How to do push-ups to pump up your pectoral muscles

The structure of the pectoral muscles

The following muscles are located on the human chest:

• Pectoralis major muscle. She is the largest on the chest. It is fan-shaped and flat. Responsible for lowering the arm and turning it towards the body. It's the easiest to pump up.
• Pectoralis minor muscle. This triangular muscle is located under the pectoralis major and is attached in three places to the ribs and in one to the shoulder blade. Responsible for moving the scapula forward, as well as raising the ribs.
• Subclavius ​​muscle. It is located between the upper rib and the collarbone and is responsible for its movement down and inward.
• Serratus anterior muscle. It is flat and is located on the sides of the remaining pectoral muscles, overlapping them. Pulls the scapula forward and outward, and is also responsible for its rotation and elevation of the arm.
• Subcostal muscles. From their name it is easy to understand that they are located inside the chest, under the ribs, and are responsible for breathing, raising and lowering it.
• Diaphragm. It's not really a muscle; it's partly made up of connective tissue. It separates the abdominal cavity from the chest and is involved in the breathing process.

https://youtu.be/JWVWNkU_Wgw

Signs of injury

The main and main symptom is very intense pain directly at the fracture site. It gets worse with breathing or physical activity. Breathing is heard using a stethoscope in all parts of the lung.

Other signs of a fracture include:

• A slight decrease in blood pressure and the presence of slight tachycardia (fast heartbeat);
• Swelling and subcutaneous hemorrhage at the fracture site;
• When you press a finger on the damaged area, a sharp pain is felt;
• A characteristic crunching sound heard at the height of inspiration. Occurs during a fracture only at the beginning of exhalation. Or a crunch is heard upon palpation;
• If there is displacement during the fracture, a deformation of the chest is visible, the sternum is shortened;
• Breathing is rapid and intermittent, there is cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle and shortness of breath.
• If blood vessels or integrity of the lungs/bronchial tubes are damaged, hemoptysis occurs.

With combined trauma, there is traumatic shock and obvious respiratory dysfunction. The symptoms of a sternal fracture are fully consistent with the above manifestations.

Train the lower area first

Usually, on the day of training the pectoral muscles, visitors, after warming up and stretching, go to the bench press on a horizontal bench, then there is a bench press on an inclined bench with your head up and rarely a third exercise upside down, but dumbbells can also be used. Working in this sequence, devoting only the third exercise to the lower chest, you will spend a lot of energy and the working weight will be greatly reduced.

In the same way, having crossed the threshold of the gym and keeping in mind the goal - how to pump up the lower part of the chest, you should immediately go to the barbell press upside down, making it the first exercise.

This is the only way you can work out your muscles well when you are full of energy and strength, engaging the most dormant muscle areas in the work, do not be afraid to take the weight for 6-8 repetitions, but use the help of a spotter, due to the inconvenience of performing the exercise, it may fall on your neck, oh the consequences of thinking do not need to be said.

This method is used by fitness and bodybuilding professionals; a full day off allows the muscles to recover better and reduces the risk of overtraining. Moreover, do not train the front delts and triceps at least 1 day before the chest, otherwise you will tire them out and you will not be able to work the chest well.

Negatives - when you can no longer lift the barbell or press the levers in the machine, ask a partner to help you push the weight almost completely up, while lowering the weight yourself. Perform it in the last 1-2 sets of the exercise.

The Rest-Pause method breaks the usual approach into smaller ones. For example, you have 8 repetitions in your plan, you did 3 repetitions, returned the bar to the racks and rested for 20 seconds, then again 3 repetitions and rested for 20 seconds, and so on until you pressed at least 2 times.

Drop sets are a great way to increase muscle volume in the short term, by completing the required number of repetitions, quickly lower the weight by 25% and again perform the same number of repetitions as in the first case, and so on, reduce the weight, without resting you get to the empty bar, your chest will fill up and at least for a while you will feel like Hercules.

Training to failure is performing an exercise when, on the last repetition, you feel that the apparatus will simply fall out of your hands due to complete physical and emotional fatigue.

Forced repetitions - involve the help of a partner who slightly helps lift the weight, while the weight is lowered independently without assistance.

The main thing to know is that these methods cannot be used constantly, only from time to time, otherwise the muscles will go into a plateau (stagnation), which means a complete stop in muscle growth.

Women's underwear is getting smarter before our eyes

105 years after its invention, the most iconic item in a modern woman's wardrobe—the bra—is facing difficult times. Beauty gives way to convenience, and lingerie is getting smarter before our eyes. Ogonyok found out what ladies will wear in the near future.

Kirill Zhurenkov

This is not an easy task even for a professional historian: today many famous people claim the title of inventor of the bra, several countries claim the place of its invention, and for a time - a number of eras. How to choose just one? Recent news: during restoration at the medieval Austrian castle of Langberg, several “bras” from the 15th century were found under the floorboards! They look no different from modern ones. So maybe the bra is already six centuries old?

And yet, the official date of birth of this incredible object is considered to be 1914. It was then that the American Mary Phelps Jacobs decided to patent a bra of her own design; the application was filed at the beginning of the year, and the patent itself was issued at the end, so you can mark it whenever you want. The biography of the inventor, by the way, is quite worthy of film adaptation: she married the nephew of the famous banker Morgan, communicated with Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, led a riotous life and outlived her husband, who shot himself with his mistress - in a word, she was a bright representative of the “magnificent twenties." And although Mary Phelps managed to patent her bra long before these glorious days, today we can safely admit: the personal history of the inventor casts a shadow on the invention itself.

What is smart consumption

“Of all the items of underwear, the bra turned out to be the most controversial, and from this point of view, its appearance was a notable event,” Lynn Boredi, a professor at Buffalo State College (USA), who specializes in fashion and textile technology, tells Ogonyok. ups, bras with water-filled inserts, tight sports bras, functional ones and those that are just nice to look at... They have always been the center of attention. The advertising told how they could change a woman's figure, it was discussed in bathrooms and bedrooms, they chatted about it with friends - and so on for years. Major lingerie companies have even conducted research into how to create bras so that all women have “perfectly shaped breasts,” whatever that means!

However, the most important thing you need to know about the bra is that it has become a kind of litmus test for social changes and trends.

