The Guide on How to Get a Bigger, Wider Chest

Learning how to get a bigger, wider chest is one of the most sought-after things in the world of weight training. It’s one of the most prominent signs of serious strength there are, and it’s one that everyone can see as your hard work pays off. Arguably, that can make it the epitome of muscular prowess, and building it is something we need to know about.

Learning the science behind muscle building and your pectoral or chest muscles in particular and what they come together. It’s important stuff, and getting that magic formula is something we all strive for.

We’re here to help you get it too, by breaking down everything you need to know about how to get a bigger, wider and stronger chest muscle group, helping your performance soar, muscle mass boost and make your training more worthwhile than ever before.

Let’s do it.

Chest Muscles

The first thing we need to look at to boost those chest muscles is what actually makes them what they are. Dissecting the muscles that you’re working with and finding how to make the most of them. That’s the key to progress and choosing the right tools for the job. In this case, we need the right exercises.

There are always going to be exercises out there that are hailed as the best for what they do. Here, that’s things like pullovers, bench presses… your usual weight training classics. The only issue is that, once you’ve gained all you can from them or if you want to get one result, in particular, they may become too general. You need to be going the extra mile and putting in the wok to your weaker or less developed areas too. That’s the way we’re going to make the most progress.

Upper Chest Muscles

We’ll work from the top down to get started. Let’s look at your upper chest muscles in particular and how that can help get a bigger and wider chest. It’s one of the easier chest muscles to work, but it’s often overlooked because of that. You really can’t afford to miss it.

Taking a look at our favourite upper chest builders is an awesome place to start. It deserves an article all to itself after all, but we’ll sum it up here. We’ve got:

1.       Incline Bench Press

2.       Reverse Grip Bench Press

3.       Low to high cable flyes

4.       Incline Dumbbell Flyes

5.       Decline Push Ups

These 5 upper chest exercises are all total monsters when looking at how to get an overall bigger chest, and they’re all only slight variations to some of the classics too.

Lower Chest Muscles

You probably saw this coming, but part too of getting a bigger chest so the other half of your pectoral muscle grouping too. Your lower chest. It needs just as much attention as the rest of your chest, and sadly, it’s one of the most neglected areas too. There’s so much often wasted potential purely from people not knowing about it. We’re here to change that.

Just like before, we have an article dedicated to lower chest exercises too. These are the best of the best for what you could ask for, and they’re all tried and tested titans of chest training. Ensure your form is right and give the article a read for all of the info you need. The exercises are all based on moving the resistance in an upward like motion to really keep that contraction in the lower proportion of your chest.

To summarise it here though, the best exercises you’re going to need here are:

1.       Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

2.       High to Low Cable Cross Overs

3.       Incline Push Ups (add a resistance band for serious work)

4.       Chest Dips

5.       Decline Cable Chest Press

It’s worth noting here too though that the big players of chest day shouldn’t be forgotten about here either. Make sure you’re still using the compound classics to get results. These are just some specifics to get you the extra muscle you’re looking for in the best way possible to make the most of every inch of your pecs.

Fundamentals of Building Muscle

Before you go and make the best chest workout of your life with all of this newfound chest day knowledge, it’s also worth looking at the other half of the muscle-building battle too. Learning how to build muscle, in general, may be the best way to get a bigger chest after all. That comes from what building muscle is all about, no matter what the muscle is.

You need to be doing right by your training to make it pay off after all, and it’s vital that you do it for the best progress possible. It comes down to two of the biggest principles in exercise.

Calorie Surplus

The first point comes from your nutrition. We need to be looking at what is happening with the fuel you’re consuming and how that will impact your muscle building. It’s essential knowledge for the biggest muscle gain.

On the most basic line we can find, to build muscle, you need to remember that your body needs fuel to do it. That fuel has to come from surplus calories in your day. That is; calories left over after your maintenance calories and calories burned from exercise. Those extra 200 calories a day on top of that are what are going to be doing all of the building work.

Maintenance Calories + Calories burned From Exercise +250 Calories Per Day

On top of the sheer number of calories you need to be consuming (which depends entirely on you, so make sure you find that out ASAP with a maintenance calorie calculator like this), you need to do more too. That’s where you need to be looking at macro and micronutrients (but macro especially). Realistically, you need the magic rule of training.

More protein all of the time for muscle synthesis, healthy fats for recovery and good health, and carbs for fuel. More carbs when you’re training, less when you’re not.

Remember that. It’s valuable info. It’s also a good time to look at what makes the perfect protein shake too.

Progressive Overload

After fuel, building muscle is still about exercise too, and you need to do that in the right way. That’s where progressive overload comes into play.

Progressive overload is what your muscles need to make them grow. It’s what makes your body realise it needs to work harder and build strength, encourage muscle hypertrophy, and get your body building muscle. It’s the building block of the whole process, divided into different ways.

The best way to understand and make the most of progressive overload differently is using the pillars that are pushing yourself with:

• Weight – Heavier Weights

• Time – Longer contractions and more time under tension

• Frequency – Hitting the muscle group more often

• Intensity – Changing the volume of the workout, i.e. changing set styles

A key way to help with all of these also comes from set style variation too. That’s another big thing that’s worth looking at to truly optimise your chest building progress.

Ultimately, all of this comes together and answers how to get a bigger chest perfectly, creating a wider physique with much more muscle mass. Take note of all of it and use it to its fullest potential.

Good luck!

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.