Chest is the staple of training. It is often the first muscle people look at, the muscle experienced lifters are most proud of, and arguably the most fun to train. Many people want a big chest, but the majority of people don’t understand how to train correctly.
One of the biggest misconceptions about training your chest is the upper chest propaganda. Your chest has two main heads, the clavicular head (your upper chest), and the sternal head (your middle-lower chest). A common pattern in newer lifters is to do three exercises: for your lower, middle, and upper chest. While it is true that there are fibers that run down the lower part of your sternal head, this area will be trained more than enough in any exercise where your elbows are flared out. Another mistake made by beginners is only training the clavicular head, or not giving enough attention to the sternal head. Your clavicular is a very small fraction of the fibers in your chest, and your sternal head makes up the vast majority of your chest. A strong upper chest gives the finishing touches, but neglecting mid-lower chest will hinder your growth.
As mentioned before, your sternal head is the majority of your chest, so you want to start your workouts with this. You only need 1 exercise, 2-3 sets to failure, within the 8-10 rep range. One of the best exercises you can do is a chest fly, or a pec deck as these will engage your chest the most. An alternative can be a flat pressing movement, although this will engage your shoulders and triceps too. Choose only one, not both. If you choose a flat press, remember to keep your elbows flared (around 45-60 degrees from your torso) because this angle will line up with your mid-chest fibers without straining your shoulders.
To get an upper chest that looks like a plate of armor, you need to focus on shoulder flection and adduction. In simple terms, this means you want to bring your arms up and inward toward your torso. This type of motion hits your upper chest the best. For this, choose between either an incline pressing movement (with the bench at a 30-45 degree angle), or a low to high cable fly (starting low, and bringing your arms up and inward). Always keep your elbows tucked, because flaring your elbows, especially at an angle, can put more strain on your shoulders.
Remember that when it comes to lifting, your recovery is just as important. Make sure your sleeping 7-8 hours and eating 0.8-1g of protein per pound of body weight, to stimulate muscle growth. Remember to stay consistent and follow this advice, and your chest is guaranteed to grow.