And this, perhaps, is another secret of his popularity. Why, bras, in a sense, freed women: giving up corsets gave them unprecedented freedom of movement.

“Bras are changing as society's ideas about the ideal figure change,” says Lynn Boredy. “In the 1940s and 1950s, there were separate and raised elastic bullet bras with a conical shape. In the 1960s, the elastic shapes remained, but became more rounded and natural. And then, in the 1960s, women began to advocate for equal rights with men, and burned their bras as a sign of the struggle for women's equality and independence from men. In the 1970s, bras lost their rigid shapes, and in the 1990s, padded push-up bras made a comeback.

Or here’s another non-obvious fact: if in Europe the tradition of wearing underwear that supports the breasts dates back to the Middle Ages and has always been part of the culture, then in Asia back in the 19th century... they wrapped the breasts with fabric. French lingerie designer Chantal Thomasse recently shared this discovery with the BBC.

“They have never worn bras there; this is an absolute novelty for them,” says the expert.

Is it worth reminding that beautiful bras (more often called simply “bras”) were an object of desire among Soviet women? Judge for yourself: according to GOST of 1940, for example, only... three bra sizes were established! For comparison: today there are entire tables for determining sizes.

The legend associates changes for the better with the name of Ekaterina Furtseva, who once declared at a plenum of the Central Committee: “Every Soviet woman has the right to a high-quality bra!” They say that after this, the Union nevertheless established mass production of relatively good products. What can we say about their foreign counterparts! Polish bras and GDR slips... It took a lot of effort to get them, but the joy of the purchase was incommensurable with today's.

From there, from the Soviet past, it is difficult to imagine the drama of the current moment. If a Soviet woman dreamed of a fashionable bra that emphasized her shape and made her silhouette seductive, then today's ladies... want to return to simplicity and naturalness. It is believed that since the 1990s, push-up has almost reigned supreme on the women's underwear market - a symbol of the sexual attractiveness of the owner of such underwear for men. And now, it seems, change is overdue. According to data for 2020 (cited by The Guardian), in the US, UK and Europe, sales of push-up bras fell by 50 percent and, on the contrary, sales of comfortable bralettes (or triangular bras) increased by 120 percent. Many lingerie brands have rushed to switch to soft bras, sports silhouettes and pajama pants... The founders of one popular British brand recently bluntly told journalists that their products are purposefully “sexless”, they say, why flaunt your sexuality when you go for a walk with your daughter. Experts' summary: the very concept of female sexuality is expanding before our eyes. Now this is not about how to look attractive in lingerie made with men in mind. Now sexuality is in a woman’s sense of self when she wears something.

How the bikini changed the world

What about “No Bra Day”? This is the name of the campaign, invented in 2011 and since then celebrated all over the world: on this day, ladies refuse this invariable item of women's wardrobe and often report their decision on social networks. One of the goals of the action is the fight against breast cancer, but there is also a social background - gender equality. But for some it’s just a reason not to wear a bra and relax...

So is there a future for the bra? Experts are sure: this is not the question. The bra will, of course, outlive its critics, but it will also have to change.

“It seems to me that the future of the bra is not so much about the shape of the breast, it will be at the service of smart technologies in the field of health,” predicts Lynn Boredi. “For example, there are already heart monitors built into bras, and fabric designed to moisturize the skin ; smart textiles that track heart rate, breathing and other parameters can be used.

So it turns out that the bra will not die - it will just become smarter.

Expertise

Revolution or evolution?

Megan Virtanen, fashion historian

The patent for a design of two handkerchiefs fastened together with ribbons, received by Mary Phelps Jacobs on November 3, 1914, was one of many applications for inventions of this kind. And by that time the name of this design indicated in the patent was already unoriginal: “brassier”. The inventor of the term is considered to be US entrepreneur Charles de Beauvois, who applied it in 1902 to his “short corset with shoulder straps.” However, the de Beauvois corset sold poorly, but Ms. Jacobs' new invention quickly gained popularity, largely thanks to the efforts of the marketing department of Warner's, veterans of the corsetry business. And there was a revolution in the field of lingerie. Although there is another version: the bra was not a revolutionary invention, it is the result of a combination of a unique historical moment with a long process of development of the idea of ​​​​hygienic and comfortable women's underwear. That is, a natural result of evolution.

Since the mid-19th century, supporters of the reform of women's clothing, the so-called hygienists, argued for the need to abandon the usual forms of women's underwear, and the corset was appointed as the main enemy. One of the main tasks of the corset, in addition to shaping the outline of the waist, was to support the breasts. Beginning in the 1860s, proponents of the "corsetless" lingerie set created and patented designs for bra candidates, most of which resembled the cut-off top of a corset.

True, almost all of these projects remained on paper: a tightly laced corset was a symbol of the strength of moral principles, and abandoning it looked like promiscuity.

But the corset destroyed itself. The new fashionable S-shaped corset, which appeared in 1900, provided much less breast support, and by 1903, corset maker (and part-time certified physician) Inès Gache-Sarrote offered her version of a two-piece set - continuing the ideas of the innovators XIX century. Corset plates made of whalebone or steel were inserted into the bodice, and it was tied with ribbons. Fashion lines continued to change, and by 1908 the corset finally “slipped” under the chest.

We had to seriously take on the solution to this problem, and it is not surprising that many people later declared themselves to be the inventors of the bra.

What was the secret of Mrs. Jacobs' invention? It's probably all about the date: 1914. Governments around the world urged the population to save metal needed by the front. There were also quite official calls for women to abandon corsetry with metal underwires. In 1917, the British authorities proudly reported: by eliminating corsets alone, 28 thousand tons of metal were saved, enough for two warships. Two handkerchiefs from Jacobs turned out to be the epitome of patriotic efforts.

Will we see in the future the appearance of some wardrobe items that will seem revolutionary new to our descendants? Most likely, we will talk about a new form or new materials for existing items. And a “revolution” will arise where practical necessity collides with aesthetic norms and economic conditions.

Effective workouts

Pushups

The best exercises for the lower pectoral muscles at home are push-ups. You can use different techniques. But when doing this, be sure to track your breathing so that your body goes down when you inhale, and up when you exhale.

