How to Build Your Upper Chest (NO FLYS | NO PRESSES!) – ATHLEAN-X™

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If you want to build your upper chest and traditional chest exercises like incline bench press and incline flys are too uncomfortable because of a shoulder injury, then this video is going to be extremely helpful. In fact, even if you aren’t injured, the upper chest exercise shown here will be a great addition to your chest workouts to help you start packing some mass onto the upper portion of your pecs in quick order.

To start, it helps to understand the anatomy of the upper fibers of the pectoralis major. The pec has both a sternal portion and a clavicular portion (as well as a much smaller costal region). The fibers of the upper chest are separately innervated and run at an oblique angle from the clavicle down to the biciptal groove of the upper arm bone or humerus.

That said, if you look just to the side you will also see the front delts. These neighbors of the pecs are more than just a different muscle. They are in close proximity because they share many of the same functions of the pecs. If you understand this, you can see that by stealing from some of the exercise options used to train the delts you can come up with chest exerise alternatives that are much more tolerated than traditional movements like the fly or incline bench press when injured.

The fly, done unsupported, has never been a top exercise choice for me. Not only is the risk to reward ratio low considering the athletic population that I train but even for the non athlete, removing some of the risk by performing the floor fly variation is a much better option. Not to mention, this version allows me to overload the eccentric and get much more out of the movement. That said, the anterior shoulder capsule gets put in a very vulnerable position at the bottom of the fly that is particularly aggravating to someone who has a shoulder injury already.

On the other hand, the incline bench press is phenomenal chest building exercise but one that becomes really difficult to perform if your shoulder is hurting. This is because the elevation component of the movement can lead to an aggravation of an existing shoulder impingement or rotator cuff tendonitis or strain.

If you perform the upper chest crossover shown in this video however, you can train the fibers of the upper chest without the potentially harmful components of the previously named exercises and not have to abandon your chest training all together. To perform this movement, simply grab a dumbbell and stand with it at your side. Bring it up as if you are going to perform a front delt dumbbell raise but instead of tracking in line with your shoulder, bring it across your chest at the same time.

This line of pull will engage the upper chest much more and turn this into an incredible exerise for your upper pecs. Though you may be using lower weight than you would in a traditional incline bench press you will likely be placing a much higher load on the chest muscle itself which is all that matters when it comes to building a bigger muscle.

Contract the muscle hard at the top and lower slow. Continue until failure on both sides to develop an evenly built upper chest. This may be one of the only exercises you can do depending on the severity of your shoulder injury at this time. That is ok. Keep your volume up without having to abandon your chest workouts all together and you not only will keep your chest strong but you will be able to bounce back from your injury much sooner.

For a complete training program that puts the science back in strength to get you faster results, head to and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System. Start training like an athlete and be amazed at how much better your body responds by doing so.

For more chest workouts and exercises for your chest, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at

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34 comments

iraQ June 23, 2020 - 12:19 am

Is this exercise enough to build the upper chest ? Thank you in advance

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WBD July 12, 2020 - 5:09 am

Does it matter or is it safer to do a hammer grip or supinated grip which is better and safer for the shoulder?? Thanks in Advance

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Pleasure1964 August 1, 2020 - 6:09 am

Thanks

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forjani trade August 6, 2020 - 5:59 am

Thanks

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BansheeMilk August 24, 2020 - 5:28 pm

Can u show me how to make my neck stronger so the skin doesn't sag?

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OnTheRiver66 September 1, 2020 - 12:00 am

I tried this and that part of my pecs burned when it never burned before! This is now part of my routine. Thank you!

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Aviv Abargel September 2, 2020 - 5:02 am

So why not just doing low to high cable flys!?

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Potatocrab22_ og September 15, 2020 - 12:50 am

One paper cut and my man done

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Teron Uy October 2, 2020 - 6:35 am

Love how it's science based. Great explanation. I completely understood it all.

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Kaio Hyzel October 26, 2020 - 1:21 pm

Bra, why is he so close to the Camera couldnt see what he was trying to teach…

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Ajay Pradhan November 2, 2020 - 2:31 am

How many reps in one day sir

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Advance Diesel Roadside November 7, 2020 - 3:26 pm

Keep up the good work, I have seen many of your videos and use your techniques at every workout. I have learned a huge amount from your videos. Thank you so much for sharing them with us.

