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The most difficult area on the body to focus on making it grow is the upper chest. When compared to the mid and lower muscle groups, it needs a lot more stimulation and involvement in exercises.
This is why, if you want to achieve a full look of the upper part of your body, you need to focus on trainings on the chest and movements which will effectively work for the upper part of your chest.
Of course, we do not need to mention that the strength of the upper body will not only male you look better, but will also aid you in all of your major lifts.
You have probably used some dumbbells or cable flies in order to make your upper pecs grow, but if you are reading this article, it probably means you have failed at it too.
Well, believe it or not, the best way to focus on your upper pecs is to start with some basic moves. This is why we give you the best exercises to complete your upper chest and perform with the maximum gains.
1. Incline Cable Fly
you may not have known this, but the cables provide something more than the dumbbells, and it is a constant tension of the fibers in the upper chest muscles.
Thats what makes this exercise so good for you. It focuses on a particular muscle group. After completing the sets of the heavy compound movements, it is recommended to continue on with incline cable flies.
Take the handles, put some weight on them, and lie on a bench while trying to pull the arms straight in front of you. Make sure you keep a slight angle at your elbows, so you can feel the stretch.
Your body should remain neutral, and only the arms and chest should be involved. Contract for several seconds while you put your arms in front of you, then release while putting your arms in the primary position on both sides of your body.
2. Variations of the Incline Cable Fly
so, you basically get a lot from this exercise, and all of the perks are the same as the original exercise we have previously mentioned, these are just the variations.
All you need to do is hit all the angles from the bench in order to get the best out of it. Move your body a litle higher or lower in order not to leave out the smaller muscles from this group and maintain a good figure.
The movements of your arms may also vary. Try one arm at a time, or pull both your arms halfway through, not all the way in front of you like in the first exercise. You will definitely notice a difference.
3. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
if you want to stabilize your shoulders and core, the dumbbells are the way to go. With this exercise you can also focus on the smaller groups of muscles which are usually not very much activated through most of the exercises.
What you do here is lie on an incline bench with dumbbells in each of your hands, and place them on your things. Then you lift them up to your shoulders with palms facing away from you and elbows maintaining a 90 degree angle.
Control your position, generate the force in your chest and breathe evenly while you do this exercise.
4. Landmine Chest Press
it is quite important not to get stuck in a routine, so every once in a while you need to do some unconventional exercises as well.
The first version is the unilateral version, which is a great tool when it comes to improving the balance of the muscles.
All you need to do is grab the bar with both hands, and create a solid base. Slightly lean towards the bar and start pushing it further away from you. The spine should be neutral, elbows tucked in and chest tight.
5. Another version of the same exercise is the seated version. You do everything like the previous exercise, only you are seated.
This exercise is good for improving your stability and strength of the core. These two exercises combined adress the weakest parts of the chest area.
6. Incline Barbell Bench Press
this exercise is highly efficient builder of mass, and it can make your chest burn like no other exercise.
To achieve more linear progress, you use barbell instead of dumbbells. This way you gradually increase the weight. To do this exercise, all you need is to lie on an incline bench, 30 degrees angle, with feet flaton the ground.
Grasp the bar shoulder width apart and hold ir over your chest and head. Flex your elbows to make it reach your chest, and then push it up again. Do not let the bar start bouncing off your chest.
7. The alternative to the previous exercise is for those who want to get optimal results. Make sure you include this exercise with the workouts which deal with a lot of volume and some moderate weight.
You can lift the bar nigher or lower, add more weights if you want to. Listen to your body and see how much you can achieve now, so you can know from where to start.
8. Incline Hammer Strength Machine
when it comes to this particular machine, it has been designed to help you achieve a complete contraction of the muscles in your upper chest.
You simply need to position yourself, grasp the handles right in front of your chest, lift the weight up and slowly press it down again.
Remember to make sure you never drop the chin because by doing so, you transfer the power from your upper pecks to your front delts.
9. Giving the fact that both the machines and free weights have its own sets of advantages, the advantage of the previous exercise is that the alternatives of it can be really useful for people who have previously suffered a back or shoulder injury.
You can always adjust the machine to your needs and create an exercise which will target your upper pecks from angles you cant reach with other exercises.
It is best to start your chest workout with the incline barbell and dumbbell press and once you reach a level of fatigue in your upper pecks, switch to the exercises which will help you achieve a hypertrophy at an optimal level.