• From the floor.
  The most accessible and effective exercise for the lower pectoral muscles. It can also be used by girls who want to tighten the lower part of their breasts. Moreover, for a greater effect, it is worth creating a small elevation on the floor; two stacks of books will help at home. Place heavy publications on the floor, placing your feet at a distance of 15 cm. Press your palms into the book stacks. Move slowly and smoothly. Perform push-ups very carefully to avoid injury due to the toms slipping. If possible, use sports equipment - weights and stops. Chair push-ups
• From a chair or any stable piece of furniture 50–60 cm high. Lean the furniture against the wall so that it does not move. Place your palms on the edge of the seat. Stand on your toes so that your body becomes a single line. Lower your chest to a seat with your arms bent, then straighten them as you rise. This must be done as quickly as possible, without lingering in the lower position.
• From the bench. To do this, turn your palms inward and place them on the bench. The back is straight, feet apart. Lower yourself by bending your arms until your chest touches the bench. A tightly stuffed backpack is often used to weigh down the house.
• On the uneven bars. A good workout to tone your lower chest. Not everyone has this opportunity at home: only if there is a sports ground in the yard. Bend your torso slightly forward and move your elbows to the sides, not down. As you rise up, do not straighten your arms completely. The exercise is performed slowly and smoothly. If you exercise regularly, you can use weights for your lower limbs.

If you have just started training, then it is too early to think about developing the lower chest. First you need to pump up other muscle groups. And only when they are sufficiently trained, you can start training the lower chest.

To make it easier to pump up your lower chest, follow these principles:

• Use several exercises at once. It is necessary that the load be distributed between all areas of the muscles located at the bottom of the chest. This cannot be achieved using just one exercise.
• Start your workout with exercises to develop the lower chest. If you do them in the middle or end of your class, you won't be able to give it your all because you'll be tired by then.
• Train your chest as intensely as possible and devote more effort to this than to other exercises.
• Dedicate the training day after rest to training. It is much easier for the recovered body to invest in a certain muscle group, so the result will be much better. You can devote the rest of your training days to other muscles.

The basic rules for push-ups are described in paragraph 6, and here you perform a regular push-up.

To do this, lower yourself on the uneven bars for 10 seconds, and immediately, without resting, use your legs to rise up and down again. Do this until you can’t lower yourself for at least 5 seconds, this will put a huge load on your lower chest.

You can use another method: warm up slightly on the uneven bars, put the weight on your belt and only lower your body down, the weight should be decent. You need to lower at a normal pace for 1-2 seconds, but be careful, any incorrect movement can injure the shoulder joint, so this type is only for gym experts.

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Associated syndromes

There are several main syndromes:

• Hemothorax. These are blood clots in the pleural cavity. Accompanied by the accumulation of air in the pleural area and leads to lung collapse.
• Pneumothorax. Occurs when air enters the pleural cavity during inhalation. Exhalation is impossible due to the formation of a valve due to a collapsing wound in the lung or chest wall. As a result, excess oxygen pressure occurs in the pleural area. The lung collapses and shifts to the opposite side.
• Emphysema. Occurs due to overgrowth of the pleural cavity. With a massive or sudden intake of air into the lungs, compression of large venous trunks can occur, resulting in a decrease in blood flow to the heart. As a result, this leads to severe cardiac disorders.

Important! A fracture can occur anywhere in the thoracic skeleton: in the area of ​​the manubrium, body or xiphoid process.

More exercises for the lower chest

This is the first rule that should immediately come to mind when it comes to pumping up the lower chest.

To do this, you need to pay attention to different exercises from different angles in order to include more muscles in the work and work them from all sides. To do this, use a different angle of negative inclination, set each new exercise at different angles, preventing their repetition.

An example of basic exercises is as follows:

1. Head down incline press
2. Dumbbell head down press
3. Smith machine press with negative incline
4. Dips for chest
5. Angled push-ups (torso at a 30-degree angle pointing upward)

Causes

The main causes of trauma leading to fractures are:

• Intense and direct blow to the chest area. The most common example of such an injury is a blow to the steering wheel during an accident.
• A strong blow to the chest with a fist or foot.
• Mechanical compression of the sternum between two surfaces.
• Falling chest down onto a hard surface.
• Indirect fractures are a sharp bending of the body forward and back.

The fracture most often occurs in such a way that the lower fragment falls on the upper one and in front of it.

Targeted exercises

In order to pump up the lower chest, the following exercises are used:

• Dips. If you want to train your lower chest, during the exercise you need to place your elbows out to the sides and round your back. If you take this position, the load will be placed on this particular muscle group. It is optimal to do 3-4 approaches of 10-15 times. You can do push-ups on parallel bars with weights. Then you need to reduce the number of approaches to two, and the number of repetitions in them to 7-8.

• Incline barbell or dumbbell bench press. For the exercise you will need an incline bench, barbell or dumbbells. We lie down on a bench with our head down and perform the exercise. The weight and number of approaches depend on your individual capabilities. The higher the angle of the bench, the greater the load on the lower chest, the more difficult it is to perform the exercise. It is better to select the angle of inclination experimentally, choosing the golden mean, when the load is not too strong, but not too weak.
  Read also:  How to pump properly and make muscles grow quickly
• Raising arms in a crossover. When performing the exercise, you need to spread your arms, grab the handles with an overhand grip and bend your back slightly, bending your torso forward and slightly down to load your chest. After this we bring our hands together. The point of their contact should not be higher than the groin, otherwise there will be no proper load on the pectoral muscles. The optimal number of repetitions is 10. You can do 2-3 approaches. We determine the appropriate weight ourselves based on our capabilities.

• Pullover. We lie down on a bench and ask your partner to give you a dumbbell. We grasp the dumbbell by the end with both palms so that they are directed towards the ceiling. We raise the projectile above ourselves, gradually straightening our arms. Let's exhale. We begin to lower the dumbbell behind our head, intensely drawing in air through our chest. Move the apparatus in a semicircle until you feel that your pectoral and back muscles are well stretched. At the bottom point, hold your breath for 1.5-2 seconds and smoothly return the dumbbell to its original position, maintaining tension in your elbows and exhaling powerfully.

Advantages of push-ups

These exercises allow you to pump up your pectoral muscles, triceps, shoulder girdle, abs, and back muscles. Chest push-ups also stabilize your overall health by developing the heart and blood vessels. They help to get rid of excess weight, keep a person in good shape and in a good mood.

