Building your upper chest cannot be overemphasized if balanced chest development is your goal. Of course you want mass, but you have to have upper, mid, and lower chest mass that is proportionate to each other. When I think of a great chest, I think of Arnold. He isn’t the only one, of course, and you no doubt have your favorites. But for me, he’s the first guy I saw with a chest like that. With that image in your mind, let’s go hit upper chest!
Building Your Upper Chest – Incline Bench Press
No doubt one of the more common questions about the incline bench press is the angle of the incline. While some lifters go as high as 45 or even 55 degrees, a 30-degree angle is the suggested starting point. The reason is the higher the incline, the more you will target the front delts over the upper chest. I know for me personally, if I go any higher, it’s all front delts.
Muscles Worked
The incline bench press is a compound exercise. So besides your upper chest, it involves the front deltoids and triceps. In addition, the short head of the biceps is involved to a limited degree. As noted, if you want complete, balanced chest development, you should train your upper chest every chest workout. If it’s a weak point, train it first in your chest routine. Quite a few lifters also include decline exercises plus outer and inner chest exercises. (1)
Performance Notes
Perform a full movement, no half reps or bouncing the weight off your chest. Do not lower the bar over your neck, instead lower it over your upper chest. Here’s the tempo I suggest for this movement: the correct starting position is at the top of the movement, take 4 seconds to lower, pause just above the chest for a 3 count, take 2 seconds to explosively push the bar up. The entire movement should be under complete control. Remember to use enough weight, you should fail on the last rep. None of this knocking out endless easy reps and then racking the bar without ever really exerting yourself.
Building Your Upper Chest – Incline Dumbbell Press
Muscles Worked
This exercise works the same muscles as the barbell version. The biggest difference is you can adjust the angle of the dumbbells as you see fit. For example, rather than holding them facing straight like a barbell, you can angle your hands inward or outward just a bit. The minor angle differences may change how and where you feel the exercise. Also, the closer to your body you bring the dumbbells (thereby creating a narrow grip), the more you work your triceps. The wider you go with the dumbbells, you create a wide grip and hit more of the outer area. (2)
Performance Notes
Keep your delts from doing too much work by keeping your rear deltoids on the bench. That is especially true on the last couple of inches of the rep, when you’re pushing the dumbbells up. If you find you’re having trouble balancing the dumbbells, make sure your arms remain vertical throughout the lift. The more vertical your arms are, the better your balance will be.
More Performance Notes
Perform a full movement, no half reps. Here’s the tempo I suggest for this movement: 2 seconds up, 4 seconds down, and 4 seconds in the fully stretched position. Remember to use enough weight, you should fail on the last rep. None of this knocking out endless easy reps and then racking the bar without ever really exerting yourself.
Building Your Upper Chest – Incline Dumbbell Flyes
Muscles Worked
Dumbbell incline flyes target the upper chest, or the pectoralis major (clavicular). Synergists include the middle chest (pectoralis major (sternal), anterior deltoid, and the biceps brachii (short head). Stabilizers include the wrist flexors, triceps brachii, biceps brachii, and the brachialis. (3)
Form
Form is very important on all exercises, and this one is no exception. The dumbbell fly motion is a wide arc. Make sure you keep elbows bent. Don’t try to go heavy on these, which can compromise form. Go only heavy enough to still allow correct form throughout the movement.
Performance Notes
Perform a full movement, no half reps. Here’s the tempo I suggest for this movement: 2 seconds up, 4 seconds down, and 4 seconds in the fully stretched position. Remember to use enough weight, you should fail on the last rep. None of this knocking out endless easy reps and then racking the bar without ever really exerting yourself.
Example Routine
This routine assumes an upper chest focus. If you aren’t targeting upper chest first, just reverse the order of exercises so you’re doing flat work first. This routine also assumes you’ve warmed up and are ready to go.
Incline Bench Press – 3 sets – 12, 10, 8 reps (Alternate with the Dumbbell Incline Press every other week)
Incline Dumbbell Flyes – 2 sets – 12, 10 reps
Flat Bench Press – 3 sets – 12, 10, 8 reps
Flat Flyes – 2 sets – 12, 10 reps
Supplement Suggestions
The best place to start when it comes to supplements is a good pre-workout. I suggest Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode. This is one of the best pre-workouts on the market. If budget is a concern, I recommend Alpha Supps Pre. In this case, you’re getting a good “basic” Pre at a great price.
From there, protein powder should be next on your list. I suggest Hi-Tech Precision Protein. This protein, as you may know, focuses on quick leucine absorption. Next up is creatine, such as AllMax Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate. From there, you can go with any muscle builder you like, such as prohormones. Finally, wrap it all up with a good multivitamin.
What About Nutrition?
I suggest two things. First, keep your protein intake high, at least 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. By necessity, this means logically dividing up your servings. Secondly, take in roughly 50% of the day’s carbs (and all simple carbs) in the hours around your workout.
Summary
If you’re focusing on building your upper chest, this article gives you all the information you need to make the most of your efforts. Follow the tips presented here, and since we have all the supplements you will need, stop by illpumpyouup.com and stock up today!
References:
- https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralClavicular/BBInclineBenchPress
- https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralClavicular/DBInclineBenchPress
- https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralClavicular/DBInclineFly