Inner-chest Development

[Che]

My pecs have always been a strong muscle group, but lately it appears that my outer pecs seem overdeveloped compared to the inner chest. As a skinny teenager I used to have collar bones that stuck out further than my chest, so I've always used incline bench as my staple chest lift, with flat bench and flies. Any suggestions on what I can do to thicken my inner chest development? Heavier flies perhaps? Closer grip on flat bench? Or just let the hair grow out on the inside of my chest

 

[maldorf]

IMO there is not a whole lot you can do to change the overall shape and proportions of a muscle like that. Being lean is going to probably do more than anything to bring out the look you want. You can try doing things like narrow bench, flyes, etc but in the end they probably really wont change the size of your inner chest as compared to your outer. I think that research and time have shown that you cannot grow one part of a muscle more than the others.

 

[penance]

i honestly think it's a matter of development> it's not your inner chest that's lagging, your whole chest is underdeveloped as a entity. Has/had the same problem, weight progression is the key, once you hit a certain weight it will even out.
As far as special training goes i know DC has guys doing the pec deck press as their sole chest exercise for those with lagging inner chest.

Gentetics are also a factor, I have very close chest insertions, and most of my chest mass+fat is located on the outer edges, so I definitivly get into low bodyfat to sport a full chest.

Good luck

 

[alecaf]

FST-7 has really helped my underdeveloped chest.

 

[myosin]

Upright cable crossover...

I agree with the above statements, you can't just grow one "area" of a muscle by itself and the importance of BF levels. I do think you can "stress" different parts (I don't want to get into a "shaping the muscle" kind of philosophy here- your shape is your shape). Let me explain.

For example, a close grip barbell curl will stress the "outer" head of the biceps. I know many people don't believe that and I can't blame them (sounds like a weight-room myth). But EMG analysis confirms this. The ENTIRE biceps is activated, but with more activation on the outer head. Or I'm sure many of us have done leg presses with more pushing on the balls of our feet or our heels and could feel a noticeable difference in parts of your thigh.

So, for inner chest. This is something I noticed ANECDOTALLY. Hopefully you have a cable crossover at your gym where you can adjust the height of the handle (usually from the bottom of the floor to the top of the machine). Lower the handles to the point where your arms are stretched out from your body PARALLEL to the floor with your body UPRIGHT (not bent or hunched over). Now, holding onto the handles, step forward until you feel the weight pulling on your arms. Now perform the crossover (keeping your chest UPRIGHT- almost looking like a standing pec fly).

Here is the "inner chest" part: when you reach the end of the movement, bring each hand PAST midline (a couple inches is suffice). So each hand will cross over the other.

 

[klowndog]

All the above, and don't forget to do extreme stretches after each chest set. Lay back on a bench with heavy dumbells and let it stretch the shit out of your chest. While stretching, you can change the supination of your hands/angle of elbows etc., until you really feel the stretch in the area you are wantingto grow.

 

[patrick]

there is no such thing as a "inner-chest". Just as there is no inner/outer/upper bicep......Learn your anatomy.....

 

[Muay Thai]

there is no such thing as a "inner-chest". Just as there is no inner/outer/upper bicep......Learn your anatomy.....

yes we say anterior and posterior and interior

 

[myosin]

haha, so right...

yes we say anterior and posterior and interior

haha, yes, yes- anterior, superior, inferior, lateral, medial... quite right guys! I suppose I should have said, "lateral head".

It is better to try to stick to the appropriate terms. I work in an ICU where every day we see bolts in peoples heads, cancer, open heart surgery, level I trauma's, etc. and everyday during rounds talking about the patients we still end up using "lay terms" half the time! All that schooling to waste !

 

[gyno]

you guys missed patricks point...

 

[myosin]

I may not have explained well...

you guys missed patricks point...

Thanks gyno, I may have given the wrong understanding in my post (if you were referring to me ). There is no "inner chest" etc, of course. I think we tend to just use lay terms like, "The incline works the upper chest,", etc. though there is no actual separated "upper chest" muscle (at least I never saw any while studying the cadavers at the university anatomy lab ). If this isn't what you were referring to, then, um, well never mind what I just said .

 

[Che]

I appreciate the replies - that's why I love the board: I'm a construction engineer that enjoys lifting weights - not what I'd call a true blue bodybuilder, so thanks for the comments. I'm working on cutting up right now and like a couple of previous posts mentioned about BF - I can see that's probably the case because, although I'm rather lean as it is, I do carry extra weight toward the outer part of my pecs. I'm sure as I drop BF %, I'll see a difference in the appearance. I'll try to do some before and after and it'll probably make more sense - thanks

 

[617ricky]

I got the point of what you were getting at.. Not sure of what would work the inner part of the pec tho.. I notice that DB flies seem to be developing the outer part of my pecs, but I'd also like to thicken up the inner portion.. I think it just comes down to developing the entire pec tho..

