Upper Chest near Neck.....

solid71 · 07-31-2006, 11:40 AM

Hi,
What are the best exercises for the upper (inner) chest area, near the neck and collar bone.

Which ones besides the Incline Barbell BP or Incline Dumbell BP?

Thanks

**powerman2000** · 07-31-2006, 12:39 PM

You can do a BP on the Smith Machine and lower the bar down to the very top of your pecs.

**A.FreeRadical** · 07-31-2006, 01:14 PM

I find that bent arm DB pullovers hit this area nicely.

Here is a link to BB bent arm pullovers, substitute the BB for one Heavy DB. Granted, this is a Latissimus Dorsi exercise, but it does use Pectoralis Minor and Pectoralis Major, Sternal as synergists and Pectoralis Major, Clavicular as a stabilizer. I always feel it in the upper chest a day or two after doing this exercise. (Take this to lock-out overhead and you get a nice triceps workout too.)

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...mPullover.html

*

Jordan×core · 07-31-2006, 03:26 PM

Wouldn't that be a Skull crusher though?

**Blap Blaow** · 07-31-2006, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jordan×core

Wouldn't that be a Skull crusher though?

with pullovers the movement is at the shoulder, not at the elbow.

0311 · 08-03-2006, 08:01 AM

In my opinion, you cannot target sections of a muscle without working the entire thing. If that was the case, you could flex your "inner" chest without flexing the entire thing. Likewise, can you flex your "inner" or "outer" biceps without flexing the whole thing? I guess certain angles can STRESS a portion of your muscle more, but I don't think it would really make a huge difference.

Here's a good piece of an article debunking myths like isolationalism. Source

Quote:

MYTH 1. Specific portions of a muscle can be trained

The gist of this myth goes something like this, "You can hit the lower portion of your pecs with decline presses." Any statement similar to this is pure B.S. The implication is that doing decline presses will make the lower portion of your pecs larger. This is physiologically impossible. The pectoralis major are the two muscles that we commonly refer to as the chest. There are also the pectoralis minor which runs underneath the upper portion of the major. The pectoralis major, when stimulated with exercise and allowed to recover will grow. It will grow as a whole (as with all muscles), not in sections. So doing an incline, decline, or flat bench press will not make your pectoralis major grow in different fashions. The shape of your muscle is genetically determined by its origin and insertion points and no training will change this. If individual muscle cells (within a specific fiber type) grew at different rates you would have very lumpy muscles. Think about it! When selecting an exercise for a specific muscle, you should pick the one that most closely mimics the muscle's primary function (i.e. the pectoralis major's primary function is to pull the arm across the chest and downward--- so a decline press would be best amongst the presses). Another important factor in exercise selection is your own anatomy, the length of your bones and where your muscles insert and originate. Through experimentation, most experienced lifters learn which exercises work best for them.

spirit3530 · 08-03-2006, 11:10 AM

So you are basically saying that I guy that has been lifting for a while that has heavy pecs pecs on the bottom as no chance of increasing the mass on the upper portion of his pecs. hmmm.

0311 · 08-03-2006, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spirit3530

So you are basically saying that I guy that has been lifting for a while that has heavy pecs pecs on the bottom as no chance of increasing the mass on the upper portion of his pecs. hmmm.

No, I'm saying that the best thing to do is to continue to focus on progression, periodize, and over time the chest will grow as a whole...However, you cannot sit there and say that, "hmmm, my upper pecs are lookin' a little thin, so I'm going to do some triple drop sets of inclines for a few weeks and bring that area up to speed." I'm actually trying to flex my "upper chest" right now while I type this, and it's not flexing by itself without flexing my whole pec..lol

It's just my opinion. If you think inclines help then go for it. I prefer a slight decline with DB's burried deep in my arm pits. I rarely do inclines and my 'upper' chest definately isn't lagging.

That's also like saying some preacher curls work my "lower biceps"...

Source

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeFranco

The Top Ten Training Myths
Myth #10: Preacher curls work the lower biceps.

First of all, there's no such thing as a "lower" biceps. It’s impossible to contract the lower portion of your biceps without recruiting any other portions.

