Variations

Since no human being on this earth is identically constructed, there are also many variations in the construction of the large pectoral muscle. The most likely to develop adhesions with the latissimus dorsi muscle or the deltoideus muscle, then a clear optical separation of these muscles is hardly possible. These adhesions are not unusual; however, they occur in only about 7% of all people. Also the musculus pectoralis major can be completely missing on one side. This rare defect is then called Poland syndrome.

Meaning

As the name already suggests, there is not only a large pectoral muscle on the human body, but also a small one, called musculus pectoralis minor. This muscle is derived from its big brother and is completely covered by it (i.e. it lies below the big pectoral muscle). It has its origin at the 3rd to 5th rib cartilage and then runs upwards to the Processus coracoideus, the raven beak process of the shoulder blade.

This enables it to pull the shoulder blade diagonally forward and down. On the other hand, it is an important component of the respiratory auxiliary musculature when the arms are supported and one wants to take a deep breath. It prevents the shoulder girdle from “slipping up”.

The minor pectoralis muscle is also supplied by the medial and lateral pectoral nerves. The small chest muscle becomes clinically noticeable when it no longer functions. Then it is no longer possible for those affected to cross their arms or move their hand from the damaged side to the back of the other shoulder.

Stretching

Before thinking about training the pectoralis major muscle, you should consider how to stretch it effectively and sensibly. Because for fitness and an athletic lifestyle, all five aspects of the motor skills of our muscles are important: It is important to pay attention to all these areas and not, as is unfortunately the case with many of today’s bodybuilders, to train only for mass and show effects. If you now create a fixed training plan to be more active, the probability is very high that over time and through the often one-sided use of individual muscles or muscle groups on the training equipment, a shortening of the muscles occurs, which in turn can lead to tension, poor posture and ultimately to pain.

Therefore, it is more than advisable to add some stretching exercises to the actual training program in order to train coordination and mobility and to keep the muscles supple. Because a shortened muscle is not able to develop its full potential, no matter how intensive and enduring the training. When we now talk about stretching the pectoralis major muscle, it is also important to include the entire shoulder girdle, since it is usually not very useful to stretch just one single muscle (after all, it is never just one muscle that is involved in a movement, but always several in interaction).

For example, a shortened chest muscle can lead to shortness of breath, shoulder pain or pain between the shoulder blades. Sometimes affected persons also develop a so-called hunchback (a hyperkyphosis) due to shortened chest muscles. It is therefore obvious to always stretch the musculus pectoralis major sufficiently and to make sure that it does not shorten and cause problems in the first place by non-exertion.

This happens all too quickly in today’s world because we tend to perform all movements in front of our body and rarely move our arms to the back of the trunk. Also, we often let our shoulders hang down laxly instead of tightening them now and then and consciously pulling them together. An effective and simple exercise for the large chest muscle is the following: Stand upright and raise both arms horizontally in front of the upper body, bending them at the elbows.

Then we pull the shoulder blades together as far as possible, taking care not to lift them, but rather push them down towards the buttocks. We keep this position for about 30 to 60 seconds and then relax slowly again. When stretching, the general rule is to slowly assume the required position and then slowly move out again.

You should challenge yourself, but not overstrain. As a rule, 2 to 3 repetitions daily are good.

Endurance
Power
Spring power
Flexibility
Coordination

Now to the actual training of the musculus pectoralis major.

The entire chest musculature is one of the major muscle groups of the human body. If it is well defined and pronounced, most people find it very attractive. In order to achieve the (male) ideal image of the so-called V-body, it is therefore essential to train the chest muscles sufficiently.

There is a variety of exercises to choose from.However, in order to not only strengthen the muscle, but also to ensure a visible increase in muscle mass, training with weights is essential. The best known and most popular exercise here is bench press on the flat bench with a so-called barbell. It is a very effective basic exercise for training the pectoralis major muscle and builds muscle mass well.

The other parts of the muscles of the upper half of the body are also required, for example the triceps and the front shoulder girdle. When bench pressing, there are different forms to choose from, each of which focuses on different parts of the chest muscles and places increased demands on them. First of all, the classic bench press.

Here, you lie down on a training bench with your back in a stable position (make sure that your buttocks and shoulders as well as the back of your head rest well on the bench). The barbell should be placed at eye level in its stand. In order to keep your balance better, place your feet firmly on the floor on both sides of the bench (but without sliding into the hollow back!).

The barbell bar should be gripped with both hands at equal distances to the right and left, the shoulder width is a good orientation guide. With arms almost outstretched, the barbell is then lifted out of its holder and over the chest. Then lower it slowly and inhale deeply.

The barbell should not touch the chest, but hover just above it and you should also avoid springy movements. While pushing the barbell up, exhale again and take care not to stretch your arms completely. To avoid putting too much strain on the elbow joints during this exercise, it is advisable never to relax the muscles completely, but always keep the arms in a slightly bent position.

At the beginning of the workout it is sufficient to press only the barbell bar alone, later you can gradually increase your weight with additional weights. Another good training exercise is possible on the incline bench. The exercise is completely similar to the normal bench press, with the only difference that it is performed on an inclined bench.

