In this article we are going to discuss about upper chest exercises with dumbbells, cable and bodyweight. Any chest exercise that emphasize one portion of the muscle to some degree, involve others., one of the most important lessons I learned about building a chest is that Ideal chest development requires a lot of emphasis on the clavicular pectoralis.
There are two major reasons for this:
1. It’s somewhat a small, stubborn muscle that is easily overshadowed by the pec major.
Bigger muscles grow faster than smaller muscles, flat and decline pressing places more focus on the larger portion of the pecs than the upper.
The problem of the upper chest failing to keep up with the rest of the pecs.
2. The best exercises for the upper chest muscles also works for growing the other parts of the chest..
Training to get a pump (rather than to get stronger) is one of the easiest ways to get your desired results
If you intend to build your muscle consistently and effectively, you have to fix your mind on heavy compound weightlifting,this means your bread and beans is heavy barbell and dumbbell pressing, and your dessert is supplementary work like dips and flyes.
You can build a great chest drug-free with a bit of skills, hard work, and patience.
What you have to do is:
Fix your mind on lifting heavy weights during your chest workouts.
Also Focus on the chest exercises that safely allow for your progressive overload.
Don’t forget this:
If you stop getting stronger, you’ll stop getting bigger.
The most importantrule of natural muscle building is progressive overload, which means progressively increasing tension levels in the muscle over time.
The most effective way to do this is to add weight to the bar.
One element of your chest workouts that you have to get right is weekly volume (the total amount of reps you do each week).so you don’t look funny.
The reason for this is because heavier weights necessitate more recovery time.
The Best Exercises for the Upper Chest
Incline Barbell Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Reverse-Grip Bench Press
These are the only exercises you need to build a fantastic upper chest. Take that from me.
And if we’re talking overall chest development,
Flat Barbell Bench Press
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
Close-Grip Bench Press
Dip (Chest Version)
If you’re new to weightlifting, forget cable work, dumbbell flys and pullovers, push-up variations, machines, and every other type of chest exercise out there except you want to kill yourself
They may be of relevance to the advanced bodybuilder that is trying everything he can to squeeze the last bits of size out of his physique, but that’s probably not you.
So, let’s take a closer look at how to do each of the exercises I recommend.
Incline Bench Press
incline barbell bench press
If you want a full upper chest, you have to do a lot of incline bench pressing.
And if you’re going to do a lot of incline bench pressing, you have to make sure you’re doing it right.
smith machine bench press
Many people use Smith Machine for pressing because it’s easier and safer.
The disadvantage is it also produces smaller gains in muscle and strength than the free weight pressing.
The same is true for squatting as well.
The reason for this is that the Smith Machine has a fixed, level bar that moves on a fixed, perfectly vertical path.
free weight bar requires that you work to keep the bar level and moving straight up and down. This engages a number of smaller muscles.
How Can I Incline Bench Press Safely?
The Smith Machine’s greatest allure is safety. Because it prevents you from dropping a bar on your face.
You properly lie on the bench with your feet on the floor, unrack the bar, lower it to the middle of your chest, and push it back up.
That’s why learning proper bench press form is important. It makes sure you can progress safely into heavier and heavier weights and continues to progressively overload your chest.
Let’s break the bench press down into its different parts starting with the setup
How to Set Up for the Incline Bench Press
Setting up the bench
set the bench between 30 and 45 degrees for incline pressing.
Upper chest bench press form
1. Lie down on the bench and adjust making sure your eyes are under the bar.
2. Raise your chest up, tuck your shoulder blades down and squeeze them together.
3. Now Grab the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Hold the bar low in your hands, closer to your wrists than your fingers, and squeeze it as hard as you can, your wrists should be straight up and down, not bent toward your head
4. Slightly arch your lower back and put your feet on the ground, directly under your knees, shoulder-width apart.
5. Finally, Unrack the weight by straightening your arms and then moving it horizontally until it’s directly over your shoulders.
How to Descend
Best upper chest routine
If you’re going to bench press heavy weights safely, you need to know how to position your elbows properly.
your elbows positioned and in place, lower the bar to the upper portion of your chest.
And yes, the bar should touch your chest.
In terms of tempo, lower the bar in a regulated manner. It should reach your chest in 1 to 2 seconds.
Instead, imagine you’re pulling the bar down toward your chest in a regulated manner because it will help you maintain the proper body position for generating maximum vertical force.
How to Ascend
Once the bar has touched your chest, your goal is to push it upward as forcefully as you can.
Lower the bar in a second or two and explode it up as quickly as you can.
Nothing should change with your body position as you ascend. Your shoulder blades remain down and pinched, your elbows positioned, your lower back slightly arched, your butt on the bench, and your feet on the floor.
