Muscle Breakdown: Pectoralis Major
Table of Contents
What Is the Pectoralis Major
The pectoralis major also known as the pecs is a large muscle that spans across your chest. The pectoralis serves to produce the majority of the pushing motions in the upper body. Understanding the Pectoralis Major isn’t difficult. Though, there are some intricacies due to the muscle having two separate heads. Referred to as the upper and lower pectoralis. In this muscle breakdown, I’ll explain everything you need to know about the Pectoralis Major.
Where Is the Pectoralis Major Located
The Pectoralis Major spans the upper chest and inserts into the Humerus bone. This is the large upper portion of the chest and is involved in many pushing movements.
Pectoralis Major Muscle Anatomy
Pectoralis Major Origin and Insertion
The Pectoralis Major origins stem from the collar bone, breast bone and the ribs located on the chest. Which then converge to form a tendon which attaches to the humerus. Since the Pectoralis major has two different heads I’ll list the origins separately.
Pectoralis Major Origin
Clavicular Head / Upper Pectoralis
Clavicle
Sternal Costal Head / Lower Pectoralis
Sternum
Ribs / Costal Bones 1-6
Pectoralis Major Insertion
Both the Upper pectoralis and the lower pectoralis share the same insertion point which is what allows the two heads to perform the same functions.
Greater Tubercle of the Humerus
Pectoralis Major Function
Most of the functions of the Pectoralis create some form of a pushing or hugging motion. If you can imagine a bench press or a chest fly you can easily learn these functions.
Shoulders
Flexion
Horizontal Adduction
Internal Rotation
Extension
The pectoralis major particularly the upper pectoralis actually performs shoulder extension. But only once the arms past 90 degrees. It sounds contrary to the prime function of shoulder flexion but this is due to the orientation of the arms. Remember muscles contract by pulling from origin to insertion if our arms overhead it’ll contract to pull it towards a neutral position. This is why you might feel some chest soreness after doing pull-ups.
What Does the Pectoralis Major Do
Since the Pectoralis Major is such a large muscle, many people often wonder what does the Pectoralis Major do? The Pectoralis Major functions to adduct and internally rotate the Humerus. As well, it is involved in flexion of the arm.
What Is the Action of the Pectoralis Major Muscle
The Pectoralis Major Muscle is involved in pushing movements, such as the Bench Press and Push Up, and movements that impact the shoulder joint. For instance, throwing a ball. It is important to keep the Pectoralis Major strong and healthy since it is involved in so many movements of the shoulder.
Common Pectoralis Major Training Mistakes
Not Pinching Your Shoulders Together
One of the biggest mistakes I see when training the pectoralis major is an incorrect scapular position. The humerus attaches to the scapula and if our scapula is mispositioned, so is our humerus. This leaves the shoulder joints susceptible to an injury and leaves it in a weakened position.
Before you bench press makes sure you’re retracting and depressing your shoulder blades. Think about pinching your shoulder blades together and pushing them into your back pocket. This will place your shoulders into a much stronger and stable position. Recruiting more activation of the pectoralis major by reducing the anterior deltoids’ involvement. Apply this to any pressing exercises for the pectoralis major.
If you’re a powerlifter or have a bench press fitness test. Where the goal is to lift as much weight as possible. Retracting the scapula will reduce the distance the bar must travel. If the scapula's pinched together, the bar has to travel less in order to touch your chest. The reduction in the range of motion can be the difference between a pass and a failed repetition.
Retracting your scapula will get the Latissimus dorsi engaged. It fulfills a crucial role in stabilizing the shoulders and the core during the bench press. An active Latissimus Dorsi will keep your joints safe while some extra pressing power.
Exceptions to rule would be dips or push-ups since you can add scapular protraction to train the serratus anterior. This is safe since the torso isn’t being pressed into an object like a bench. Allowing for fluid and safe scapular motion. Training your serratus anterior is also healthy and therapeutic for the shoulders making your pectoralis major training safer.
Touching Your Chest with the Barbell
A highly debated topic between trainers is, should you touch your chest or not during the bench press. Most trainers have a very black and white perspective on this topic. Let’s take a look at the argument from both sides.
