When we talk about chest exercises, we immediately think - push-ups. These exercises are easy to do at home, but research shows that they use the chest muscles the least. To effectively sculpt and widen the chest, you need to exercise with a load - with dumbbells or a barbell. See the ranking of the 9 best exercises per frame.

Exercises for the chest , to be effective, should involve as much as possible the group of superficial and deep muscles in the chest area. It consists of, among others:

  • greater pectoral muscle,
  • minor pectoral muscle,
  • subclavian muscle,
  • dentate anterior muscle,
  • intercostal muscles.

Which of theexercises for the frameat home or at the gym meet this requirement? Scientists from the University of San Diego decided to check it.

For this purpose, a group of trained men aged 19 to 30 were invited to perform 9 of the most popular exercises for the chest. In each of them, using an electromyograph, muscle activity during exercise was examined. The results of the experiment were surprising.

The best exercises for the chest [RANKING]

Based on the study, a ranking of exercises for the chest was created. The list was established as follows: the value of 100% was taken for the best exercise from the stake, and the following places show the percentage of chest muscle involvementin relation to the best exercise(the one that took 1st place).

PlaceChest Exercise % muscles involved (relative to best exercise)
9.Classic pushups61%
8.Push-ups with legs on a fitness ball61%
7.Pumps with suspended legs63%
6.Push-ups on rails69%
5.Spikes on the bench with a positive slant69%
4.Pressing on the machine while sitting79%
3.Crossing the lines of the upper lift onstanding93%
2.Spreads on the machine in a sitting position98%
1.Pressing the barbell lying on a horizontal bench100%

View all given exercises in the video

Exercises for the chest are shown by coach Jacek Bilczyński.

Which chest exercises are the least effective?

From the above experiment, several conclusions can be drawn that may be helpful in establishing a training plan with exercises for the chest.

  • Regular push-ups are not an effective chest exercise

Push-ups are a universal and simple exercise that can be done at home without additional equipment - this fact makes them very popular. As the ranking showed, however, this is not the most effective way to get a broad, muscular chest. Three types of push-ups, i.e. classic (with the tips of the fingers resting on the ground), push-ups with legs suspended on TRX straps and with legs on a gym ball, took the last place in the list of the most effective exercises for the chest. As an element of home training, they can work well, but they provide spectacular effects.

  • Push-ups on the bars are the type of push-ups that involve the chest the most

If you want to include bending and straightening the arms in the front support in your chest training, choose the option of push-ups on the bars (dips). Of all the push-ups, the pectoral muscles work best. Although it is difficult to make them at home (you can try to put two stable chairs with their backs facing each other or between the two edges of the tables), on most street workout squares you will easily find a suitable workstation with two handrails.

  • Exercising at home without equipment is not very effective

Unfortunately - if you want to build a lot of muscle mass in the chest area, training at home alone is not enough. Unless you have an exercise machine or a barbell and bench at your disposal - the effects of exercises in such a home gym may be similar to those that can be obtained in a professional club. However, training without equipment, only with your own body weight, may not be enough.

  • You can build your chest muscles by exercising at the gym

Exercising with machines and barbells is the best way to sculpt the chest. Crossing the lines of the upper lift, the fly on the machine or pressing the barbell on a straight bench, over 90% engage the muscleschest. Remember, however, that this does not mean that you should completely give up on calisthenics - they also have many advantages, including they engage many more other muscle groups at the same time, and also improve central stabilization. By not taking care of the deep muscles, you risk injuries and overload during training.

Important

Frame exercises are not enough

In order to build up the muscles of the chest, an adequate supply of protein in the diet is necessary. It is recommended to consume 1.2 to 2.2 g of protein per kilogram of body weight.

The necessary tips on how to plan a diet to gain muscle mass can be found below:

  • Principles of a bodybuilding diet (BMR, macronutrients, meal schedule)
  • Sample menu for muscle mass
  • High-protein meals - recipes

Category:

Anatomy