A great number of people are blissfully unaware of the amazing benefits of chest cable workouts. Although standing cable flys are an impressive workout, most lifters are only doing these. However, they are losing out on other chest exercises that are very beneficial, such as various types of flys. In this blog, we’ll discuss the many advantages of using a cable machine for cable chest workouts and then share some of the greatest cable chest press and workouts to add to your routine.
CHEST’S ANATOMY & FUNCTION
The pectoralis major and pectoralis minor are the two muscles that are in the chest area. Both encompass the front portion of the upper body. Since the anterior deltoid, or front of the shoulder, muscle fibers are exercised with the majority of pressing actions, we have also included them here. Alongside this, these add to the overall appearance of your chest in addition to the pec muscles.
PECTORALIS MAJOR
The pectoralis major, sometimes referred to as the pec major, is a large fan-shaped muscle slab. The larger of the two pectoral muscles makes up the majority of your chest. Your clavicle, or collarbone, travels to your humerus, or upper arm bone, and then returns to your sternum, or breastbone, forming two pec majors, one on each side of your chest.
Anatomically, the pec major is one muscle, yet it contains two different sets of muscular fibers. The pec major’s upper and lower heads are yours. That’s the reason you hear the phrase “this exercise can be beneficial for the upper chest” so frequently.
To further understand why each head is focused during workouts, we have further discussed its intended function.
Sternocostal Head
The sternum gives birth to the sternocostal head, sometimes referred to as the lower head, which integrates into the humerus. It truly constitutes the bottom and central section of your chest, making up 80% of the entire size of your pec major. Its primary functions include internal rotation of the humerus and shoulder adduction, which move your arms towards your body’s midline.
Clavicular Head
The clavicular head, often referred to as the upper head, originates from the collar bone, the clavicle, and eventually ends in the humerus. Although it helps with the same movements as the sternocostal head, its primary purpose is shoulder flexion, or raising of the arm.
Pectoralis Minor
Beneath your pec major is a little triangle muscle (one on each side) called the pec minor. It emerges from the third to fifth ribs of your rib cage and enters into the coracoid, a tiny protrusion that resembles a hook at the crown of your scapular.
Because of its attachment site, the pec minor resides on your anterior side, yet its primary job is to govern tissues on your posterior. It specifically aids in scapula stability, protraction, depression, internal rotation, and downward rotation. Your pec minor acts as a form of stabilizer for any physical activity that targets your pec major. Similar to how your scapular shoulder blades hold a vital role in supporting your shoulders during chest workouts. This type of muscle is a stabilizer muscle.
Nevertheless, certain workouts emphasize the pec minor more than others, which might serve to fortify it even more. For instance, exercises that require you to drag your shoulder blades down or bend your upper body forward, like cable flys or decline presses in split stance, will increase the activation of the pec minor. A strong pectoralis minor increases shoulder and scapular stability, making you more injury resistant when performing any pushing exercise, which is why we’ve included a few movements like this in our list of the greatest cable chest exercises.
Serratus Anterior
Despite not being a component of your chest, your serratus anterior is crucial for chest exercises, particularly cable exercises, which enable you to have greater scapular movement because your shoulder blades are not constantly positioned against a bench.
The saw-like muscle below your armpit and close to the bottom of your chest is called your serratus anterior. Your low body fat percentage will be evident. The serratus anterior is engaged whenever you extend your arms forward because it pulls the scapular forward round your thorax. Additionally, as you go overhead, it gets triggered. Just be aware that because they include scapula protraction, many cable chest workouts will also work this muscle.
The superior, middle, and inferior sections comprise the three components of the serratus anterior.
The first and second ribs are the starting point of the superior portion of your serratus anterior, which integrates on the side of the blade of your shoulder close to the top. Beginning at your third, fourth, and fifth ribs, the central section of your serratus anterior inserts on the side of the blade of your shoulder close to the bottom. The inferior portion of your serratus anterior attaches to the bottom angle of your shoulder blades, originating from your sixth through ninth ribs.
You may feel the serratus anterior under your armpit, to the sides of your lats, and beneath your chest. When the arms are raised and the serratus anterior is exposed, a person with little body fat will appear sexily developed. Nevertheless, the serratus anterior is crucial for maximizing appropriate shoulder mobility and is not only there to make you look beautiful.
Why strengthen Serratus Anterior?
Your core’s appearance is enhanced by the serratus anterior, which completes the image of a toned, well-defined midsection. More significantly, though, it is in charge of several movement-related processes. The serratus anterior is an important muscle that stabilizes and facilitates the proper mobility of your scapula whenever you push forward or raise your arms. This is because it is attached to the shoulder blade. This indicates that the serratus anterior is engaged when you press yourself during a workout at the gym or just when you reach up or forward to grasp something.
Maintaining the strength of your serratus anterior is crucial as it aids in safeguarding your scapula, or shoulder blades. You may lessen your risk of neck, back, and shoulder pain and injuries by doing that.
