Mondays are known as international chest day. Most people know that getting a chest like The Rock doesn’t come easy.
You might be working your hardest and still not seeing a difference.
It could be due to some simple mistakes that most beginners (even more advanced lifters) make.
While you may never reach The Rock’s level, you still can get a bigger chest.
How?
Let’s find out!
Anatomy of the Chest Muscle
Your chest has two muscles but attachment points throughout. Your pectoralis major takes up the most space.
The pectoralis major has two attachment heads that attach to your upper arm.
Both are responsible for movements but have distinct functions depending on your upper arm motion.
The sternocostal head starts at the sternum.
This head takes up 80% of the pectoralis major’s size.
It has the most power of the muscle’s actions like bringing your arms towards your body and rotation of your humerus internally.
To work the sternocostal head, try dips, bench presses, dumbbell flys, and decline bench presses.
The clavicular head is the upper part of the pectoralis major and it starts at the clavicle.
It helps with similar actions as the sternocostal head but aids in raising your arm forward (flexing the humerus).
To work areas like the clavicular head, try inclines presses or the fly.
Your pectoralis minor lies beneath the pectoralis major and is triangle shaped.
While it sits in the front, it controls the areas in the back. It has attachments with the ribs and the coracoid process.
The coracoid process is a small hook-shaped protrusion on top of the shoulder blade.
The pectoralis minor aids in pulling down and spreading the shoulder blades apart. It even helps with breathing.
The pectoralis minor is worked whenever the pecs are being worked.
However, if you specifically want to target the pectoralis minor, you should opt for exercises that involve the upper body.
These exercises will enable your shoulder blades to draw downwards when you lean forward.
Try dips, decline chest presses, or a straight-arm pulldown.
Things You Should Do
There are dozens of things that people swear by that you can do to help you gain a bigger chest.
Some are legitimate and will genuinely help you.
But others are more based on anecdotal claims.
We’ve narrowed down some of the most helpful tips, and ones backed by science.
Warm-Up
Just like cardio, weightlifting is a workout too.
You wouldn’t jump on a treadmill or elliptical without stretching or doing a quick warm-up, so why would you with weights?
However, many people tend to jump straight to the weights. There’s been plenty of studies that show that warmups are essential.
Warmed up muscles are more flexible, have more mobility, and are less prone to injury.
They even help with pumping more power than non-warmed up muscles.
You don’t have to warm up for a long time but aim for at least ten to fifteen minutes before you hit the weights.
Go Slow
If you’ve ever been to a gym you know at least one person is doing a million reps like their life depends on it.
Sure, this may seem great and like you’re making significant progress. The reality is it does nothing for building a bigger chest.
You want to cause muscle trauma to get them in the rebuild process.
To do this, your muscles need tension for some time.
Going quick might make you think you’re putting your muscles under stress, but it won’t cause growth.
A study found that lifting slow and performed to fatigue increases muscle protein synthesis more than quick lifting.
Remember you want to go slow but not too slow. When training at overly slow speeds, it decreases muscle activation by up to 36%.
Put Some Weight on It
It’s not a secret that to build a bigger chest you need to work hard. Naturally, not everyone can lift the same weight or frequency.
However, you might be surprised at just how much you can do. If you’re a beginner, you’ll want to ease into it.
If you’re more advanced, you’ll be more equipped to handle heavier loads with control and good form.
You can up the weights and workout until fatigue. It’s recommended you try around six to twelve reps.
Now, you might be thinking, “But I’m at a more advanced level and I still can’t lift more.”
Whether that’s a medical issue or a limitation issue, only you will know the answer to that.
However, if you don’t have any issues except wanting to lift more, try music.
Yes, that’s right, music.
A study found that listening to music at a level of 130-140 bpm increased performance in harder workouts.
Mind-Muscle Connection
Yoga follows a practice similar to this but with your breath.
You connect your mind and your breaths to center yourself.
It’s slightly different from lifting.
However, a study found that the more you focus on a muscle you’re exercising, the more of the muscle you activate.
The study focused on those who did bench presses.
When participants focused only on using their chest muscles, they improved their bench presses.
The next time you workout at home or the gym, give it a shot!
You don’t just have to practice this method with your chest, try other muscle groups too.
Rest
Some people often have the mindset of if they’re not exercising that day that they’ll fall behind or that their muscles won’t grow as fast.
However, without adequate rest, your muscles won’t grow.
Working out too much and too hard can stunt your gains and cause your muscles to break down.
Now, it might seem tempting to get in an extra workout on a lazy day or after you worked out another muscle group.
But don’t fall into the temptation.
You don’t want to overtrain and end up putting yourself out of the game until you heal.
