The pectoral muscles commonly referred to as “pecs” are located directly across the front of the chest. The pecs are one of the most sought out muscles that most guys target. If you go to the gym you will see most guys training chest. This is for a couple reasons. First, the pecs are very visible in a t-shirt so most guys want to develop their pecs. Also, you can see your pecs in the mirror, unlike the back muscles which are often neglected. Lastly, most guys who workout get asked “how much can you bench bro?” So, I can’t blame them. Every guy wants to do bench press and develop a big strong chest, so they can respond with “all of it.”
Well developed pecs are a hallmark sign of a great physique. Most men want to achieve this look, and strive for a thick wide chest that looks like a plate of body armor. Guys do not want to have a bird chest or man boobs. You will stand out among other people with a well developed chest, with or without a shirt.
A common question I get asked is how do I make my pecs bounce. It sounds like a weird question, but people truly want to know. Most men want to be able to bounce their pecs up and down. I feel like after working out hard in the gym, most guys want to be able to show off their gains with a pec bounce. Or maybe they want to impress the ladies? Either way, this article is going to explain why some people can’t bounce their pecs, and discuss ways to make your pecs bounce.
Anatomy Of The Pecs
First, let’s look at the anatomy of the pectoral muscles. It is important to understand the anatomy of the muscle you are going to need to target. The pectoralis major is a wide fan shaped muscle that connects from the center of your chest or sternum, and runs across the chest to connect to your arm. Also, there is a pectoralis minor muscle. This muscle is hidden underneath the pectoralis major, and doesn’t contribute much to the “pecs.”
There are two heads to the pectoralis major muscle. The sternocostal head and the clavicular head. The sternocostal head or “lower pec” runs from the sternum to the upper arm bone where it attaches. The clavicular head or “upper pec” runs from the clavicle to the upper arm bone where it attaches. Both of these heads contribute the the overall development of the pecs. It is important to train and target both heads for complete overall development.
Why Can’t I Bounce My Pecs?
Everyone wants to be able to bounce their pecs like they have seen many movie stars, bodybuilders, and WWE wrestlers do on TV. One of the most popular individuals to perform the pec bounce is Terry Crews. He has been known for his pec bouncing talents, and is commonly seen in the Old Spice commercials displaying his pec bounce. There are a few likely reasons you may not be able to bounce your pecs as of right now, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to achieve the pec bounce.
You May Not Have Enough Muscle Mass
One of the first prerequisites to achieving a pec bounce is to have pecs! I don’t know why this is a hard concept for some people to understand. You need to have enough muscle mass to get an appreciable bounce. There are a lot of guys who simply don’t have big enough chest muscles, so they fail to bounce their pecs. You will not achieve a pec bounce with a small bird chest, so get to work.
You May Need To Lose Weight
Another common reason people cannot achieve the pec bounce is because they have too high of a body-fat percentage. It is important to maintain a lean yet muscular physique. This will help showcase your hard-work in the gym, and may even allow for you to accomplish the pec bounce. The problem is, some guys have a lot of fat or adipose tissue overtop of their pectoral muscles. You will need to lose weight first before you can perform the pec bounce.
The issue with a high body-fat percentage is that you won’t be able to see the movement of the pecs. The pectoral muscles are covered with adipose tissue, so the pec bounce will be diminished or hidden. Also, you cannot do a pec bounce with man boobs. Man boobs will not bounce, because it is fat rather than muscle, and you cannot contract fat. You first must lose the fat, and then you can try the pec bounce.
No Mind-Muscle Connection
Another reason most people cannot perform the pec bounce is because they do not have the mind-muscle connection. To contract a muscle with the fast twitch that is required during a pec bounce, you must have a solid mind-muscle contraction. A mind-muscle connection is the pathway between your brain and muscle. This connection is the reason we are able to move our muscles and cause a contraction. The mind-muscle connection is a pathway from our brain down to the spinal cord, which sends signals out to our muscles. So when you want to contract a muscle, the impulse leaves your brain travels down the spinal cord, and then reaches your muscle for a contraction.
To achieve a mind-muscle connection, you must practice, practice, practice! This is hands down the best way to get a good mind-muscle connection. Not only will this help you perform the pec bounce, but it will help you with all your training and weight lifting goals. It is extremely important to have a solid mind-muscle connection when lifting weights. This is the best way to grow a muscle, and achieve a great contraction. Most bodybuilders have amazing mind-muscle connections, and it is due to all the time and practice they have put in.
