Pectoralis Major MUSCLE- the most visible superficial muscle of the chest, lying just under the skin. When it contracts, you can also see where the sternum and ribs are. The action of the muscle is to pull the arm toward the chest, called adduction, and to rotate the arm to rotate the hand inward. The muscle runs horizontally across the chest and is attached to the front of the arm close to where the lower end of the deltoid muscle is attached.
The location of the pectoralis major muscle often causes tension or limits natural movement of the arm and shoulder. However, this muscle is often overlooked as a cause of shoulder pain. Excessive tension in the pectoralis major muscle is often accompanied by weakness in the back muscles, especially the rhomboid muscles. This results in a slouched position in which the shoulders shift forward. Similar disorders are often observed in weightlifters who overload the pectoral muscles by performing chest presses. Fixation of the arm due to a shoulder injury, as well as prolonged periods of emotional tension and stress, can cause stress points in the pectoralis major muscle.
The use of ineffective technique in sports that involve a rowing motion (such as kayaking and canoeing) can lead to the development of stress points. They can also be caused by overload or excessive use of support when skiing or hiking. Holding onto the railing, rather than letting your arms swing naturally while doing monotonous mechanical work, can also restrict the use of your pectoralis major muscle.
When points of tension occur in this muscle, the pain spreads along the front of the shoulder, covered deltoid muscle. It can be felt in the upper part of the chest, and inside the chest, and throughout inner surface hands up ring finger and little finger. Heart disease can also cause such pain, so it is important to rule out the possibility of heart disease before working on stress points in the pectoralis major muscle, even if you are sure that the source of the pain is the muscle.
Big pectoral muscle- a muscle that forms the anterior wall of the armpit. Its dense cords and tension points can be felt using the tweezers technique. Sit in a chair with your elbow on the armrest. A space is created between the chest and arm. Place your fingers under the edge of your armpit. This way you can feel the muscle starting from the surface chest. Grab it top part muscle with fingers. Once you move thumb across the muscle, you will be able to feel the tight cords of the muscle and its painful points. Use your thumb to press on these points. You will feel some soreness, but as the tension in the point is eliminated, it will subside. Work in this way to eliminate tension points and tight bands throughout the pectoralis major muscle and finish releasing it with a stretch.
Stretch 1: The doorway method will lengthen each part of the pectoral muscle. Standing in an open doorway with your forearms firmly planted on the door frames, lengthen your body through your outstretched arms, stretching the chest and shoulder areas. To stretch the upper fibers of the pectoralis major muscle, place your hands at ear level.
Stretch 1 pectoralis major muscle
Stretch 2: To stretch the middle fibers of the muscle, your elbows should be at shoulder level.
Stretch 3: To stretch the lower fibers of the pectoralis muscle, extend your arms as high as possible above your head. You need to concentrate as much as possible on each stretch, holding the position for 20-30 seconds.
The chest muscles are a fairly large formation on the surface of the human body. They perform many important functions, which will be discussed in this article. So, they allow us to protect our internal organs and the chest from various injuries - and this is not all of their positive properties.
Anatomy of the chest muscles:
Superficial chest muscles:
- Pectoralis major muscle
Pectoralis major muscle:
Acts as one of the strongest and largest muscles in human body, and covers a large area of the chest in front. Their shape resembles a fan, they are flat and paired. Its main functions include lowering and bringing the raised arm to the body - while it is possible to rotate it inward, it also takes part in the breathing process, since it has the property of raising the ribs with well-fixed upper limbs.
They originate from the crests of the humerus bones, or, more precisely, from their large tubercles. Saturation with blood occurs through the arteries, as well as the acromion process, which is located on the chest. The pectoralis major muscle quickly begins to increase in size with systematic training, which is a definite plus for athletes, as well as for those who simply want to give their body a beautiful look.
This is a flat muscle that is located under the pectoralis major and has a triangular shape. Its teeth start from the 2nd and end on the 5th rib; the muscle itself is attached to the coracoid process of the scapula.