And even though it’s called the bench press, it’s better to think of the ascension as pushing rather than pressing.
Think of it pushing your torso away from the bar and into the bench instead of pressing the bar away from your torso.This will help with form and power.
The bar should move upward on a slightly diagonal path to end where it began
Don’t keep your elbows slightly bent at the top. Lock them out.
Bench press form racking
Don’t try to press the bar directly into the hooks because if you miss, it’s coming down on your face.
Rather, finish your rep with the bar directly over your shoulders and your elbows locked and then shift the bar horizontally into the uprights.
chest dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell pressing isn’t better or worse than barbell pressing–it’s just distinct
Reverse-Grip Bench Press
The reverse-grip bench press is a variation of the bench press that has merit.
It entails flipping your grip around on the bar and not only is it easier on your shoulders but it’s also particularly effective in targeting the upper chest.
The Ultimate Upper Chest Workout
As you know, a good upper chest workout focuses on a heavy incline pressing.
Other exercises like flat and decline pressing and dips can be done as well, but they should come after your heavy incline sets are done.
What I want you to do over the next 8 weeks is to perform these upper chest workout once every 5 – 7 days:
Incline Barbell Bench Press
Warm up and perform 3 sets of about 4 – 6 reps
3 sets of 4 – 6 reps
Flat Barbell Bench Press
3 sets of 4 – 6 reps
Optional
Dips (Chest Version)
3 sets to failure
Rest 3 minutes in between each heavy set and rest 1 minute in between the bodyweight sets.
This will give your muscles enough time to fully recoup their strength so you can give maximum effort during each sets.
Once you hit the top of your rep range for one set, you increase in weight.
For instance, if you get on the incline bench and you push out 6 reps on your first set, you add 5 pounds to each side of the bar for your subsequent set and work with that weight until you can push it for 6 reps.
if you do this workout and eat right for the next 8 weeks, your upper chest will get bigger and stronger.
What About Supplements?
it’s far less important than proper diet and training , supplements don’t build great physiques–dedication to proper training and nutrition is what does.
Sadly, the workout supplement market is sickened by an outrageous hype, misleading advertising and products full of junk ingredients, underdosing key ingredients, and many other shenanigans.
Most of these supplement companies produce cheap, junk products and want to deceive you with outrageous marketing claims, high-profile endorsements, pseudo-scientific babble, fancy-sounding proprietary blends, and flashy packaging.
So, even though workout supplements don’t play an important role in building muscle and losing fat, and most of them are a complete waste of money…the right ones can help too.
The truth is that there are safe, natural substances that have been scientifically proven to deliver benefits such as increased strength, muscle endurance and growth, fat loss, and more.Finding high-quality, effective, and fairly priced products has always been a struggle, as well.
For the purpose of this article, let’s just quickly review the supplements that are going to help you get the most out of your chest work outs
Creatine
Creatine is a naturally found substance in the body and in some foods like red meat. It happens to be a well researched molecule.
Ideally, supplementation with creatine aids you to build muscle and improve strength, Improve anaerobic endurance Reduce muscle damage and soreness
There are claims that creatine is bad for your kidneys, but these claims have been categorically and repeatedly disproven. Mostly in healthy subjects, creatine has been proven to have no inimical side effects, in both short- or long-term usage. People with kidney disease are not advised to supplement with creatine too
If you have healthy kidneys, I can recommend that you supplement with creatine. It’s safe, cheap, and effective.
Protein Powder
Your body doesn’t require protein supplements to gain muscle, but, judging by how much protein you need to eat every day to maximize muscle growth, getting all your protein from whole food can be impossible so taking this supplement is also recommended
Pre-Workout Drink
Most pre-workout drinks are packed with ingredients that have no effect and very little amounts of otherwise good ingredients, making them little more than a few cheap stimulants with some magic sprinkled inside to make it look like a fine label and believable advert copy
Many others don’t even have stimulants going for them and are just unadvisable
it’s very difficult to see a pre-workout supplement that has less stimulants but more on natural, safe, performance-enhancing ingredients like beta-alanine, betaine, and citrulline. That’s a Herculean task.
Caffeine. This is good not just for the energy boost. It also increases muscle endurance and strength too.
If you follow the instructions in this article and you hit your chest workouts hard, make sure you’re progressing over time, and eat right–you will build the chest you want you should also know that it may not happen in a twinkle of an eye
Most guys discover that it takes up to 3 years to get a set of pecs they’re truly happy with, and some find it takes even longer.
Don’t let that discourage you, keep working them out and you’d get the desired results.
Make sure you are not inconsistent with your work out because that can be a factor that would make it seem as though you’re not making progress with your exercises.
With resilient practice and determination you would love your body eventually.
See these work outs as a life style that would make it easier for you
