The Benefits of Chest Workouts and a Strong Chest

So you don’t know all of the benefits of chest workouts and you don’t know they’re right for you. Maybe it’s because all of the chest machines are always taken by sweaty guys at the gym and you never really got a chance.

Maybe you’ve always trained chest and never gave it any real thought. Or maybe you’re a woman who always thought training chest was just for guys.

Regardless of who you might be, you’ve come to the right place. I’m glad you’re considering training chest. Because you should. Now let me tell you why.

Anatomy of the Chest

Pectoralis major is the largest and most visible of these muscles, so when you look at a chest it’s most likely pectoralis major you’re looking at.

What are the Chest Muscles used for?

The importance of chest muscles is to bring about movement at the shoulder joint. In essence, they move the upper arm.

Pectoralis major generally functions to move the upper arm from the side of the body to the front.

Pectoralis major has two heads which go in slightly different directions. The clavicular head moves the upper arm upwards, whereas the sternocostal head moves the upper arm downwards. These heads give the distinction between upper chest and lower chest.

Pectoralis minor functions to stabilize the scapula and pull your upper limb forward to reach things that are far away.

Because these muscles attach to the ribs, they can contract to elevate the ribs to assist in breathing. This function of the chest muscles is important especially during intense physical activity where the body is using accessory muscles of respiration for deep inspiration.

These large chest muscles also act as a supportive bed for all of the tissues over them such as the overlying mammary/breast tissue.

The Benefits of having a Strong Chest

Now that we understand the function of the chest muscles, we can now understand the implications of strengthening them.

1. A Strong Chest Improves Performance in the Gym

The chest muscles function to move your upper arm, so if we strengthen them all of the movements you make with your upper arms will be easier. This is easy to see when you’re in the gym and and can actually visualize yourself getting stronger as the weights you’re using feel lighter over time. That’s because you’re stronger chest muscles help you lift them easier.

Whether you’re doing pushups or benchpressing heavy weight you’ll notice improved performance. A stronger chest won’t only improve chest exercises but it will improve exercises such as shoulder presses where the chest assists in the movement.

The chest muscles also function as antagonists and stabilizers in many back exercises so you’re sure to see an overall increase in your entire upper body strength.

You’ll also be able to perform better on cardiovascular exercises because you’ve strengthened some of the accessory respiratory muscles.

2. A Strong Chest makes Daily Activities get Easier

You use your chest muscles everyday but you don’t even notice. They weren’t built to move barbells. Every time you push something you’re using your pectoral muscles.

Whether you’re pushing a shopping cart, moving a couch or pushing your car when it’s broken down, you use your chest muscles every day. So strengthening your pecs will make all of these daily activities much easier.

And if you ever find yourself having to run, you’ll know you won’t run out of breath soon because the chest muscles are accessory muscles of respiration.

3. A Strong Chest Improves Posture

The chest muscles function to raise the ribs so a stronger chest muscle will lift the chest wall and result in improved posture.

However, it is important to avoid muscle imbalances as too strong chest muscles will pull your shoulders forward and result in a slouched position. Balance chest strength with back strength by focusing on pulling movements in addition to your pushing movements.

4. A Strong Chest Improves Breathing

The chest muscles attach to the ribs. That means when they contract they lift the ribs causing the chest and the lungs to expand. This is important during strenuous physical activity when you’re taking deep breaths. So by strengthening your chest muscles you’ll be able to breathe better and be able to perform better at cardiovascular exercise.

5. A Strong Chest is Aesthetically Pleasing

A stronger chest is a bigger chest and a bigger chest is more pleasing to the eye. That’s not just my opinion. The research actually shows that a larger chest is more attractive to the opposite sex, in both men and women.

This is because a larger chest accentuates the desired V-shaped physique in men. In women, the chest muscles lift and support the breasts. This, combined with the improved posture, results in a more attractive appearance.

So when it comes down to how we look we can’t ignore the benefits of chest workouts.

The Benefits of Chest Workouts

Having a stronger chest has a ton of benefits, but the process of getting a stronger chest has even more.

