The chest (pectoral major) is made up of three muscle bundles.
Clavicular Bundle – Upper chest
Sternal Bundle – Middle chest
Abdominal Bundle – Lower chest
The biggest problem for most guys when trying to build impressive pecs is an underdeveloped upper chest. Everyone wants that popping square upper chest muscle. You know..? The kind of chest that turns heads in a low-cut, v-neck top.
The problem is, that most chest training routines don’t properly activate the clavicular bundle. It’s very easy to recruit the lower/middle parts of the chest, but some people struggle to target the upper portion.
Too much focus placed on flat bench pressing will fail to stimulate muscle fibres in the upper chest properly.
You will need to implement some targeted exercises to achieve a well-developed chest. I have listed below some of my top exercises to target and develop the upper chest region.
1. 30-Degree Inclined Dumbbell Press
This is by far one of the most effective upper chest exercises you can perform at the gym, and is my favorite exercise of all time. So why use dumbbells instead of a bar? Here are a few reasons:
- No Cheating – Each arm moves on its own. One arm can’t become dominant or “cheat”.
- Natural Motion – Dumbbell press is a classic compound movement and allow your arms to move in a natural arch. This puts more emphasis on your upper chest muscles rather than your shoulders.
- Less Joint Strain – Your joints won’t have to take the brunt of the force during the motion.
A 30-degree incline is about as good as it gets for upper chest muscles. If you go any higher than this you will shift the stress away from your chest and onto your shoulders.
To maximize hypertrophy, you will want to perform about 2-4 sets at 6-8 reps each.
2. 30-Degree Incline Barbell Press
While dumbbells do have their advantages, a barbell will also work your muscles from another angle that will put more activation on the upper chest muscle fibres. Barbells definitely have their place in any chest-building routine.
You can choose dumbbells or barbells to be part of your routine; however, incorporating both will help maximize gains by including a wider range of motion.
I like to mix things up so that I’ll hit the upper chest one week with dumbbells and the other with a barbell.
When performing this exercise, it’s important to maintain proper form at all times. Always keep your elbows tucked in and avoid pushing outwards.
While achieving overload is important, picking a weight you can actually manage with proper form is also important to avoid injury and ensure proper stimulation of the target muscle.
Just like the dumbbell press, you should keep the bench at a maximum of 30 degrees when focusing on the upper chest.
3. 30-Degree Dumbbell Flyes
After your press routine, you can throw in a mix of 30-degree dumbbell flies. This is a great way to get a good stretch of the Clavicular Bundle. Just remember to perform them after your press exercise and not before.
Doing flies first will weaken your upper chest muscles for your heavy press exercises. Presses are more important than flies. Therefore they should be performed first in your routine.
You will want to do with a slightly lower weight for flies than you would for your dumbbell presses. You should still focus on performing 2-4 sets, although the reps should be closer to 8-10 per set. Using too much weight with dumbbell flyes can put excessive stress and strain on your shoulders.
To avoid injury, you should stick with a weight you can control completely and with a focus on squeezing at the top of the movement.
Proper Form For Upper Chest Development
Proper form is crucial for maximizing gains and preventing injury at the gym. Unless your form is on the point you can easily end up targeting muscles other than the ones you are trying to work on.
It’s ok to let your form slip a little now and then when you’re pushing yourself to failure on the last few reps, but keep good control throughout most of your exercises.
Keep the following in mind when focusing on the upper chest:
- Always keep your shoulders back and avoid lifting them.
- Arch your lower back slightly.
- Don’t let your elbows flair out too wide.
- Don’t ever train. 10 sets of 3 exercises are more than enough.
- Press through your elbows and not your hands.
- Mind muscle connection, feel the upper chest muscle working.
