Try adding these rare and effective upper chest exercises to your workout.
If you want to achieve that ‘big chest’ look, you need to work on strengthening your upper pecs. Strengthening these muscles will help you achieve a healthier posture, as well as improve overall strength and performance in other movements, such as pushing or pulling exercises.
The muscles that make up the upper chest are the clavicular pectoralis major (upper pectoral) and the sternal pectoralis major (lower pectoral).
The muscles of the upper chest are the pectoralis major clavicle (upper pectoral) and the sternal pectoralis major (lower pectoral). These muscles are responsible for rotating the upper arm inward. They also contribute to flexion of the shoulder joint, adduction of the upper arm, and depression of the shoulders.
Font: Depositphotos / Obi VicenteExercising these muscles can help you develop a strong, well-balanced physique by strengthening not only your chest but also other areas like your arms, back, shoulders, and abs.
Strengthening your upper pecs will help you achieve that ‘big chest’ look.
Strengthening your upper pecs will help you achieve that ‘big chest’ look. You can do this with dumbbells, a barbell, or resistance bands. Do a variety of exercises to work the different parts of your chest.
When you’re trying to get a ‘big chest’, it’s important to focus on strengthening your upper pecs. These muscles are highly visible and will help you achieve that look most people want when they think of working out or going to the gym.
Add these rare upper chest exercises from Gravity Transformation to your workout.
1. Weird Upper Chest Exercises: Reverse Grip Bench Press
This increases the muscle activation of the top of your head (clavicular head) and will help you build your upper chest in a new way.
- Make sure your hands are shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your elbows close to your body.
- Keep your thumbs around the bar at all times.
- Don’t fully lock your elbows at the top.
- Go lighter than you would for your regular bench press
2. Weird Upper Chest Exercises: Incline Cross-Body Chest Press
You can perform this on a hammer press machine or set up your bench next to the cable machine and go from there (see video below).
This will mimic the same movement. The cable also maintains a constant tension.
3. Weird Upper Chest Exercises: Standing Svend Press
This is not a very well known chest exercise but it is tremendously effective.
Add it to the end of your workout, after you’ve completed the rest of your heavy pressing exercises.
4. Weird Upper Chest Exercises: Hex Press / Incline Hex Press
The Hex Press will hit your upper chest in a unique way. Adding an incline will further enhance the stimulation on that part of your body.
Press them very well together.
5. Weird Upper Chest Exercises: Incline Chest Fly (with Cables)
Here the cables will maintain a constant tension on the chest. Lying on the incline bench will also make the exercise more difficult and improve your gains.
The resistance line of the cables on the incline bench hits the upper chest much more effectively.
Try to keep your hands open on the way down to further activate your chest.
Squeeze at the top.
6. Fly Variation
This is a floor exercise that only uses one cable. Work on one side at a time.
Watch the video below for the full description of the move.
Make sure you move in a bow-like motion.
7. Landmine Chest Press
For this version, rest the bar on a box as well. This will allow you to carry a much heavier load and challenge your chest even more.
Hold the bar with a prayer-like grip.
Make sure to go down slowly and squeeze as hard as you can.
Video timestamps
1. Reverse grip bench press 1:04
2. Incline Crossover Chest Press 2:46
3. Svend Standing Press 3:57
4. Hex Press / Incline Hex Press 4:59
5. Slant Chest Fly (With Cables) 5:45
6. Flight Variation 7:08
7. Landmine Chest Press 7:56
Video – Rare exercises for the upper chest
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