The Physics of Fitness

Chapter Eighteen
Pectorals
& Serratus Anterior

The “Pectoralis major” is a fan-shaped muscle that covers the top third of the front of
the torso. Technically, it is comprised of three parts - called the “clavicular” fibers (“A”
below), the “sternal” fibers (“B”), and the “costal” fibers (“C”). These names identify the
origin of each particular group of fibers. The largest percentage of Pectoral fibers are
those that originate on the Sternum, while a smaller percentage originates on the
Clavicles and on the “Costals” (the ribs). The insertion of ALL the pectoral fibers is on
the upper part of the humerus (“D” below).

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When the arms are outstretched, it’s easy to see that all of the Pectoral fibers are
situated below the arm line. The Pecs are between the clavicles (which are parallel to
the arms) and the Abs. Not one bit of the Pectorals is above the clavicles.

The conventional wisdom, regarding the best exercises for the Pectorals, has been to
use an Incline angle for the “upper pecs”, a Flat bench for the center of the pecs, and a
Decline angle for the lower pecs. But, this is not entirely correct.

That belief would be reasonable, if the arms were attached to the torso, such that half of
the Pectorals fibers were above the arm line, and half were below the arm line. But - as
you can see - that is not the case. The graphic below-left is one that has been
circulated, suggesting which part of the Pectoral muscle the various angles benefit.
However, when placed alongside a human figure (below-right), you can see that this
belief is misguided.

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For a Pectoral exercise to be productive, the humerus must move toward the Pectoral
origins. There would have to be Pectoral origins above the arm line, for an Incline-
angled movement to be productive. But, since there are no Pectoral fibers above the
arm line, the Incline angle is almost useless for Pectoral stimulation. Only the flat and
decline angles move the humerus toward Pectoral muscle fiber origins.

In the photo above, the arrow is pointing to this lady’s Clavicular Pectoral fibers, which
are clearly visible (notice how they originate on her clavicle bone). These are the
Pectoral fibers that are highest on the chest. Yet, as you can plainly see in this photo, a
Flat Bench (Supine) Dumbbell Press engages them perfectly well. That is because
those fibers are parallel with the direction of humeral movement (in conformance with
the rule of alignment), and the humerus’ are moving toward the Clavicular fiber origins.

Also, remember my analogy of the “Leaning Tower of Pisa”, in Chapter 9. In the photo
above, we could substitute her left arm for the “Tower’, and you would be standing on
her left Clavicle (on the opposite side of the Tower’s lean), pulling the rope (the
Clavicular Pectoral fibers), preventing the Tower from falling, or pulling it upward.

A Flat Bench (Supine) Press (with dumbbells) is the “highest” angle you should ever
use, but a good argument could be made that it’s still “too high” an angle. It moves the
humerus toward the highest fibers on the chest - highest on the sternum and also the
clavicular fibers) - but not much else. In other words, it loads too few Pectoral fibers.

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In the photo below, you see a man doing a Flat Dumbbell Press, from a side view.
From this angle, you can see that his upper arms have moved toward the highest part of
his sternum. We know this because we can see that there are no more Pectoral fibers
visible “higher” (to the left of his arm), yet there is quite a bit more Pectoral muscle
visible to the right of his arm (all the way to the red line I’ve place there).

Now look at the photo below. Here you see the man performing a Decline Dumbbell
Press. Notice how his arms are moving toward the center of all his Pectoral origins
(indicated by the black arrow) - the area that is directly between the highest part of his
Pectorals and the lowest part of his Pectorals.

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When we perform a Decline Dumbbell Press - at this particular angle of Decline
(approximately 20 degrees) - we activate the largest number of Pectoral fibers, because
we are moving the humerus toward the area where the greatest number of Pectoral
origins originate.

All three “parts” of the Pectorals - the Clavicular, Sternal and Costal fibers - contract
when the arms are moved toward the area that is in the middle of his Sternum. This is
the single best angle of humeral motion, for engaging the greatest number of Pectoral
fibers at one time. If you only want to do only one Pectoral exercise, and stimulate the
greatest number of Pectoral fibers, this exercise - a 25 degree Decline Dumbbell
Press - would be a very good choice.