Here the rule is: the steeper the angle of the backrest, the more the upper part of the chest muscles is stressed. Also, the bar will be guided vertically upwards and quite close to the chin. Since this exercise requires a high degree of coordination, you should be supported and secured by a partner.

The butterfly machines are also very effective training devices for the chest muscles. Since the pectoralis major muscle is used here in a very targeted manner, it is a very popular machine among bodybuilders in order to ensure maximum muscle definition. It is important to make sure that the seat is always adjusted so that upper arm and forearm are at right angles to each other and the upper arms are also bent at 90° to the body axis.

The head, shoulders, torso and buttocks are pressed against the backrest in an upright position. In this position the chest muscles are stretched to the maximum. The pad is brought together by the hands and arms in front of the body (this guided type of exercise is particularly suitable for beginners).

Gradually, the weight used can also be increased here, but always make sure that the upper body is still upright and that the spine can always touch the backrest. One last, and probably the most classic of all chest muscle exercises, is the push-up. It is not only very well suited to strengthen the back muscles, but also puts a lot of strain on the major and minor pectoralis muscles and the triceps.

Since no equipment or other aids are required, the exercise can be performed anytime and anywhere. When doing push-ups, it is important to make sure that the legs and upper body are stretched out and that the buttocks and shoulders form a line. The feet are placed slightly apart and only touch the floor with the tips of your feet.

The hands should be placed further apart than shoulder width and form a line (as an imaginary extension of the shoulders, so to speak). The arms are almost straight (slightly bent at the elbows), the fingertips look forward and the thumbs are turned inwards. To protect the wrists more, you can alternatively clench your hands into fists.

The arms are bent until the chest almost touches the ground. Then return to the starting position.The closer the hands are positioned to each other, the more the large chest muscle is trained. Now to the actual training of the musculus pectoralis major.

The entire chest musculature is one of the large muscle groups of the human body. If it is well defined and pronounced, most people find it very attractive. In order to achieve the (male) ideal image of the so-called V-body, it is therefore essential to train the chest muscles sufficiently.

There is a variety of exercises to choose from. However, in order to not only strengthen the muscle but also to ensure a visible increase in muscle mass, training with weights cannot be avoided. Probably the best known and most popular exercise is the bench press on the flat bench with a so-called barbell.

It is a very effective basic exercise for training the pectoralis major muscle and builds muscle mass well. The other parts of the muscles of the upper half of the body are also required, for example the triceps and the front shoulder girdle. When bench pressing, there are different forms to choose from, each of which focuses on different parts of the chest muscles and places increased demands on them.

First of all, the classic bench press. Here, you lie down on a training bench with your back in a stable position (make sure that your buttocks and shoulders as well as the back of your head rest well on the bench). The barbell should be placed at eye level in its stand.

In order to keep your balance better, place your feet firmly on the floor on both sides of the bench (but without sliding into the hollow back!). The barbell bar should be gripped with both hands at equal distances to the right and left, the shoulder width is a good orientation guide. With arms almost outstretched, the barbell is then lifted out of its holder and over the chest.

Then lower it slowly and inhale deeply. The barbell should not touch the chest, but hover just above it and you should also avoid springy movements. While pushing the barbell up, exhale again and take care not to stretch your arms completely.

To avoid putting too much strain on the elbow joints during this exercise, it is advisable never to relax the muscles completely, but always keep the arms in a slightly bent position. At the beginning of the workout it is sufficient to press only the barbell bar alone, later you can gradually increase your weight with additional weights. Another good training exercise is possible on the incline bench.

The exercise is completely similar to the normal bench press, with the only difference that it is performed on an inclined bench. Here the rule is: the steeper the angle of the backrest, the more the upper part of the chest muscles is stressed. Also, the bar will be guided vertically upwards and quite close to the chin.

Since this exercise requires a high degree of coordination, you should be supported and secured by a partner. The butterfly machines are also very effective training devices for the chest muscles. Since the pectoralis major muscle is used here in a very targeted manner, it is a very popular machine among bodybuilders in order to ensure maximum muscle definition.

It is important to make sure that the seat is always adjusted so that upper arm and forearm are at right angles to each other and the upper arms are also bent at 90° to the body axis. The head, shoulders, torso and buttocks are pressed against the backrest in an upright position. In this position the chest muscles are stretched to the maximum.

The pad is brought together by the hands and arms in front of the body (this guided type of exercise is particularly suitable for beginners). Gradually, the weight used can also be increased here, but always make sure that the upper body is still upright and that the spine can always touch the backrest. One last, and probably the most classic of all chest muscle exercises, is the push-up.

It is not only very well suited to strengthen the back muscles, but also puts a lot of strain on the major and minor pectoralis muscles and the triceps. Since no equipment or other aids are required, the exercise can be performed anytime and anywhere. When doing push-ups, it is important to make sure that the legs and upper body are stretched out and that the buttocks and shoulders form a line.The feet are placed slightly apart and only touch the floor with the tips of the feet.

The arms are bent until the chest almost touches the ground. Then return to the starting position. The closer the hands are positioned to each other, the more the large chest muscle is trained.