Mondays have become a meme for the typical gym-goer as the “international chest day” since most people tend to start their weeks with chest training. However, many people do not know how to properly go about training this muscle group as efficiently as they otherwise could have.
Firstly, it is nearly impossible to train your chest without training your triceps and shoulders to some degree. This is why it is essential to warm up properly before performing heavy compound pressing movements. To warmup, start by opening up your rib cage, retracting your scapula and performing a few sets of bodyweight movements like pushups, pull-ups or dips.
Then, when it comes to the bulk of the training session, it is important to understand the 2 components that make up the chest as well as its function. The two primary muscles associated with the chest are the pec major and the pec minor. The function of the pecs are to adduct your arms across your body, bringing your arms together. This is why performing bench presses and cable crossovers work the chest in the way that they do. This this in mind, the top 2 best compound exercises for chest training are the a horizontal pressing variation (pec major; makes up the majority of the chest and should be prioritized) as well as a incline pressing variation to target the upper chest (pec minor).
Check out this in depth video on chest training WITHOUT shoulder aggravation! [VIDEO]
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