The main function of this muscle is to move the scapula inward, forward and downward. If the shoulder blade is in a fixed position, then the ribs are lifted.
By its structure, it is a flat and rather wide muscle, and it is located on the side of the surface of the pectoral muscles. It originates from the upper ribs and is attached with teeth to the medial edge of the scapula.
The main function of the serratus anterior muscle is to pull the scapula forward and outward, while rotating. Also, it helps to rotate the shoulder blade of the raised arm until it reaches a vertical position.
The subclavian muscle is located between the collarbone itself and the upper rib, which is why it got its name. This muscle is small but quite important in various rotational movements.
The main function of the subclavius muscle is to move the collarbone downward and inward, and it also helps strengthen the sternoclavicular joint. If the shoulder girdle is fixed, it is capable of raising the 1st rib.
Deep chest muscles:
External and internal intercostal muscles:
The external intercostal muscles are located on the surface in the spaces between the ribs, from the spine to the cartilaginous costal tissue. They originate from the lower edge of the ribs, and are attached to the upper edge of the underlying rib. Their main function is to raise the ribs.
The internal intercostal muscles are located under the external ones and have a different fiber structure, to be more precise, the opposite one - thus they intersect with the fibers of the external muscles at an angle. They originate at the edge of the underlying rib, and then extend upward and forward, attaching to the overlying rib, reaching the sternum and are located between the cartilages of the ribs. The main function of the internal intercostal muscles is to lower the ribs. These 2 types of muscles take part in the process of Inhalation - Exhalation.
These muscles are located - bundles on the inner surface of our lower ribs. They differ from intercostal ones in that they span over one or even two ribs at once.
The main function of the hypochondrium muscles is the process of lowering the ribs. Thus, they take part at the moment when we exhale.
They originate in the form of a tendon from the inner surface of the xiphoid process and the edge of the lower part of the sternum. They are attached to the cartilage of the inner surfaces of the ribs with 4 - 6 teeth.
Main function transverse muscles The chest consists of lowering the ribs, to be more precise, 2 - 5 ribs, they also take part in the act of Exhalation.
Exercises that will help you develop the above muscles:
- Exercises for the pectoral muscles
- Basic exercises in bodybuilding
Anatomy of the pectoral muscles video:
Do you want to build bigger, stronger, more defined chest muscles that will allow you to finally wear tight T-shirts? Scientific knowledge will help you with this!
A lot of guys go to gym to build massive and sculpted chest muscles. It is very common to see a beginning athlete perform 20, 30, or even 40 sets of the bench press in one workout. Doing so many sets can take a toll on your shoulders, and there are plenty of other great chest exercises out there.
I want to tell you how to train your chest more effectively, how to target specific muscles, and how to get the most out of your trips to the gym.
To work your chest muscles more effectively, you must understand how they work. Here's what you need to know about the chest muscles.
Major pectoral muscles
These are the muscles you should work the most. They are the largest of all the chest muscles, and consist of 3 parts: the clavicular part, the sternocostal part and the abdominal part. This is very important to know because each of them can be worked through certain exercises.
Clavicular part
It is located in the upper part of the pectoralis major muscles. Starts at the collarbone, runs down to the upper chest and attaches to the humerus. Most guys want to pump up this particular part of the chest, so we will pay special attention to it.
Sternocostal part
It is slightly larger than the clavicular part. It originates from the sternum, crosses the chest and attaches to the humerus.
Abdominal part
It originates at the rectus sheath (the large piece of connective tissue that surrounds the abdominal muscles), crosses the ribcage, and attaches to the humerus.
Pectoralis minor muscles
Located under the pectoralis major muscles. They are very small, so you won't have to spend too much time developing them.
The pectoralis minor muscles originate from the shoulder blades and attach to the 3rd, 4th and 5th ribs. These muscles should not be given too much time for training. I just want you to know about their existence. Basically, these muscles help us breathe.
