The Key Muscles Of The Chest And Upper Back

Becoming familiar with the muscles that make up a considerable part of your body has more benefits than simply allowing you to talk shop with the other guys at the gym. The more you come to know the muscles you are working with the better you will be able to judge what is needed to keep improving. This article will help you get to know the main muscles of the chest and upper back.

Although being two different areas, we will consider the chest and upper back together because achieving a muscular balance between them is very important due to shared work effort and posture issues.

The main muscles found in the chest and upper back are:

 1. Pectoralis Major - or the "Pecs". These are the large chest muscles found to either side of the breastbone. It's main job is to bring the upper arm inwards across the body, a movement that is known as horizontal abduction. Get them right and they look great. Make them too large and you will begin to look silly - it's best to leave the really big boobs to the ladies!

 2. Latissimus Dorsi - or the "lats". This is the largest back muscle that runs from the lower back to the upper arm bone. It pulls the upper arm towards the body and acts as an internal rotator of the upper arm. If well developed it will give you the classic "V" shape. Too large and people may mistake you for a bat or flying fox - although a very large one!

 3. Trapezius - or the "traps". This muscle runs from the mid spine to the shoulder and then to the neck. Its main role is to facilitate the movement of the shoulder blades. A good set of traps will give you a powerful "bulldog" look.

Like most things in life - balance is key.

Identify Your Goal.

This requires a lot of introspection and imagination.

It also depends a lot on what other activities you engage in as hobbies. For example, if you are a keen pushbike rider you won't be looking for "massive" size - just good muscle tone and leg strength (high rep/low weight workouts).

If you work in a warehouse and are often required to lift very heavy boxes, "large" (low reps, heavy weights) is where you need to be.

Just wanna look good at the beach in your swimmers? Moderate weights, moderate reps for you.

Here's a good method. Buy some bodybuilding and/or health mags and check out all the bodies. Keep looking 'till a certain body style keeps grabbing your attention. Cut them out. Paste the pictures in a book or on a wall where you can see them every day - especially during workouts.

Another idea to consider is to cut the head off of the photo people and replace it with your head shot.

Happy with what you see? OK, that's your goal.

One last thing - beware of your body type - this will certainly have an influence on what you can do, or maybe can't do with YOUR body.

More on body types next time.

Chest Workout.

Bench Press.

40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 8 reps (8)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 7 reps (7)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 11 reps (16)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 15 reps (30)

Leg Curls.

25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (20)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (20)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 15 reps (20)

Next time - shoulders.

Chest Workout 0005

The thing about building muscle is that it is an extremely simple process. Just lift weights on a repetitive basis, increase the load as you reach certain benchmarks, eat healthy foods, get sufficient rest between workouts - rinse and repeat. Pretty simple huh!

The human body is an amazing device that will always recuperate plus one. I mean, you have a workout and tear your muscle fibres down, you rest sufficiently before your next workout, eat well, and bingo! you're a fraction stronger than before you performed your last workout. What a great system! Now you just work the system.

As long as you make a little effort to find the best movements for yourself by a small amount of research and experimentation over time, learn the basics of good nutrition, make sure you actually set aside sufficient rest time - well? - that's about it.

What I'm saying here is don't cloud your horizon with thinking you need to know every conceivable piece of knowledge on bodybuilding, human physiology, and nutrition before you can start or, in fact, be any good at this. That's just not true.

Here's a good example. Not every one that is a great car driver knows much about how their car works or how to properly service that car. That doesn't stop them from becoming a really great car driver.

Now if they wanted to go on and become a professional race driver, then, yes, they are going to have to learn a lot more. But for most folks a little info is all they will ever need to put in a pretty good effort at car driving.

Just get stuck in and have fun with it. Watch your body grow, gain confidence and learn what you need as you go.

Bench Press.

40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9) *
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 16 reps (16) *

Squats.

32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 10 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 8 reps (16)

"The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stair at the steps - we must step up the stairs." - Vance Havner

"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." - Friedrich Engels

"You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great." - Les Brown

Get this book because it has in it all the information you will need for quite some time: "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" or click on some of the links in my "resources" area on the right of this page.

Stop complaining about how hard your workout is and check this YouTube out: click here

Next time - shoulders.

Chest Workout 0003

Never neglect the use of your imagination. When about to perform a difficult lift, first of all imagine yourself going through all the motions (all the details) of that lift successfully. Imagine yourself completing the movement and how great you'll feel afterwards. Really feel it! Feel the emotion!

It's a fact that your subconcious can't tell the difference between something imagined (pictured in your mind) and something that has really happened, especially when emotion is involved. So when you rehearse a movement by imagining yourself actually performing it, completing it successfully, feeling really great afterwards (with emotion), your subconcious will believe that you have already successfully done it before.

Now when you come to the real thing you are, in effect, only repeating something you have been able to complete before. It's all a matter of belief.

Chest Workout.

47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 14 reps (16)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 10 reps (12)
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 4 reps (8)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (4)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 8 reps (10)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 8 reps (16)

Squat.

20.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 13 reps (16)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (16)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 6 reps (16)

"Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless." - Jamie Paolinetti

Next time - shoulders

Chest Workout 0002

The grip you use on any exercise should have more to do with joint comfort than anything else. I appreciate that you have been told all about narrow grip verses wide grip, but at the end of the day if a narrow grip is causing you considerable pain in your elbows, it's just not worth going on with it. Ditto with any other grip width.

I suggest that you spend some time experimenting with different grip widths to find which one is truly comfortable for you to use for your entire life of bodybuilding. If it works for you then it is for you. All our bodies differ to some degree and that is what makes us all so interesting. Be prepared to be unique - because you are! Celebrate that.

Bench Press

47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 14 reps (16)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 10 reps (12)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (4)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 8 reps (10)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 16 reps (16) *

Leg Extension

27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 22 reps (20) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 21 reps (20) *

"Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will aquire the skill to do difficult things easily." - Johann Christoph Friedrich Von Schiller

Next time - shoulders.

Chest workout 0001

All I do is the bench press for chest. Why not cut to the main chase and stick with it. Make sure you always lower the bar gently ALL the way down to your chest so that the bar just touches it but never rests on it.

Bench press

47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 12 reps (16)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 9 reps (12)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 6 reps (8)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 2 reps (4)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 7 reps (10)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 14 reps (16)

Leg Curls

17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 15 reps (20)
17,5 kg (38.6 lb) x 12 reps (20)

Next time - Alternate barbell overhead press