THE PROBLEM WITH TYPICAL CHEST WORKOUTS
The classic theory of “Upper, Middle, and Lower” chest exercises is a good start when putting together a chest workout.
But it’s not enough!!
Take a look at the four main exercises that people do in their chest workouts: incline bench press, barbell bench press, dips and pushups, you’ll see that they have one issue in common.
Each of these exercises is lacking a full adduction of the shoulder.
This is a problem when it comes to developing a complete chest!
Just because you are going through a full range of motion on the exercises that you are doing it does not mean that you are taking a muscle through its full range of motion. Let me explain what I mean.
With the hands being fixed on a barbell, dip station or the floor through most common chest exercises, you are not able to take your shoulder through the full horizontal adduction over the midline of the chest that it is capable of.
The solution to this problem is to not throw out the popular mass building chest exercises, but to pair them as drop sets with exercises that do emphasize adduction across midline of the chest. Before I show you how to do this, I’d like to begin with some anatomy as we always do in our Perfect Workouts.
THE 3 PARTS OF THE PECTORAL MUSCLE
You can see when we activate the chest that different parts of the chest fibers run in different directions.
This is because they originate from different places on the clavicle and sternum.
Not all of the chest fibers have the same attachments or run in the same direction.
UPPER CHEST FIBERS
The Upper Chest fibers originate from the clavicle and run down toward the humerus. They go upward in a diagonal toward the center of the chest.
MID CHEST FIBERS
The Mid Chest fibers that come off of the sternum are oriented in a horizontal direction almost straight across the chest.
LOWER CHEST FIBERS
The Lower Chest fibers originate from the bottom of the sternum and travel diagonally down toward the center of the chest.
how to train the chest
In order to fully hit the chest, we’ll need to choose exercises that follow the different orientations of the fibers.
This means we’ll need to take the arm through different ranges of motion to better hit and align it with the fibers. Let’s take a look more in depth at the specific ways in which the Perfect Chest Workout needs to challenge your pecs in order to be considered ‘perfect’.
OVERLOAD FOR MID PECS
Our workout needs to include exercises that allow us to overload the pecs.
The classic Bench Press is the best option for hitting the mid chest with heavy weight.
The Bench Press is a classic exercise that allows us to overload the mid chest.
As I move my arm out in the bench press, the alignment of the arm is moving almost parallel to the mid chest fibers coming off of the middle portion of the sternum.
In the Bench Press movement you can see the mid fibers of the chest being activated.
OVERLOAD FOR UPPER PECS
Just as the flat Bench Press is great for hitting the mid chest, the Incline Bench Press is ideal for targeting the upper chest fibers.
The Incline Bench Press hits the upper portion of the chest originating at the clavicle and running down toward the humerus.
The Incline Bench Press preferentially hits the upper chest.
You can see the upper fibers of the chest being activated from low to high in the Incline Bench Press.
The upper chest fibers are activated during the Incline Bench Press movement.
OVERLOAD FOR LOWER PECS
Now we need to hit the lower portion of the chest, and it is best hit with a classic Weighted Dip.
It’s not by accident, it’s by anatomy! When you take arm through this position of being extended behind your body, as it travels down you go from a high to low position which allows you to preferentially hit the lower fibers of the chest.
The Weighted Dip is the best exercise for overloading the lower part of the chest.
You can see that the lower fibers of the chest are being activated from high to low in the dip movement.
In the Weighted Dip, the fibers of the low chest are activated from high to low.
WORKING ACROSS MIDLINE
As you can see, we’ve tried to take the muscle through its entire range of motion from upper to mid to lower chest, but a key function of the chest is missing.
An important part of the chest’s range of motion is also toward and across the midline. The Bench Press, Incline Bench Press and Dip are all limited in their ability to cross the midline of the chest.
The action of the pec at the shoulder can take the arm not just through adduction but across midline.
An important part of the chest’s range of motion is adduction to and across the midline of the chest.
For this reason we’ll be pairing each of our classic chest overload exercises with a drop set of an exercise that takes chest activation to and through midline.
THE best CHEST WORKOUT: step by step
The Perfect Chest Workout should consist of exercises for your upper chest, middle chest and lower chest. Since the classic exercises for overload don’t even take us to midline, let alone across midline, we’ll be adding dropsets to each that will fill this function.
1A. AND 1B. MID CHEST
We’ll kick off the Perfect Chest Workout with a flat Barbell Bench Press.
This is the ideal exercise to hit the middle chest and it allow us to truly overload it.
BARBELL BENCH PRESS
The Barbell Bench Press allows us to overload the mid chest.
We’ll proceed immediately from our flat Barbell Bench Press to a Horizontal Cable Crossover which will give us the opportunity to work the middle chest fibers across midline.
HORIZONTAL CABLE CROSSOVER
The Horizontal Cable Crossover will be paired as a drop set with the Bench Press to help us work the mid chest across midline.
There are some fans of the cable crossover that say it’s an even better chest activator based on EMG studies than a flat bench press. But it’s important not to throw out the baby with the bathwater!
Even though the cable crossover may have a better percentage of activation it’s still not capable of being loaded to the extent that a barbell bench press is.
If the cable crossover was the only exercise you do, you’ll be limited in your chest development. However if you do it in addition to the bench press, you get the unique benefits of both exercises.
When you do the Horizontal Cable Crossover you can see that we’re taking our arm all the way to and across midline and getting complete activation of the chest in that plane of motion.
You can see the activation of the middle fibers of the chest across midline in the Horizontal Cable Crossover.
This exercise can be done with bands as well, if you don’t have access to the cable machine.
