Suppose you had to pick a symbol of male masculinity, virility and heroism, what would it be? Would your opinion be that it is the chest? You only have to think of movie-stars such as Arnie and Sly or comic-book heroes such as Superman, Batman and Spiderman. The chest is there, to the fore, just waiting to be admired- even by a man himself as he admires it in front of the mirror. Don’t forget that the ladies do size men up, you know!

 

Although these words are aimed at men, Ladies should realise that their breasts themselves can’t be enlarged by chest training due to the fact that womens’ breasts are mainly fatty  and glandular tissue, but women should still do it because chest muscles which are toned and strong will give the appearance of a shapely and fuller chest.

 

Consider all the sports that need strong chest muscles to get an advantage- consider American Football and Rugby which both use grabbing, tackling and throwing. Shot Putt, Javelin and Discus disciplines all involve throwing. Volleyball, Tennis and Basketball all involve throwing or
hitting. Consider also how the chest is heavily involved in Swimming and Gymnastics.

 

the most prominent chest muscle is called the Pectoralis Major and is attached to the sternum and clavicle, the insertion point being into the upper arm or humerus. How is it used?

1.When you pull your arm in front of the chest, it’s the prime mover.

2.It assists you in pushing by flexing the shoulder.

3.It has to be used to lift the arm forwards.

 

The second major muscle is the Pectoralis Minor which lays underneath the Pec. Major and it helps to lower the shoulderblade.

 

Let’s look at some common conditions:

Top part of the chest is sunken or flat…It is very clear when looked at from the side and on both men and women. Ladies can suffer from decreased musculature in this area if they have been dieting for some time. It would be a good idea for any female who has lost musculature on this part to use particular exercises to assist in rebuilding muscle here. This creates a fuller, more rounded look in guys and with females it will add to their cleavage.

 

Gym workouts to encourage upper pectoral improvement must be done on a bench that has to be inclined to an angle which is between 30 and 45 degrees. From my teaching, I have found the following workouts to be excellent for the upper chest with women using moderate weights and men heavier ones:

Women- Incline bench press…2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions per set
Incline dumb-bell press…same
Incline dumb-bell flye…same

Men- Incline bench press…3-4 sets of 6-10 repetitions per set
Incline dumb-bell press…same
Incline dumb-bell flye…same

 

Narrow chest with rounded shoulders or appearing so…A lot of men and some women have this problem and when viewed from the side the chest can even appear to be concave. To some degree it is true that the size of the clavicles and the rib cage as well as the pec’s themselves controls to an extent the potential of the chest, improvements can still be effected.

 

The first thing to do is to ensure that your posture is always good! The next essential is to perform all exercises with a complete range of movement and also performing selected stretches after each exercise type. Make sure that you do this and you will observe that your pectorals and rib cage muscles are stretched so helping in the re-building process. Listed below are 3 exercises for men and women and, as before, women should use moderate weights and men heavier weights:

Women-Barbell or dumb-bell bench press with a wide grip…2-3 sets of 10-12 rep’s per set
Incline barbell or dumb-bell press…same
Dumb-bell flye or cable crossover…same

Men-    Barbell or dumb-bell bench press with a wide grip…3-4 sets of 6-10 rep’s per set
Incline barbell or dumb-bell press…same
Dumb-bell flye or cable crossover…same

 

A build-up of fatty tissue on the chest simply by being overweight…This condition ispresent in overweight guys andhas the medical name of

 Pseudogynecomastia. Any qualified Fitness Professional will
be able to help you change your diet and lifestyle together with installing a suitable exercise program. Be prepared to do resistance and cardiovascular work and also to get to the gym 3 to 4 times weekly to burn chest fat and help achieve the pec’s that you
want. The first task is to increase your fitness level in general and gradually introduce more specific exercises to improve the chest. All-over symmetry will best be achieved by making sure that your chest workouts are varied.

 

Gynecomastia in men…this is a problem that quite a lot of men have where one or both breasts show female-looking characteristics. A hormonal imbalance, which can have many triggers, is responsible for the build-up of glandular tissue. With some men it’s just under the nipple but with others it’s all over the breast. Glandular tissue is different to fatty tissue and it’s necessary to understand this, although gynecomastia sufferers may well have fatty tissue as well. This problem has to be diagnosed by a physician in the first place.

 

As soon as it is clear that the condition is gynecomastia, then the cure may or may not include hormone therapy but the individualwill be helped considerably by adopting an exercise program plus dietary and lifestyle adjustments.

 

I have researched 4 excellent, natural, alternative systems that are aimed at gynecomastia and
pseudogynecomastia which many men have discovered worked for them.