1. Chest Workouts Build Muscle Size and Strength

Of course if you train a muscle you’ll make that muscle stronger, as long as you’re continuing to progressively overload that muscle. So after we just discussed the reasons to have a bigger and stronger chest, it’s only obvious to want to have a chest workout.

But that’s not all. When you have a chest workout you’re also working out other muscles in your body. Everything from your arms to your shoulders to even your abs and your legs can get worked during your chest workout. You’ll end up building strength and size all over, so the benefits of chest workouts extend throughout your entire body.

2. Chest Workouts help you develop a Balanced Physique

If you neglect your chest workouts, and I’m not saying you are, the other muscles in your body will grow and develop more than your chest. This will lead to a lot of muscle imbalances which, for the easy part, aren’t aesthetically pleasing.

The real issue with muscle imbalances is that over time, as these muscles overpower the chest muscles at the shoulder joint, they’ll pull your shoulders backwards. Of course you know that this will affect your posture, but eventually these muscle imbalances will lead to injuries which will put your fitness goals, and life, on hold for a while.

Of course you can recover with good old fashioned medicine and surgery, but for the most part it’s best to just play it safe and train your chest.

3. Chest Workouts Burn Calories

If you’re trying to build muscle and burn fat then you should include some form of a chest workout in your exercise program.

1 minute of pushups can burn around 7 calories. Compare that to walking which burns around 7.6 calories per minute. Not a big difference right?

The big difference for fat burning comes because of the afterburn effect. This is the calories burned after you’re done resistance training in order to get your muscles to recover. This effect isn’t as present for cardio.

That means for a while after you’ve finished your chest workout you’ll be burning extra calories. So why not do it?

Whether you’re doing an entire chest workout or just using a chest exercise as part of your full body HIIT workout, you’ll be sure to burn a ton of calories.

4. Chest Workouts are Fun

There’s a reason why they say ‘Chest day is the Best day’ and that Mondays are officially international chest day. It’s because chest workouts are fun and we all look forward to them. That’s why all of the chest equipment in the gym are always taken.

Chest workouts can give you an extra challenge to overcome and another goal set your eyes on during your fitness journey. Above all, they add some more diversity and excitement to your exercise routine.

So why don’t you join in on the fun? You don’t know what you’re missing out on.

Should Women Train Chest?

At this point I’m sure I’ve already answered your question, but just in case you needed some more convincing I’ll summarize.

Chest Workouts build Muscle and Strength

Don’t worry if you think chest workouts will turn you into Arnold Schwarzenegger overnight. I wish they did. You won’t get bulky. Chest workouts will help you get that toned and defined physique you’ve been looking for.

If you’re already working out you’ll need to develop your chest muscles to avoid any muscle imbalances and avoid any injuries. Not to mention, these chest workouts will improve your strength to do day to day activities.

Chest Workouts help you become more Attractive

Developing your chest muscles will fix your posture. Additionally, the chest muscles will help support the breasts and prevent them from sagging. Don’t worry if you think chest workouts will reduce the size of your breasts. This has more to do with your total bodyfat composition and spot reduction doesn’t work.

Not to mention, the extra fat burning and full body muscle growth that come from a chest workout will take your physique to the next level.

Getting Started with Chest Workouts

The most basic chest exercise you can perform is a pushup. If you’re interested in doing a chest workout at home I’ll suggest this beginner workout:

Beginner Home Chest Workout

EXERCISE	NUMBER OF SETS	NUMBER OF REPS
Pushup	3	10
Wide Pushup	3	10
Incline Pushup	3	10

If this workout is too difficult for you, you can use easier pushup variations. On the other hand, if it’s too easy you can use harder pushup variations.

Now that you’re convinced about all of the benefits of chest workouts I’m sure you’re excited to hit the gym and make those valuable chest gains.

Why wait?

Here is a great chest workout to do at home without equipment, and if you’re up for a challenge here is everything you need to know to build your own chest workout program at home.

References:

Moore, K., Agur, A., & Dalley, A. Clinically oriented anatomy.

Hall, J., & Hall, M. Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology.