Your pectoral muscles support joint movements throughout your upper body. The pectorals are primary movers in variety of movements, and other actions call upon your pectorals for assistance and stabilization. A wide variety of basic exercise movements also require pectoral muscles. Your pectorals move muscles and bones throughout your torso both toward and away from your body, and multiple upper-body pushing and pulling actions require pectoral muscles. Joint actions that require pectoral muscles include shoulder and shoulder-blade movements.
Adductions
Adduction movements pull bones and muscles toward the midline of your body. Adduction actions that require pectoral muscles include adduction and transverse adduction of your shoulder joint. Shoulder adductions occur when your upper arm moves down toward the side of your body. Transverse adductions involve moving your upper arm toward and across your chest while your elbows are pointed down. Pullup exercises adduct your shoulders, and pec deck flies involve transverse shoulder adduction.
Abductions
Abduction movements pull bones and muscles away from the center of your body. Abduction actions that require pectoral muscles involve shoulder-blade and shoulder-joint movements. Your pectoral muscles abduct your shoulders by moving your upper arms up and out to the sides of your body. Dumbbell lateral raises involve shoulder abductions. Shoulder-blade abductions, which spread the scapula away from your spine, require pectoral muscles. Exercise movements, including pushups and variations of the bench press, involve shoulder-blade abductions.
Rotations
Rotational actions in your shoulders and shoulder blades require your pectoral muscles. The pectoral muscles medially rotate your shoulders, turning your upper arm inward toward your body. Shoulder internal rotation exercises position your upper arm against your side with the elbow bent 90 degrees, and involve rotating your shoulder inward against resistance until your forearm extends across your abdomen. Downward shoulder blade rotations also require pectoral muscles. Pullup exercises rotate your shoulder blade downward.
Extension and Flexion
Extension and flexion actions straighten and bend your joints, respectively. The pectoral muscles extend, flex and transversely flex your shoulders. Extending your shoulders involves moving your upper arms down and behind your body. Pullover exercises extend your shoulders. Shoulder-flexion actions, such as dumbbell front raises, move your upper arms up toward the front of your body. Transverse shoulder flexion movements, such as lying chest flies, involve moving your upper arms toward and across your chest while your elbows are pointed out to your sides.
Depressions
Shoulder blade depression actions require pectoral muscles, which help move the scapula and shoulder girdle downward. For example, chest dip exercises that involve holding your body between a set of parallel bars depress your shoulder blades. Each chest-dip repetition requires bending your arms and descending between the bars. Shoulder-blade depression occurs when you push your body back up through the bars. Your shoulder blades depress every time you push your body up and straighten your arms for each chest-dip repetition.
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