Perfect pecs

Host: Grant Hackett

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

WATCH: What's Good For You, next Wednesday 8pm, Channel Nine

Every guy wants a big chest but big pectoral muscles are not just about masculine vanity. Strong pecs are important for upper-body stability and therefore good posture. So what's the best way to build those powerful pecs? WGFY tested out two training methods to take out the guess work and give you the secret to perfect pecs.

ARTICLE: Eat your way handsome

Weights vs boxing

Weights training and boxing are both good exercises for working the pecs, but each method develops the muscles in different ways. So which is best; a boxing program combined with light weights training or a program of heavy weights training?

Our two volunteers, Indigo and Travis, trained twice a week for one hour over eight weeks. We checked in and tested them before and after their program.

Indigo was assigned a personal trainer and underwent an eight-week program of heavy weights training at the gym. Travis did eight weeks of intensive boxing training combined with light weights training.

To see part three of the pecs video, go to What's Good For You videos

Quick facts

The pectoral muscles or pecs are the muscles behind your breasts, whether you're a man or a woman, they are called the pectorals.
The function of the pectorals is to pull the arm towards or across the front of the body. These are mainly used during pushing exercises and to create the fanning motion used to swing a racquet, swim freestyle stroke or throw a ball. Everyday tasks like pushing a lawnmower, pram and shopping trolley all rely on the pectorals.

Results
After eight weeks Travis and Indigo were measured and there was a dramatic change.

Boxing
Travis made great gains in his pectoral muscle endurance thanks to boxing's high repetition movements. He also topped the race to trim fat around the pecs thanks to boxing's exhausting cardio demands and a much higher initial body fat percentage.
Push-ups: Travis originally scored 23 but after boxing his new score was 45. This is an improvement of 195 percent.
Strength (dynamometer): Travis originally scored 19; his new score was 21, an improvement of 110 percent
Size. Travis' original average size was101.5cm; his new size was 98.5cm, an improvement of 3cm.
Muscle mass: Travis' muscle mass increased by eight percent.

Heavy weights
Indigo's heavy weights program came out on top when we compared his pectoral muscle mass and strength. Indigo's mass had increased by a whopping 15 percent.
Push-ups: Indigo's original score was 40 and after his heavy weights regime his new score was 60, an improvement of 150 percent.
Strength (dynamometer): Indigo's original score was 18 and his new score was 21.5, an improvement 120 percent.
Size. Indigo's original average size was 97cm his new average size was 94.5cm an improvement of 2.5cm
Muscle mass: Indigo's muscle mass increased by 15 percent.

Conclusion
The combined program of boxing and light weights is good for building endurance in your pecs and for people who need to burn excess fat. But for the fastest, most efficient method of building the perfect pecs, the heavy weights program wins hands down.

What's your secret to perfect pecs? Comment below.

User reviews

Another way to improve your strength is to fart. I used to be able to do 50 push-ups, but then i *** and now i can do 50. While that may not seem impressive, based on this article that's an improvement of 100% WOW!!!

If people really wanted to increase their pec size they should aim at a rep range of 12 - 16. This here gives a "pump" result which in turns makes the muscle grow. There is so many different ways to "attack" the pectorial muscles, whether they want to gain mass, cut up, work inner more, work outer more, work the upper more, lower more. It's important to know exactly what you want and find the appropriate workout for it. If people want to learn more www.bodybuilding.com is the Meca for everything someone needs to know about growing. It's not specifically for bodybuilders there are articles for every trainier.

Great fact based story. I'm about to start my training program...again! After this story, I will be adding boxing into my training. I too would like to hear about core muscel and back training excercise...keep them coming.

This is very interesting as I have been doing martial arts for 7 years now. 5 years of Tea Kwon Do,3years of BJJ and have just started Karate. Along with this about 4 years ago I bought a gym set and some free weights and have been doing a workout every second night and this is what has given me my uppercut and head side more power.

I feel that this is a fairly unscientific approach. The concept of having only two test subjects that are 'similar' in their abilities does not present much by way of detail. For starters, if i could only do 2 push ups to begin with, an improvement to 5 push ups is easily obtained, whilst going from 30 to 90 is quite an achievment. This includes levels of prior strength and body mass as they too would result in differring results. Scaling of the resultant physiological changes should take place, which usually requires a larger sample space, i.e. more test subjects. In any event I further believe that having outside-sourced information on the subject would be a more efficient way or informing, as opposed to situations that only present only a partial view. This being noted, I agree that any form of exercise is good, and congratulations to the two gentlement who participated.

Interesting article and I saw it on the show too, which is good to see back on the screen. I would be interested to know though if they also followed a diet too. But keep these stories coming they beat the hell out of the stuipd cleo relationship ones.

Great Input People, We definitely need more of this Info to have a flow on effect,since Increasing Muscle Mass and strength ,with a combination of Cardio Program has help0ed me shed in excess of 13KG's, and that is a Fanatastic feeling, I do a stint on the Tread Mill and a altrnative Boxing Schedule and it has incresed my fitness level after 12 Weeks of Training, Why I feel good is that I took the Beep test and I came up a few level's.

For example, Indigo's pushups going from 40 to 60, is an improvement of 50%, not 150%. A little misleading.

Being an ex military paratrooper I was superfit, I found in the army a regime of 60 pushups, 100 sit ups and as many heaves as I could do 5-6 times a day I got great results. I also did a heavy wieghts programs 2 times a day. Also did a lot of walking route marching with a 40kg pack for 15 kms.or a 5km walk Since leaving the Army I have found myself in a wheelchair due to paraplegia from a military parachute accident and I have packed on the weight over the past few years. I am about to embark back onto the old military regime to build myself back up as I am starting training for the track and field event for the paralympics. Trust me this regime works and works quickly if you adhere to doing everyday at least three time a day it should take you only two minutes to do the pushups, a couple of minutes for the situps, 1 hour gym program, as quickly as possible for a 5km walk shuffle run. You only need to do the walk twice a day early morning and late evening after dinner.

how long did they stick to their programs the tv volume was low and lots of noise in backgroud so i didnt really listen and also do they have the gym program anywhere im curious to see what they trained the gym bloke

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