For most bodybuilding practitioners, the pectoral muscles are more responsive and easier to work on than other parts of the body. So how do you build beautiful pectoral muscles?
Why are pectoral muscles more responsive and easier to work than other parts of the body?
This is mainly because the pectoral muscles are made up of white muscle fibers. These muscles are characterized by fast contraction and high anaerobic glycolytic capacity. In other words, they are easy to “pump up”.
Another reason for the rapid growth of the pectoral muscles is that they are rarely subjected to large stresses in daily life, so when they are forced to lift large weights, growth explodes. Some theorists believe that the pectoral muscle grows faster simply because it is close to the heart and has a fast blood supply.
In any case, if pecs grow so easily, why do so few people have beautiful pecs?
The main problem is not in gaining more volume, but in the way and manner of training the pecs. We’ve all seen people who have bloated, bulging or sagging pecs. This is all the result of an incorrect approach to pectoral muscle training.
The pectoral muscles span the upper chest cavity and should have a plate-like appearance – broad, elevated and firm. Although the shape of the muscle is largely determined by genetics, the goal is to make the pecs as “square” as possible. This requires balanced training.
As mentioned earlier, because the pectoral muscles grow quickly, you should not train more than once a week (about 20 minutes) in order to achieve this goal. But this time it must be done the right way.
When training fast muscles, it is best to use compound movements. This means using those basic movements that allow the use of large weights. Compound movements will not only put more stress on the target muscles, but will also stimulate many of the balance muscles.
The opposite of compound movements are isolation movements. This type of movement is used to work a specific part of a muscle to enhance the detail shown in the muscle. The best example of a compound movement is the bench press.
The bench press is a simple movement, but it also requires proper technique and balance. It also involves many “secondary” muscle groups, such as the triceps, the serratus anterior and the anterior deltoid. It’s the simplicity of the exercise that makes it so effective. But there are also some things to keep in mind, as you’ll see next.
Bench presses with free weights are different from machine bench presses in that more neurological involvement is required to maintain proper movement, which is more conducive to anabolic performance. But because the body is fixed, the bench press counteracts some of the movement to some extent. If the weight is too heavy, the deltoids will fatigue first, so there are many people who have shoulder injuries while doing the bench press.
Considering the outstanding effect of bench press, people tend to think that it is the best action to practice pectoral muscles. This thinking, combined with the popularity of people, many bodybuilders are bench press as the “main” action to practice pectoral muscles. After all, when someone wants to know your strength, the first question they ask is always, “How much do you bench press?”
Unfortunately, over-reliance on the bench press can lead to narrow, sagging pectoral muscles and extreme imbalances in development. In order to get really nice pecs, you must combine isolation and compound movements in the right order. And you should also keep the bench press to a minimum.
