One of the most frequent questions asked among bodybuilders who are in the early years of their training careers is, “What’s you’re bench?” This is natural because next to having big arms, a big, thick, high and striated chest is about the most sought- after item for the upper body. Of course, a shallow chest will never win a single trophy or a second glance at the beach. On the other hand, thick pectoral muscles and a large chest will set off a winning upper body while conveying strength and power, even if you’re only walking by at a mall. Even if you are fully clothed at work, or just sitting at a desk in school, your thick chest will scream power and command attention. So getting excited about developing a great chest is a good thing!

Avoiding Droopy Pecs
A few lucky folks are born with great genetics so that building a chest is an easy task. However, most of us have to develop a few gallons of sweat in order to achieve the ultimate in chest structure. Flat bench presses have built phenomenal chests in some athletes who usually are committed to doing endless sets three or four times each week. However, this is not the case for most individuals. Too often, people who engage in flat bench presses as the only (or primary) chest exercise do so for a couple of reasons. First, they have been able to improve their strength so that the weight they are currently lifting is impressive both to themselves and to their training buddies in response to the “how much can you bench?” question. The second reason is that it’s one where they can lift a decent weight but not feel like they are ready to puke at the end of the set (which may not be the case for a really deadly set of squats or deadlifts). 

Flat benches allow you to get bigger anterior deltoids, bigger triceps and a thicker lower chest. In addition, you get stronger, and you feel good about your improvements. Of course, there is danger from primarily concentrating on only one exercise (unless you have specific reasons, such as rehabilitation from an injury, or if you’re using it as a sports-specific training exercise). The downside is that flat benching tends to intensify any contrasts between the usually weak and less developed upper and middle chest, and the thick lower chest and anterior deltoid. Because the lower chest regions have relatively more fibers and potential depth than the upper regions, the upper chest can appear shallow if it doesn’t receive special attention. Presumably, no one sets out to develop “droopy” pectoralis muscles, but that’s the impression that is conveyed when flat benches and dips Make Up the majority of the chest work. The incline bench press is designed to build a high thick chest and thereby improve the balance and shape of your chest.

Structure and Function
The pectoralis major muscle is much like a fan, with fibers having different orientations and angles of pull in the superior regions of this muscle as compared to the medial and inferior regions. Although this is an important muscle anatomically associated with the anterior chest wall, its function is at the humerus bone of the upper arm, through manipulation of the shoulder (glenohumeral) joint. This large muscle covers the upper (superior) part of the chest and its outside (lateral) border forms the front (anterior) wall of the arm pit (axilla). A very tough and dense connective tissue sheet called the pectoral fascia covers the pectoralis major like a tight-fitting sock.

The pectoralis major has two heads. The clavicular head lives along the anterior lower surface of the clavicle (collarbone). Do not confuse this with the pectoralis minor, which lies deep to the clavicular head of the pectoralis major and attaches to the ribs and not the humerus bone of the upper arm. The pectoralis minor has no important role in building your upper chest.
The sternocostal head takes its origin from the manubrium (top portion of the sternum), the upper six costal cartilages (cartilages at the ends of the ribs that attach to the sternum) and from the tendinous-like portion of the superior part of the external oblique muscle (a lateral muscle of the abdominal wall). The clavicular and sternocostal heads converge on a groove near the head of the humerus (intertubercular groove), which separates the lesser tubercle (small bump) and greater tubercle (large bump) on the humerus (upper arm bone) near the shoulder joint. The clavicular head of the pectoralis major receives an extraordinary concentration of contractile effort in the incline bench press.

Both sternocostal and clavicular heads of the pectoralis major adduct the humerus (draws the arm towards the midline of the body) and they medially rotate the humerus at the shoulder joint. Both heads also flex the humerus by moving the upper arm anteriorly (toward the front of the body), and this is the major function achieved in a bench press. However, the shoulder angle will determine the relative activation of the muscle, so an incline bench press will preferentially activate the fibers in the clavicular head of the pectoralis major. Nevertheless, the sternocostal head is far from silent during the incline bench press, because it is not possible to totally isolate the recruitment of fibers of the upper and lower chest.

Incline Barbell Press
1. Choose an incline bench that’s 30-35 degrees. Benches that are steeper than this (e.g., 45 degrees or more) place an increasing emphasis on the anterior deltoid and this detracts from the activation of the pectoralis major.

2. Have a partner lift the barbell from the weight stands. Begin with your arms straight and with the bar balanced over the clavicle.

3. Slowly lower the bar to the top of your chest, just below the clavicle, but do not bounce the bar off your chest. This could lead to rib damage or even damage to the internal organs. It could also set you up for a pectoralis tear. Your forearms should remain perpendicular to the floor and you should keep your elbows back (toward the top of your head) as far as possible to stretch the muscle of the upper chest as you are lowering the barbell toward your chest.

4. Press the barbell up and straighten your elbows out as you return the bar to the starting position over your chest. Do not let the bar wander toward your feet as you are pressing it upward. Ensure that the bar stays over your eyes or the top of your head as you are extending your arms. Do not completely lock out your elbows at the top. Exhale as the weight is traveling upward and away from your chest. Repeat the repetition until the set is finished.

Important Tips
Both the bench angle and forcing your elbows toward your head (backwards) during the lift make this exercise focused on the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, but it will also involve fibers from the remainder of the pectoralis major (although to a lesser extent). It is important to bring the bar down all of the way to your chest because there is a greater degree of humeral extension (stretch) with your elbows back and the barbell lowered to your chest than if you stop before reaching your chest with the bar. It’s important that both the shoulders and the elbows be back (toward your head), as the barbell is pressed both up and down. Never let your elbows move close to your ribcage or toward your feet, or you’ll be changing the movement from the upper pectoralis to the triceps and anterior deltoid.

Because the flat bench press stresses the sternocostal head and because most bodybuilders grow up on “benches,” someone who has trained for a few years is more likely to suffer from an underdeveloped clavicular head of the pectoralis major as opposed to the sternocostal head. Therefore, it makes good sense to stress the upper chest fibers early in the chest workout. So, if you have a weak upper chest you should do the incline bench press before other chest exercises. Although this might be a bit of an ego buster because you can’t use as much weight in an incline press as in a flat bench, the overall improvements to the shape of your chest will more than Make Up for a lower answer to the question, “What can you bench?” Although the amount of resistance you use is important, it’s equally important to use this resistance in good form and choose exercises appropriately. Few great chests are born, so most are forged by a lot of hard work. Make your gut-wrenching effort pay off and avoid the “droopy chest” syndrome by invoking the power of the incline press to shape a high, thick monster plate of muscle armor across your upper torso.

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