Rules for productive training

Before performing chest push-ups, follow these rules:

• Be sure to warm up before exercise. It is advisable to use warming creams. This is necessary to avoid injury to muscles and joints. Warm-up should last at least 10 minutes.
• If pain occurs during exercise, you need to stop it and find out the cause.
• To develop muscles, in addition to performing selected sets of exercises, you need to eat right. The diet should contain all the necessary components - carbohydrates - 55-60%, proteins - 10-15%, fats - 25-30%. Especially - you need proteins in the right quantity. You also need to drink at least 1.5-2 liters of water per day, separately from meals.
• To achieve good results in muscle growth, you should not forget to increase the load during periods when habitual exercises are performed with ease. Increase the number of repetitions and approaches, use weights.
• While doing chest exercises, add exercises to your back muscles and develop your abs. Since an unevenly developed muscular system leads to weight imbalance, stooping and increases the likelihood of health problems.
• After training, do stretching exercises, as push-ups shorten the muscles.
• Increasing loads should be done gradually. Beginners should start with a small number of push-ups and sets. Even if it seems like the exercises are being done with ease.
• During training, strictly observe breathing technique. This is required to obtain all the necessary substances and to maintain health. Improper breathing can cause problems in the cardiovascular system.
• You need to take a “weekend” to exercise the muscles of the thoracic region. These days it is better to do training for other muscle groups.

https://youtu.be/Zl1Cn4NSIQQ

How to do push-ups to pump up your pectoral muscles - floor push-ups

The principle of these exercises is to lift and lower the body using your arms. During push-ups, the torso is in a horizontal position and rests on the floor with your hands and feet.

Recommendations

Anatomically, the major and minor muscles are located on the chest. The first layer is always visible, and the second only performs the function of movement. An increase in breast volume occurs due to a large layer, but it is not recommended to perform a lot of unnecessary training for one group. In order for the pectoral muscles to be bulging, it is necessary to work individual parts. A top that is too voluminous will look saggy, and an untrained bottom will negatively affect the condition of the spine.

In addition to special training, it is recommended to follow a proper diet. Muscles with developed forms, disguised under fat, will not be visible due to training alone. Beginners need to focus on increasing strength and muscle mass. The workouts do not have to be done in the gym; you can choose ones that are suitable for home conditions by studying the thematic video.

Expert opinion

Alexey Glotov

Master of Sports in Powerlifting

It is important to include several different types of loads in the main training that are suitable for both women and men. For example, the basis should include 1-2 basic exercises and 2-3 isolating exercises. For people without experience, it is advisable to first gain total muscle volume, then pump up the lower part of the pectoral muscles.

Tasks for the lower pectoral muscles should be repeated 8-12 times in 3-4 sets; for good pumping, you need to do light stretching at the beginning and at the end of classes.

You can increase the lower pectoral muscles through movements that occur in the direction of the fibers; for this it is necessary to change the angle of execution in some basic tasks. For example, a barbell press is suitable for working the chest, but for the lower part the workout is done upside down.

Expert opinion

Alexey Glotov

Master of Sports in Powerlifting

To avoid injury, it is recommended for a beginner to enlist the support of another person.

Fracture of the xiphoid process of the sternum

The xiphoid process is the lower part of the sternum. It has the shape of a blade or sword. Connected to the body of the sternum by movable fibrous cords. It is the attachment point for the large pectoral muscles.

The xiphoid process serves as a reference point during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It is intense pressure on it that leads to rupture of the cartilage connection between it and the body of the sternum. As a result, a fracture of the xiphoid process and puncture of the diaphragm and liver occurs.

The xiphoid process is quite often injured during resuscitation measures.

Upside down barbell press

To perform, you need a Smith machine, the bench of which is set 25–30 degrees down. The placement is standard, the grip on the barbell is closed, the hands are placed wider than the shoulders, and the feet are on the floor.

A partner should help remove the bar from the racks, while the projectile moves to the lower chest. From the solar plexus, the barbell is pressed up with an energetic upward movement; you need to pump it up while exhaling, and lower the barbell while inhaling with a smooth movement. The barbell must be held vertically; beating on the chest at the lowest point should be avoided.

This exercise for the lower chest is considered isolating; it is better to choose a gym to perform it, since this task is not suitable for performing at home.

The seat of the bench needs to be changed 25-30 degrees down, sit in the classic position, and take the dumbbells in your hands. It is advisable to secure the legs with special bolsters, which will facilitate the deflection of the chest during performance.

Hands with dumbbells are smoothly moved to the side, while maintaining a slight bend in the elbows. In the lower position, a slight delay is recommended, which will enhance the fact of stretching. Bringing the arms with dumbbells to the original position is performed smoothly.

It is not recommended to select a heavy weight for the exercise, and the execution can take place on a crossover; it is recommended to attach D-shaped handles through the lower blocks.

Training schedule and special recommendations

You need to train systematically, develop a regime for yourself and stick to it. The number of workouts per week should not exceed 2-3 times. Excessive loads will only harm your figure.

It is important to give the body rest. Muscle fibers need to recover, and in parallel, active production of protein occurs - a necessary element for building muscle mass.

It is necessary to eat properly and maintain water balance. You cannot allow the subcutaneous fat layer to become more than the permissible norm. Fat can destroy the fruits of diligent training.

Many athletes are interested in how long it takes to pump up their chest. With diligent, systematic training, the result will become noticeable in 10-14 days.

It is very important to choose the optimal number of approaches for yourself and set the intensity of the training. The number of repetitions and approaches depends on the role the exercise plays in the training system.

• When training for weight, to grow muscles, you need to perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions.
• Those who want to burn excess fat cells and create relief should do the same number of approaches, but increase the number of repetitions to 20.
• If the goal of the workout is to increase endurance and overall strength of the body, you need to push up to the limit.

Incorporate new exercises

Of course, the arsenal of exercises for targeted pumping of the lower chest is not large, but this should not confuse you with the solution to the question of how to pump up the lower chest. If you have been working in a gym, it’s time to change it to dumbbells and barbells, change the sports equipment every time, change the angles of the gymnastic bench and the back of the exercise equipment, introduce innovations and diversity.