Those who advocate for not touching the chest will cite, the lower the bar goes the greater the risk of injury. This stems from the breakdown of form as the strength curve increases. Form breakdowns include the rounding of the shoulders, flaring of the elbows or loss of a stacked wrist position. The risk isn’t worth the reward in this situation. But what about those who have the ability to do so safely? If someone can touch their chest without any faults but decides to decrease their range of motion. It then becomes detrimental since they’re limiting a stimulus for hypertrophy.
On the other hand, touching your chest takes the pectoralis major through a greater range of motion. The increased range of motion produces much better anabolic signaling. Resulting in greater strength and muscle gains. In addition, if you plan on competing or have a fitness test that includes the bench press. You must touch your chest to have a good lift. So the question now becomes should or should you not touch your chest during the bench press?
The answer is, it depends. If you can touch your chest without form breakdown or pain. Touching your chest is actually beneficial. If you have trouble maintaining proper form you might be better off not touching your chest and going to 90 degrees. I personally recommend using a floor press or a pin press if you are in this situation. More on that in the exercise section of this article. If you can’t touch, your chest its a sign that you should fix whatever issue may be preventing it. Whether it be an injury, lack of mobility, or poor form.
Training Your Inner and Outer Pectoralis
Unfortunately, the Outer pectoralis and the inner pectoralis aren’t real. At least, not as individual heads of the pectoralis major. They are in fact both part of the Lower pectoralis major. The ability to have a very developed inner pec or outer pec is a result of desirable genetics.
Our muscles are shaped by fascias, a saran wrap like tissue that gives everyone's muscle a unique shape and look. Sometimes referred to as a muscle belly. Some people simply have a better fascial shape than others. Which creates the illusion of having an inner pectoralis and outer pectoralis muscle.
But don’t let your genetics deter you. Training your lower pectoralis will grow the entire muscle head. Making the inner and outer portion of the lower pectoralis major bigger. Besides a bigger pectoralis major is always a win.
Can I Isolate My Upper Pec or Lower Pec?
If you want to focus on growing either your lower or upper pectoralis, you’re in luck. Both the upper pectoralis and lower pectoralis can be targeted and grown individually. This is due to the upper pectoralis major and lower pectoralis major being innervated by two different nerves. The lateral pectoral nerve and medial pectoral nerve respectively. So if you find either of your pectoralis head is imbalanced or weak you can focus on strengthening them individually with great success.
Pectoralis Major Pain
Pectoralis Major Strain
Pectoralis major strain is a tear and damage to the muscle fibres themselves resulting in pain and inflammation of the injured area. Usually caused by lifting too much weight or doing too many repetitions when your body isn’t adapted for it.
Pectoralis Major Injury
Distal Pectoralis Tendon Tear
A distal pectoralis tendon tear is a rupture to the tendon of the pectoralis major that attaches to your humerus. This can range from mild to severe depending on how much of the tendon itself is damaged. On the mild end, you can experience pain, decreased strength, and functionality. But if it’s severe, you can lose all of the pectoralis major functionality on the injured side. Since the Pectoralis major itself is no longer attached to the humerus. Surgery is required to restore its function if it is a complete rupture. This typically results from lifting too much weight when your body is unadapted or prepared for it. Make sure your training weight and volume are appropriate for your fitness level.
Pectoralis Major Exercises
If you want to optimize your chest development, you have to train both the upper pectoralis major and the lower pectoralis major. It’s common to see the upper pec being underdeveloped than the lower pecs. Since the head itself is smaller and most workout routines neglect the upper pectoralis major.
Upper and Lower Pectoral Exercises
These exercises get a good overall activation for both heads of the Pectoralis major.
Bench Press with Barbell or Dumbbell Chest Press
The bench press is one of the big three exercises most athletes perform and for good reason. The bench press is an exercise that allows you to lift substantial amounts of weight, strengthening all the pushing muscles at once. Research also indicates those with a strong bench press also tend to have bigger pecs. Consequently not only is the bench press great at strengthening the pectoralis major it’s also a great chest grower.
