The Incline Bench Press primarily works the pectoralis major, (upper chest) as well as the anterior deltoid (front shoulder) and triceps (back of arms).
The Best Workout For Upper Chest are; Incline chest press Reverse grip bench press Low to high cable flyes Incline flyes Decline push-ups Overall, these exercises are all awesome for any upper chest workout.
Leaning forward slightly, can help engage the clavicular head of the pectorals (upper chest). This forward lean changes the angle of resistance, placing more stress on the upper chest fibers.
The best exercises for chest muscle growth are the standard Bench Press for the middle pecs, the Incline Bench Press for the upper chest muscles and the Weighted Dip using heavy barbell plates for the lower chest.
Bench Press
But you can't avoid the exercise if you're serious about training—or even if you just step foot into any typical strength facility in the world. The move is standard for a reason: it works.
The upper chest is typically one of the toughest areas of the upper body to develop. There are various reasons for this, and like most things, there are ways to work around it. Here are five reasons why your upper chest is lagging in comparison to the rest of the chest region.
Many lifters struggle to build the upper chest, mainly because they lack the proper understanding of what movements are best to build the upper pecs and how to use them in a training program.
The low-to-high cable fly is a phenomenal chest finisher, specifically targeting the upper chest or the clavicular fibers of the pectoralis major. The unique angle of this exercise effectively isolates and emphasizes the upper chest, giving you that well-defined, sculpted look.
When I position myself upside down with my feet on the wall you can see that even though my body is facing down (as opposed to face up in an incline bench press), the arm positions of both exercises are the same. Decline Push-ups are the ideal way to target the upper chest if you don't have access to equipment.
Chest Press Machine
This machine comes in a few variations, including: Flat chest press machine (where you lie flat on your back to perform chest presses) Vertical chest press machine (where you're in a vertical seated position) Inclined chest press machine (which targets the upper pecs)
Most chest exercises work the entire chest and even include some other upper body muscles, but if you want to achieve upper chest growth, you'll need to use exercises that preferentially hit the upper portion of the chest muscle fibers such as an incline barbell bench press, an upper chest dip or a jammer press.
The best incline bench press angle for strength gains and muscle growth in the upper chest is 30 degrees. While some lifters make the mistake of adjusting to a 15 or 45-degree angle, research shows that the influence of bench angle on the upper pecs is greatest at a 30 degree position.
A chest press machine is best for targeting the upper chest when using an upwards motion, the mid chest when pushing forward, and the lower chest when pushing downwards. Other exercises can also be used to target these muscles.
Essentially, you would need to perform 3 – 4 chest exercises per workout if your goal is growing your chest through muscle hypertrophy, and 2 – 3 exercises if you're aiming to build strength. Incline bench press, Dumbbell bench press, Dips, Cable chest fly, dumbbell flyes.
The first step to increasing the size of your pecs is to focus on chest exercises. Chest exercises are essential for building muscle mass and increasing the size of your pecs. Examples of chest exercises include bench press, push ups, chest fly, and chest press.
You can target the upper chest muscles by lowering the cables and doing a Low-To-High cable crossover where the arms' starting position is below your waist and their finishing position is above the collar bones.
What Cable Flyes Work The Upper Chest? All cable flyes work the upper chest to some degree, but low to high cable flyes place a greater emphasis on the clavicle head. Set the cables on their lowest setting and pull them upwards to bring them in front of the body at chest height.
Single-arm Dumbbell Press
This is one of the best dumbbell chest exercises that will improve your stabilization strength. Your chest muscles are the main muscle group that is required to perform the single-arm dumbbell press. In addition, this workout targets your triceps, shoulder stabilizers, and your core.