- 1). Build mass. The classic exercise for building pectoral mass is the bench press. Doing few repetitions (four to six) of heavy weight will build mass faster than doing more reps of lower weight. Also, some weight trainers believe using free weights instead of machines build mass faster because it incorporates more muscle groups. Flys, in which arms extended to the side are brought together in the front and dips are other effective mass-building chest exercises. Periodically switching your exercise routine will keep muscles from becoming accustomed to the exercise and stopping growth.
- 2). Target muscle subgroups. Though it appears to be a single muscle, the pectoral can be subdivided into more specific muscle groups. To get hot pecs, you'll need to target the upper and lower parts of the muscle. This is usually done by either inclining (feet below the head) or declining (feet above the head) your workout bench. Using either a barbell or dumbbells, presses on an inclined bench work the upper pecs and presses on a declined bench work the lower pecs.
- 3). Increase definition. Probably even more than mass, what makes a set of pecs "hot" is definition---the ability to see them. The obstacle to great muscle definition is fat, and the only way to really increase definition is to lose fat. The best way to do this is not by working a particular section of the body harder, but to use interval training to lose total body fat. Interval training uses short bursts of intense cardiovascular exercise instead of long extended effort. The result is significant calories burnt over time without losing muscle mass or sacrificing recovery time.
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