Upper Chest Development

[Equinob]

Upper chest has always lagged behind a bit. Wanted to use my current cycle to help catch it up.

Not sure if there's anything to do differently. Currently I'm doing two chest days a week. One heavy with low reps and one light with high reps to exhaustion. I've got upper pecs covered with incline bench, incline DB press/flys, Cable flys, Pec Deck, and variations on those with different equipment/angles.

Anybody got any tricks up their sleeves which target the upper chest that might help me tackle this?

 

[Xlgx]

Incline pullovers? Dips?

 

[Ozzy619]

Upper chest has always lagged behind a bit. Wanted to use my current cycle to help catch it up.

Not sure if there's anything to do differently. Currently I'm doing two chest days a week. One heavy with low reps and one light with high reps to exhaustion. I've got upper pecs covered with incline bench, incline DB press/flys, Cable flys, Pec Deck, and variations on those with different equipment/angles.

Anybody got any tricks up their sleeves which target the upper chest that might help me tackle this?

What angle are you using on incline? Go to an adjustable bench and switch up your angles. Start doing reverse grip bench press. Low to high cable flys for burning out will give you a nice upper chest seperation. Start your chest day with incline movements. Make sure youre not flaring your arms or you will be focusing on the shoulders and will eventually get injured.

 

[Ozzy619]

Incline pullovers? Dips?

Incline pullovers are nice

 

[kawilt]

Upper chest has always lagged behind a bit. Wanted to use my current cycle to help catch it up.

Not sure if there's anything to do differently. Currently I'm doing two chest days a week. One heavy with low reps and one light with high reps to exhaustion. I've got upper pecs covered with incline bench, incline DB press/flys, Cable flys, Pec Deck, and variations on those with different equipment/angles.

Anybody got any tricks up their sleeves which target the upper chest that might help me tackle this?

I described this quite a while ago. Something I picked up a lot of years ago. Bench at a slight incline. Hold your dumbells together, palms facing. Come down high as you can on the chest, right below your chin. Keep the dumbells pressing tight together. It will isolate that upper middle area.

 

[Xlgx]

I described this quite a while ago. Something I picked up a lot of years ago. Bench at a slight incline. Hold your dumbells together, palms facing. Come down high as you can on the chest, right below your chin. Keep the dumbells pressing tight together. It will isolate that upper middle area.

Db hex press?

 

[kawilt]

Db hex press?

Yes, If that's what they now call it. On a slight incline and keep it high.

 

[Senorman]

I described this quite a while ago. Something I picked up a lot of years ago. Bench at a slight incline. Hold your dumbells together, palms facing. Come down high as you can on the chest, right below your chin. Keep the dumbells pressing tight together. It will isolate that upper middle area.

Good one, thanks. This ought to help me bury those collar bones beneath muscle!

 

[spj]

I bring my flat bb press to my collar bone to put more emphasis on my upper. Also begin chest day with inclines.

 

[Mayne]

Barbell incline bench press up to neck, wide grip incline bench press and check out svend press, I also like the one that's been mentioned above, low to high cable fly. Also check dumbbell incline press but rotate your wrist begin as usual and when moving up make your palms face each other or just begin neutral and press up like usual, may have to bend elbow less because of stability.

 

[hotdog23]

Yes, If that's what they now call it. On a slight incline and keep it high.

I always called them champagne presses. I keep the dumbells (hex) pressed together. At the top of the movement push your thumbs and wrists up like you wanna point DB at the ceiling. Then return it to parallel as it reaches your chest. Awesome pec pump. Also good alternate if your having shoulder issues

 

[Notits]

Put more weight on the bar.

 

[Ozzy619]

I always called them champagne presses. I keep the dumbells (hex) pressed together. At the top of the movement push your thumbs and wrists up like you wanna point DB at the ceiling. Then return it to parallel as it reaches your chest. Awesome pec pump. Also good alternate if your having shoulder issues

Had to youtube that, never seen them before. Nice find hotdeezy

 

[weighted chinup]

Your upper pec will get better as you get further along in your overall pec development.

Movements that emphasize the upper part of the pec only provide a very neglible / tiny improvement in upper pec recruitment, so just pick whatever movements you like doing and focus on getting stronger at them.

Focus on getting stronger at your pressing movements and eventually your upper pecs will become more prominent as your overall pec size gets bigger.

 

[heady muscle]

I like dumbbell presses for the upper chest. I mix up my elbow trajectory every other set just to hit the muscle from different angles. Either perpendicular or completely vertical (90*). The squeeze at the top is just as important as the bottom stretch IMHO.

Also, pre exhaust with incline flies every other workout is not bad either.

 

[Voltrader]

I like DB pullovers keeping your elbows in and bringing the DB straight across your face and upper chest. It helps give that barrel look. It is the one chest movement that most people forget. Dips too!!! but hands close to your sides keeping it tight and narrow.

 

[heady muscle]

I like DB pullovers keeping your elbows in and bringing the DB straight across your face and upper chest. It helps give that barrel look. It is the one chest movement that most people forget. Dips too!!! but hands close to your sides keeping it tight and narrow.

Two of my favorites.

 

[spj]

I agree. Dips won't isolate your uper, mostly lower but overall chest. Imo dips and pullups r the 2 best upper body workouts there are. Not to mention the most neglected. People don't do them because theyre "too hard" especially pullups. Guess what? They're hard because u don't do them.

 

[Equinob]

Thanks guys. Some good ideas to try. Just some FYI, I've been lifting for about 20 years, My current working 8-rep chest bench is 250. Incline is a little less. I've heard that upper chest will improve as my overall chest develops but that really hasn't been the case. The muscle at my collarbone attachment is not bad, I find where I have the issue is center mid-upper chest where there's a deficit like I have no muscle there. I've tried hitting it with all kinds of cable flys to activate those fibers specifically but that hasn't worked as I had hoped. So now I'm training for volume on this cycle, lower weights, higher reps to burn out, hoping it will all grow together as it all gets bigger.

I had forgotten about pullovers, and I haven't done them in a while, so adding them back into this cycle rotation should motivate some growth. Will give some of these other suggestions a try too!

 

[Notits]

Your upper pec will get better as you get further along in your overall pec development.

Movements that emphasize the upper part of the pec only provide a very neglible / tiny improvement in upper pec recruitment, so just pick whatever movements you like doing and focus on getting stronger at them.

Focus on getting stronger at your pressing movements and eventually your upper pecs will become more prominent as your overall pec size gets bigger.

This^
Also I get more out of decline bench than any other press with far less stress on my shoulders.