Take a rest and know your muscles won’t suffer from a day or two off.
How many days should you take off before you work the same muscle group again?
It’s recommended to take at least 48 hours off before doing anymore sets.
Things You Should Avoid
When people first start on their journey to a bigger chest, they tend to make some common mistakes.
Even the pros will slip up from time to time.
The great news is it’s simple to fix. But where do you begin?
We came up with the top five mistakes that most people make on the quest for a bigger chest.
Your Workout Consists of Mainly Bench Presses
Bench presses are one of the best exercises to build a bigger chest. Whether you use dumbbells or a barbell, it’s still highly regarded.
However, most people tend to rely on this exercise alone. This can lead to overuse, injury, shoulder issues, and hold back your gains.
You don’t want just one exercise for your chest, you want a variety of exercises.
Try to switch things up with flys, dips, pullovers, pulldowns, or machine work.
Improper Range of Motion
When you’re a beginner, you might not know exactly the right stances or how to do the exercises.
Often, people will try to push harder and longer thinking it will yield them better results. It does the opposite.
When lifting heavier weights, you tend to lose your correct range of motion. This can cause injury or a lack of gains.
A correct range of motion targets the muscle you want to work and leads to better gains.
Lack of Focus on the Negatives
When we are talking about negatives, we don’t mean problems or issues. What we are referring to is the positive and negative half of the reps.
Your muscle growth relies on the negatives of a rep.
When you’re lifting heavy, you sometimes will drop your weights to the chest to get a rebound from the bottom.
The problem with that is it can cause tears or injuries in your ribcage or muscles. It also takes away from your hypertrophy at each rep.
You want to emphasize the negative by lowering the weight for about two to five seconds.
Poor Posture
You may not think your posture matters when you’re laying down on the bench or that the position of your feet, back, or shoulders matters.
Some people even lift their legs while on the bench or focus on their shoulders.
You want your ribcage raised, your back slightly arched, and your shoulders down and back.
Make sure your feet are planted firmly on the ground.
Not Enough Reps
You’ll often see people do one heavy rep then stop to show off.
While it’s great they may have made a new personal record, it’s not something that will build them a bigger chest.
If you want to see some gains, you’ll want each set you do to be around seven to twelve reps.
Make sure your form is correct too!
Best Chest Exercises
Some chest exercises are undoubtedly better than others.
Of course, any chest exercise you do correctly will help build a bigger chest, but these will better target the muscle group.
Dumbbell Squeeze Press
This exercise takes the movement to your pecs when you squeeze the dumbbells. Lie flat on a bench and hold dumbbells in each hand.
Use a neutral grip and hold your arms straight above you. bend and lower your arms to the side of your body.
The dumbbells should lie just about your chest. Hold then lift your arms and repeat.
Decline Push Up
Decline push ups work the low pecs. It will give you a more defined chest if you are able to execute push ups correctly.
Place your feet on a bench with your hands planted on the floor in front of you. lower your body as you would during a pushup.
Make sure your chest almost touches the floor then push your body back up to the start position.
Hold at the top before repeating each rep.
Chest Dips
Chest dips are great if you have chest fat to burn. It works your entire upper body like your arms, shoulders, and back.
Grab the bars on a dip station. Your palms should face inwards and your arms straight.
Slowly lower your body until your elbows are at right angles.
Don’t flare them out, keep them tucked against the body.
Return to the start position and repeat.
Barbell Bench Press (and its variants)
One of the best chest exercises you can do is a barbell bench press.
You’ll want to make sure you have a barbell bar and weight bench to do this exercise.
The variants are great too for those that have shoulder injuries or want to put less stress on the shoulder.
Lie flat on a bench and set your hands shoulder-width apart. Pinch your shoulder blades together and drive them into the bench.
Take a deep breath and let the weight settle. Your upper back should remain tight. Inhale and let the bar descend as you unlock your elbows.
Lower the bar straight to the base of your sternum and touch your chest. Push the bar back up by pressing yourself into the bench.
Keep your feet on the floor and use them to drive the weight to your legs and extend your elbows.
Repeat as required for your set.
Cable Fly
This requires you to have a cable machine at home or go to a gym. attach the stirrup handles to the high pulleys on the machine.
Your arms should be outstretched, bending slightly. Place one foot forward. Squeeze your core and pull the handles downward and across.
Return to the start position with a controlled motion.
Final Thoughts
You won’t get a chiseled and bigger chest unless you work hard for it. It’s easy to make mistakes in the early stages and even carry them with you as you advance.
These mistakes are easily fixed. Once you know what you should and shouldn’t do, your gains should spike.
