exercise for upper and inner chest..anyone?

[richirich0417]

I feel that my upper chest is somewhat lacking, and was wondering what is a good exercise to put on some mass in my upper chest. My current chest routine looks like this :flat dumbbell presses, incline DB presses, and flat bench flyes. what should i at or subsitute to help my upper chest? Also whats a good one for my inner chest? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[Twigz]

OMG!!!!

ok, ok im ready, let the fun begin..........

 

[Duncans Donuts]

You can use dynamite to affectively blast your upper chest. Here's how:

Make a small incision somewhere above the nipple (in theory, you can make the cut below the nipple, but the explosion will target your lower pecs more) and take a small rod and fill it with TNT [CH3C6H2(NO2)3].

The best way to safely ignite this "rod" of explosives is with a cord of readily combustible material (a "fuse") that is lighted at one end to carry a flame along its length to detonate said CH3C6H2(NO2)3. However, this safety feature is unnecessary, and you can just use a lighter or match.

Needless to say, this ultra secret blasting exercise is only for ADVANCED TRAINEES who don't look for a quick or easy fix, and are ready for a challenge. This method is guranteed to rip your upper pecs with the kind of ear splitting eye popping pump that has only been imagined beforehand. If your definiton of MUSCLE GROWTH is the same as the Dictionaries ( An increase, as extension or expansion), this preface is written to prepare your upper pecs for the ultimate EXPANSION of painful manhood defining delight. Hit the gym, fellas - if you've got the guts.

 

[richirich0417]

i know its a dumb question, but you dont have to be rude about it.

 

[Duncans Donuts]

I wasn't being rude, I was making a sattyrical jab at the topic.

You can't isolate your upper pecs, imo.

 

[Twigz]

We are not trying to be rude. It just that those two questions are probably the worst questions you could have asked. Not your fault though. It a past thread that just grew way out of hand.

Do a search on the subject in this forum. Most people here will tell you that their is no way to isolate those areas, and that chest grows as a whole.

good luck

 

[richirich0417]

ok, thanks. so i guess if i just keep on doing what im doing that my upper chest will start to develop more. what about inner chest?

 

[Twigz]

Same deal its all one muscle, just do your thing, and it all grows.

 

[Twigz]

hey DD, is the other guy in your avatar named chad?
I can't see it to well, to small.

 

[richirich0417]

Thanks guys, i appreciate the help.

 

[Duncans Donuts]

Nah that's my brother

 

[CowPimp]

You can use dynamite to affectively blast your upper chest. Here's how:

Make a small incision somewhere above the nipple (in theory, you can make the cut below the nipple, but the explosion will target your lower pecs more) and take a small rod and fill it with TNT [CH3C6H2(NO2)3].

The best way to safely ignite this "rod" of explosives is with a cord of readily combustible material (a "fuse") that is lighted at one end to carry a flame along its length to detonate said CH3C6H2(NO2)3. However, this safety feature is unnecessary, and you can just use a lighter or match.

Needless to say, this ultra secret blasting exercise is only for ADVANCED TRAINEES who don't look for a quick or easy fix, and are ready for a challenge. This method is guranteed to rip your upper pecs with the kind of ear splitting eye popping pump that has only been imagined beforehand. If your definiton of MUSCLE GROWTH is the same as the Dictionaries ( An increase, as extension or expansion), this preface is written to prepare your upper pecs for the ultimate EXPANSION of painful manhood defining delight. Hit the gym, fellas - if you've got the guts.

What he's trying to say is that you can't isolate certain portions of the pectoralis major. Some do believe that you can separately contract the clavicular and sternal heads of the pectoralis major, or at least emphasize one head over the other. I disagree, as anatomy dictates that their shared insertion point means they both contract simultaneously, at least in this case. Therefore, they are functionally the same muscle.

The inner chest cannot be isolated. If you even try to make a case for this, then you are really kidding yourself.

Usually muscles develop better shape as they accumulate more mass.
Just make sure you're eating right and training hard.

If you belive the upper chest can be isolated, then incline away; just make sure to reduce your anterior deltoid work if you do a lot of incline pressing movements.

 

[Flex]

I hate to beat a dead horse, cuz everyone has their opinion, but explain something to me.

If both heads of the pectoralis contract simultaneously, then how does this work...