The Horizontal Cable Crossover can also be done with resistance bands.
EXERCISE NOTES: Perform the Barbell Bench Press for 4 sets at 6, 8, 10 and 12RM, alternating it as a drop set with the Horizontal Cable Crossover for 15 reps. Take no rest between sets of Bench Press and Cable Crossover, but rest after each drop set.
2A. AND 2B. UPPER CHEST
We’re not stopping there. The shoulder is a three-dimensional joint and we can hit any angle we like, moving in different planes of motion.
So now we’re going to focus on the Upper Chest with the Incline Bench Press.
INCLINE BENCH PRESS
We will overload the upper chest with the Incline Bench Press.
When we’re done with that we’ll immediately move to the cable crossover changing orientation into the Low to High Cable Crossover.
LOW TO HIGH CABLE CROSSOVER
The Low to High Cable Crossover will be paired as a drop set with the Incline Bench Press to work the upper chest across midline.
Our arms will go through a low to high arc, and we’re not going to stop where we would on an Incline Bench Press. Instead we’ll take the arm to midline and through midline. You can see the degree of complete contraction we’re getting in the upper chest.
We can get complete contraction in the upper chest by going through midline with the Low to High Cable Crossover.
EXERCISE NOTES: Perform the Incline Bench Press for 4 sets at 6, 8, 10 and 12RM, alternating it as a drop set with the Low to High Cable Crossover for 15 reps. Take no rest between sets of Bench Press and Cable Crossover, but rest after each drop set.
3A. AND 3B. LOWER CHEST
The Weighted Dip will be our overload exercise for the lower chest.
Our hands are actually fixed on a Weighted Dip, so it’s impossible to get them to come toward midline because the dip station only allows them to stay in one position. However, the Weighted Dip does allow us to go heavy and overload the low chest.
WEIGHTED DIP
The Weighted Dip is the best exercise for creating overload in the lower chest.
As soon as we’re done, we’ll change the orientation of the cables once again from high to low for the High To Low Cable Crossover.
HIGH TO LOW CABLE CROSSOVER
The High to Low Cable Crossover will be paired as a drop set with the Weighted Dip to work the lower chest across midline.
This exercise can also be done with resistance bands if you don’t have access to the cables.
The High To Low Cable Crossover can also be done with a resistance band.
EXERCISE NOTES: Perform the Weighted Dip for 4 sets at 6, 8, 10 and 12RM, alternating it as a drop set with the High to Low Cable Crossover for 15 reps. Take no rest between sets of the Weighted Dip and Cable Crossover, but rest after each drop set.
4A. AND 4B. BODY COMMAND
I’m going to add one more common chest exercise into this Perfect Chest Routine.
It’s the Weighted Pushup and it’s going to help us work body command and allow us to overload as well.
WEIGHTED PUSHUP
The Weighted Pushup will allow us to work body command.
However, we’re limited once again by the fact that our hands are in contact with the ground and can’t get across our body into adduction. So we’re going to drop set the pushup into a Banded Pushup where we come up and drive one hand across midline to create adduction. You’ll want to switch sides so that you work both sides of the chest.
BANDED PUSHUP
The Banded Pushup will be paired as a drop set with the Weighted Pushup to work the chest across midline.
EXERCISE NOTES: Perform the Weighted Pushup for 3 sets to failure, alternating it as a drop set with the Banded Pushup, 15 reps toward the right side and then 15 reps toward the left. Take no rest between sets of the Weighted Pushup and Banded Pushup, but rest after each drop set.
THE WORKOUT
So, here is the entire Perfect Chest Workout, step by step, all sets, all reps for you to follow.
PERFECT CHEST WORKOUT
1A. BARBELL BENCH PRESS – 4 SETS x 6, 8, 10, 12 (PERFORM AS DROP SET WITH 1B.)
1B. HORIZONTAL CABLE OR BAND CROSSOVERS – 4 SETS x 15 REPS
2A. INCLINE BENCH PRESS – 4 SETS x 6, 8, 10, 12 (PERFORM AS DROP SET WITH 2B.)
2B. LOW TO HIGH CABLE OR BAND CROSSOVERS – 4 SETS x 15 REPS
3A. WEIGHTED DIP – 4 SETS x 6, 8, 10, 12 (PERFORM AS DROP SET WITH 3B.)
3B. HIGH TO LOW CABLE OR BAND CROSSOVERS – 4 SETS x 15 REPS
4A. WEIGHTED PUSHUPS – 3 SETS TO FAILURE (PERFORM AS DROP SET WITH 4B.)
4B. BAND CROSSOVER PUSHUPS (R&L) – 3 SETS x 15 REPS
This is how you complete the development of your chest: by including exercises for upper, mid and lower chest that can be loaded, by including exercises that take the muscle through its full range of motion, and by ensuring that you include drop sets of movements that take the upper, mid and lower chest through midline.
- The four main exercises that most people do in their chest workouts: bench press, incline bench press, dips and pushups all have something in common. Each is great for hitting the chest in a specific part of its range of motion, but none of them carries that range of motion to or through midline.
- The Perfect Chest Workout will include all of these classic chest exercises because they are great for overloading upper, mid and lower chest.
- It will also pair these up as drop sets with exercises that allow us to cross midline and challenge this important part of the chest’s range of motion as well.
This is just one example of how to apply science to your chest workouts. If you want to look like an athlete, move like an athlete and function like an athlete, start training like one by putting science back into every workout you do. You can do that with the ATHLEAN-X Training Programs and get started right away on building a ripped, muscular, athletic body.