 

[gyno]

I appreciate the replies - that's why I love the board: I'm a construction engineer that enjoys lifting weights - not what I'd call a true blue bodybuilder, so thanks for the comments. I'm working on cutting up right now and like a couple of previous posts mentioned about BF - I can see that's probably the case because, although I'm rather lean as it is, I do carry extra weight toward the outer part of my pecs. I'm sure as I drop BF %, I'll see a difference in the appearance. I'll try to do some before and after and it'll probably make more sense - thanks

From your post, I'd say you just need to focus on building the foundation of your house before you worry about what color you're going to paint it.
You can't change the shape of your chest, insertion points, etc. But, with consistancy you can make it much thicker and larger, so that your chest walks into the room before you do. But, if you are already lean, and trying to lean up more, I'm not so sure I would bank on adding that extra mass (depending on what you consider lean, and your goals of continuity)

 

[myosin]

I'm going to use that...

"From your post, I'd say you just need to focus on building the foundation of your house before you worry about what color you're going to paint it."

I like that!

 

[hellraiser27]

Pec deck that supports forearms from elbow to palm. This stresses the inner chest.
Yes there is an inner chest! If I say pin yourself in the inner chest are you gonna say you don't know what I'm talking about?

Yes you can change your shape by doing exercises that stress different areas of the same muscle no matter what you call it. Thats why its called bodybuilding.

If this wasn't true everyone would just do the same routines as everyone else.

Why do you think swimmers and gymnast all have bodies that look alike? its because the use muscle that stress the same areas of major muscle groups.

If only one exercise worked on one muscle group then all athletes would have similar bodies including bodybuilders.

 

[617ricky]

Yes there is an inner chest! If I say pin yourself in the inner chest are you gonna say you don't know what I'm talking about?

Exactly, I don't kno why the term "inner chest" sparked that comment.. Even tho it's all the "pec", I think the different areas are pretty distinct.. Just like how when someone is really ripped, you see this horizontal line across the pec dividing the upper/lower portions, making it look almost like 2 separate muscles.

 

[gyno]

I don't want to turn this thread into YET another debate, but I might. LOL. Look at bbers with weak bodyparts. As they move up weight classes, gain mass, etc, NONE of them change the SHAPE of the muscle (of course with the exception of oil).
Gary strydoms back, even after he put slabs of muscle on it, did it turn into an amazing back? NO. Still same lines, shape, etc, just much larger.
Look at Dexter. He moved up from bantam to where he is now. Do his calves look any better? More shapely? NO. Larger versions of good ol' fashion high sucky calves.
Markus ruhl, a monster, how bout those triceps huh? How have they improved shape wise?
Why don't guys with the gap inbetween their abs train to make that go away?

 

[myosin]

Splitting hairs...

On the one hand, it is very important to use proper terminology, etc. but we could also get into trouble splitting hairs too and lose sight of what we are trying to discuss.

If you examine a cadaver or good anatomical drawing, you do see the chest muscle with fibers that travel in different angles (hence the different angles we take to work it). I hope to cover this in a couple weeks with another biomechanics post. So, you do see the upper fibers travel in a slightly different angle, BUT, again, there is no physical separation between the fibers- it is all still one big slab of pec meat ! You may see striations and individuals who can emphasize flexing one particular area of their chest depending on how they squeeze their arms together though.

If one does an incline bench, the ENTIRE pec is activated. But, EMG analysis will show different area's being recruited/activated more than others.

So, is there an inner chest? Yes. Is there an inner chest? No. haha

 

[muscle96ss]

On the one hand, it is very important to use proper terminology, etc. but we could also get into trouble splitting hairs too and lose sight of what we are trying to discuss.

If you examine a cadaver or good anatomical drawing, you do see the chest muscle with fibers that travel in different angles (hence the different angles we take to work it). I hope to cover this in a couple weeks with another biomechanics post. So, you do see the upper fibers travel in a slightly different angle, BUT, again, there is no physical separation between the fibers- it is all still one big slab of pec meat ! You may see striations and individuals who can emphasize flexing one particular area of their chest depending on how they squeeze their arms together though.

If one does an incline bench, the ENTIRE pec is activated. But, EMG analysis will show different area's being recruited/activated more than others.

So, is there an inner chest? Yes. Is there an inner chest? No. haha

What you are suggesting is that you can change the recruitment pattern of a muscle by changing positions/angles of movement. Please post the EMG analysis as I would be very interested to see this.