How to Work Your Pecs

Well-developed pectoralis muscles have both practical and visual advantages.

The area of the body referred to as the pecs is actually a combination of two muscles; the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor. These two muscles are located on the upper rib cage (See Reference 1).

Training these muscles requires either a pushing motion or bringing your arms together in front of you. There are many different exercises and weights to use to train this area. Two of the most effective are the barbell bench press and dumbbell flys.

Things You'll Need

• Weights or Gym Membership
• Flat Bench
• Barbell Bench Apparatus
• Weight Plates
• Dumbbells

Instructions

Barbell Bench Press

1. Lie down on a barbell bench press apparatus. Position yourself under the bar so that the back of your head, shoulder blades and backside are all touching the bench. Your feet should be flat on the floor and pointing straight ahead (See Reference 1).

2. Grip the bar with your hands just slightly wider than shoulder width apart and lift it off the rack.

3. Lower the bar toward your chest. As you do this, inhale and keep your upper arms at a 45-degree angle in relation to your torso.

4. Push the bar back up once your elbows are just past a 90-degree angle bend or the bar is touching your chest, whichever comes first. As you push back up, exhale and maintain contact between the bench and your head, shoulder blades and backside. Keep your feet planted firmly on the floor.

5. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.

Dumbbell Flys

1. Lie down on a flat bench holding a dumbbell in each hand. The back of your head, shoulder blades and backside should be in contact with the bench and your feet should be firmly planted on the floor.

2. Extend your arms toward the ceiling while each hand holds the dumbbells firmly. Your palms should face inward toward each other and the dumbbells should be practically touching.

3. Lower your arms to the side. As you do this, keep them straight out and inhale.

4. Exhale and bring the weights up once your arms are parallel to the floor. Try to maintain the fully extended position that your arms are in. Continue until your arms have returned to starting position.

5. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.

Tips & Warnings

• Vary the amount of weight and repetitions you do. This trains different muscle groups.

• Vary the environment you work out in, such as performing the dumbbell flys on a Swiss Ball or bringing your feet off the floor to force your core to work harder (See Reference 1).

• Always have a spotter, especially for the bench press and when lifting heavy weights.

• Pay special attention to your grip, making sure that the thumb is involved in supporting the bar. Thumbless grips have been shown to cause injuries (See Reference 2).

References

• "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training"; Michael A. Clark, Ed., Scott C. Lucett, Ed., Rodney J. Corn, Ed.; Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; 2008.
• Neon Tommy: Bench Press Injury