Serratus anterior muscles
They begin in front of the ribs, pass under the shoulder blades and are attached along their edges. Bodybuilders with good definition have them very clearly visible.
Although you don't need to spend a lot of time working these muscles either, they are important for building balanced muscles and strengthening your shoulders.
Bone anatomy
Bones and joints play important role in the work of the chest and affect the effectiveness of training the chest muscles. You won't be able to pump up your chest if you don't pay attention to the movement of your shoulder blades, shoulders and elbows.
Shoulders
Scapular movement is an important part of pressing exercises. When performing the bench press, you should bring them together to generate more force. Even though the shoulder blades are located on the back of the body, they play an important role in training the chest muscles.
Shoulder joints
These are the joints between humerus and a spatula. They play an important role in chest training. The shoulder joints are also the most susceptible to injury. If you take it wrong starting position in one exercise or another, you can seriously damage them.
Elbows
Many people forget that when performing any pressing exercise, they extend their elbows. Your elbows should move smoothly and without causing pain so that you can train your chest muscles as effectively as possible.
Muscle functions
Let's put everything we've learned together and look at how muscles and bones work together to perform the functional movements we do every day.
Major pectoral muscles
All 3 parts of the pectoralis major muscles work together to produce internal rotation of the arms. If you move your arm to the side and rotate it forward around its axis, this is internal rotation. You cannot do this movement without the help of your pectoral muscles.
Few of us are interested in how the chest muscles allow us to perform rotational movements. However, we all want to have the definition and know how to pump up a big muscle mass. One of the best exercises for this is dumbbell flyes. incline bench. In this exercise, the so-called horizontal adduction takes place, which occurs at the moment of bringing the dumbbells together.
During its execution, the chest muscles first stretch and then contract, becoming stronger. To achieve horizontal adduction, all parts of the pectoral muscles must work together.
Clavicular part
The clavicular part is responsible for flexing the shoulder as well as raising the arm overhead. The incline bench press (where you raise your arms above your head) works the upper chest area well.
Sternocostal and abdominal parts
The best exercises to develop the muscles of the lower chest are the bent-over bench press and pullover. The position of your torso and shoulders greatly influences which chest muscles will be used in the exercise.
Serratus anterior muscles
The serratus anterior muscles work the most when you move your shoulders. For example, when you extend your arms forward during a pull-down, you engage your shoulders. I work the serratus anterior muscles very actively in the upper phase of push-ups. While you probably won't build massive chest with push-ups, you will definitely work those muscles.
The serratus anterior is the only chest muscle that pushes your shoulder blades toward your back, allowing you to place your arms behind your head. Together with the lower and upper trapezius, they also allow us to raise our arms above our heads. Well-defined serratus anterior muscles look great, but they are also extremely important for normal shoulder function.
Key exercises for chest training
The following exercises are the best for building strong and massive pectoral muscles.
Exercise 1 Incline Bench Press
Keep your leg and abdominal muscles tense throughout the exercise. When lifting dumbbells, do not place your elbows out to the sides as this will put more stress on your shoulders.
Although this exercise works all 3 parts of the pectoralis major muscles, it places a special load on the clavicular part. If for some reason you cannot pump up your upper chest, then add the incline bench press and dumbbell lateral raises to your training program.
If you experience discomfort in your shoulders while doing this exercise, use neutral grip(when palms are facing each other). This will reduce the stress on your shoulders and make the exercise more comfortable.
Exercise 2 Lying dumbbell flyes
This exercise is the best for building chest muscles and performing horizontal adduction. Keep your abdominal, back and leg muscles tense. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows. By spreading your arms out to the sides, stretch your chest muscles.
When you bring your hands together, they will contract again. This exercise works all 3 parts of the pectoralis major muscles evenly.
Exercise 3 Push-ups
You've probably done push-ups many times without noticing that they work your chest muscles. I'll tell you about some subtleties that will make push-ups even more effective.