Raise one arm like your saluting Hitler. Now move your arm across your face so your like trying to smell your armpit. Now flex your pec as hard as you can.
When i do this movement (which mimics inclines, closegrip inclines etc.), just my upper and inner portion of that pec contracts. The "bottom half" of the pec so to speak stays relatively unflexed.

Now put your arm hanging at your side. Squeeze your pec. the bottom half contracts, while the top half stays relatively unflexed.

What gives?

 

[Uzi9]

I hate to beat a dead horse, cuz everyone has their opinion, but explain something to me.

If both heads of the pectoralis contract simultaneously, then how does this work...

Raise one arm like your saluting Hitler. Now move your arm across your face so your like trying to smell your armpit. Now flex your pec as hard as you can.
When i do this movement (which mimics inclines, closegrip inclines etc.), just my upper and inner portion of that pec contracts. The "bottom half" of the pec so to speak stays relatively unflexed.

Now put your arm hanging at your side. Squeeze your pec. the bottom half contracts, while the top half stays relatively unflexed.

What gives?

FLEX your right I to now belive you can section of muscles after wasting 2 years doing SHIT dam i mean HIT (you know I keep doing that today).

 

[Uzi9]

I recommend doing incline files

 

[ChrisROCK]

I hate to beat a dead horse, cuz everyone has their opinion, but explain something to me.

If both heads of the pectoralis contract simultaneously, then how does this work...

Raise one arm like your saluting Hitler. Now move your arm across your face so your like trying to smell your armpit. Now flex your pec as hard as you can.
When i do this movement (which mimics inclines, closegrip inclines etc.), just my upper and inner portion of that pec contracts. The "bottom half" of the pec so to speak stays relatively unflexed.

Now put your arm hanging at your side. Squeeze your pec. the bottom half contracts, while the top half stays relatively unflexed.

What gives?

That's absolutely correct...and anyone who says you can't "target" upper and lower pecs by varying incline angles is not all that knowledgeable afterall. Beaten to death or not...it doesn't take a scientist to feel what incline presses and flyes do, and what flat does.

DD, you often share good knowledge man...but that post was uncalled for...

 

[Uzi9]

That's absolutely correct...and anyone who says you can't "target" upper and lower pecs by varying incline angles is not all that knowledgeable afterall. Beaten to death or not...it doesn't take a scientist to feel what incline presses and flyes do, and what flat does.

DD, you often share good knowledge man...but that post was uncalled for...

Right On

 

[ChrisROCK]

Cowpimp...so i guess we can assume that you incorporate no incline presses or flyes into your routine?

 

[gopro]

I feel that my upper chest is somewhat lacking, and was wondering what is a good exercise to put on some mass in my upper chest. My current chest routine looks like this :flat dumbbell presses, incline DB presses, and flat bench flyes. what should i at or subsitute to help my upper chest? Also whats a good one for my inner chest? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Change the balance of your program from two flat exercises and one incline to 2 incline and one flat. Also, work some incline flyes in sometimes, as well as barbell incline presses.

 

[CowPimp]

Cowpimp...so i guess we can assume that you incorporate no incline presses or flyes into your routine?

No, I incorporate incline presses often enough. It's a great way to place more stress on the anterior deltoids. Just because I don't believe in upper chest isolation doesn't mean I think it's a worthless lift.

 

[CowPimp]

I hate to beat a dead horse, cuz everyone has their opinion, but explain something to me.

If both heads of the pectoralis contract simultaneously, then how does this work...

Raise one arm like your saluting Hitler. Now move your arm across your face so your like trying to smell your armpit. Now flex your pec as hard as you can.
When i do this movement (which mimics inclines, closegrip inclines etc.), just my upper and inner portion of that pec contracts. The "bottom half" of the pec so to speak stays relatively unflexed.

Now put your arm hanging at your side. Squeeze your pec. the bottom half contracts, while the top half stays relatively unflexed.

What gives?

That's not the clavicular head of the pectoralis major that you are feeling, it is the pectoralis minor.

 

[MTN WARRIOR]

We are not trying to be rude. It just that those two questions are probably the worst questions you could have asked. Not your fault though. It a past thread that just grew way out of hand.

