The pectorals consist of two parts, the clavicular (upper) portion and the sternal (lower) portion. The upper part is attached to the clavicle (collarbone). Along the mid-body line, it attaches to the sternum (breastbone) and the cartilage of several ribs. The largest mass of the pectorals starts at the upper arm bone (humerus), fastened at a point under and just above where the deltoids attach to the humerus. The pectorals spread out like a fan and cover the rib cage like armor plates. Attached to the rib cage in the center and across to the shoulder, this muscle lets you perform such motions as pitching a ball underhanded, doing a wide-arm Bench Press, twisting a cap off a bottle, swimming the crawl stroke, and doing parallel bar Dips. In addition, because of its attachment to the humerus, it plays a large role in movements like Chinning. There is, in fact, a prominent interdependence between chest and back muscles. The chest will not reach its full potential size unless the latissimus dorsi muscles of the upper back are fully developed.
Basic Function: To pull the arm and shoulder across the front of the body.
The Subclavius, a small cylindrical muscle between the clavicle and the first rib
Basic Function: To draw the shoulder forward.
The serratus anterior, a thin muscular sheet between the ribs and the scapula.
Basic Function: To rotate the scapula, raising the point of the shoulder and drawing the scapular forward and downward.
Chest exercises coming soon...
Back