A broad and stronger chest catches anyone’s attention. Chest muscles should be trained like any other muscles to make them stronger and more toned. A strong and well-shaped chest looks nice and gives you confidence from within and also helps you in performing certain activities.
Generally, chest muscles are called pectoral muscles or pecs. So, the main goal here is to train pectoral muscles to have a strong chest. to have a fully developed heavy chest, you have to go through heavy exercises and workouts.
To start any workout to focus on a specific body part, it is important to know about the major muscles you are targeting there –
- Pectoralis major – as the name suggests, this muscle consists of the major muscle of the chest area. It is located beneath the breast. This muscle helps in the movement and rotation of the humerus which is a bone of the upper arm. So, when you train these muscles, shoulders and triceps are also benefited.
- Pectoralis minor – this is found beneath the pectoralis major. This muscle is responsible for moving shoulders in the forward and downward direction. It is attached to the ribs and stabilizes the bones in the shoulder.
Before starting the workout, always keep in mind that chest exercises are sort of heavy and can lead to injuries if not done properly. Always start with lower weight first. do not push yourself too much or it will lead to severe injuries.
Start the warm-up using a resistance band. This helps in preparing the muscles for workouts. Many people have stiff muscles and this helps in relaxing them.
The 8 best chest exercises for good structure
Push-ups
The most common exercise to have a stronger chest and it doesn’t require any special equipment. Just lie on the ground and lift your body up and down with the support of your hands.
Barbell bench press
This is an important exercise that focuses on several joints. Most of the chest muscles are engaged in this., thus require more strength. For this, first, lie on a bench and hold the bar and lift it over your head. Start lowering it down slowly and stop when it starts touching your middle chest. hold for a while and start lifting it again.
Dumbbell flyes
This exercise helps in increasing the chest area thus making it broader. lie on a horizontal surface and grip dumbbells. Spread your arms above your head and keep the dumbbells together. After a pause brings your arms towards your side.
Dumbbell bench press
This exercise gives stability to the muscles and provides more efficient contraction. Hold dumbbells while lying. Move the dumbbells above your head. Now place your arms in a way that they are aligned with your shoulder. Slowly lower your arms and spread away from each other.
Cable crossover
This workout requires a high pulley machine. Now stand in a position like you are walking. One foot in front of another. Grab the handle and pull them towards your chest. Try to cross one hand with the other. While doing this, keep your body stable and controlled or you will get strain.
Pec deck
Sit straight and grab the wings of the machine. Lift your arms and push the wings towards each other. Stop when they touch each other. Keep this movement smooth.
Dips
Pull your body up with the help of bars. Keep your body horizontal. To make your body stable, put one leg over the other. Twist your elbows to pull down your body. With the help of your arms, pull your body down.
Landmine press
Place one end of a barbell in a corner and hold the other one while standing with your feet apart. Keep your elbows toward the side and press your arm straight up toward the roof. This workout not only provides strength to the chest but also gives firmness to the central part and development of the shoulders.
Benefits:
- Gives a good structure to your body and provides strength
- Helps in decreasing stress and pressure around the muscles.
- Provides stability and strength to your shoulders and forearms also.
- A strong physique helps in day-to-day life too. Like you have to push an Almira or lift a heavy thing such as a cylinder etc.
- Helps in maintaining a better posture as well as stabilizes the shoulder joint.
- As the pecs are attached to the ribs, they expand while breathing. While doing a chest workout, ribs are strengthened. So, they provide better breathing.
- In women, a chest workout provides better support to the breasts. As muscles are built around the breasts tissues thus help in lifting and supporting them.
- The biggest group of muscles in our body are the chest muscles. When the workout is done on maximum muscles, more calories are burnt.
Points to keep in mind
- Start the workout slowly with light weights and increase the weight once you are comfortable.
- Perform the workout three or four days a week. Gives your muscles rest for one day in between to avoid over-training.
- Focus on shoulder strengthening too as for doing chest workouts, you have to lift heavy weights and a strong shoulder I needed there.
- Perform the exercises only till where you are comfortable. Whenever you feel pain or stress, just stop.
- Lift equal weights on both sides. When you bring down the weights, don’t bring them over your shoulder. As it can cause strain. Put them on thighs first.
- If you are a beginner, take the help of a spotter. A person who can hold weights and keep eye on your form and make sure that you are holding the weights correctly.
Conclusion
Though everybody loves to have a strong and attractive body and while achieving it they forget that body is not a robot. Torturing your body in the name of the exercise is not worth it. It always takes time and discipline. Apart from exercise, a healthy diet is very important. Increase the amount of protein in your diet, drink more water. Always be consistent and punctual.
