Add some massive muscle to those pecs
The journey towards building your dream body is a long one. Why? Because no matter what you improve upon you always realize that something else needs to be touched up, something else needs to be developed and worked for maximum gains. It can be truly maddening to say the least. Depending on the individual, they may excel at developing one particular body part more than another. Some people can build great arms with ease, while others don’t even break a sweat in shaping their calves. If you’re lacking in one area or another, which most everyone is, then you’ll no doubt attack that body part with enthusiasm. One muscle group many people lack in, is the chest, the pectorals. No matter how hard they try, they seem to not be able to build those 3D chest muscles.
The thing is for men, the pecs seem to be a region of the body that are universally considered to be the most difficult and most important body part to build up. The chest is such a tough spot on the body to build up for most men, but we are here to discuss the tips for building a colossal 3D chest.
Importance of a Big Chest
Having a strong and powerful chest is essential for bringing together your upper body and completing your physique. Some people may have great abs that the girls love, but with an underdeveloped chest you’ll no doubt feel that a shredded midsection doesn’t add enough to take away from your very visible weak point. A strong chest with moderately developed abs could bring together your physique far more nicely than the other way around which proves just how important your pecs are in developing an aesthetic upper body.
Anatomy of the Chest
The pectoral muscles are typically broken down into three sections, and to keep it simple, we will list those three in “gym terms”.
Upper Pecs
The highest point on the pectorals, which will typically be targeted with incline movements, whether that be barbells or dumbbells or some type of gym machine. Having well developed upper pectorals will help to give the chest a “shelf” look, meaning this is what will really bring everything together to make your pecs pop.
Middle Pecs
Though the upper pecs are responsible for creatine the shelf, you still want to have a well developed middle portion of the chest. Movements like the pec deck, the bench press, and dumbbell chest press can help to target this portion of the chest.
Lower Pecs
Having some muscle on the lower pecs can help to hide any “man boobs”. Chest dips, decline bench press, and high to low cable flyes are great movements to target the lower pectorals.
Don’t Skip Out on Any Part of the Pecs
When it comes to building the three dimensional chest muscles, you do not want to skip out on any part of the pecs. That being said, you do not want to do all incline movements, or all decline movements, as that will lead to overdevelopments in certain areas, loss of muscular symmetry, and honestly you will look a bit odd. This does not mean you need to do ten exercises for each part of the chest, but a great chest workout could consist of one exercise for each part of the pec, with adequate volume.
Check out a sample chest workout below.
- Incline Bench Smith Machine Press – 4 Sets 15 Reps
- Decline Bench Press – 4 Sets 12 Reps
- Barbell Bench Press – 3 Sets 15 Reps
- Pec Deck Flyes – 4 Sets until muscular failure
Nutrition
Chest workouts are only half of the battle, you need to also focus on proper nutrition to help your recover in between training sessions. That being said, in order to build a 3D chest, you are going to want to have adequate amounts of protein, mixed with a good combination of fat and carbs to properly pack on muscle mass.
Supplements are also great to help make sure you are getting a good amount of nutrients. Some recommended supplements to help build your chest are:
- Protein Powders– To help ensure that you are getting enough of the muscle building macro.
- Creatine– Creatine helps the body produce ATP, producing more energy that can be put towards exercise. It also is said to support brain health.
- BCAAs– Branched chain amino acids help the body recover from exercise and may support building more muscle mass.
- Multivitamins– Multivitamins help to keep the immune system in check, supplying the body with the proper micronutrients needed to recover and stay healthy.
Chest Building Wrap Up
Overall, if you are looking to build your chest, you should focus on the three areas: upper, middle, and lower pectorals. However, the chest construction does not stop after you leave the gym, and nutrition is the other half of the battle. Making sure to have proper nutrition is key, through things like diet and supplementation.
What are some of your trouble areas? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