This exercise develops the lower and upper body. Keep your abdominal muscles tight and don't flare your elbows out to the sides as you lower yourself down. To better work the serratus anterior muscles, try to lift your body as high as possible from the floor. Thus, in the upper phase of the exercise they will tense up more.
Best results with a scientific approach
Having a clear understanding of how bones, joints and muscles work will help you create a chest training program. Alternating exercises, adding different variations of the bench press (up and down), and replacing the barbell with dumbbells will affect the work of the chest muscles. The more you understand this, the more magnificent your body will be.
Before you go to the gym and start training, watch training videos. Remember that you must combine the work of your muscles with the work of your mind to build a beautiful body.
Often beginners, and experienced athletes do not pay enough attention to studying the anatomy of the muscles being trained. And this is a fundamentally wrong approach to training. Knowledge of the structure of your body and the location of muscles makes it possible to increase efficiency training process. Today we will discuss the anatomy of the pectoral muscles.
Anatomical structure
The chest muscle group consists of three main muscles.
Pectoralis major muscle, or m. pectoralis major is the most massive, occupies a large area of the sternum, and is shaped like a fan. It originates from the clavicle (medial region), the anterior part of the sternum and the rectus abdominis muscle. Attached above to the humerus. The lateral side is adjacent to the edge of the deltas. Its main task is to turn, lift and bring the limb to the body. While climbing, it helps in pulling up the body. According to the anatomy of the structure, this muscle is the most susceptible to growth.
The pectoralis major, in turn, consists of three heads:
- The clavicle is located under the collarbone and is attached to it on one side.
- The sternocostal is located over the entire area of the pectoralis, originates in the anterior region, and is attached to the humerus.
- The abdominal muscle is attached to the rectus abdominis muscle on one side and to the shoulder bone on the other.
Small(m. pectoralis minor) is located under big muscle and is shaped like a triangle. It starts between 2-5 ribs, goes to the scapula and attaches to it at the site of the coracoid process. Its task is to ensure the movement of the scapula (forward, downward, inward). When fixing the scapula, the small one ensures that the rib rises when inhaling.
Anterior serratus, or m. serratus anterior is a wide muscle located on the side of the sternum. On one side it is attached to the upper ribs, on the other - on the medial edge of the scapula. The serratus muscle provides rotation of the scapula, as well as its rotation when raising the arm vertically. It plays an important role not only in breast formation, but also in improving physical indicators athlete
The anatomy of the pectoral muscles also includes the following::
- Subcostal– are located in the area of the lower ribs, on their inner surface.
- Intercostal– internal and external – involved in breathing.
- Diaphragm – main muscle in the process of inhalation and exhalation. According to anatomy, it is a muscle-tendon septum located between the abdominal and thoracic region. By contracting together with the press, the diaphragm participates in increasing intra-abdominal pressure. The latter is especially important when working with heavy weights.
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Osseous-ligamentous apparatus
We have dealt with the anatomy of the pectoral muscles, but I would also like to dwell on the osseous-ligamentous apparatus. The muscles of the chest include the following:
- Scapula plays an important role in basic exercises for babies. For example, during the bench press, during abduction shoulder joints, the shoulder blade provides stable support for the torso.
- Humerus also participates in work on the major and minor pectoralis. It consists of 2 joints, forming the shoulder girdle. The latter is easy to injure during bench presses if there is not enough support.
- Elbow joint . Its position is also important in movements for the pectoralis major and minor muscles.
Chest workout
The peculiarity of the work of the pectoralis major and minor muscles is that they respond well to load. Therefore, to study them it is recommended to use basic techniques and heavy working weights. The pectorals cannot tolerate overload - countless sets and repetitions - otherwise their growth will be inhibited. The special anatomy of muscles requires loading from different angles. We should not forget about correct technique implementation, because the qualitative increase in target volumes depends on it.
