Aspire, Perspire, Nourish Yourself

Lia with good friend, Shugo. Perfect pecs or what?

Swimsuit season is here! During this time our bodies are on display more than most of us are comfortable showing off. From head to toe, look your best by working on key muscles that enhance what you’ve got.

Pectoral Muscles

This month, we focus on perking up your pectoral muscles. These muscles tend to be more developed in men as they fuss about them a bit more than women. Their testosterone levels also allow them to build bigger pecs. Women can benefit from working their pectoral muscles because stronger pecs will enhance your breasts, which lie on top of the pectorals.

What are they and why have them?

Pectoralis Major photo credit: Dreamstime

Pectoralis Minor (right) photo credit: Dreamstime

The pectorals are part of the chest muscles and consist of two key muscles: pectoralis major and pectoralis minor. The pectoralis major are the larger, fan-like muscles that span across the upper chest. They attach from the sternum and ribs to the collar-bone and meet at the upper arm bone. Pectoralis minor are triangular muscles that lies primarily beneath the pectoralis major and at the upper part of the chest closest to the collar-bone and scapula. They attach from the middle of the ribs and move up towards the shoulder inserting into the coracoid process of the scapula. Confused? Pictures are worth a thousand words!

The primary purpose of the pectorals is to enable arm and shoulder movement. For example, these muscles are what help you throw a ball, raise a child or lift items, flex your arms towards you or extend them away from you, and flap your arms. With the other chest muscles, the pectorals also help with your breathing.

Exercises for Pectorals

Ready to build stronger pectorals? Here are a few exercises to add to your next workout.

Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

For extra work on your core, try this press on a stability ball.

Pushups

Pushups are great for pectorals, and there are a number of variations to try. Below are a few:

Pushup – Dive Bomb

Pushup – Sumo Walk

Pushup – Stagger

Ball Pushup Feet on Ball

Exercise Ball Dumbbell Fly

The above exercise can also be done on a flat bench or incline bench.

Assisted Dips

Dumbbell Pullover

Another exercise that you can do either on a bench or a stability ball.

Cable Crossover

Let us know what you think of these exercises. Your chest muscles will definitely feel the workout!

Resources:

Recipe of the Week: Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Put the Phone Down!

Phones are essential to life in North America, or at least it seems that’s the case based on the way we carry them around, dress them up in snazzy covers, constantly check them, walk around looking at our phone’s screen instead of the road ahead.

When cell phones first came out, they only did one thing but now phones are multi-purpose so we carry on them all of our music, emails, social media links, banking apps, GPS and fitness apps, clock, etc. We understand the importance of the phone and the need to have it with you all the time.

Phone Etiquette at the Gym

At the gym, we’d suggest you PUT YOUR CELL PHONE DOWN! If you’re listening to music, that’s fine but don’t let it distract you from moving through your workout. Be considerate of others while at the gym since it is a public place where many people go to de-stress and focus on their wellness.

Avoid Lingering

Weekly, we see people at a busy gym sitting on the machines or on a bench with free weights at their side, and just staring at their phones or texting. They are completely oblivious to other people who want to get on that machine, do their reps and get out. This behavior is not only rude, but also diminishes the effectiveness of a faster-paced workout. If working on a weight training plan with longer rests between sets, we recommend that you get up and walk around rather than sit at the machine. Doing so will still bring down your heart rate, while giving others a chance to cut in to use the machine.

Avoid Conversations

We’ve all experienced the loud cell phone talker, perhaps in the grocery line, on the subway, on the beach! It can be entertaining to hear about someone’s personal life and sometimes it can be annoying. We also know that it can be boring to sit on the bike for 60 minutes staring at the clock as it counts down the time! Catching up with others on the phone while exercising can be tempting but, again, by doing so you disturb everyone else, and you cheat yourself out of a great workout. Although you might think that multi-tasking is efficient, it isn’t always effective. Use the time on the bike, treadmill or elliptical to focus on your fitness effort. In fact, if you do some intervals at higher intensity, you can reduce your workout time and get an even better effect than working out longer.

Avoid Taking Pictures

In a world obsessed with selfies, fitness buffs have found their medium for showing off their hard work. If you like to take selfies, like to post pictures of your friends or your daily routine, please be respectful at the gym. Some people, like myself, basically get out of bed and head to the gym. We don’t necessarily look our best during those sweat sessions. We could be lurking in the background of your photo without your noticing, and we sure don’t want to appear on Facebook with frizzed hair and our awful weight lifting grimace!