Targeting the middle of the chest

[Thanatos]

I have 2 doubts:

1) I do pushups (inclined/legs raised) and I feel they are targeting the outer pecs. But is there some way to target the middle of the chest? Or do pushups target the entire chest and not parts?

2) While doing chair dips for triceps (even long after finishing it), I feel the burn in my triceps - it is unmistakable. But after finishing pushups, I don't feel anything in my chest. Does that mean my chest isn't getting a good workout? Initially I did get the burn, even a little pain in my chest. But these days I dont feel it..... is this wrong?

[PhoenixAsh]

I am not sure what you mean with middle of the chest.

So I assume the chest attachment to the plexus. Which is something you can't specifically target simply because the muscles anatomy are long strands that completely contract. You can only create tenser contractions which create more micro damage and therefore will lead to more compensation.

The second answer I have is that you could try differentiating the position of your arms....especially wider and higher....will target your chest more rather than your shoulders

[Thanatos]

I already use wide grip position, and I did feel the burn in my chest area last week and the week before. But since the last couple of days, nothing. It is the exact position, same exercise - but I don't feel the pain/burn in my chest anymore. So my confusion is, Is the chest not being worked out, or is the body used to it (and therefore I do not feel the burn I felt last week)?

[BIXX]

Prolly used to it- like, it's there, but you don't notice it as bad. When anyone works out they notice the burn more at first, but it slowly goes away even if they have a good workout.

If you want that burn try doing them until you can't anymore.

[Thanatos]

I understand that for chest, one must keep hand wider than shoulder. But should the hand be placed above or below the shoulders?

[BIXX]

I understand that for chest, one must keep hand wider than shoulder. But should the hand be placed above or below the shoulders?


I would say try all. I think that each one would add a little in it's own way by working the same muscles in slightly different ways.

However, higher will do the most for your chest I believe.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

In my experience, you don't tend to feel a specific 'burn' in the middle parts of your chest. You tend to feel the burn in your triceps and outer pecs, because they take a lot of the strain and are smaller, less well protected muscles than your major pecs (the middle bits).

If you are doing push ups, you will be effecting effort on the part of your pecs, so I wouldn't change too much tbh. Try to make sure your grip is not too wide, nor too forward, and make sure your hands are pointing forwards and you're not letting your legs or ass sag. Good press ups with good posture will definitely hit your chest.

[bropasaran]

Incline push-ups are less likely to develop your inner pecs. You should do decline push-ups, because they do primarily lower part of the pecs.

Pecs don't have "outer" and "inner" part, they just two big muscles that connect the upper arm to the sternum and collarbone. So, a pec is only "divided" (only relatively speaking, for classification) into the upper and lower part based on what it connects to, if it connects to the collarbone, that's the upper part of the pec:

http://cdn.scoobysworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/RibCageTorsoUpperPec500-293x300.jpg

if it connects to the sternum, that's the lower part of the pec:

http://cdn.scoobysworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/RibCageTorso500-293x300.jpg

Whenever you work the pecs, you'll work both the upper and the lower part, because it's the same muscle.

You can target the upper part or the lower part by using gravity, so doing incline push-ups will target the the upper part, and doing decline will target the lower part. Notice that the inner pecs are part of the lower part of the pecs, that connects with the sternum, so targeting the upper part makes it harder to reach your goal. You should do decline push-ups (normal ones, without raised feet), and if you go to gym- normal and decline bench press, not incline, and also cable crossover.

But being that the same fibers go from the arm to the sternum, you can't taget the inner pecs. You can't use gravity there. A fiber will grow naturally, along it's lenght, and it's growth is genetically determined, e.g. will you have the "hole" in the lower inner part of the pecs of will it fill up completely. If if turns out that even with all the exercise you still have that small "hole", or a shape of muscle you don't like, or something simila, well, tough luck, afaik, the only way you can bypass such things is by growth hormon and steroids, and maybe not even with that.

Basically, just work out, and in time the inner part of the pec will grow.

To help growth, exercise properly. You probably know of these advices, but nevertheless, firstly- use slow moves- do slow reps, this is a precondition for some other advices.
- Concentrate to maintain proper form and on the muscle working, this also activates nerves throughout the muscle, increasing and levelling growth, and strengthens the nerves thus increasing overall strength.
- Keep constant tension in the muscle during the whole set- e.g. don't lock out the elbow during the push-up, and don't you put your body on the floor during push-up. Go through as much range of motion as you can without doing those things, so you don't let the muscle rest. Make sure that you don't let your wheight fall during retraction, rather carry it down slowely, it's even good for the retraction to be slower then contraction, because the a muscle works more during retraction then during contractino.
- Do alternating sets- one month do sets of 12 reps, the next month do sets of 5 reps, thus triggering both types of growth, both sarcoplasmic and muscle fiber growth, both are important and complement each other.
- Exercise until failure. That means doing as much sets as you can until you can no longer do a rep while maintaining proper form.
- Rest properly- the day you exercise get no less then 8 hours of sleep, and after a finished training get no less then two 8 hour spleeps between doing another training for the same muscles, it best if it's three or even four nights.
- And lastly, eat enough protein to grow, most importantly in the evening after the training, but also in the two or even three days following it.

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[Thanatos]

Thanks for the great posts, everyone.

Pushups are certainly very, very useful. I am finding it out - wider ones develop outer pecs. But I am wondering why I still can't get the separation line in the middle of the chest - would narrow grip pushups help? This is what I mean by middle - I know chest muscles are all one, but I am looking for the separation line.

[bropasaran]

As I said- the same fibers go from the arm to the sternum, you can't taget the inner pecs. A fiber will grow naturally, along it's lenght. Just work out, and in time the inner part of the pec will grow.

Wider push-ups work the pecs, do them using the advice that I gave, and the inner part will grow in time. The narrow push-ups work triceps more then pecs.

[The Jay]

Do dumbell flies and squeeze at the top. Just be sure you can handle the weight.