All this will allow the muscles not to get used to the load and cause them to always experience stress, which means they grow.

Effective exercises

Before pumping up the upper part of the pectoral muscles, you need to know some features. how to pump up the lower part of the biceps and triceps of the arm - push-ups with weights with narrow and wide arms will help. The most intense impact on this area occurs during pressing actions at an angle of 30 - 60 degrees. This effect is achieved by performing the exercise on an inclined bench. To avoid the formation of imbalances, it is necessary to include a similar strength load in each workout. Otherwise, there is a risk of over-inflating the lower area of ​​the pectoral muscles and too little upper area.

Effective exercises for the upper chest for men are performed on an incline bench and using a barbell. The following actions are considered the simplest and most effective:

• The barbell press, performed on a bench, can be performed with a wide or medium grip (hand position). You need to adjust the bench by securing the backrest at the optimal angle. If the angle of inclination is more than 60 degrees, then deltoid elements are included in the work. When the bench angle is less than 30, there will be an intense impact on the medial fibers of the pectoral muscles. The bar must be held with a straight grip, and then pressed up with power and smoothly lowered;
• Press exercises with dumbbells, in order to pump up the pectoral muscles, are also performed on a bench. In the initial position, you need to keep your arms slightly bent at the top in front of your chest, and then, while inhaling, move them to the sides, bringing them together as you exhale;
• A simple exercise without a barbell will help pump up your pectoral muscles. You need to stand up straight and stretch your arms forward. As you inhale, move them to the sides, and as you exhale, bring them together. You need to perform this action 40 times;
• The next exercise is also simple and does not require the use of a bench or barbell. It is necessary to stand in a vertical position and raise your arms up, with your palms facing each other. Then, as you inhale, you spread your arms to the sides, and as you exhale, they return to the starting position.

Various exercises help pump up muscles, but you should keep in mind that the load should be applied evenly to all areas. The best option would be a training complex that includes two types of exercises for each required zone. It is then that the upper part of the men’s chest will be maximally developed and muscle relief will be formed.

Effective workouts

Pushups

– You need to do push-ups with your body tilted forward, at about an angle of 30-45 degrees. For the first time, you can ask your partner to slightly lift your legs up, which will make it easier to keep your body at an angle.

– During the movement, the elbows should diverge to the sides, and not press against the body, the angle between the body and the elbows is about 45 degrees, this will allow the load to be taken from the triceps and sent to the chest.

– When doing push-ups, do not straighten your elbows completely at the top point, this will allow you to maintain the load in the chest muscles and quickly achieve muscle failure.

The task is aimed at pumping the lower part of the pectoral muscles. Instead of a chair, you can choose any object with a suitable height. To prevent the equipment from moving, it is recommended to lean it against the wall and place your palms on the edge of the seat. The limbs are pulled back and placed on the toes, the body should be one line.

The chest lowers towards the seat due to the bending of the arms, while they almost immediately straighten, and the torso returns to its original state. You need to be at the bottom point while inhaling, and at the top point while exhaling.

If tasks become easy, they need to be complicated by adding weights. At home, a weighted backpack can play the role of weight. When performing all parts of the training, the center of the body should not sag.

The horizontal bar can be installed at home or you can choose a suitable gym for training. The initial position on the horizontal bar requires lifting by hand, which is carried out with one jerk.

For convenience, your legs can be slightly bent and crossed. When bending your arms, it is recommended to tilt your body slightly forward, returning to the starting position immediately after moving down. It is more convenient to lower with your arms spread wide. The arms are not fully straightened.

Expert opinion

Alexey Glotov

Master of Sports in Powerlifting

A special disk is usually used as a weight, which is secured with a special belt at the waist.

The task on this simulator is considered to be more isolating. The lower part of the pectoral muscles is pumped up using D-handles, which are secured with cables to the upper blocks. Between them you need to place yourself exactly in the middle, and put one leg slightly forward.

To improve balance, it is recommended to tilt your body slightly and bend your arms. A slight bend in the elbows is maintained throughout the entire exercise, but at the same time the handles must be smoothly brought down and the arms also slowly raised to the sides.

It is recommended to linger a little in the lower position of the arms, which will allow better pumping of the target muscles. The inertia of the body must be eliminated; if this happens arbitrarily, it means that the excess weight of the equipment is interfering.

Very often, novice athletes pay a lot of attention to the upper chest and at the same time completely forget about the lower chest, which is no less important.

It is quite difficult to pump up the lower part of the chest, unlike other parts, since this requires a special approach and precise execution of the exercises, otherwise the desired result will not be achieved. The most effective exercises for working the lower chest are dumbbell incline presses, bench presses, and wide-bar push-ups.

When doing dips, most often only the triceps work, but when doing push-ups using wide bars, you can not only load, but also effectively work the lower chest. It is very important to choose the right load with which you can perform 8 or 10 times. Most often, the load is hung on the belt using a hook and a belt, and the weight can be a disk or a weight.

Dips are ideal for effectively toning your lower chest.

To begin with, training should be carried out using only your own weight, and as soon as the number of easily performed exercises is equal to 20, then you can begin to use additional load. Pancakes from a barbell that are hung from the waist can be used as weighting.

To provide maximum load for the muscles of the lower chest, you need to work the triceps. In one session, from three to five approaches are performed, and each approach should contain from 10 to 12 repetitions.

Note!

Knowing how to pump up your lower chest, you can easily do the training yourself at home, without the need to visit a sports club several times a week.

While the lower part of the chest is being worked on, it is necessary not to forget about a sense of proportion, since otherwise a disproportion in the development of the pectoral muscles may be provoked. To ensure maximum effectiveness, start with simple push-ups before using additional weights.

To begin with, two exercises will be enough, and if three exercises are performed, then you need to reduce the number of approaches in each of them. If necessary, you can first train in the gym under the guidance of an instructor, and then begin independent training.

Developed pectoral muscles look impressive and beautiful, but harmoniously developed ones are much more advantageous. At a certain stage of training, many fitness enthusiasts wonder about additional training of one or another muscle group, and the chest is no exception.

Today we will look at how to pump up the lower part of the pectoral muscles and when it is worth resorting to additional training.

