subject: The Top Pectoral Exercises For Thick Muscular Pecs [print this page] Regardless of whether you simply want to ditch the flab, firm up your chest and loose the "man boob" look, or your goal is to build jaw dropping muscular pecs, then you really need to be focusing on the most effective pectoral exercises on a regular basis. While running into the gym and jumping from chest exercise to chest exercise without a decent plan can actually help you build your pecs to some degree.
However if you really want to build a big strong chest that you can be proud of, then you need to focus your upper body workouts around most effective pec exercises and forget about the laundry list of crappy pectoral exercises.
No matter what body-part you want to focus your attention on, It's my opinion that you're a lot better off in the long run sticking with the chest exercises that allow you to workout with heavier weights through a complete range of motion that incorporates muscle fibers from multiple body parts. When it comes to chest training, I really like to focus on the fundamental chest presses that incorporate the deltoid and chest at the same time, and sometimes even the lats.
I really think that you get more muscle stimulation training this way than you would by isolate each and every muscle fiber of each and every muscle group. If you try to work out for muscle growth by focusing on isolation exercises that don't incorporate the muscles of your shoulders, you reach a point where while you are isolating the pectoral muscles, you arent training with a heavy enough weight to stimulate real muscle growth.
Listed below are my choices for the most effective pectoral exercises. Learn how to perform each of these pectoral exercises with correct form and start using them in your pectoral workouts. Not only will you begin to instantly feel a difference in the size and strength of your pecs, and after a few weeks of determined workouts, people will start to notice your stronger, bigger chest muscles.
The Best Pectoral Exercises
1. Flat Bench Press - This is the universal grandfather of all upper body exercises. Incorporating muscles from your pecs, shoulders and triceps this "old school" pec exercise can help you pack on some serious chest muscle quickly!
To perform the barbell bench press - Lie on your back on a flat bench with your butt in contact with the bench and your feet flat on the ground. Grip the barbell with an overhand grip spaced just wider than shoulder width. Slowly lower the weight in a controlled and slow manner until it's located just below your nipples. push your arms up while pushing the weight until the bar is in the initial position.
2. 45 Degree Incline Press - The barbell incline press is another timeless (and extremely effective) chest exercise that can help you get your pecs into amazing shape. The barbell incline press places and emphasis on the muscles in your chest and shoulders.
In order to perform the barbell incline press lay down on an incline bench that has an angle set between 35 and 60 degrees. I personally find that a lower angle between 35 and 40 degrees allows me to train with heavier more growth stimulating weights.
Wrap your thumbs around the bar with an overhand grip that is slightly wider than shoulder width. Lower the bar in a slow and controlled manner to the top of your chest. Make sure that your back and butt are in contact with the incline bench during the entire movement. Press the weight up until the bar is back in the starting position. Make sure to avoid any aching in your back during this exercise.
3. Weighted Chest Dips - When performed properly chest dips are one of the most effective pectoral exercises. Chest dips target your pecs while including Your delts at the same time. One of the really cool things about weighted dips is that when performed correctly, they allow you to really stretch out your chest and shoulder muscles at the bottom of the movement, which can help to improve blood flow and nutrient uptake in your shoulders and chest.
To perform weighted dips: Hang from the parallel bars with your arms fully extended and you legs curled up behind you. Bend your elbows and lower your body in a controlled manner until your chest is level with the parallel bars, then press down and lift your body back up to the starting position. In order to place more of an emphasis on your chest and less on your triceps, lean forward through the complete movement.
If I had to pick only 3 pectoral exercises to make up the bulk of my chest workouts, bench press, incline press (as well as the dumbbell equivalents) and chest dips would be the exercises I'd go with. Not only do these basic upper body exercises require little in the way of fancy equipment, there is no doubt that they are among the most effective exercises for building a massive and eye catching chest.
