How much do you bench? This is the age-old question that anyone who works out will be asked. When training your chest, there’s no right or wrong movement for you to perform, as long as it’s with proper form. There are key benefits to training the 0chest with dumbbells and barbells.
The Muscular Anatomy of the Chest
The Pectoralis, or Pec for short, is the muscle group that makes up our chest muscles. The Pec begins at our sternum and then attaches to the upper portion of our humorous. Its primary role is to bring our humorous, upper arm bone, from behind our body to in front of our body, and to stabilize our shoulder. Movements like the bench press and chest flies are the best movements to train the muscle group.
Pectoralis Muscles
We can break down the Pectoralis Muscles into groups, the Pec Major and the Pec Minor. Both have similar functions that are important to understand.
Pec Major
The Pec Major is the chest muscle that we primarily see when thinking about a big chest. The Pec Major’s primary role is to bring our upper arm forward and closer to the middle of our bodies. Thus bench presses and chest flies are the best movements for activating and working the muscle. When performing either of these movements, it’s important to make sure that the pec is rising, meaning the muscle fibers themselves are shortening causing the muscle to bulge.
The Pec Major has two main parts: the upper chest, called the clavicular head, and the lower chest, called the sternal head. You can work these parts better by changing how you do chest exercises. For example, doing bench presses on an incline targets the upper chest, while flat and decline bench presses work the lower chest more. It’s important to use the right form to get the best results and avoid injuries. Keep your shoulder blades pulled back, your lower back slightly arched, and your elbows at a safe angle so your chest does most of the work.
Pec Minor
The Pec Minor is a smaller chest muscle that sits underneath the Pec Major. It connects the upper ribs to the shoulder blade and helps move the shoulder forward and downward. Even though it’s not as visible as the Pec Major, the Pec Minor plays an important role in stabilizing your shoulder and keeping your posture strong. If this muscle is tight or weak, it can lead to rounded shoulders and limit how well your chest and shoulders work together.
You can strengthen the Pec Minor with exercises like push-ups and dips, which also work the Pec Major. Stretching is also important to keep this muscle loose and prevent tightness. A good stretch for the Pec Minor is standing in a doorway with your arm bent at 90 degrees and gently leaning forward. Keeping the Pec Minor healthy and balanced helps you move better and avoid shoulder pain.
Chest Movements
Chest movements are exercises that target the muscles in your chest, mainly the Pec Major, to build strength, size, and endurance. These exercises also improve upper body stability and help with pushing movements, like pushing a door open or lifting something heavy. Whether you’re using a barbell, dumbbells, or machines, chest movements are key for creating a balanced and powerful upper body.
Dumbbell
Dumbbell movements, like dumbbell bench presses and chest flies, allow for a greater range of motion, helping to stretch and contract the chest muscles fully. Your goal when training with dumbbells is to get as big of a stretch as possible when training your chest and then get the dumbbells as close as possible when performing the movement. This, in turn, gives you a full contraction of the pec while working both your chest and shoulder stabilizers evenly. This is because dumbbell exercises allow each pec to work independently from the other. Resulting in a more balanced chest. In both strength and size.
PowerBlock adjustable dumbbells make these exercises even more convenient. Instead of needing multiple pairs of dumbbells, you can quickly change the weight with a simple adjustment, saving space and time. With PowerBlock dumbbells, you can get the most out of your chest workout in a smaller, more efficient setup.
The downside of using dumbbells for chest training is that they require more stability and control compared to barbells or machines. This can make it harder to lift as much weight as you would with a barbell, which might limit how much you can challenge your chest muscles. Additionally, if your stabilizing muscles, like the shoulders or triceps, are weaker, they may fatigue before your chest is fully worked, potentially limiting the effectiveness of the exercise.
Another challenge is that dumbbells can be more awkward to get into position, especially for heavier weights. Lifting them off the ground or getting them into the starting position for exercises like the bench press can be tricky and increase the risk of injury if done improperly.
Barbell
Barbell movements, like the bench press, are great for building chest strength because they let you lift heavier weights with more stability. Since both pecs are working together to move the weight, you’re stronger within this movement. In turn, you’re able to lift more and become stronger fast. PowerBlock offers a unique solution with its barbell attachment, which turns adjustable dumbbells into adjustable barbells
. This setup gives you the same benefits as a traditional barbell while saving space and offering more versatility. Using the PowerBlock barbell attachment, you can challenge your chest with exercises like flat, incline, and decline bench presses, making it easy to train every part of the chest without needing a full set of bulky equipment.
The downside of using barbells for chest training is that they can limit your range of motion compared to dumbbells. With a barbell, your hands are fixed on the bar, which means you can’t lower the weight as deeply or bring your arms closer together at the top of the lift. This may reduce how much your chest muscles are stretched and contracted during the movement, potentially limiting muscle activation.
Barbell training also doesn’t allow each side of your chest to work independently, which can lead to or worsen muscle imbalances. If one side of your body is stronger, it might take over during the lift, leaving the weaker side underworked. Additionally, barbells require a spotter for safety, especially when lifting heavy weights during bench presses. Without a spotter, there’s a higher risk of injury if you can’t complete a rep or if the bar slips. While PowerBlock’s barbell attachment adds versatility and convenience, these considerations still apply when training with a barbell setup.
Which is Better?
When setting up your home gym and planning your workouts, it’s important to include both unilateral and bilateral movements. These two types of exercises aren’t about one being better than the other; instead, they work together to give you a more balanced and effective workout. Unilateral movements, like dumbbell presses or flies, focus on working each side of your chest separately. This not only builds chest strength but also improves your shoulder stability and helps correct muscle imbalances. Bilateral movements, like barbell bench presses, allow you to lift heavier weights and build overall strength across your chest. Since both arms work together during these exercises, you can challenge your muscles differently than with dumbbells. By using both types of movements, you get the benefits of targeting stabilizer muscles and building raw strength. On your next chest day, try to include a mix of dumbbell and barbell exercises to make the most of your workout and see better results over time.