Floor Press (Dumbbell Floor Press) or Pin Press
If shoulder mobility or stability is an issue Floor presses and Pin presses are your best friend. These exercises reduce the range of motion to where your shoulders are relatively safe and sturdy. While providing support to the joint when the strength curve is at its heaviest. There isn’t a need for a spotter either. If you fail a floor press you can just drop the weight on the floor or onto your hips where you’ll then roll it off your body. If you fail the pin press the pins will catch the weight. You get all the benefits of bench press training without the compromise that stems from weak shoulders.
Push Ups
Push-ups at this point are synonymous with the pectoralis major. Fact is push-ups are a great chest builder and have been prescribed for decades. It’s also a bodyweight exercise, making it easy to modify for your training level. If you’re a beginner it’s a great primary exercise and if you’re experienced you can use them as a finisher. Push-ups should be a staple in anyone’s training routine.
Cable Crossover
Clavicular Head / Upper Pecs Exercises
Incline Press with Barbell or Dumbbell
Incline pressing is one of the best ways to grow your upper pecs since the movement aligns with the fibres of the Upper pectoralis major. The benefit of an incline press is that you can load a substantial amount of weight. While taking the pectoralis major through a full range of motion. But beware too much of an incline will turn the incline press into a shoulder exercise. There will be a gradual shift of upper pectoralis activation into anterior deltoid activation as the incline increases. I recommend 30 degrees of incline since studies show that this angle generates the most upper pectoralis major activation.
Low to High Flies / Upper Clavicular V-raise
Low to high flies are like any other chest fly but your arm starts at the bottom and out at your sides and comes up and together like an upside-down “V”. This is a great isolation exercise if you find you’re struggling to grow or feel your upper pecs. Don’t worry about lifting really heavy with this exercise. Instead, I’d recommend doing this as either a preactivation or as a finisher. Use high reps and focus on getting a massive pump while developing a strong mind-muscle connection.
Decline Push Up
If push-ups are too easy or you want a bodyweight exercise that targets the upper pecs. Add in the decline push up to your routine. Elevating your feet places you into a position similar to that of an incline bench press. Accentuating the upper pectoralis major activation. The more you elevate your feet the harder it will be, but there is a sweet spot similar to the incline press. If you raise your feet too high you’ll shift the work done towards your anterior deltoids.
Dumbbell Pullover
The dumbbell pullover is an interesting exercise in relation to the upper pectoralis major. This exercise takes advantage of the extension function once the arm passes 90 degrees. And trains the pectoralis major alongside the latissimus dorsi muscle. If you want to accentuate the activation of your pectoralis muscle squeeze your hands into the dumbbell and internally rotate. This will isometrically contract the upper pectoralis increasing its involvement.
Sternal Head / Lower Pec Exercises
Dips
Dips are particularly effective at growing the lower pectoralis major since the arms follow the line of the fibre of the sternal head. It’s also effective at strengthening the other pushing muscles simultaneously, especially the triceps brachii. Dips can be done with little equipment and provides progression to the push-up. Dips can also be used to strengthen the serratus anterior with a simple modification.
Decline Bench Press
If you want to further isolate the lower pectoralis muscle the decline bench press is the way to go. The decline allows the humerus to follow the lower pectoralis major fibres which increase the sternal heads activation. Be aware, the lower you decline the bench, the less range of motion there will be for the pectoralis major. 15-30 degrees is optimal for sufficient lower pectoralis major activation and range of motion.
High to Low Flies
High to low flies focus purely on adduction, the act of bringing the arms toward the midline. This once again follows the lower pectoralis fibre while also isometrically internally rotating. This is a great exercise for pre activating the lower pectoralis major and used as a finisher at the end of your workout.
Pectoralis Major Workout
If your goal is to maximize Pectoralis Major hypertrophy train it two or more times per week. Post-exercise there is an anabolic signal created called muscle protein synthesis. This is a process of growing muscle cells that last 72-48. We require a constant source of muscle protein synthesis throughout our week if we want to maximize hypertrophy. Training two or more times will provide that constant stimulus and will ensure optimal pectoralis major growth
Make sure you’re going through the full range of motion. The full range of motion depends on your anatomy so please refer to the Pectoralis training mistakes section of this article. And determine what full range of motion is for you.