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It is better to train the large and small chest muscles in a split, once a week. Do not include training on the pecs and triceps at the same time, as their work is closely related.
Push-ups – best exercise to work the pectoral muscles. To better pump up target muscles, bodybuilders use push-up supports. This is a convenient mobile mini-simulator that allows you to work out the pectoral muscles, deltoids, upper back muscles, arms, and abs. Accordingly, the range of motion, the effectiveness of the load and stretching of the pectoral muscles increase. You can buy push-up supports
Today, I will tell you about the anatomy of the pectoral muscles (structure, types, functions and much more). This information will be extremely important for those who want to clearly know what and how to do in order to develop massive chest muscles.
After all, no matter what anyone says, it’s a massive wide chest with large layers of muscles, with a defined relief is the dream (and after “success” - the calling card) of any self-respecting athlete :))
The pectoral muscles are divided into two groups:
- Own chest muscles (internal and external, as well as the diaphragm). These muscles fill the intercostal spaces.
- Muscles related to the shoulder girdle and upper limb (these are the pectoralis major and minor, subclavian and serratus anterior).
Anatomy of the pectoral muscles
- The pectoralis major muscle is massive, fan-shaped, and occupies a significant part of the anterior chest wall. Its main function is to lower the raised arm and bring it to the body, while simultaneously turning it inward. The pectoralis major muscles are flat paired muscles and are the most adapted to growth (hypertrophy).
- The pectoralis minor muscle, on the other hand, is flat, triangular in shape, and is located under the pectoralis major muscle. Its 4 teeth start from the 2nd to 5th ribs, and are attached to the shoulder blade. Its main function is to pull the scapula forward, inward and downward, and when the scapula is fixed, it raises the ribs.
- The subclavius muscle is located between the upper rib and the collarbone. Its main function is to move the collarbone down and inward; strengthening the sternoclavicular joint. And for a fixed shoulder girdle raises the first rib.
- The serratus anterior muscle is a flat, vast muscle that is located on the side of the chest muscles. It begins with teeth from the upper ribs and is attached to the medial edge of the scapula. Main function: pull the scapula forward and outward, rotating it, and also participates in the rotation of the scapula when raising the arm to a vertical position.
- Intercostal muscles (that is, external and internal) - originate from different edges of the ribs and participate in the process of inhalation and exhalation.
- Subcostal muscles - located on the inner surface of the lower ribs. They differ from the intercostal muscles in that their bundles are thrown over one rib. Its main function is to participate in the act of exhalation.
- The diaphragm is the main respiratory muscle, which is a movable muscle-tendon septum between the thoracic and abdominal cavities. When contracting, the diaphragm moves away from the walls of the chest cavity, its dome flattens, which leads to an increase in the chest cavity and a decrease in the abdominal cavity, and inhalation occurs. When simultaneously contracting with the abdominal muscles, the diaphragm helps to increase intra-abdominal pressure, which is critical when working with heavy weights.
For those who don’t understand a damn thing :)
- Chest muscles - large (large) muscle group. This means that she is capable of heavy strength work. Therefore, when training (working on) it, you must definitely use basic multi-joint exercises, heavy weights (), hardcore everything... otherwise, you will not see its hypertrophy (growth). Read more about exercises in the main article =>
- Be sure to place emphasis (emphasis) when training your chest on the pectoralis major and minor. Although, I’m unlikely to surprise you with this point, but I’ll be in the role of cap)))
- The pectoral muscles are unique in structure. Because different muscle fibers run in different directions - try to put a load on them from different angles (putting emphasis on its upper part). This is the only way you will develop them to be truly massive, powerful, in short, everything is as it should be))).
- Without the correct technique for performing one or another exercise for the chest muscles, you will not be able to fully engage (injure the fibers) of one or another part of the sternum, and thus will not cause their subsequent growth (hypertrophy). Weights are scales, and technique is above all.
With this, I end this issue. For dessert, an educational video on the topic of today’s article:
Best regards, administrator.
