The pec muscles are known more commonly as the chest. Anatomically speaking, they are composed of the pectoralis major and minor. The function of the pecs is to move the shoulders forward and to move the upper arm across the front of the body. Regardless if you are a woman or man, you can benefit from building this region of the musculature. For a workout to be effective, you need to target the chest from various angles.
Step 1
Load a barbell on a bench press. Lie on the bench and grab the bar with a wide grip. Push it off the supports and hold it above you. Slowly lower it down until it lightly touches your chest and push it back up.
Step 2
Adjust a bench to 45 degrees to do incline presses with dumbbells. Lie on the bench and hold the weights above you with your palms facing forward. Lower the weights down by bending your elbows. Stop when your upper arms are parallel to the floor and push them back up until they are an inch apart. Repeat for a set of reps. Incline presses focus on your upper pecs.
Step 3
Hook your lower shins under the padded support of a decline bench to target your lower pecs. Lie on the bench with dumbbells held above you. Turn your wrists so your palms are facing your knees and hold the weights an inch apart. Lower the weights down by bending your elbows. Stop when they are even with your ribcage and your upper arms are parallel to the ground. Push them back up the the starting point and repeat.
Step 4
Change your hand position to do dumbbell flyes. Lie on the bench while holding the weights directly above you. Turn your palms so they are facing each other and hold the weights an inch apart. Slightly bend your elbows and maintain that bend as you lower the weights down to your sides. Stop when your upper arms are parallel to the floor and push them back to the starting position.
Step 5
Utilize the weight of your body to do plyometric push-ups. Lie on your stomach with your hands directly under your shoulders and your toes curled under your feet. Push yourself up until your arms are fully extended and tighten your core to get your back straight. Maintain a straight back as you lower your chest toward the floor. Stop when you are the width of your fist away and explosively push yourself up so your hands come off the floor. Clap your hands together and place them back in the starting location on the floor. Repeat for a set of reps.
Tips and Warnings
- Perform 8 to 12 reps and three to four sets of the exercises. Work out three times a week on nonconsecutive days. To promote full recoveries from your workouts, make sure to follow a diet that is low in saturated fat and high in nutrient rich foods. Also, aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. To prevent muscle imbalances, make sure to work your back muscles two to three times a week with exercises like deadlifts, back rows, lat pulldowns and pullovers. When you do bench presses in Step 1, do not bounce the bar off your chest.
Things You'll Need
- Barbell
- Weight plates
- Adjustable bench
- Decline bench
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