The pectoral muscles, or "pecs" for short, are found in the chest. Due to their size, they are considered one of the major muscle groups in the body. To work the pecs, you need to do exercises that cause the large humerus bone in the upper arms to move toward the center of the body. The best gym equipment is the type that causes the greatest muscle fiber recruitment.
Dumbbells
Dumbbells are cast iron or steel free weights that range from 1 to 120 lbs. These are good pec-training tools because you are forced to contract multiple muscle fibers to remain balanced during exercises. The end result is faster gains in size and strength. They also offer you the ability to make quick transitions between exercises, and if you own a set, they are portable.
Barbells
Barbells are similar to dumbbells in that they fire up excess muscle fibers to keep your body stable with your exercises. They are also heavy-duty cast iron or steel, and they allow you to lift heavy weights. To increase the resistance when using barbells, weight plates are used. These slide onto the ends of the bar and are secured with collars.
Benches
Benches are what make free weight exercises possible. Both dumbbells and barbells are used on flat benches, incline benches and decline benches. These are either heavy-duty types with supports to rack barbells, or they are mobile types that can easily be moved to various locations. Each bench is used to focus on a different area of the chest. The incline bench targets the upper chest, the flat bench targets the middle chest and the decline bench targets the lower chest. Adjustable benches make it possible to work the chest from multiple angles by moving the backrest up and down.
Cable Machine
Cable machines have two weight stacks spaced about 8 feet apart. When it comes to the pecs, exercises like cable crossovers and flys are performed with single handle attachments. These are good tools because they can be adjusted to different heights to fully work the pectorals. You can also slide benches inside the cable machine and do presses and flys from any position.
Stability Ball
Stability balls are inflated with air and are commonly used to work the abs. They are good pectoral builders as well, because your muscles must work hard to keep you stable. Take push-ups, for example. When you place your feet or hands on the ball, you have to actively engage your chest muscles to maintain balance before you even do a push-up. This leads to a high amount of recruitment and fast gains. You can also use two balls at a time for dumbbell chest presses and flys.
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