Additionally, having strong serratus anterior muscles makes it possible for you to punch and swing as well as move your arms through their whole range of motion. Serratus anterior strength is something that you should really consider if performance is vital to you. Not to mention, breathing and keeping proper posture are much easier with a robust serratus anterior.
Sadly, there are many who disregard this muscle.
Serratus Anterior Exercises
You need to concentrate on it if you believe your serratus anterior isn’t strong enough or if you are not experiencing scapular winging during workouts. It is strengthened by most complex motions already. But if you want to look better or need assistance, there are muscle-building workouts that are mostly focused on body fat percentage.
These are a few workouts for the serratus anterior that are as isolated as they come.
Serratus Jabs
This exercise is beneficial for the serratus anterior due to its wide range of motion, similar to a resisted punch.
To activate the muscle, position yourself in a staggered stance and anchor the band slightly lower to press forward and slightly up. This will activate the serratus anterior through protraction and upward rotation of the scapula. Press forward to extend your arms fully in order to engage your serratus anterior. Then, rotate and expand your rib cage by drawing your shoulder blades around it. This exercise exaggerates the press by fully protracting the shoulder blade on the working side, making it a more effective exercise for the muscle.
Shadow Boxing
Boxers possess strong serratus anterior muscles due to the highest activation of the serratus anterior during punching. Protracting the shoulder blades during striking and defensive postures accomplishes this.
Even non-boxers can build their serratus anterior strength through shadow boxing or hitting the bag. To achieve this, throw punches with a full range, perform various types of punches, and switch stances. It’s essential to switch between right and left foot positions to maintain strength. Shadow boxing and hitting the bag are also a great cardio workout, burning calories and gaining lean muscle, which can improve the aesthetics of the serratus anterior. You can find the greatest punching bags on the market.
Scapular Push Ups
A scapular push-up involves moving the scapula back and forth without using the elbow. Throughout the exercise, the participant’s straight arms must retract and extend as far as they can, ending at the scapula.
There are other methods to do scapula push-ups, such as from a low plank or four-point stance, as well as one-arm variations. Selecting a variant that is both difficult and permits proper form is crucial. You may do ordinary push-ups with full extension if you don’t want to concentrate on scapular push-ups. Just be sure you completely extend your shoulder blades at the end of each rep. The best way to activate the serratus anterior is to press through the heel of your palms.
Banded Diagonals
Given that this resistance band workout mimics real-life motions, it’s good for the scapula and serratus anterior. The scapula moves smoothly by alternating arm motions. Grasp the ends of the band, lift your hands to shoulder height, and maintain a straight arm position to complete this exercise. Pull the band apart diagonally to make your bottom arm angled slightly downward and your top arm straight up. Restart at the beginning position slowly, then do it again. Because the band moves along the ribs, the exercise specifically stimulates the serratus anterior with the appropriate resistance.
Wall Slides
This exercise is a great way to activate the serratus anterior, a muscle that helps strengthen the upper body during overhead lifts. To perform this exercise, place a foam roller against the wall at eye level and engage your arms in a staggered stance.
Protract your shoulder blades by pushing away from the wall and rounding your upper back. Slowly slide your arms up overhead into a Y position and then back down while keeping your core tight. A helpful cue is to bring your shoulder blades out and around you as you slide up the wall. As you get stronger, lean further into the foam roller, ensuring the serratus anterior remains protracted throughout the exercise. Depending on what best maintains proper form and maximizes tension, you can perform this exercise with or without a micro loop resistance band and foam roller.
You may perform a variety of workouts to strengthen your serratus anterior, which is a secondary muscle. These routines will strengthen most people’s serratus anterior enough to negate the need for individual exercises. The ideal exercises for the serratus anterior are those that require pushing forward and above without using a bench for back support.
Cable Crossover
If you want huge pecs, the bench press might not be the ideal option. Without a doubt, barbells are excellent training equipment for building muscle and strength. However, they don’t have to be the beginning and conclusion of your workout. Workout routines should include exercises like the cable crossover to help you sculpt and form your pecs. Whether you are a bodybuilding nerd or not, there are a few advantages to this exercise that warrant its inclusion in any chest-focused routine.
All you’ll need to start using the cable crossover is, well, a cable crossover station with two movable “arms” or a movable vertical pin. Additionally, most gyms will provide a variety of grips so you may choose one that is comfortable for your hand. Standing is the preferred method for performing the typical cable crossover.
As a result, you want to raise or lower the cable pulleys until they are approximately shoulder level. When the handles are at the appropriate height, grasp one with each hand, step out a little, and slant your body forward just a little bit as though you were about to bend. The cable itself should be in line with your arm. Keeping your elbows relaxed and mostly straight. Extend your arms across the width of your body toward your midsection from the starting posture. By the conclusion of the repetition, your hands should be around sternum height apart.
