The upper chest region may be one of the hardest to grow in, which has frustrated both seasoned bodybuilders and those new to the profession.
Fortunately, there is a solution for every problem; it is up to you to keep track of their successes and failures!
So how can you effectively and accurately target your upper pecs?
Check out these 8 techniques for shaping your upper chest, then start incorporating them into your workout right away!
Lower Chest Stagnation? Unconventional Thinking
The secret to developing your upper chest is not the amount of weight you can press, as Arnold Schwarzenegger, the proud owner of one of the greatest, broadest chests of all time, could attest.
It is more efficient to work the fibers in your upper chest as directly as you can. (This is how Arnold got his renowned chest; here's how he did it.)
You must put a lot of time and effort into working out each section of your chest with exercises that focus on the right parts of the muscle if you wish to maximize the development of your chest.
In other words, you'll need to focus equally on each area with the exception of the upper pecs.
To battle these evil people, you'll need all the training expertise, stamina, and bravery you can muster!
However, if you work them as hard as you can in the way that they were designed to work and do it frequently enough, you too might be able to build a renowned, award-winning chest of your own.
Include the following eight recommendations in your action plan for building your chest since they will give you the much-needed guidance you need to sculpt the best upper chest imaginable.
1. Begin by working the upper pecs.
Always attack the weakest part of your body first while you're still alert and ready to give it your all.
If your upper pecs are giving you a headache, put them first in your program and train them as hard as you can.
However, this is not how things actually work. Some people believe that the weakest muscle should be saved for the end of the workout because by then the surrounding muscles will have already worn out, allowing for the target muscle to be depleted to its maximum potential.
In actuality, by the time you turn your focus to your upper pecs, you won't be able to give them all the care they require.
Utilize dumbbells as well.
Be careful not to turn into one of those guys who seems addicted to the barbell because those are usually the same guys that hit protracted training plateaus.
Like everything else in life, each bodybuilding technique and piece of equipment has specific advantages and disadvantages, so it's up to you to make the most of them.
While barbells let you to hit the chest with some extremely heavy weight, dumbbells provide you the option to work each side independently, correct any existing muscle imbalances (which are frequently painfully and foolishly visible), as well as develop vital stabilizing muscles.
If you want to make unstoppable progress, swap between dumbbells and barbells every week.
And the next time someone tries to persuade you to just use barbells, simply laugh them off, get the biggest set of dumbbells you can find, and show them how it's done!
3. Draw Attention to the Link Between Mind and Muscle
Observe this advice from the creator of chest exercise: In order to maximize the muscular damage done and achieve more increases than he would by merely going through the motions, Arnold would focus his entire attention on metaphorically "becoming" the muscle he wished to target. He underlined the importance of this strategy in relation to chest training in particular.
Strengthening the connection between your mind and your muscles is one of the finest methods to put your muscles through direct, acute stress for the proper amount of time, which can lead them to grow.
Warm up properly before the working sets and carry out each rep with excellent form to maximize the benefits and protect your shoulders.
4. Stop Lockout
Locking out causes the triceps to contract, which relieves pressure in your upper chest.
If you want to maintain the desired level of tension for muscle growth, stop each time you press a weight up just before lockout.
As soon as you develop the mind-muscle connection we discussed above, you should be able to feel when your tris begin to exert more effort than your upper pecs. This is your cue to start gradually lowering the weight again.
With repetition, you'll discover the ideal duration of the technique to enhance upper chest improvements.
5. Take various stances
Adjustable benches are the holy grail of chest training because they let you work on your chest from a variety of positions during each session.
It is true that the conventional incline bench's high angle frequently draws criticism for unintentionally including the delts.
With adjustable benches, you may reduce the slope without making the bench flat. By employing this low angle to target your upper pecs more effectively while limiting assistance from the front delts, you can improve your results.
If you train with dumbbells and barbells from a variety of angles, you'll be pleased with the results.
6. Flying Incline Cable
In summary, incline cable flies may be the exercise you've been looking for all this time because they are great for building the chest.
You have the considerable advantage of better isolating the target muscle and keeping constant tension thanks to the predetermined course of travel supplied by cables.
As a result of increased muscle injury brought on by increased strain, this will eventually cause your upper pecs to enlarge and become more intimidating.
To receive the most benefits for your money, perform each repetition with perfect form, extend out at the bottom, and flex your pecs as hard as you can at the top.
Don't Dismiss Work 7.
If you assumed that decline is only advantageous for lower pec activation, you have been living a lie.
Despite how strange it may sound, studies have shown that the best position for working the upper chest's fibers all at once is in descent.
Like any other body part, the chest needs a variety of stimuli to develop to its full potential. You can significantly stimulate your chest by switching between an incline and a descent to promote better overall growth.
If you want to put more strain on your upper pecs, use a firmer grip and make sure to lower the bar to the bottom of the pecs on each rep.
Step Up!
Just when doing pushups, though. As you push yourself up, be mindful to elevate your feet because shifting your bodyweight and placing more emphasis on upper body participation will make it harder.
Push off after placing your feet on a bench or a box. Better yet, include the magic of raised push-ups in your routine to encourage growth.
Upper-Chest Workouts
Let's now examine how you might use these concepts to a powerful upper chest workout.
You should perform two warm-up sets on the incline press before beginning the serious activity. After that, you should rest for no longer than 60 seconds between each set.
For best results, mix up the stimulation you apply to your upper pecs. How? Start with alternate sets using dumbbells and barbells.
Also, remember to stretch your chest in between sets. More blood may flow into the region as a result, helping to stretch the fascia that surrounds the muscle fibers and giving your workout the edge it needs.
Exercise broke records.
3-6-8 Adjustable Barbell Press
Low Incline Dumbbell Press: 3-5 8-10
Cables for a Flying Incline 3 10–12
Close-Grip Decline and Barbell Press 3 12
3 Elevated Push-Ups that failed
Related Article: The Top 5 Benefits of Dips as an Upper Body Exercise
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