If you don’t mind doing two exercises for the Pecs, I would recommend either a Flat
Bench Dumbbell Press or a very slight Decline angle - like 10 degrees - for the higher
fibers. In a few minutes you’ll see the exercise I recommend for the lower fibers.

- - - - - - - -
In the photo below, you see a side view of a man doing an Incline Dumbbell Press.
Now, imagine that you can see through his right arm, and you’d see that his arm is
aligned with his chin and his neck. That is the direction in which his humerus is moving.
Are there Pectoral fibers on his chin or on his neck? Of course not. Yes, a small
number of Pectoral fibers may be assisting, but it’s impossible for them to play much of
a role. Remember the example of the man pulling the rope attached to the heavy box,
in the previous chapter? There’s simply no way for that man to pull that box in a
direction that is different from where he’s standing.

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The next time you’re working out with a friend, try this experiment. Place your hand on
the highest Pectoral fibers on your friend’s chest, when he’s doing Incline Dumbbell
Press, and do the same thing when he’s doing Flat Dumbbell Press. You’re bound to
feel that there’s more Pectoral contraction occurring in the upper fibers when he’s
doing Flat Dumbbell Press.

Here’s another little experiment for you. Right now, where you’re standing, flex your
“upper pecs”, with whatever arm position best allows you to feel that area contracting.
Chances are that you will not place your arm up near your chin or neck.

In fact, next time your watching bodybuilders doing Incline work at the gym, watch how
after they finish a set, they check their “pump” by moving their humerus across their
chest - but straight across, somewhere around the place it would be if they were doing
Flat Bench or slightly Decline. Instinctively, we KNOW where the Pecs contract. And
it’s not by putting our arm up near our neck or chin.

What about other angles for Pectoral muscle stimulation?

First, let’s be clear about what is meant by “angles” for Pectoral exercise. The Pectorals
don’t “know” whether you are lying on a Flat Bench or on a Decline Bench - or even
standing. They only “know” the direction in which they are moving the upper arm bones
(the humerus’) in relation to the torso. And the direction of humeral movement must be
(ideally) directly opposite the direction of resistance.

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So, when you’re doing a “Supine (Flat Bench) Dumbbell Press” (shown below), the
“angle” that you’re using is perpendicular to the torso - straight forward. But pushing at
a perpendicular angle (relative to your torso) does not necessarily require for you to be
on a flat bench. It depends on the direction of resistance.

If you were to use a pair of pulleys for your resistance (below), you can still push
perpendicularly to your torso, even though you’re sitting vertically. It’s all the same to
the Pecs. Again, your Pectorals only “know” the direction they’re pushing relative to
your torso. They don’t know which way your torso is facing.

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In both examples above, the arms are being moved straight forward by the Pectorals.
The angle of movement is the same in both exercises, relative to the torso. Both of
these would be called a “flat” direction of push - which references a “flat bench”, but
does not require a flat bench.

In the photo below, I’m doing a Decline Dumbbell Press. However, what matters is NOT
the bench I’m using. What matters is the direction in which I’m moving my arms,
relative to my torso. Since I’m using gravity as my resistance here, and gravity is
always vertical, I need to position myself on a Decline Bench so that I can push directly
opposite gravity, and also toward the center of my sternum.

The photo below-left also depicts a “decline angle press”, although with cables. Despite
having the torso in a completely different position, as compared to being on an actual
Decline Bench, the angle of humeral movement - relative to the torso - is not much
different than the angle above. Notice that the cable is moving in a horizontal direction,
but the angle of the bench is not vertical. If the bench were vertical, the movement
would be considered “Flat Bench”. But since the angle of the bench is slightly “back”, it
results in a direction of humeral movement that is considered “Decline”.

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So, from this point forward, when we talk about an “incline” angle, a “flat” angle or a
“decline” angle - in terms of Pectoral training - we are talking about a direction of
humeral movement, relative to the torso. We are not necessarily talking about a
particular bench being used.