Chest training is popular with absolutely all gym goers, be they guys or girls, beginners or experienced athletes. After all, I can always build up my pectoral muscles, pumped-up pecs allow a guy to look proud on the beach or in his favorite polo shirt, and beautiful, firm female breasts look spectacular in a cleavage or swimsuit.

Therefore, both men and women train their breasts, although the latter are more for the purpose of adding elasticity, since we know that pumping up a girl’s breasts a couple sizes larger in the gym is not realistic.

So, let's go back to the lower chest and figure out whether and when to train it.

Now let's talk about training the chest, or rather its individual parts. Since the beginning of bodybuilding, it has been customary to divide the chest muscles into upper, middle and lower parts. Each of them is trained at a certain angle of inclination; special benches are used for this:

Many beginners come to the gym and start bombing their chests from different angles, performing a huge number of presses and flyes, and then for dessert they do arm curls in a crossover or in their favorite “butterfly” machine for relief.

As a result, for some reason the breasts do not grow and do not take the desired shape, or, in the most gifted, they grow, but slowly.

And then such guys fill the space of fitness sites and forums with questions: “how can I trim my chest” or “how to pump up the lower pectoral muscles.”

Remember the classic technique and take a lying position. Place your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. The legs rest on the floor only with their toes. Tighten your entire body so that it forms a straight line from the back of your head to your heels. Slowly bend your arms and lower your body until your chest touches the floor.

Then smoothly return to the starting position. The movement mode is simple: inhale, lower for two seconds, pause for a second, exhale, return to the starting position for two seconds.

To complicate classic push-ups and increase the load, place your feet on any elevation.

This could be the edge of a chair or bed. If you use a fitball as a support, you will additionally put stress on your core muscles, because they will have to act as a stabilizer. Push-ups with your legs elevated allow you to better work your lower chest.

To make it more convenient for you to perform them, place your hands not under your shoulder joints, but slightly in front.

Helpful advice!

If you want to work on your chest in more detail, you need to know a few nuances. When you place your hands close to each other and turn them slightly inward so that the thumbs and forefingers of your left hand touch the fingers of your right, the inner muscles of the chest work more actively and the center is better worked out. Also, with this positioning of the arms, the triceps receive additional stress.

By spreading your arms wide and turning your hands outward at a 45-degree angle, you will thoroughly work the outer area of ​​the pectoral muscles and additionally load the deltoid muscles of the back.

If push-ups with wide arms are performed not on the floor, but on two platforms, you can greatly increase the strength endurance of your muscles. These push-ups are called isometric push-ups.

To perform them, lower your body between the platforms, so low that you feel maximum tension in the muscles. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds and return to the starting position with a powerful push.

To perform plyometric push-ups, get into the same position as a regular push-up. Lower your body down slowly. But, having touched your chest to the floor, push your body up with a sharp, powerful push so that your hands come off the floor. At the top point, try clapping your hands.

Always land with your arms bent so as not to injure your elbow joint.

Both isometric and plyometric push-ups are quite difficult to perform and are intended for experienced athletes. But perhaps the highest level of difficulty is the one-arm push-up. Take a position for a normal support while lying down.

Then lift one leg off the floor and move it to the side at an angle of 10-15 degrees. Place your opposite hand behind your back. If you can maintain balance in this position, try doing at least one push-up. Don't be discouraged if you don't succeed the first time. This is a really difficult exercise.

How to pump up the lower part of the pectoral muscles and is it necessary?

When working on your pectoral muscles, you probably want to make them not only strong, but also spectacular. After gaining initial experience in training the pectoral muscles, for most trainees, the requirements for the expected result begin to grow and questions often arise: how to pump up the lower part of the pectoral muscles or how to trim the chest.

As a rule, such questions are asked by beginners at the very beginning of training, without even increasing their pectoral muscles in volume.

Since more experienced athletes already know that the chest is one large muscle and without the overall mass of the chest, the lower part of the pectoral muscles cannot be seen.

Advice!

Moreover, in practice, in most cases, the lower chest grows well during basic chest training. It is difficult to meet a person with developed pectoral muscles, but no lower chest.

Therefore, if your training experience is short, and your pectoral muscles are even smaller, you should not think about how to train your lower chest, develop your overall chest mass.

In bodybuilding, it is customary to divide the chest into three bundles: upper, middle and lower, while the bulk of the pectoral muscle is made up of the upper bundle. Accordingly, you should start making your chest more impressive with general development with heavy bench presses and accentuated work on the upper chest.

The lines written above are directly related to novice athletes, but what to do if you have at least a year of training behind you, the treasured 100 has been shaken and your chest from a plywood sheet has turned into two convex layers of muscles?

At the same time, you need to understand that additional work on the bottom of the chest will not make the chest more prominent; “trimming” the chest and giving it a beautiful, chiseled shape is only possible by following a special diet along with strength training.

How to pump up the lower part of the pectoral muscles

So, your pectoral muscles have grown and become more massive, but the lower part of the chest is still lagging behind, in which case you need to introduce specialization for this area of ​​​​the muscle and work the muscle with additional exercises.

When it comes to training the lower part of the pectoral muscles, most often you can find recommendations to do various bench presses with a reverse incline. We will go the other way, since head presses are a rather harmful exercise due to the increase in blood pressure, and also not as effective as they are described.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=nhKS7tK-EFw

But there are two other exercises that are simply irreplaceable in training the lower pectoral muscles, these are dips and seated hammer presses for the lower chest.

Now let's get started!

Push-ups on the uneven bars perfectly develop the pectoral muscles, provided that this exercise is performed in the so-called chest style, with the body tilted forward, the chin pressed to the chest and the elbows widely spaced. When doing push-ups on the uneven bars, the lower pectoral muscles work to a greater extent; this exercise is the most effective when you need to emphasize the “cut” of the lower chest.

You can perform push-ups on the parallel bars for the lower part of the pectoral muscles in two versions:

When you need detailing of the lower chest:

Attention!

Dips are performed with your own weight at the end of the chest workout, 3-4 sets of 20 repetitions.

When you need lower chest mass:

Dips are performed with additional weights on the belt in a power style, 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions.

Seated Hummer Press for Lower Chest

If every visitor to a rocking chair is familiar with parallel bars, then the hammer press is relatively rarely practiced due to the banal lack of a training device in the gym. But in vain, since this exercise completely imitates presses with free weights, as does the entire series of Hammer exercise machines. It also allows you to work with heavy weights with minimal risk of injury.