Do a search on the subject in this forum. Most people here will tell you that their is no way to isolate those areas, and that chest grows as a whole.

good luck

Although most professionals, doctors and everyone else who is sane, will tell you that you can. In fact, IronMagazine even had an article on it this month, saying you could. But this is a huge argument which we have agreed to disagree on. Bottom line, do the work, vary your exercises and do what works. I recently moved inclines to the front of my workout, and I have a noticeable difference. I am sure someone can say its all shoulder, wrong. But I think it is up to the individual to decide.

ding ding ding. Leeeeets get ready to rumbleeeeeee!!!!

 

[Uzi9]

Although most professionals, doctors and everyone else who is sane, will tell you that you can. In fact, IronMagazine even had an article on it this month, saying you could. But this is a huge argument which we have agreed to disagree on. Bottom line, do the work, vary your exercises and do what works. I recently moved inclines to the front of my workout, and I have a noticeable difference. I am sure someone can say its all shoulder, wrong. But I think it is up to the individual to decide.

ding ding ding. Leeeeets get ready to rumbleeeeeee!!!!

Yep i agree

 

[CowPimp]

Although most professionals, doctors and everyone else who is sane, will tell you that you can.

You mean the professionals and doctors who you listen to? There are plenty of people on both sides of the argument. Don't just callously imply all of those who disagree with you are insane.

 

[CowPimp]

