Central Chest (pecs)

S

slimslim

0
Hey everyone,

I've been working out for the past 2 months or so and I've noticed that my chest is shaping up nicely. I am not looking for a very large muscle-like look, but I do want to be in good shape so that my abs are showing and my chest is fairly nice looking. Pretty much a lean, cut look, kinda like all the celebs and stuff.

The biggest problem is that I don't see enough muscle development in my central chest area, I'm notcing quite a bit of muscle on the outer chest (closer to my arm pits) and lower outer chest. I want it so that my chest is a bit more consistent through out.

I am currently doing normal bench, incline bench and decline bench. Are these the correct excercies to build up my chest (especially the central area) nicely? Any suggestions of other exerices that will help in my central chest development to even things out a bit?

Thanks!
Slim
 
debated

this is common problem. pretty much everyones chest develops outer and lower with the inner and upper lacking.

some believe that working a close grip bench will help develop the inner chest but anatomically it doesnt make sense because there is not an inner chest muscle to develop.

i believe that it is mostly genetics, most people lack in the inner chest, but in time, as ur chest develops the inner will develop.

also, celebrety pictures are almost always photoshopped so don't trust them.

good luck
 
First off, try doing those same exercies but with dumbbells and a 4-2-2 tempo and really squeeze the chest together for the 2 seconds... Personally, I find it easier to do that rather than using a bar... Another good exercise is Standing Cable Column Presses... Just make sure to really stay tall and press with the chest, and not lean forward and press with the shoulders... The press should be slightly down so that your hands are just below your nipple line when your arms are fully extended...
 
Close-ish grip dips are what you want.
They work the sternum area, although at the same time as shoulders and triceps, but i've found them amazing for getting a really defined sternum.
 
cable crossovers i think are great for the inner chest. you feel the burn in the chest's inner area. curious, what is your body fat %? cause i have the outer chest problem as well, but since ive been cutting, it seems like my chest's inner / outer area are evening out. NOW im not saying your fat or anything, or that this is the reason, im just trying to give an idea of why this might be happening and what can correct it. no matter what though, get some cable crossovers in your routine!
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm fairly new to this so a lot of the terminology you are using doesn't make much sense.

1) What does 4-2-2 tempo mean?

2) What are "close-ish grip dips"?

3) I've seen the cable cross over machine, but I've seen it used different by different people. Some people just push all the way out away from their chest, whereas some people actually cross the cables over their chest until their hands have actually full crossed their bodies. Which way is correct?

4) I'm not sure what my body fat percentage is. Is there any easy way to calculate it? I can tell you that I'm about 5'10"-5'11" and about 167 lbs and about a medium build. Not small or not large build. I do have some fat on my body, especially on my lower stomach. But when I press my central chest area all I feel is my ribcage, so I don't think it's a fat issue. I do find, however, that I have a big frame, my ribs, etc are pretty big, not huge, but I'm not a small guy.

I hope that helps you guys figure out my situation!

Thanks,
Slim
 
you figure out your body fat % using calipers that squeeze your flesh and measure the layer of fat you have. There's ways to do it using formulas and values such as your weight, height etc but I dunno how accurate they are.
 
Cable crossovers are good! the motion is similar to a declined fly. Speaking of flyes, do them on a flat bench to pre-exhaust your pecs before moving on to bench. This will help you to tear the pecs up a bit more.

Finally, the point of origin and insertion for each person's pecs are different... So, you can't pinpoint the inner-chest... As others have said, genetics have a lot to do with this. But, as your pec increases in size (hypertrophy) it will fill in a little bit.

Just keep doing what you're doing!

-Rip
 
Just curious, I see a lot of mentions of flat bench, inclined and declined bench presses. Is this to say that using a machine for benching is nowhere near as effective? I mainly ask because I have no one to spot for me normally, which isn't a problem for the most part because I've just began working out again, so my weights are extremely light (I'm really only starting at around 110lbs because I tore a roter cup in my shoulder and it still bothers me sometimes). But once I get up to a heavier weight, I'll definately need a spotter.
 
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