Inner Chest

Navyseal06 · 25-Apr-05, 04:50 PM

I've been trying to get my inner chest more toned and whatnot. I've read you can do Cable Crosses, but what is there if you don't have access to a machine. I've got a bench and some db's- but I don't have the $$ for anything else. Any help would be appreciated!

Lift2Live · 25-Apr-05, 06:16 PM

You can do Db Flys with just that and it will give you a great "inner" squeeze.

**threenorns** · 25-Apr-05, 06:17 PM

DB flyes, dood. do them flat or inclined, but DB flyes will help build up your inner chest.

also good are twisted DB presses, where you bring your elbows in at the top of the movement by rotating your arms so your forearms are side by side.

in both cases (as in all exercises), you want to really focus on squeezing the muscle hard at peak contraction.

Chain · 25-Apr-05, 08:36 PM

You can't isolate or even emphasize the inner chest. Horizontally speaking, the general shape of your muscles is genetically set. Just concentrate on developing the chest in general and the inner part will grow also.

**MostMuscle** · 25-Apr-05, 08:53 PM

Chain is correct.....isolating a particular length of the muscle fiber (inner/outer chest or lower/higher bicep) is not possible.

A very common gym myth indeed.

Chain · 25-Apr-05, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MostMuscle

Chain is correct.....isolating a particular length of the muscle fiber (inner/outer chest or lower/higher bicep) is not possible.

A very common gym myth indeed.

Hey, another NSCA member. Sweet.

:

**threenorns** · 26-Apr-05, 09:00 AM

good to know - but why is that i feel the flyes most in the centre of my chest down the sternum, but the bench press most at the pecs where they insert into my shoulder to about halfway? is that how the idea got started?

Lift2Live · 26-Apr-05, 10:27 AM

It will still "emphasize" that particular area, even though it technically is hitting the whole pec muscle.

**threenorns** · 26-Apr-05, 10:57 AM

er... okay, i'll go with that, then....

**MostMuscle** · 26-Apr-05, 11:47 AM

3norns...the reason you feel these different things in each movement is just a range of motion issue. Flyes give you a much large ROM and thus a full contraction of the pec muscles, the bench press has a much smaller ROM for the pectoral muscles, limiting the contraction.

Example, hold your hands in front of you with your arms fully extended using the same grip length you use for a bench press. You should be in the start/finish position of the bench press. Now, without moving your arms/hands, contract your chest as hard as possible. Now, bring your arms/hands together in front of you and contract your chest.

Feel a difference?

Again, developing a particular length of the muscle fiber is not possible. It is a simple rule call "All or Nothing".

**threenorns** · 26-Apr-05, 12:05 PM

gotcha!

it's hard breaking old habits and relearning old technology...

Chain · 26-Apr-05, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lift2Live

It will still "emphasize" that particular area, even though it technically is hitting the whole pec muscle.

It wont. They go over this quite a bit in exercise physiology. Think about it, if it were possible to emphasize part of the pectoral muscle then you'd see people running around with one portion of the muscle thicker than the other portion. It's simple physics. Take a rope and suspend a weight from it, the tension is evenly distributed throughout the rope. It's the same with a muscle.

Lift2Live · 26-Apr-05, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chain

It wont. They go over this quite a bit in exercise physiology. Think about it, if it were possible to emphasize part of the pectoral muscle then you'd see people running around with one portion of the muscle thicker than the other portion.

Actually, I have seen people with uneven chests from only doing one chest exercise. The pectoralis has 3 heads, the major(clavicular), major(sternal) and the minor of which, you can emphasize work. I am not saying "isolate" here, just emphasize which, many say you can do.

Chain · 26-Apr-05, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lift2Live

Actually, I have seen people with uneven chests from only doing one chest exercise. The pectoralis has 3 heads, the major(clavicular), major(sternal) and the minor of which, you can emphasize work. I am not saying "isolate" here, just emphasize which, many say you can do.

That's all well and good, but we're not talking about emphasizing a particular head or one side of the chest being larger than the other. None of those muscles would be considered the "inner chest" head. Show us which head is the "inner" chest muscle. There isn't one. When people think of the chest muscle they are usually talking about the sternal head of the pectoralis major. It is the only one that attaches to the sternum but it covers a large portion of the rib cage and you cannot emphasize the portion of it near the sternum anymore than you can any other portion of it.

Many say you can do a lot of things. That doesn't mean it can be done. There are many bodybuilding myths out there.

Lift2Live · 26-Apr-05, 03:46 PM

I agree, there are many myths. I also agree that it's amyth to spot train or be able to isolate a certain muscle in this sense. Emphasis is different. Obviously the sternal head is the biggest pectoralis head and you can't isolate one part of it. What i'm trying to establish is the way in which you work said muscle as far as angle, pressure, reps etc,. There are many people who say that cable crossovers are an "etching" or "shaping" exercise and not mass building but if all here is true then that is incorrect and you could build just as impressive a chest doing only crossovers as opposed to the bench press. That isn't the case though.