Train both your upper and lower pectoralis major. Having either an underdeveloped lower or upper pectoralis isn't ideal if your main goal is aesthetics. Most physique competitions even place a strong emphasis on having a well developed upper pectoralis major for their competitors. Make sure your training routine has sufficient upper pectoralis and lower pectoralis exercises to prevent muscular imbalances. Your workout should have an exercise that targets both heads like the flat bench press. Subsequently, perform a lower pectoralis and upper pectoralis exercises like the dip and the incline bench. If you're still finding one of your heads is struggling, include an isolation exercise for that specific head. For example, the cable fly has variations such a Low to a high fly or a high to a low fly.
Pre Activate your pectoralis muscles. A preactivation exercise serves two purposes. They’re efficient at warming up our muscles and joints. But will also improve your mind-muscle connection. This will increase the efficiency of your training. Since a strong mind-muscle connection has been shown to increase hypertrophy in some studies.
Perform a fairly heavy multi-jointed compound exercise. Once you’re thoroughly warmed up and preactivated start the workout with a compound exercise. This is the core of your training routine and will account for most of your training volume. I like using either a bench press or push-ups since they activate both heads of the pectoralis major. Reps between 3-8 are what I recommend during this section of the workout. 3-5 sets are also ideal since this accounts for most of your training volume. I also recommend training 2-3 reps away from failure. If we jump straight to failure our repetition quality and quantity will decrease as we more sets. Though failure training has its place we want to avoid it on heavy compound exercises like the bench press where the risk of injury is high.
Now for an upper pectoralis and lower pectoralis compound exercise. To optimize our pectoralis major gains, we want to dedicate some time to each head of the pectoralis major. We're still relatively fresh during this stage of our workout, so I still recommend using a compound exercise. A dip or an incline press is what I recommend for your choice of exercise. Prioritize your weaker head first before training the other. Use anywhere between 8-15 repetitions and 2-4 sets. The volume and weight should be moderate and less than your first exercise to account for fatigue. Leave 2-3 reps left in reserve
Add in isolations, If you're struggling to grow either your upper or lower pectoralis add in an isolation as a finisher. Low to high flies or high to low flies are what I recommend but any isolation exercise will suffice. Go light here and focus on getting a massive pump. Twelve or more reps with two-three sets are more than enough volume. You can push to failure at this point, but leaving one rep left in the tank is perfectly fine.
2-Day Pectoralis Major Workout
DAY 1
| Exercise | Sets | Repetitions | RPE/1RM | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 4 | 6 | 75% | 25 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8 | 8 | 2-3 min |
| Dips | 3 | 8 | 8 | 2-3 min |
| Low to High Fly | 3 | 15 | 9 | .5-1.5 min |
DAY 2
| Exercise | Sets | Repetitions | RPE/1RM | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor Press | 4 | 6 | 8 | 2-5 min |
| Decline Press | 3 | 8 | 8 | 2-3 min |
| Decline Push Up | 3 | 8 | 8 | 2-3 min |
| Low to High Fly | 3 | 15 | 9 | .5-1.5 min |
How to Stretch Pectoralis Major
To Stretch the Pectoralis Major, try the behind the back stretch. In a seated position, bring both forearms behind the back and grasp onto the elbows with the opposite hand. Push your chest forwards to open up the Pectoralis Major. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat if necessary.
You can also try the above the head stretch, where the palms of your hands are resting behind the head with your elbows out to the sides. Push the elbows out and behind you to increase the intensity of the stretch in your chest. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat.
Pectoralis Major Stretches
Stretching the Pectoralis major is very important since a tight pec can cause rounding of the shoulders. A rounded shoulder can lead to future injuries if not treated.
Door Frame Stretch
Place your arms high to stretch the lower pectoralis
Place your arms low to stretch the upper pectoralis