How to Build Pectorial Muscles
The pectoral muscles are the muscles located in your chest area, and consist of the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. Chest muscles help protect your vital organs and rib cage. Building pectoral muscles takes time and persistence, because the chest muscles are rarely used by most people in their day-to-day activities. Fortunately, there are several exercises that are ideal for helping you build a strong, powerful chest. It's important to understand, too, that diet is as important as exercise when you're trying to build muscle. To build muscles in your pectorals, train your chest three times per week on alternating days.
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Instructions
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Eat the right foods to help you build muscle. Focus your diet on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats like olive oil and lean proteins. Getting plenty of protein is important because proteins are the building blocks of muscle. Eat foods like chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, yogurt, nuts and beans to increase your protein intake.
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Do bench presses as part of your first chest workout of the week. The bench press targets all the muscles in your chest and also works your shoulders and triceps. It's a versatile exercise that you can do with barbells or dumbbells. Also, you can do bench presses on a flat, incline or decline bench, which helps you target different parts of the chest. Do 4 sets of flat bench presses and 4 sets of incline or decline dumbbell presses as part of your first chest workout of the week. Perform 4 to 6 repetitions of each exercise and rest for 60 seconds between each set. Wait two days to perform the next chest workout.
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Do push-ups and dips as part of your second chest workout of the week. Complete 3 to 4 sets of push-ups and 3 to 4 sets of dips. Push-ups and dips do not require any weights, so you can do them anywhere. Both of these exercises work your chest, shoulders and triceps muscles. Perform 15 to 20 repetitions of each exercise and rest 45 seconds between each set. Wait two days to perform the next chest workout.
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Do incline bench presses and single arm presses as part of your third chest workout of the week. You can use either a cable pulley or a resistance band to perform the single arm chest press. To do a single arm press, stand straight and press the cable or resistance band straight out in front of you, one arm at a time. Do 10 to 12 repetitions of each of these exercises and rest 60 seconds between each set. Rest for two days, then start over with the first workout.
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