Best exercise for sculpting the pecs?

[RichUK]

Dips?

 

[allies]

Variations of flat, inclined, and declined bench press would be my best guess.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Dumbbell flys (on the bench or exercise ball) I think would be the most effective.

 

[brikis98]

Heavy bench press to add muscle mass. Proper diet to cut away body fat.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Dumbbell flys (on the bench or exercise ball) I think would be the most effective.

Bing bing bing. I don't know about "sculpting" possibilities, but this exercise is the exact movement the pectoralis major is made for. It should hit it directly and almost exclusively load-wise.

There are probably other things you could do to improve your chest shape/size like regular training, utilizing different movements, eating well (for size), etc. If you want more tips on chest stuff, you're more likely to find answers at bodybuilding.com.

 

[Special K]

Heavy bench press to add muscle mass. Proper diet to cut away body fat.

This.

People need to forget about terms like "toning", "shaping", "sculpting", etc. A muscle can really only do two things: it can grow larger or it can shrink. The shape of your muscles is determined by genetics and cannot be changed. When your muscles grow they may appear to change shape, but ultimately the shape of your muscles is determined by genetics.

To make a muscle appear more defined, lose bodyfat.

Diet is also very important. Eating more calories than you burn is necessary for muscle growth. Eating fewer calories than you burn is necessary for fat loss. I'm sure sooner or later someone will quote me saying you can do both at the same time, but unless you are a total beginner with a decent amount of fat to lose and/or have elite genetics, it really doesn't work very well.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

This.

People need to forget about terms like "toning", "shaping", "sculpting", etc. A muscle can really only do two things: it can grow larger or it can shrink. The shape of your muscles is determined by genetics and cannot be changed. When your muscles grow they may appear to change shape, but ultimately the shape of your muscles is determined by genetics.

To make a muscle appear more defined, lose bodyfat.

Diet is also very important. Eating more calories than you burn is necessary for muscle growth. Eating fewer calories than you burn is necessary for fat loss. I'm sure sooner or later someone will quote me saying you can do both at the same time, but unless you are a total beginner with a decent amount of fat to lose and/or have elite genetics, it really doesn't work very well.

Just wanted to point out: technically, the pectoralis major has the sternocostal head and the clavicular head. Because of this, different motions can work one head more than the other, resulting in hypertrophy. This hypertrophy can dictate part of the "shape" of the pec. Origins and insertion points are dictated by genetics. These frequently dictate "shape." Weightlifting with certain exercises won't change these, but it can shift the shape of the pec due to the presence of two heads.

 

[Rudee]

Some people are "pressers" some are "squeezers". That means some respond better to pressing exericises (flat, decline, incline presses) and some respond better to squeezing exercises (flat, decling, incline flys). I personally respond to heavy flys far more than bench presses.

 

[SlitheryDee]

When my chest was most impressive I was doing heavy dumbell presses almost exclusively. I think it's a good middle ground between the bench press and the dumbell fly for producing functional strength and stimulating the pec muscles. You can get the same thing from doing bench presses regularly though. I still do flys and other accessory chest exercises, but I always do them as secondary movements after I finish bench pressing.

 

[alkemyst]

You can sculpt your body though...depending how you emphasis certain parts can give much different looks to several areas of the body.

In the end genetics is the winner though and why there are pec and calf implants.

 

[MrMatt]

Just wanted to point out: technically, the pectoralis major has the sternocostal head and the clavicular head. Because of this, different motions can work one head more than the other, resulting in hypertrophy. This hypertrophy can dictate part of the "shape" of the pec. Origins and insertion points are dictated by genetics. These frequently dictate "shape." Weightlifting with certain exercises won't change these, but it can shift the shape of the pec due to the presence of two heads.

Both heads are attached at the same tendon though. Can't work one without the other.

 

[MrMatt]

OP: Heavy bench press, use dumbells.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Both heads are attached at the same tendon though. Can't work one without the other.

Yes, yes you can. Think of a muscle shaped like a piece of paper. If half of the muscle contracts very forcefully and the other half contracts minimally, which side do you think will have more adaptations to loading? Sure, they may utilize the same tendon. All that matters there is that the tendon is going to adapt no matter what side you use. However based on the movement, you need to keep in mind that one portion may bear a significantly higher load.