prevents shoulder and neck pain.
How often should you train this muscle group?
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You can work it up to 3 consecutive days a week. However, if you lift heavy weights (enough that you can only finish 6-8 reps), you will need at least 2-3 days of rest before performing the exercises again.
For this reason, you can only work on this muscle group once or twice a week. If your goal is to tone your muscles, you will want to stay with one to three sets of 12-16 reps and at least a day off before performing the exercises again.
Top 9 Push-Ups Variations:
Depending on the position of the arms and legs there are several types of push-ups. Once you have mastered the basic technique of correct push-ups, you can start doing other types of push-ups.
A greater variation of the types of push-ups will help you progress faster: Progress requires extra difficulty, and this can be achieved by including several types of push-ups in the training program.
You can also read: Top 14 push-up variations for strength and explosive power
Below you will find how you can train these musclesat any time at home, with these 9 best exercises which will develop your muscle mass and endurance, speed, and explosive strength.
Today’s top 9 push-up variations are:
1) Decline Push Up
2) Chest Dips
3) Plate Push-Ups
4) Diamond Push-Ups (targets the Triceps and Inner Chest)
5) Plyometric Push-Up (to build explosive strength)
6) Spiderman Push-Up
7) Pike Push Up
8) Dive Bomber Push-Up
9) Offset Push-Up
• Reps: 8-10 reps / exercise
• Rest: 1-minute between each exercise
• Repeat 2-5x depending on your training level (1x for beginners, 2-3x for intermediates, 3-5x for advanced).
Last Thoughts:
Don’t neglect the warm-up! It is necessary to warm up before each workout. Do not skip the warm-up no matter where you are and the training program you want to follow.
Five to ten minutes of active stretching are enough to prepare your body for effort. When it comes to chest training, it is important to warm your shoulders and arms.
Push-ups can be an excellent exercise for strength and muscle mass and a great addition to your workout program. But only when you use them correctly by choosing the right variant, intensity, and the number of repetitions.
You can do this workout at home only with bodyweight, 2x / week. It is important to listen to your body and give it continuous challenges to develop both in mass and endurance, speed, and explosive power.
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Wow, just wow. I really like the information provided by you. You have provided great info. As a health and wellness blogger, I find this knowledge very useful and also I find this workout and tips very relatable. You have provided a useful tip on how to do push-ups properly and also some variants of push-ups. Kudos.
Thank you Devang, I’m glad you like my article!