A lot of people want exercises to target their inner pecs so they can hold pens and pencils between their massive pecs. Here are my top three exercises to target the inner pecs:
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Thats right, there ARE none! Let me explain. Last week we talked about exercises that target upper and lower pecs. Muscles are attached to a different bone on each end so they can pull and cause motion. The pecs attach on the upper arm and then either to the collarbone (upper pecs) as shown below, or the sternum (lower pecs).
Incline type exercises work the upper pec, the part attached to the collarbone as shown above. Because the exercises listed below work upper pecs, the part attached to the collarbone, they do absolutely nothing for inner pecs:
- incline dumbbell press
- incline barbell press
- incline fly
- military press (if using backrest)
- dumbbell shoulder press (if using backrest)
- low cables
- pushups with feet raised
Now lets look at the lower pec, or the part attached to the sternum as shown below:
At least now we have a chance of working the inner pec because the lower pec attaches to the sternum where the inner pec can be found. As mentioned last week in upper and lower pecs, the motions that works this lower pec are the neutral angle like in a bench press or the decline plane like in a decline press. The following exercises will make the lower pec, the part attached to the sternum, bigger:
mid-pec
- flat dumbbell fly
- flat dumbbell press
- flat bench press
- mid height cables
- pushups
lower pec:
- decline press
- decline flys
- high cables
All these exercises will work the inner pecs. Do these exercises *target* the inner pec? No! But do they make the inner pec bigger? Yes! But they don’t make the inner pec any bigger than the outer pec or the middle pec! A chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Its just not possible to make the inner pec stronger or bigger without making that entire strand of muscle that reaches from the sternum to the upper arm just as strong. Although you can make the inner pec bigger, there are no exercises that *target* the inner pec!!!
Lots of people give exercises for the “inner pecs” but in my opinion, its hogwash. The only way to make your inner pecs big is to make your whole chest big. Just use a well balanced chest workout that hits the chest from all angles: neutral, incline, and decline. The above exercises listed for mid-pec and lower-pec are the ones that build chest mass – for inner, mid and outer pec.
Again, please note that I am intentionally ignoring the pectorals minor and its exercises. Because it is a small muscle which lies over the outer pec, it has nothing at all to do with the inner pec size.
Alles Klar?