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In the illustration above-right, I’ve drawn four arrows - starting at the shoulder joint -
indicating the best directions of humeral movement for training the Pectorals.

This is not to suggest that all four directions need to be used. It just means that any
direction of “push” (humeral movement) that ranges between “flat” to “extreme decline”
is acceptable for Pectoral training. These directions of humeral movement all move the
arms toward Pectoral origins.

Notice that an “incline” angle of push is NOT included. A “flat” direction of humeral
movement already moves the humerus toward the highest Pectorals fiber origins. Again
- there are no Pectoral origins above the shoulders or clavicles, so there’s no need to
move the arms in a direction where there are no Pectoral fibers.

Personally, I feel that even the “flat” movement isn’t necessary. The 2nd line (“A”), and
the lowest line (“B”), are the angles that I believe are best. These two directions of
humeral movement will work ALL the Pectoral fibers, including the Clavicular fibers.
But, if you like doing a “flat” angle press, it’s acceptable.

Obviously, it would be very difficult to perform an “extreme decline” angle press (“B”
above) on a bench - with dumbbells. It would be difficult enough just getting ON a
bench that is set at that severe a Decline angle. Then, getting a pair of heavy
dumbbells in position to begin the exercise - without getting injured in the process -
would be even more challenging. Plus, having one’s body turned so “upside down”
would also be very uncomfortable. Fortunately, we can easily re-create that same angle
by using cables - shown below. Notice how I’m moving my arms in the “B” direction,
referenced above.

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This angle is similar to the direction of push used during Parallel Bar Dips, but it’s much
better than actually doing Dips in several ways. During Parallel Bar Dips, it’s pretty
much impossible to maintain one’s torso at the angle shown above. This is because the
weight of the hanging legs, pulls the torso into a more upright position. As much as one
might try to hunch over like this, it’s still not quite the same torso angle shown above.

Also, when using cables like this, you can choose the weight that is appropriate for the
number of reps you want to do. I usually start very light, and do 30 reps as part of the
warm up process. Then, I add a little bit of weight and do 20 reps. I keep adding
weight, and doing fewer reps, until I get to a weight that challenges me for 6 or 8 reps.
It’s impossible to have this kind of rep range (in terms of resistance options), when
doing Parallel Bar Dips.

Most importantly, I can bring my arms out (laterally) as I stretch my Pecs, and then I can
bring my arms inward (toward the midline of my body), as I contract my Pecs (shown
below). This is impossible when doing Parallel Bar Dips because the bars don’t move.
Some people “think” that keeping the elbows wide when doing Dips does the same
thing. It does not. The hands, along with the forearms, need to move laterally (out to
the sides), and then inwardly, until the hands are together at the midline of the body.

The direction of resistance, when doing Dips, is straight vertical. When doing Decline
Cable Press, the direction of resistance is upward, but with a distinct outward (lateral)
angle. This provides more resistance (opposition) when the Pectorals are contracted,
as compared with Parallel Bar Dips.

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By keeping the forearms parallel to the cables throughout the movement, you can
maintain the forearms in the “neutral” position (as the secondary lever) and focus all
your attention on loading the Pecs.

In the photos above - the man doing Parallel Bar Dips - you can see that his arms
(elbows) tend to go “back” when he descends, rather than “out” (laterally). This is
because the Dip Bars don’t move outward, the way cables do. The best way to work
the Pecs is by allowing the humerus to move outward (laterally) - away from the
Pectoral origins on the sternum - and then inward, toward the midline of the body. The
“wide” vertical lines on the photo above-left indicate where my hands and elbows are, in
the stretch phase of Decline Cable Press. Compare that to the vertical lines indicating
where this man’s hands and elbows are. In the photo above-right, the vertical lines
indicate where my hands are upon completion of the movement, when doing Decline
Cable Press. Compare that to the arrows, indicating where this man’s hands are upon
completion of his range of motion, during Parallel Bar Dips.