Therefore, the hummer press is perhaps the best exercise for the lower chest in terms of safety, effectiveness, and convenience.

As a rule, if there is such a simulator in the gym, then most likely in two or even three versions. For the upper, middle and lower parts of the chest, respectively, so before you start doing hammer presses, ask the trainer on duty which machine is right for you.

These two exercises should be performed at the end of a chest workout; depending on the goal, you can use two exercises at once within one session or alternately, changing them at each chest workout.

For those who for some reason cannot go to the gym, we have prepared a special article: How to pump up your chest at home.

Sample lesson program

After every workout, be sure to stretch your muscles.

To achieve optimal effect and the desired result at home, you must consider the following:

• When training, work out different muscle groups, do not repeat only one set of exercises, use a variety of equipment. Take 1-2 complex exercises as a base, and add two or three to them for specific muscle groups.
• If you have just started working out, first of all pay attention to exercises aimed at building up overall muscle mass. You can add volume and relief a little later.
• To pump up the lower muscles of the sternum, use wave-like movements of the required direction.
• In each basic session, do 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions, in each isolation session - 3-4 sets of 12-15 repetitions.
• Be sure to do muscle stretching exercises at the end. This maintains overall tone and promotes muscle fiber growth.

Any exercise requires regularity and high quality. The options considered will answer the question of how to pump up the lower chest with effectiveness, but for this you need to follow some recommendations.

After completing the main program, it is recommended to repeat the stretching. Lower chest exercises are recommended to be performed 2 times a week, but the training plan needs to be changed. If your gym has a free weight machine, you should definitely use it. The seated Hammer Press is an isolation exercise that has the advantage of putting a high load on the target muscles. When pumping the lower chest, it is recommended to raise the seat of the exercise machine, which will ensure the correct load vector.

Expert opinion

Alexey Glotov

Master of Sports in Powerlifting

The seated hummer press is one of the safest options for pumping up your chest.

The correctness of the exercise can be easily assessed by the feeling of stretching in the outer parts of the chest, which will occur by the end of the approaches, so it’s immediately clear how to pump up the lower part. The task is well suited for those who need a width stretch.

Most representatives of the stronger sex would like to have beautiful, pumped up breasts. An alternative to working out in the gym is doing exercises at home. Due to the lack of sports equipment at home, we focus on the quality of training.

Training mode

To achieve the desired result while working out at home, you need to properly structure your workouts. Beginners should pay attention to the recovery time of muscle fibers. During physical activity, our muscle fibers receive microtrauma.

It takes up to 5 days for microtraumas in the pectoral muscles to heal. Given this fact, it is worth seriously thinking about drawing up a lesson plan. To draw up a training program, we will analyze the structure of the target muscle group.

The pectoral muscles include:

• The upper pectoral muscles are the smallest bundle of fibers in this muscle group. Gives completeness to the upper chest and effectively connects it with the front delts.
• The middle pectoral muscles are the main muscle mass of the chest and add massiveness to the front of the torso. Present the entire volume of the pectoral muscles of its owner.
• The lower pectoral muscles are the lower part of the chest, called the “slice.” A very important bundle of muscle fibers for those who want to demonstrate the quality of pumped chest. The better and steeper (in terms of flatness) the cut of the chest is worked out, the more effectively it protrudes forward in relation to the abs. And this is a powerful argument for your piggy bank.

The best way to train at home is a three-day program, working each muscle subgroup in turn. At the beginning of each session, you should stretch your pectoral muscles.

To do this, 2 sets of push-ups of 7-8 repetitions will be enough for beginners and 3 sets of 10 repetitions for more experienced athletes. But don’t overdo it, remember that this is just a warm-up.

It is needed in order to awaken the muscles and pump blood into them for their subsequent work.

Push ups

There is a considerable variety of push-ups. Each exercise is aimed at developing a specific subgroup of chest muscles. Having combined them into a single training program, we will figure out how to pump up the pectoral muscles at home. Push-ups can be done with different widths of hand placement, both without the use of improvised means and with their use.

Pushups

The exercise is well suited for beginner athletes. It is easy to do and will develop your pectoral muscles. To perform, take a lying position.

Spreading your arms bent at the elbows to the side as wide as possible, place your feet together. When performing push-ups, the entire pectoral muscle group is worked out.

But the main emphasis is on the middle muscle subgroup. Perform 4 sets of 10 repetitions.

A more complicated version of the previous exercise, for more physically developed athletes. The technique is the same, with just one caveat.

Push-ups are performed by placing your hands on stools and your feet on a sofa or chair. During execution, it is advisable to ensure that the chest falls below the level of the stools.

This way more muscle fibers will be involved in the work. Perform 4 sets of 10 repetitions.

An exercise that has a complex effect on several muscle groups at once. We are interested in it because of the inclusions of the upper chest muscle group. But the work of the anterior deltas and triceps also plays an important role. To perform this exercise, lie down with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands in front of your chest. It develops the athlete's upper shoulder girdle very well. Perform 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

The best way to pump up the upper chest segment at home. The hands take the same position as during regular push-ups. Place your feet on a sofa or chair.

This way, your body will be inclined, which will ensure that your body weight is transferred to the shoulder girdle. And accordingly, the load on the upper bundle of the pectoral muscles will increase.

It is recommended to perform with a short pause in the lower range of motion. Perform 4 sets of 8 repetitions.

The bottom of the chest, with proper approach and pumping, will provide a high-quality visual effect. It will emphasize the overall completeness and shape of the male chest, which makes the female audience melt so much. Dips are good for this. It is advisable to perform this exercise in an incomplete amplitude, that is, lowering by half.

When doing this, maximum contraction of the chest muscles occurs, which prevents them from relaxing during the approach. At full amplitude, the load is divided between the pectoral muscles and triceps. By lowering your nipples below the level of your palms, you transfer the main part of the load to the triceps, while the pectoral muscles rest.

And this is of no use to us at all. This exercise is performed in 3 sets of 15 repetitions. If there is no sports town near your place of residence, it doesn’t matter. There is another way to study at home. The principle of performing this exercise is transferred from parallel bars to stools. In this case, your feet are placed in front of you on a sofa or chair.

