The chest is one of the main muscle groups that people focus on building when they start the gym. In this blog we will look at the different parts of the pectoral muscles and how you can adjust your training to effectively target all of your chest.
Exercise Selection
Choosing exercises that target your chest and prioritising them at the start of your workout's when you're feeling most energetic should be your first point of action. Start with some sort of flat or incline pressing movement such as the Barbell or Dumbbell Bench Press. These compound movements will allow you to focus on your chest when performed correctly. Below are some other chest focused exercises to consider adding to your plan:
- Machine Chest Press
- Smith Machine Press
- Cable Fly
- Pec Deck
- Dips
Progressive Overload
Like with any muscle group, to grow you need to be applying progressive overload. Progressive overload is where you increase the weight, reps, tempo or form on exercises. For example if you were to bench press 60kg for 5 reps in week 1 but 65kg for 5 reps in week 2, this is a form of progressive overload. It is important to keep track of your weights so you can easily see if you are applying progressive overload week on week. If you were to go to the gym and lift the same weights for the same reps every week, you won't see muscle growth and are likely to become demotivated.
Get on top of your nutrition
You can't out train a bad diet. This is a term that is thrown around the fitness world and it is true in many ways. To grow a bigger chest you should be eating in a calorie surplus while consuming enough protein. By staying consistent with your nutrition alongside your training you will start to see progress in your chest.
Training Intensity
It is common for a lot of gym goers to underestimate the importance of training intensity throughout your sets. You should aim to leave no reps in reserve for your top set when performing your main chest movements. This is because you need to give your muscles a reason to grow and by pushing yourself you will be providing your muscles with the needed stimulus.
Mind to muscle connection
In order to perform your chest movements effectively, you need to know how to engage your chest while doing the movement. The role of your pecs is to be able to bring your arms across your body, keep this in mind when you are performing a chest movement and squeeze at the top of the movement. Once you know how to get the squeeze, you will feel more of a contraction when performing the movement.