When doing Dips, it’s impossible to make the humerus go out laterally, and still keep the
hands and forearms under the elbows. In other words - the hands, forearms, elbows
and upper arms ALL should all move outward, laterally (with the resistance), in order to
follow the pathway of the Pectoral fibers. But, because Dipping Bars are restrictive in
this sense, you are forced to move the humerus posteriorly (toward the rear), which
loads the Anterior Deltoids, more than the Pectorals. In fact, it overloads them, since

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“bodyweight” is actually far more weight than the average person can handle, in terms
of Anterior Deltoid strength.

Below, I am demonstrating a Decline Dumbbell Press. From this same angle, so you
can see that I am keeping my forearm neutral (vertical / parallel with gravity), throughout
the entire range of motion - from beginning to end. You can also see the ideal range of
motion. The point of maximum descent should not go lower than this (photo below left),
when using very weight. This prevents over-stretch of the Pecs, and avoids excessive
Mechanical Disadvantage and shoulder joint strain. Going lower is fine, when the
weight is “light”, and you are mostly warming up.

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Although you can vary the angle of the Decline bench, I prefer the angle that is
approximately 20 degrees. This corresponds to the “A” angle referenced above. I call it
a “slight” decline.

- - - - - - - -
An exercise we commonly see performed in the gym as part of a Pectoral workout is the
“Cable Crossover”, illustrated below. This angle of humeral movement is fine; it’s like
the “extreme decline” angle (“B”) shown above. However, the direction of resistance is
not so good. The pulleys are too wide, and too much to the side. This creates a
resistance curve that provides too much resistance at the conclusion of the range of
motion (at the point of contraction), and not enough resistance at the beginning of the
range of motion (the point of elongation). This is out of sync with the muscle’s natural
strength curve.

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The principle of “Early Phase Loading” requires that the resistance be greater during the
beginning of the range of motion - certainly during the first third of the range of motion.
That’s where skeletal muscles usually have the greatest strength capacity. In order to
create this resistance curve when using cables (for Pecs), the resistance should come
more from behind, rather than the sides. The pulleys would need to be closer together,
than the standard “Cable Crossover Machine” allows. Notice the pulley machine I’m
using above allows the pulleys to be about three feet apart, rather than the standard
(and immovable) width of eight feet of the Cable Crossover Machine.

Also, the forearm (as the “secondary lever”), should ideally be “neutral” (parallel with
resistance) throughout the entire exercise (when working Pecs). However, during
traditional Cable Crossovers, it tilts “outward” (laterally) quite a lot. This makes the
forearm too “active” during most of the range of motion. As a result, this loads the
Biceps almost as much as the Pecs. This is distracting, at best. At worst, it’s the “weak
link” in the chain.

Ultimately, the resistance curve provided by the Cable Crossover insufficiently loads the
Pecs during the Early Phase of the range of motion, and excessively loads the Pecs
during the latter part of the range of motion. It also wastes energy by loading the Biceps
isometrically.

I would rate the Cable Crossover a “5” (on a scale of 1 to 10) for benefit and efficiency
of Pectoral training. It’s not a terrible exercise, but certainly not one of the better
exercises, for the Pectorals.

- - - - - - - -
Any kind of Flat or Decline Press that uses a barbell is compromised for Pectoral
development, due to several factors.

The first has to do with the “range of motion”. When using a barbell for pressing, the
humeral movement stops far short of full Pectoral contraction at the top of the repetition,
because the hands are “stuck” on the bar. This prevents the humerus from finishing its
final 20 degrees of the Pectoral’s range of motion.

An incomplete range of motion is generally “not acceptable”. If we “forgive” the

Below, you can see the difference in the ending positions, between using a barbell and
using dumbbells. The dumbbells allow a much greater Pectoral contraction (more
complete range of motion), than does the Bench Press.

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Also, when using a barbell, we tend to focus on the bar touching our chest in the
descended position - rather than on what feels comfortable and natural for the shoulder
joint - what causes “enough” or “too much” Pectoral stretch. Conversely, when using
dumbbells - since there is no barbell that can touch the chest - we tend to focus on the
stretch of the Pectorals, and the comfort of the shoulder joint - a comfortable and
effective range of motion. When using dumbbells, we may choose to bring the elbows
lower than we would when using a barbell, or we may choose to abbreviate the range of
motion, without the “obligation” of having to touch the bar to our chest.