Still not convinced? Well, you might be thinking that whenever you complete a tough set of preacher curls, you get a pump in your biceps just above the bend in your elbow. After all, it’s your "lower" biceps which creates your biceps "peak," isn’t it?

Okay, here’s the deal. The prime movers in the preacher curl are your biceps brachii and the brachialis. The biceps brachii consists of a long and short head and it crosses over two joints (your shoulder and elbow). On the other hand, the brachialis only crosses over one joint (the elbow) and it lies underneath the biceps brachii. It originates on the middle of your humerus and inserts on the radius.

When performing a preacher curl, your upper arms are placed in front of your upper body (shoulder flexion). For a muscle to be fully activated, it must be stretched at both ends. Since the biceps brachii attaches to the shoulder, it can’t be fully activated because the angle of the preacher bench places the shoulders in flexion. This places a large portion of the load on the short head of the biceps brachii and the brachialis.

Remember that the brachialis lies underneath the biceps brachii and it originates lower on the upper arm. When the brachialis gets "pumped," it pushes the bottom of the biceps brachii forward, creating what appears to be a "lower biceps."

07-31-2006, 12:39 PM	#2
powerman2000 The Old Moderator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 4,086 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 199	You can do a BP on the Smith Machine and lower the bar down to the very top of your pecs. __________________ Don't forget to periodize Best BP 507 lbs competitive Best Squat 705 lbs competitive Best DL 650 lbs competitive Guns don't kill people, men who come home early do. My workout log http://www.ironmass.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6247

07-31-2006, 01:14 PM	#3
A.FreeRadical the Epicurean Bodybuilder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 57	I find that bent arm DB pullovers hit this area nicely. Here is a link to BB bent arm pullovers, substitute the BB for one Heavy DB. Granted, this is a Latissimus Dorsi exercise, but it does use Pectoralis Minor and Pectoralis Major, Sternal as synergists and Pectoralis Major, Clavicular as a stabilizer. I always feel it in the upper chest a day or two after doing this exercise. (Take this to lock-out overhead and you get a nice triceps workout too.) http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...mPullover.html * __________________ "Is it going to be the red pill or the blue pill, Neo? The red pill will answer the question 'What is the Matrix?' Choose carefully. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Ron Paul for President, 2008 A.FreeRadical ...the Epicurean bodybuilder Height: 5'9", Age: 62, My last high on 2/1/2006 was 196 lbs. My last low on 8/08/2006 was 167.5 lbs. Cutting until I am lean Starting weight: 190 lbs. bodyfat: 19.7% November 27th: 183 lbs. bodyfat: 18.3% bodyfat Goal Weight: 176 lbs with no more than 10% bodyfat My recipe collection

07-31-2006, 03:26 PM	#4
Jordan×core Pro Stature Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 851 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 31	Wouldn't that be a Skull crusher though? __________________ How did I fail women studies? I love bitches. If there is no enemy there is no fight...if there is no fight there is no victor...if there is no victor there is no crown.....now we have a enemy we have a fight and we will win the crown.

08-03-2006, 11:10 AM	#7
spirit3530 IMPC Contestant Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 493 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 28	So you are basically saying that I guy that has been lifting for a while that has heavy pecs pecs on the bottom as no chance of increasing the mass on the upper portion of his pecs. hmmm. __________________ 2007 NGA Northern States Regional Amatuer Classic Novice Heavyweight Champion We are kings or pawns, a man once said..emperors and fools. The Physique that is developed slowly and naturally will endure longer -John Grimek Unbeaten Champion Serge Nubert wortout review http://www.ironmass.com/exercises/10...t-workout.html Focus xt Log http://www.ironmass.com/sponsored-pr...-focus-xt.html Workout by Layne "Str8flexed" Norton http://www.ironmass.com/showthread.php?t=8020

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07-31-2006, 11:40 AM	#1
solid71 New Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	Upper Chest near Neck..... Hi, What are the best exercises for the upper (inner) chest area, near the neck and collar bone. Which ones besides the Incline Barbell BP or Incline Dumbell BP? Thanks