Constructing a full and muscular chest requires some critical reps, however whereas the barbell bench press or dumbbell chest press are nice selections for blasting your pecs, specializing in the angles is how the professionals goal extra particular areas just like the clavicular head, in any other case referred to as that higher part of the pec — or the mass that provides you that stacked ‘prime shelf’ look. Luckily, Davis Diley, who’s an evidence-based bodybuilding coach, shared a few of his strategies in a current Instagram publish.
“The key to thickening up the clavicular pec fibers is the arm path you utilize, not the angle of the bench,” wrote the previous aggressive bodybuilder and strongman, who now teaches hundreds of thousands of followers find out how to stage up their very own physiques. In fact, the incline of a bench for presses is necessary, however it’s subsequent to ineffective in case your method is all incorrect. “On presses and flys, hold your arms tucked nearer to your sides,” shared Davis through an informative Instagram publish for his 1.4 million followers. “The extra you flare your arms out, the much less higher pec centered the motion turns into, even when you’re on an incline bench.”
With elbows tucked, Diley defined that the following step is to plan his arm path. “To additional optimize the higher pecs, you need the toughest a part of the rep to happen when the arms are roughly 40°–90° in entrance of the physique,” he defined. “That’s precisely why we use incline benches for incline presses and flys. They make that particular vary more durable in comparison with laying flat.”
In different phrases, think about that your arm is straight out in entrance of you, and also you’re finishing a press or fly. As you convey the arms in, in the direction of the middle of your physique, the pec fibers will likely be recruited, so it is very important convey the arms nearer collectively in the direction of the highest of the elevate, somewhat than elevate them up straight, since this might be extra shoulder dominant. That is simpler to perform with a fly than a press, however Diley has devised an much more versatile motion on the cable station, using components of each the press and the fly to actually pump up these clavicular heads.
Davis Diley Units Up the Cables For a Chiseled Higher Chest
In his video demonstration, Diley additionally confirmed find out how to create what he believes to be the right setup to hit the higher portion of your pecs. This transfer seems to be a mix of the entrance increase and the crossbody fly as he locations an inclined bench going through the cable station, after which units the seat relaxation angle to 60 levels. Diley high quality tunes the place of the bench in order that he will get a 90° angle when the cable is at its lowest place.
“Now, sit again, and push your chest up,” commanded the coach. “Think about you’re rolling your shoulders again,” he added, noting that he retains his again flat towards the pad. Diley additionally imagines that he’s driving his fist ahead whereas lifting, however when he will get in the direction of the midway level, the bodybuilder arches his arm sample inwards barely, much like a fly. “End when your elbows attain eye stage,” he defined. “That is what good kind seems like.”
Because the higher pec is linked with shoulder flexion, there will likely be some deltoid recruitment on this fly variation, very similar to with an incline bench press, however when you haven’t strayed too removed from the barbell just lately, mixing issues up with cables is a good way to tax your physique from all angles. Give this novel methodology a strive, choosing two to a few units of 8 to 12 heavy reps for hypertrophy, and see if it really works for you.
To observe Davis Diley on Instagram, click on right here.