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Kendrick Jamone November 25, 2020 - 9:02 am

what builds the direct opposit muscle same spot but the inside of the chest. I found out that that too can be worked on. I call it a flex exercise because of intentionally targeting it, but these will complete the move. As Ii see people workout II notice this part more. I want to build the muscle to strength, but round out the pectoral shoulder and back, but move the muscles so that my midsection is straight o my lower half. strengthen the hip sides round fat again for body aand added protection. complete e thigh to the knee round again around the knee so that its protected build shin to foot round again at the anklesand build the foot like I do my hands. My lifetime goal is that I would of completed the cycle of the body completely. But their are head and face exercises im learning as well………as the completed cycle would be work each muscle group in order safely. But eres dangers as you get into internal body muscles, Im tthinking in my hip and thigh exercises of diverting the pressure wich might result in bowel discharge as in the completed shoulder neck exercises will result in owing up Im trying to learn to control those muscles to not ruin bbut build internallly as externally….

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Terry's Twig Reviews November 28, 2020 - 10:50 pm

Just subbed great content

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ShaQuarn Stevens December 27, 2020 - 7:41 am

Jesus did my man

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Robert Panetta January 17, 2021 - 2:52 pm

The angle of the lift is everything. If you try this yourself free hand with one arm doing the lift and feeling the upper chest with your other hand you will feel the upper chest engage. Great for people with a shoulder issue. Thanks Jeff

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ghannou hossam February 15, 2021 - 5:00 pm

I have an empty space in this muscle lol

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Jeffrey Hanson February 24, 2021 - 3:09 am

Great insight and direction. Thank you!

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Jon Pearse March 11, 2021 - 7:36 pm

Is this the UCV raise? How have people doing it found their chest gains doing it?

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CHRIS SUPERHERO March 22, 2021 - 2:25 pm

Great explanation.

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RanKed0p3rativ3 March 24, 2021 - 2:12 pm

Hey jeff tell a way to fill out collarbone

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RanKed0p3rativ3 March 24, 2021 - 2:16 pm

Jeff:putting the science back in strength
Me:putting the muscle back in body

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iago07 May 10, 2021 - 6:07 pm

Gorgeous human. I love his hands!

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Rodney Mills May 21, 2021 - 9:15 am

Brilliant video, exactly what I was looking for, thank you.

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Danner mags June 9, 2021 - 9:31 pm

This movment with a soupinated grip is even better

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ashenafi janbo July 22, 2021 - 3:26 pm

The first person who's shows his upper chest by painting 🖌️ on his body 👅!

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mike hussey August 28, 2021 - 8:00 pm

I suffer with an old boxing injury in my shoulder. This is great. Thank you for the upload.

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AtoZbodyfitness September 3, 2021 - 1:46 am

chest flys with a band or on the dual pulley machine is the best way to get a great contraction. never liked flys and I always steered people away from doing them towards doing the pec dec or dual pulley. i mean if you really enjoy doing them then they're fine but there are better alternatives.

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richard gee September 7, 2021 - 12:30 am

Jeff all the information I am reading is pointing to osteoarthritis in the right shoulder it clicks pops grinding with some pain. Impingement.

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Al Grundau September 23, 2021 - 8:25 pm

Interesting……..There was this dude at our gym who was the only one that did those and he also did a thing where he would do a standing version of 2 handed narrow grip dumbell press bench press, but standing vertically, 2 hands on 1 dumbell. He said he did it for boxing. We all assured him regular flat benching was what he should be doing and he didn't need to do that weird 1 armed diagonal front raise either…..that he was wasting his time…..he also did lots of pushups…..Funny thing is he had a really muscular chest….AND he could beat us up!….haha….maybe he was on to something?

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Tony Wann October 26, 2021 - 4:12 am

Great video! 😎💪

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Walkin' Phoenix November 6, 2021 - 1:42 am

ncie

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Yossi Barzilai November 20, 2021 - 12:27 pm

It doesn’t work for me, I must be doing something wrong 🤨

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Scott Coe December 3, 2021 - 2:53 pm

Great focus… I’m trying to hide my clavicle bones!
Thanks Jeff!

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