The existence of the so-called "upper", "lower", "inner" and "outer" pectorals along with the assertion that it is possible to isolate one or more of these to the relative exclusion of the others in training, are among the most firmly entrenched myths in Strength Training and Bodybuilding circles. In fact none of these truly exist as either separate and distinct muscles or regions in a functional sense. Even though it could be argued that there appears to be a structural distinction between the upper and lower pectorals (and some anatomy texts do in fact support this distinction though not all do) because the pectoralis-major does originate from both the sternum and the proximal or sternal half of the clavicle along it???s anterior surface (it also has connections to the cartilages of all the true ribs with the frequent exception of the first and seventh, and to the Aponeurosis of the external oblique muscle), this is considered to be a common (though extensive) origin in terms of the mechanical function of the muscle. Thus the pectoralis-major is in fact for all practical purposes one continuous muscle with a common origin and insertion, and functions as a single force-producing unit. The terms upper, lower, inner and outer are imprecise and relevant only in order to make a vague subjective distinction between relative portions of the same muscle for descriptive purposes. They are vague and imprecise terms because there is no clearly delineated or universally defined border between them.
Further it is not physically possible either in theory or practice to contract one region of a single muscle to the exclusion of another region or regions (as a Biomechanics Professor of mine once demonstrated to a bunch of us smart-ass know-it-all???s taking his course, using EMG analysis). When a muscle contracts it does so in a linear fashion by simultaneously reducing the length of its constituent fibers and thus its overall length from origin to insertion. Even where a single muscle is separated into multiple functional units that are clearly defined such as the triceps (which are referred to as ???heads??? by Anatomists and Biomechanists), because they share a common point of insertion in order for one head to shorten all must shorten. This only makes sense if you think about it because otherwise there would be ???slack??? in one when the other shortened, which as we know does not occur. Note that there are some special cases where one head of a muscle must actually lengthen when the other shortens (e.g. the posterior head of the deltoid in relation to the anterior head during the positive stroke of fly???s), the point however is that even in these special cases there is no ???slack??? because there is in fact contractile activity (whether concentric or eccentric) throughout the muscle.
That is not to say however, that all fibers in different areas, or heads are necessarily shortened to the same degree during a particular movement. Depending on the shape of the muscle, the joint geometry involved, and the specific movement being performed, fibers in one area of a muscle or head may be required to shorten more or less than in others (or even to lengthen) in order to complete the required movement. For example during a decline fly though muscle fibers in all regions of the pectoralis-major must shorten as the upper arm is drawn towards the median plane of the body, because of the angle of the arm in relation to the trunk the fibers in what we commonly refer to as the lower pecs will have shortened by a greater percentage of their overall length than those in the upper region of the muscle by the completion of the movement. Conversely when performing an incline fly there is greater shortening in the fibers towards the upper portion of the muscle than in the lower.
Many proponents of the so-called ???isolation??? approach to training claim that this proportionally greater shortening of the fibers equates to greater tension in the ???target??? region than in others, and therefore stimulates greater adaptation; but this is completely at odds with the cross-bridge model of muscle contraction which clearly shows that as fiber length decreases tension also declines due to increasing overlap and interference in the area of the cross-bridges. Some also contend that the fibers called upon to shorten to a greater degree tend to fatigue faster than others and that therefore there is greater overall fiber recruitment in the region where this occurs, and thus a greater stimulus to growth; but there is no evidence to suggest that a fiber fatigues faster in one position than in another in relation to other fibers in the same muscle. In fact it has been shown that Time Under Tension (TUT) is the determining factor in fatigue and not fiber length. In fact fiber recruitment tends to increase in a very uniform fashion throughout an entire muscle as fatigue sets in.
The ability to ???isolate??? a head, or region of a muscle to the exclusion of others by performing a particular movement, or by limiting movement to a particular plane and thus develop it to a greater degree, is a myth created by people who wish to appear more knowledgeable than they are, and has been perpetuated by trade magazines and parroted throughout gyms everywhere. It is pure non-sense and completely ignores the applicable elements of physiology, anatomy, and physics in particular. Quite simply the science does not support it, and in most cases is completely at odds with the idea.
Regardless of the science however, many people will remain firmly convinced that muscle isolation is a reality because they can ???feel??? different movements more in one region of a muscle than in others. This I do not dispute, nor does science. There is in fact differentiated neural feedback from motor units depending on the relative length of the component fibers, and this feedback tends to be (or is interpreted by the brain as) more intense when the fibers in question are either shortened (contracted) or lengthened (stretched) in the extreme. However this has to do with proprioception (the ability to sense the orientation and relative position of your body in space by interpreting neural feedback related to muscle fiber length and joint position) and not tension, fatigue, or level of fiber recruitment. Unfortunately it has been seized upon and offered up as ???evidence??? by those looking to support their ideas by any means available.
Muscle shape is a function of genetics and degree of overall development. As you develop a muscle towards its potential, it does change in appearance (generally for the better) but always within the parameters defined by its inherent shape. A person who tends to have proportionately more mass towards the upper, lower, inner or outer region of his or her pectoralis-major will always have that tendency, though it may be more or less apparent at various stages in their development, and in most cases appears less pronounced as overall development proceeds. That is not to say that training a muscle group from multiple angles is totally without value. In fact we know that even subtly different movements can elicit varying levels of fiber recruitment within a muscle in an overall sense (i.e. in terms of the percentage of total available fibers) due to differences in joint mechanics, and neural activation patterns, as well as varying involvement of synergistic and antagonistic muscle groups involved. So by all means experiment with different angles in your training, but don???t expect to be able to correct so-called ???unbalanced??? muscles this way, or to target specific areas of a particular muscle. Work to develop each of your muscles as completely as possible and shape will take care of itself. If you want to worry about ???shaping??? you should pay more attention to the balance between different muscle groups and work to bring up any weak groups you may have in relation to the rest of your physique.

I came across this a while ago while I was searching for information relative to the upper chest isolation debate. It's a post from someone on a different forum named Belial.

 

[ChrisROCK]

belial? And here I thought I was reading something that came from a credible, reliable source...

 

[gopro]

I firmly believe that there are some phenomena that occur within the human body on a daily basis, that while observable, remain unexplainable (in a complete sense) by science at this time.

 

[CowPimp]

I firmly believe that there are some phenomena that occur within the human body on a daily basis, that while observable, remain unexplainable (in a complete sense) by science at this time.

I respect your opinion Gopro. I usually just suggest the person in question does some type of incline work anyway, because incline presses are still a great compound exercise.

 

[LAM]

I came across this a while ago while I was searching for information relative to the upper chest isolation debate. It's a post from someone on a different forum named Belial.

that's a good post from Belial...that kid knows his shit

 

[MTN WARRIOR]

I came across this a while ago while I was searching for information relative to the upper chest isolation debate. It's a post from someone on a different forum named Belial.

Yeah, that sounds credible. I know this guy who said... Just messin' with you CP. I still disagree with you and DD and SNF, but to each his own. Wow, I didn't call anyone an idiot. I must be nearing the end of my cycle. Damn, where is my 1T?