As anyone who’s ever set foot in a gym knows, bench pressing can be very fun. So much so that gym bros are known for prioritizing their chests over their other body parts. There’s a reason Kanye West once rapped “I hit the gym all chest, no legs”.
Which isn’t to say that there aren’t benefits to beefing out your pecs. Having a strong chest can help round out your posture, prevent injury, and increase your strength in everyday tasks. One study even found not only does the bench press build your chest, but muscles like the triceps also grow, too.
As long as it’s part of a well-rounded approach to fitness, there’s no reason not to hit your chest once a week. To help you figure out the best approach for this area of exercises, we tasked personal trainer Farren Morgan, founder of The Tactical Athlete training method, with breaking down how to get a bigger chest.
What Muscles Are You Targeting?
We’ve mentioned ‘pecs’, but what do we actually mean by that?
“The muscles associated with your chest are the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor beneath it,” Morgan says. “The pectoralis minor is the smaller of the two muscles, and is similar in shape to a triangle. The pectoralis major is the larger of the two muscles, with an upper portion called the ‘clavicular head’ and the lower portion known as the ‘sternal head’.”
So, when we talk about ‘pecs’, we’re actually talking about a set of two muscles, working in conjunction.
Why Work On Your Chest?
Beyond the functional benefits of building your chest mentioned above, Morgan says that larger chest muscles can assist with “metabolism, posture, and overall well-being.”
They benefit your whole upper body, too.
“Chest muscles are essential for arm movement because they stabilize your shoulder joints, allowing you to twist and rotate your body,” Morgan says. “Your chest also assists with countless actions you take throughout the day, like washing your hair, pushing a door open, or lifting heavy objects.”
Mistakes People Make Building Their Chest
If you’ve ever done too many press-ups without stretching regularly along the way, or ignored your back exercises for a week, you’ll know that overdoing it can be painful and can often cause your whole upper body to seize up.
Morgan says the most common bench pressing injuries he sees happen when people lift their shoulders during lifts, set the bench at too high an angle, perform one rep maxes over slowly increasing weight, and have incorrect posture during barbell bench presses. So, don’t do that. Think smart to prevent injury.
“When you train, you must consider the weight, volume, and form to prevent injury and guarantee you are gaining the most from your training,” Morgan adds.
How to Ace a Press-Up And Bench Press
Thankfully, as a man who has performed more than his fair share of press-ups and bench presses in his time, Morgan has a few hacks to help you stay on point:
