How to build the upper pecs with high clavicual insertions

[j4ever]

decline pressing
dips
dips for chest with arms locked, like reverse shrug
very light shoulder pressing really work the movement keep elbows wide and flex at the top
light seated front raises,but kind of arching inward and squeezing together at the top

I always loved the look of the top of the pecs being so full it looks like the deck of an aircraft carrier, like you could land a plain on there while standing... lol

still working at it!

using the above in various way over the years has helped to some degree.

on tha money

 

[thomaspunkt]

Try 10-15 degree incline instead of 60. Easier for me atleas to feel the pecs instead of shoulders. It's also easier on the shoulder joints.

 

[PitbullTank]

IMO... if you are 240lbs and 10% bf... how does anyone expect to add INCHES (not just a lil detail) staying the same exact weight ? It'd like saying I'm 225 w 18.5 arm but want it 21"... I can do all the variations of shit I want to different angles, twisting pinky lol , is not going to matter if i stay exactly at my same weight and bf %...I need to build muscle size, which muscle does have weight...maybe I can get slightly denser in the bi, or tad more separation.... but more size equals more muscle weight... so again, use these techniques given but the effort has to be to get bigger imo

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

I've read that Dante has talked about how guys with high clavicular insertions will never build a great upper chest like guys with lower insertions. I've read that Dante states that guys with high insertions at the collar bone should do shoulder presses or over head presses to hit the upper chest and are not suited for incline benchpresses to hit there upper chest effectively like guys with lower clavicular insertions.

I dont remember ever saying this in the least....any of this....this sure as heck didnt come from me

 

[Knight9]

I dont remember ever saying this in the least....any of this....this sure as heck didnt come from me

LOL

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

Pec minor dips have really helped me with this. Dante also has posted about an exercise. You do it in a smith machine on a relatively high incline. Grip pretty much as wide as possible. And bring the bar down just below the pecs . Should be done relatively light in the 15-20 range. These feel great and really hammer this areA

Now this i did say....

whole trick with upper pecs is chest and sternum held high...and i can get alot of people in a great mechanical position and stretch by having them lower bar on smith machine to low pec level...elbows have to travel downward not out....and be careful because as great as it is for building an upper chest the great mechanical position can put you into a position that you could get injured if you start bouncing up heavy 6 rep presses......higher reps (grip doesnt matter as much wide or wherever you feel most comfortable) but stay strict and true on form and work in higher rep range but progressively....

 

[zachbean79]

it's because your shoulders are internally rotated too much. your pec minor and all that tissue under your tight and glued down. this is what gives that sagging chest/big traps look. I used to look like that too.

start ungluing those tissue of the upper chest/front delt area with a foam roller/lacrosse ball. lean to stand and perform all your lifts with your core "online" meaning your glutes and abs are contracted and you rib cage is pulled down. you don't want any breaks in your core. all you need is flat bench to work the whole chest, but you need to perform is correctly.

next time you bench, before you lie back, contract both your abs and glutes as hard as you can. hold that contraction and lie back on the bench. now get into "global extension" meaning your creating an arch in your back, but you are not "breaking" or at the lumbar or at the rib cage because you abs and glutes are keeping your spine in this safe/ neutral position where your can create a lot of torque in the shoulders. so your arch wont be as high but you will have a lot more power, less shoulder injuries and your chest will look a lot better.

also start doing shoulder dislocates, band pull aparts building up those read delt and focus on standing with you core online which will put you in your best position to stand with your shoulder back and wide.

 

[zachbean79]

I got this stuff from becoming the supple leopard. it changed my physique big time for the better.

 

[heavyhitter]

Now this i did say....

whole trick with upper pecs is chest and sternum held high...and i can get alot of people in a great mechanical position and stretch by having them lower bar on smith machine to low pec level...elbows have to travel downward not out....and be careful because as great as it is for building an upper chest the great mechanical position can put you into a position that you could get injured if you start bouncing up heavy 6 rep presses......higher reps (grip doesnt matter as much wide or wherever you feel most comfortable) but stay strict and true on form and work in higher rep range but progressively....

Exactly. I love this exercise. I'm a pretty strong presser and I rarely go over a plate on each side, maybe a plate and a 10. These smoke me every time. My upper pecs are sore to the touch

 

[doug1]

I messed up my right shoulder pretty good about a year and a half ago doing incline barbell bench press with only 185. Medium grip, I kept training, thought to myself at the time, this is nothing, not enough weight. Boy was I wrong. I have avoided any incline press of any decent weight for a long time now. That has allowed me to recover. 3/4 and 1/2 range has helped me immensely. Go full range and heavy while young, adapt when you get old(me, 43).
I got a super strong friend of the same age that told me he is gonna get an MRI on his shoulder because of the pain. He does Gh and so his muscles have gotten super strong, but joints haven't caught up.
I'm still milking a sore elbow from heavy tricep extensions in a smith machine. I don't know what the magic age is of becoming a pussy, but I wish I knew years ago....

 

[kingsnake]

Yikes. That pic of Franco Columbo is amazing. His genetics is crazy. The man's upper chest is huge and massively developed giving his pecs that huge armored plated look that I'm trying to achieve. It's like his chest starts right where his neck ends. LOL.

Hey Doggcrapp. I apologize if my information is wrong. Everyone on the bodybuilding.com forum is saying that you state this. Here's a link to the thread at bodybuilding.com which the OP there references your name along with a guy named spiderman997, stating that for guys with high clavicle insertions, Incline benchpress is useless. Your name is stated right on the very first post on the first page.

Why you may not need Incline Bench - Bodybuilding.com Forums

For the advice on the guilletine press I cannot do these. With my front delt upper bicep tendon injury, I cannot do any pressing movements where I flare out my elbows and lower weight to my neck or high on my chest. I have no choice but to tuck my elbows in to my sides and lower the bar below my nipples on my chest like a power lifter when doing presses to prevent my injury from getting worse.

I use to do heavy incline presses guillotine style, lowering the bar to my clavicle area with elbows flared out, and that's what caused my injury. Now I do my presses Branch Warren style with the elbows tucked in which unfortunately puts more stress on my triceps. I miss being able to flare my elbows out because I felt more of my chest working that way with less tricep and front delt involvement.

Right now with my injury the guilletine press would snapped my sh#t up basically. LOL.

 

[heavyhitter]

I messed up my right shoulder pretty good about a year and a half ago doing incline barbell bench press with only 185. Medium grip, I kept training, thought to myself at the time, this is nothing, not enough weight. Boy was I wrong. I have avoided any incline press of any decent weight for a long time now. That has allowed me to recover. 3/4 and 1/2 range has helped me immensely. Go full range and heavy while young, adapt when you get old(me, 43).
I got a super strong friend of the same age that told me he is gonna get an MRI on his shoulder because of the pain. He does Gh and so his muscles have gotten super strong, but joints haven't caught up.
I'm still milking a sore elbow from heavy tricep extensions in a smith machine. I don't know what the magic age is of becoming a pussy, but I wish I knew years ago....

That's interesting cause for me it's the other way around, I get some good discomfort from flat pressing in my left collarbone area. Decline pressing is even worse. Incline presses are the one that causes me the least discomfort.

 

[springfield]

Pec minor dips have really helped me with this. Dante also has posted about an exercise. You do it in a smith machine on a relatively high incline. Grip pretty much as wide as possible. And bring the bar down just below the pecs . Should be done relatively light in the 15-20 range. These feel great and really hammer this areA

Relatively high incline, are we talking about 60° or more?

 

[doug1]

Relatively high incline, are we talking about 60° or more?

I think that is almost strictly a shoulder press at that number.

 

[ProMuscle1986]

So much great information on this thread. Last chest workout I did the pec minor dips. Very good exercise. I could feel the upper chest working immensely. Going to include more of these exercises each chest workout. Thanks fellas.

 

[DOGGCRAPP]

Yikes. That pic of Franco Columbo is amazing. His genetics is crazy. The man's upper chest is huge and massively developed giving his pecs that huge armored plated look that I'm trying to achieve. It's like his chest starts right where his neck ends. LOL.

Hey Doggcrapp. I apologize if my information is wrong. Everyone on the bodybuilding.com forum is saying that you state this. Here's a link to the thread at bodybuilding.com which the OP there references your name along with a guy named spiderman997, stating that for guys with high clavicle insertions, Incline benchpress is useless. Your name is stated right on the very first post on the first page.

Why you may not need Incline Bench - Bodybuilding.com Forums

For the advice on the guilletine press I cannot do these. With my front delt upper bicep tendon injury, I cannot do any pressing movements where I flare out my elbows and lower weight to my neck or high on my chest. I have no choice but to tuck my elbows in to my sides and lower the bar below my nipples on my chest like a power lifter when doing presses to prevent my injury from getting worse.

I use to do heavy incline presses guillotine style, lowering the bar to my clavicle area with elbows flared out, and that's what caused my injury. Now I do my presses Branch Warren style with the elbows tucked in which unfortunately puts more stress on my triceps. I miss being able to flare my elbows out because I felt more of my chest working that way with less tricep and front delt involvement.

Right now with my injury the guilletine press would snapped my sh#t up basically. LOL.

I have absolutely no idea why that guy is mentioning me in that post. It looks like he mentions me and then kind of goes by his own theories but I really have never talked about any of that....

guillotine press? Kingsnake dont go by anything you see on bb.com mentioning my name...I got no idea why he is throwing my name on there but i absolutely 100% disagree with what he is saying....I got no idea why my name is in that thread

I have never recommended any bench press or incline press with elbows out....it has always been elbows angled down toward torsoand sternum/chest held high.

 

[NY Beast]

https://youtu.be/003t7MfHriU

 

[superbigd]

Now this i did say....

whole trick with upper pecs is chest and sternum held high...and i can get alot of people in a great mechanical position and stretch by having them lower bar on smith machine to low pec level...elbows have to travel downward not out....and be careful because as great as it is for building an upper chest the great mechanical position can put you into a position that you could get injured if you start bouncing up heavy 6 rep presses......higher reps (grip doesnt matter as much wide or wherever you feel most comfortable) but stay strict and true on form and work in higher rep range but progressively....

When you say elbows downward as opposed to out are you referring to tucking the elbows in as opposed to flaring them outwards? Have any videos we can reference? I really appreciate your input DC thanks bro!

 

[heavyhitter]

Relatively high incline, are we talking about 60° or more?

Like the second notch on an adjustable bench. This a a pretty high incline by DC standards as Dante usually recents an incline where you just put a 45 pound plate under the head of the bench to prop it up a bit.

 

[heavyhitter]

When you say elbows downward as opposed to out are you referring to tucking the elbows in as opposed to flaring them outwards? Have any videos we can reference? I really appreciate your input DC thanks bro!

Yes. Similar to how a power lifter bench presses. Find any video of dusty Hanshaw pressing and you'll see what he means