Cable Crossover Variations
The cable crossover’s design allows you maximum customization to meet your demands. Feel free to try out one of these variants if you don’t like the exercise as given.
Single-Arm Cable Crossover
The opportunity to exercise each side of your body separately is one of the main advantages of training without a barbell. You can just execute crossovers with only one arm at a time if you have asymmetry in your chest evolution or if you want to focus more intently on the muscle tension on either side. During the set, be sure to utilize your free arm to assist support your body.
Low-to-High Cable Crossover
You may be able to work a different area of your pecs by changing the angle of your crossover. Abducting your arm from a low held stance is a valid way to showcase your pectoralis minor, or upper chest. This is a well acknowledged technique.
Standing Chest Press vs Lying Chest Press (Bench Press)
Two well-appreciated workouts that target your triceps, front delts, and chest are the standing chest press and the bench press (lying chest press). Although the lying chest press has assisted more lifters in developing their muscles and reaching great levels of strength. The standing chest press is often safer and simpler to learn.
Both of these exercises might be good options, depending on your objectives and situation.
Both the standing and the lying chest press are complex workouts, which means they target many muscles simultaneously. Since they are both workouts involving lateral pushing, the muscles they train will be similar as well.
The biggest difference between them is the instruments they utilize. In contrast to other machine exercises, the standing chest press is a machine-based workout. Whereas, lying chest press or barbell bench press is a free weight workout.
Standing Chest Press
The standing chest press is a versatile exercise technique that allows for focused training on worked muscles, promoting muscle growth. It differs from barbell bench press. Barbell bench press exercises employ heavier weights and an unlimited range of motion. The standing chest press’s stability allows for more focused training, allowing for more challenging exercises.
The lightest barbell in many gyms is typically 20 kg / 45 lb, making it difficult for everyone to begin their bench press training with that weight. Chest press machines, on the other hand, allow for smaller weight increments, making it easier to maintain movement control.
The stability of the standing chest press is a double-edged sword that can be beneficial in situations requiring extra movement control. Such as rehabilitating injuries in pectoral muscles or shoulder joints. The machine chest press also simplifies drop sets, eliminating the need to remove weight plates from the bar’s ends or get up from the seat.
It allows for more focus on working muscles. While also reducing the challenge of secondary, supportive, and stabilizing musculature, such as rotator cuffs. This may not be a significant concern depending on the individual’s goals, but it can reduce the need for lifting or applying force to unstable or free objects.
Lying Chest Press
The bench press, also known as the lying chest press or the barbell press is a classic upper-body lift. Athletes and bodybuilders have been using it for almost a century. It can be carried out on a level bench. With variations such as dumbbell bench press, floor press, and smith-machine bench press. The barbell lying chest press is a free weight with unrestricted movement, allowing for adaptation to individual body types. Stabilizing the bar requires extra work for the stabilizing musculature of arms, shoulders, and core.
The bench press is the most popular strength training exercise in the world. Making it an ideal choice for comparing strength with others. Additionally, it is utilized in a wide range of contests, including world championships and local meetings. Although not as stable as the standing chest press, the lying chest press is stable enough to challenge chest muscles, anterior deltoids, and triceps. Providing a good training effect.
Bench press is more complex than the chest press, making it more difficult for beginners to learn. However, experienced personal trainers can help individuals learn proper form within their first training session. The lying chest press is one of the most dangerous lifts in the gym, leading to several deaths every year. To mitigate risks, use safety racks or have a spotter to take the bar. Avoid bench pressing heavy weight alone without safety racks set at the proper height.
Cable Chest Workouts and its Benefits
For conducting chest cable workouts, especially those that target the pectoralis major muscle, a chest cable workout machine is a useful tool. By adjusting angles and attachments, it enables a variety of workouts, such as flys and upper chest cable exercises. Additionally, the gadget makes it simple to adjust one’s body posture, making benches and chairs useful. Unlike free weights, which have strength curves because of gravitational tension, the upper chest cable fly provides continuous tension. This makes it possible to employ tension time more effectively, which improves the chest training experience as a whole.
Cable machines are a versatile and effective tool for training the chest. Allowing for varied training variables such as angles and body positioning. These machines allow for targeting of each area of the chest, stressing muscles differently, and building strength through all planes of motion. They are popular among bodybuilders for isolation work due to their constant tension and ability to fatigue muscles faster.
Cable chest exercises may be modified by adjusting the cable’s angle, weight, and location. Ensuring that the arms work independently of each other. This helps to iron out muscle imbalances and asymmetries. Making it ideal for those with limitations or who want to work on specific ranges of motion. Cables also promote smooth, controlled movements, unlike barbells or dumbbells where jerky movements can get sloppy.
The versatility of cable machines makes workouts more efficient, allowing for quick changes in training variables and weight loads. They are safer than barbells. As they are easier on joints and can be easily adapted to failure. With cable machines, you can train to failure and achieve the most hypertrophy and strength benefits possible.