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The other problem with using a barbell for Pectoral development is that principle we
discussed in Chapter Six - “Ground Reaction Force” / “Friction Force”. When using a
barbell, we have an automatic tendency to push the hands upward and outward. This
is due to the fact that we are unable to pull the hands inward, toward the midline of the
body - as we can with dumbbells. This outward angle of humeral push, engages the
Triceps more, and the Pectorals less, than would be the case when using dumbbells.
So, although it may seem that you’re working the Pectorals harder, because you’re able
to use more weight than you could use with dumbbells, the Pectorals actually get a
lesser percentage of the load when using a barbell, as compared when using
dumbbells.

Lastly, there is also the issue of humeral “independence” - actually, the lack of it. When
the two arms share a single instrument (as in the Bench Press), the muscle that
operates that limb loses much of the cross-over benefit that could be gained from
having the arms working independently of each other - as they would with dumbbells.

- - - - - - - -
The Butterfly Machine (shown below) is not a “bad” exercise, but it is certainly not a
great one either. There are several versions of this machine. The version that allows
the arms to move a slight decline direction is a bit better than those which move the
arms straight forward. Also, the position of the elbows matters quite a bit, and this is
influenced by the handles on the machine. If the palms of the hands are facing forward,
it will automatically tend to rotate the elbows downward. Conversely, if the palms of the
hands are facing downward, it will automatically tend to rotate the elbows upward.

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The elbows should be held up (arrows, above-right), and kept along the same plane as
the direction of resistance, and the origin / insertion of the Pectoral muscle. If the
elbows are allowed to drop - to be positioned lower than the hands - then there will be
an automatic “external rotation” force on the shoulder joint, due to misalignment. This
was discussed in Chapter Seven. This could cause shoulder rotator strain.

Some Butterfly Machines have a “cam” which provides more resistance at the beginning
of the range of motion, and a gradual diminishment of the resistance as the range of
motion nears its completion. This is good, because it would comply with “early phase
loading”. The height of the seat should be set so the hands are never higher than the
shoulders.

- - - - - - - -
The exercise shown below - Seated Cable Front Press - is primarily an Anterior
Deltoids exercise, but - since the Clavicular Pectoral fibers are directly alongside the
Anterior Deltoids - the Clavicular Pectoral fibers get a fair amount of work during this
exercise as well.

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During this exercise, the humerus moves from a low position (alongside the torso),
forward and upward - TOWARD the clavicles - but not going higher than the clavicles.
The origin of the Anterior Deltoids, and that of the Clavicular Pecs, are both on the
clavicles. All muscles move their operating lever (limb) toward their origin.

The Anterior Deltoid’s origins are on the lateral aspect of the clavicles, and the
Clavicular Pectoral origins are on the medial aspect of the clavicles. The Anterior

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Deltoids and the Clavicular Pectoral fibers often participate together in various
movements.

- - - - - - - -
Pectoralis Minor
The Pectoralis minor is not commonly discussed in bodybuilding circles, because it is
not a primary physique muscle. In fact, it is arguably not even a “voluntary” muscle. We
cannot control it deliberately, because it does not cross a joint we can intentionally
move. It is small, and lies beneath the Pectoralis major, so it cannot be seen

Its origins are on the 3rd, 4th and 5th ribs (below left) - and its insertion is on the
coracoid process of the scapula. It does not tie into the humerus at all, so it does not
have any effect on the humerus (the upper arm), the way the Pectoralis major does.
Rather, it stabilizes the shoulder blade - pulling it forward against the thoracic wall. Its
contraction is involuntary, and works synergistically with other muscles. It also has
almost no capacity for growth. So, it’s not a muscle with which we need to concern
ourselves.

- - - - - - - -
Coracobrachialis

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This is a very small muscle, which crosses the shoulder joint, so it participates (mildly
assists) in humeral flexion and adduction. These are movements during which the
Pectorals and Anterior Deltoids do the primary work. This is why I chose to include it
here, in the “Pectoral” section - even though it’s hardly worth mentioning from the
standpoint of Pectoral development. It almost looks as if it’s part of the Biceps, except
that it plays no role in elbow flexion, because it does not cross the elbow joint.