The rest is unchanged.

Increasing load

As your muscles grow and adapt to the loads, doing the exercises will become increasingly easier. Accordingly, the loads need to be increased. Increasing the number of repetitions and approaches is not suitable for training at home. This will only increase your endurance, but not your muscles. Initially, we wondered how to pump up the pectoral muscles at home, so we are interested in muscle mass.

In order for muscle growth to continue, it is necessary to increase the qualitative side of the exercises, and not the quantitative one. This is facilitated by adding weights to the usual course of exercise. Have someone put a weight on you as you do push-ups. Just don't overdo it with weight. Your goal is to build chest muscle at home, not get injured.

We have come close to the question “how to pump up your pectoral muscles at home?” Based on the knowledge gained, we will create training programs. For beginner athletes, the programs are introductory in nature. For trained young people, programs are already aimed at progressive development.

How to pump up the inner pectoral muscles - the best exercises

I am often asked what to do to work the inner pectoral muscles.

Yes, it is that line between the pectoralis major muscles that makes the upper body more attractive if it is drawn well.

First, you need to understand that there are no “intrinsic chest muscles.” The chest is not divided into inner and outer parts, but only into lower and upper.

Important!

The so-called “inner part” is the sternum, where there is a kind of gap between the pectoral muscles.

There are several reasons why you have a wide gap between your pectoral muscles. However, among them there are 2 main ones.

First, you may not have enough muscle mass, hence your flat chest. The good news is that you can fix this by doing muscle-building exercises such as flat bench press, incline bench press, or incline bench press with a barbell or dumbbells.

Another reason for a wide sternum is the genetic characteristics of the body structure. If so, you're out of luck because you'll have to try many types of exercises to find the one (or ones) that works for you. Exercises that work for others may not work for you, and vice versa.

What are the best exercises to target your core chest?

You should focus on exercises that build muscle in your upper and lower pecs. If you have muscle mass, your chest muscles will protrude forward and there will be less distance between them. Work with heavy dumbbells and barbells.

If you already have muscle mass, but the gap is still wide, then you should try a few exercises that focus on developing the central chest area.

The most commonly recommended exercises are the following.

Lived lying down with a narrow grip. However, you need to determine how to grip the bar so that the work involves the chest muscles and not the triceps.

For example, I work better with a narrower grip than is usually recommended. This way I can feel the tension in my muscles better. Try different grip widths to see which is right for you.

You may also want to try the incline press or the overhead press.

Diamond push-ups.

If you prefer exercises using your own weight to train your chest, then diamond push-ups are an alternative to the bench press.

For example, this exercise doesn't work well for me because I feel more active in my triceps and shoulders than I'd like. Although I have tried several types of exercises.

Dumbbell bench press. The advantage of dumbbells is that you can stretch your chest muscles more effectively due to the increased range of motion.

You can lower your arms deeper in the lower phase of the exercise, and bring them closer to each other in the upper phase. This results in better stimulation and tone.

Advice!

You can also try doing this exercise on an incline bench in one direction or another.

Dumbbell flyes are a great isolation exercise, but you have to do them correctly if you want results. No need to use heavy weights. Slowly lower and raise the dumbbells. Focus on arm movement, range of motion, and chest muscles.

Alternatively, you can perform this exercise in a crossover, which allows for more precise and fluid movements.

Inner chest workouts

Finally, I have collected for you several videos dedicated to working on the chest muscles, from which you can learn more about the exercises and get advice from professionals.

fitbodybuzz.com/how-to-workout-inner-chest/

Exercises for the lower pectoral muscles

How to pump up beautiful breasts without the help of a trainer

Of course, training alone is not enough; you must adhere to proper nutrition. It reduces the accumulation of subcutaneous fat and activates muscle growth. After all, a large amount of fat does not allow you to achieve a clear muscle architecture, hiding them under its layer.

It is very important that training is not one-time, but constant. They must be performed several times a week (2 - 3), and they should consist of various exercises aimed at swaying not only the lower part, but also the upper part of the chest

If you pump exclusively the lower part of your chest, a disproportion will arise in your body, and your breasts will not have an aesthetic appearance. Therefore, we advise you to include all the exercises described below in your training course.

Books and push-ups

Let's start the workout by working the middle part of the chest. For this you will need approximately 8 books with an average of 500 sheets each. The distance between two stacks of books (each with 4) should be approximately 60 centimeters. With our hands resting on the stacks, we begin to perform simple push-ups, trying to get as low as possible.

The next type of push-ups will have its own peculiarity. We put the books aside and begin to perform regular push-ups, only you need to perform 2 pauses of 2 - 3 seconds each:

• in the middle;
• at the end, going as low as possible.
• We perform, as in the previous exercise, 4 approaches, only 10 push-ups.

Push-ups with cotton

This exercise is not easy and requires skill. You will need to lower yourself down, slowly of course, then returning to the starting position, push off the floor as hard as possible, so that your palms come off the surface. At first, you can do without clapping, but as you master the technique of performing this exercise, introduce it.

Only 2 approaches are performed. You set the number of times yourself, i.e. the maximum possible.

The part of the sternum that is most difficult to reach for pumping. It is possible to pump it up, but it is quite difficult. There is one exercise for this, but it is the most effective.

The point of this exercise is the same push-ups, but only the legs should be positioned higher than the body. For the effect to appear soon, it is recommended to increase the load and make the push-ups more difficult.

• delayed push-ups. At the lowest point, hold for 2 - 3 counts, then return to the original position;
• clap push-ups.

Perform 4 sets using excellent technique each time. The number of repetitions varies from 15 to 20.

Finally, we got to the most interesting part - how to pump up the lower pectoral muscles. The bars will be ideal helpers. To do this, you will need to allocate half an hour of your time 2–3 times a week and exercise in the fresh air.

How to pump up your lower chest on the uneven bars? Every man remembers these push-ups from school. But now they should be made a little more complicated, namely, stop at 2 - 3 counts at the bottom point. You should perform 15–20 repetitions in each of 4 approaches.

If you cannot perform the specified number of repetitions, then you should not push yourself into limits. It is better to do it fewer times, but with high quality. Don’t take a long break between sets; 40–60 seconds is plenty. Be sure to monitor the speed of execution; you should feel how each of your muscles works.