It helps pull the humerus forward, upward and slightly inward, and it stabilizes the
humeral head in the Glenoid socket. It’s origin is on the coracoid process, and it inserts
onto the humerus. It is not a muscle that can be isolated. It only works in conjunction
with other muscles, and only as a minor assistant.

In the photo below (yes, my arm), it looks like a short rope, at the upper end of the
biceps, right before it tucks under the outer edge of the Pectorals.

- - - - - - - -
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 Serratus Anterior

The Serratus anterior is a muscle that originates on the upper eight ribs, stretches back
posteriorly, then attaches to the medial (the inside) edge of the scapula. The
attachment on the ribs is the “origin”, and the attachment on the scapula is the
“insertion”. The reason for this distinction is that an “origin” always refers to that which
is more stable, and an “insertion” refers to that which is that which is more mobil. The
Serratus anterior cannot move the ribs back toward the scapula. Rather, it pulls the
scapula forward, toward the ribs. It stabilizes the scapula, and pulls is against the back
of the ribcage - against the posterior side of the “thoracic wall”.

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This muscle is sometimes called “the boxer’s muscle”, because boxers tend to have
well developed Serratus muscles. Notice the Serratus anterior, visible on professional
boxer Manny Pacquiao, below left. Also notice that despite this muscle being so vast,
only the smallest part of it is visible through the skin. Most of the Serratus anterior is
covered with layers of other muscles.

It’s extremely difficult to isolate the action of the Serratus anterior, because it performs
mostly a stabilizing function, rather than a deliberate movement. Unlike the Biceps or
the Triceps - where the movement produced by that muscle is easily identified and
executed - the Serratus primarily acts as a stabilizer while other muscles perform their
primary task. The closest thing to a “movement” that can be associated the Serratus
anterior is a thrusting forward of the shoulder carriage, as would occur when
“punching” . But even this action is not solely executed by the Serratus anterior.

The exercise below - a forward thrust of the shoulder carriage, while lying on a flat
bench - is sometimes recommended for development of the Serratus anterior. This
action “protracts” the scapula, which means it rotates the scapula forward.

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However, it’s safe to assume that Frank Zane, the legendary bodybuilder shown above,
never did this movement. Zane and the other bodybuilders of the era all performed the
same basic exercises, yet Frank Zane was the only bodybuilder whose Serratus
anterior was most pronounced. This suggests that it was mostly a genetic advantage,
which allowed Zane’s Serratus to be so visible.

The Serratus anterior engages during several traditional exercises. For example, the
movement above could be considered the final part of a Flat Bench (Supine) Dumbbell
Press. After the humerus is fully extended upward, the shoulder carriage can then be
pushed forward as well (…as opposed to leaving the scapula flat on the bench). Still,
it’s doubtful that Frank Zane intentionally added this extra movement to the end of his
standard Flat Bench Dumbbell Press.

The Serratus anterior engages any time the scapula needs stabilizing, and that includes
most Pectoral exercises - which is why I’ve included this muscle in this chapter. It also
engages during some front shoulder (Anterior Deltoid) exercises.

Some people believe that a good exercise for the Serratus anterior is Pullovers (shown
below). It’s true that the scapula requires stabilizing during Pullovers, so the Serratus
do participate here as well. However, the function of the Serratus is more that of
upward scapula rotation, so the opposite direction of movement - a forward (and
upward) raise of some sort (e.g., an Anterior Deltoid movement) is more likely to engage
the Serratus than is a Pullover movement.

In my 40+ years of competing in bodybuilding, my observation has been that some

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Therefore, my recommendation is to not focus much (if any) direct effort on the Serratus
anterior, unless you are participating in a physical therapy program to correct a “winged
scapula” (a shoulder blade that protrudes posteriorly, when simply standing), or other
dysfunction. The Serratus will become activated, to the degree that your genetics
allows, simply my performing exercises for the other major muscle groups.

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