You Don’t Know How
Lastly, you must know how to contract your pec muscles to achieve the classic pec bounce. Some people simply don’t know how to contract their muscles. The only way to learn how to contract your muscles is by practicing and lifting weights. You need to lift weights to really learn how to target and contract your muscles. Some of the best exercises to learn how to contract the pectoral muscles is the bench press, cable fly, and incline bench press. Do these exercises and feel the contraction of your pecs. This goes hand and hand with the mind-muscle connection that we discussed above. You must learn how to contract your pecs to be able to bounce your pec muscles.
How Do I Bounce My Pecs?
There are a few ways to learn how to bounce your pecs, and some quick tips to achieve the classic pec bounce. First, you need to know the muscle actions of the pectoral muscles. The only way to contract a muscle is to perform the actions of the muscle. The pec’s muscle action is to move your arm across your body and internally rotate your arm. Essentially, it is like performing a pec fly. That is the main muscle action of the pectoralis major muscle.
Practice Fast Twitches Of Your Pecs
You need to learn how to perform fast twitches or contractions of the pectoralis major muscles. Essentially, the pec bounce is a quick flick or contraction of the pec muscle, and then it relaxes. To do this you need to quickly perform the muscle action of the pec, and then relax. So for example, you should perform the chest fly movement in the air very quickly. Almost like a “twitching” movement.
By performing the pec’s muscle action very quickly it can help train the fast twitch muscle fibers, which is what you need to accomplish the pec bounce. I recommend performing the chest fly as quickly and as fast as you can to practice this. You do not need weight. Try to contract the pec muscles as you quickly perform the chest fly in the air. Try this about 15-20 repetitions multiple times a day.
Practice Contracting Your Pecs In The Mirror
I recommend that you practice contracting your pec muscles in the mirror. It is important to be able to see the muscle you want to contract. You should try to contract your pecs by squeezing your palms together as hard as you can. This will achieve a full contraction of the pecs. Hold this position for 3-5 seconds, and squeeze as hard as you can. Remember to breathe!
It can even be helpful to practice contracting other muscles to work on your mind-muscle connection. Practice contracting your bicep or thigh in a quick manner. Sometimes it is easier for people to contract their thigh or biceps. Once you get the hang of that, then transition back to the pec muscles. Continue practicing in the mirror multiple times a day. You will start to get a better mind-muscle connection with daily practice.
Work All Heads Of The Pecs Muscles
It is important to have full complete pecs when doing a pec bounce. You need to work all heads of the pec muscles. That means the sternocostal head and the clavicular head. Both of these heads make up the entire pec muscles. So you need to target both of these heads to get a full thick chest. The bigger and thicker your pec muscles are the more bounce you will be able to perform. That is why most big WWE wrestlers and bodybuilders can perform a pec bounce so easily. 
To work the sternocostal head or “lower pec” you need to perform movements at a decline angle. The decline angle will help target these lower pec fibers, and will help lift and round your pec muscles. The best decline movements for the lower chest fibers are the decline bench press and the decline fly. These movements are great at developing the lower pec. You need to work the lower portion of the chest for complete development of the pecs, and it will help you achieve the pec bounce.
To work the clavicular head or “upper pec” you need to perform movements at an incline angle. The steeper incline angle puts more direct work on the upper pec fibers. I recommend performing the incline bench press and the incline dumbbell fly. Both of these exercises are fantastic at working the upper pec fibers. The upper pec fibers are really crucial in performing the pec bounce, and are often neglected.
Final Thoughts
Performing the pec bounce is not easy, but it can be achieved with daily practice. I recommend first making sure you have the proper amount of muscle mass in the chest, and that you are low enough body-fat percentage. This is an important part of the pec bounce. You need to have enough pec muscle mass to get the bounce, and you need to be lean enough to see the pec bounce. Make sure to practice, practice, practice if you want to accomplish this movement. It takes a really dialed in mind-muscle connection to get a good pec bounce. Most people simply don’t have this mind-muscle connection, so no matter what they try the pec bounce won’t happen. You need to develop this mind-muscle connection with the practice techniques I explained above.
Also, make sure to target the entire pec muscle in your training. Some people only do standard bench press or push-ups to develop their chest. These exercises are great, but you will not get a complete fully developed chest by doing only these exercises. You need to work the pecs from multiple angles such as decline and incline to target the upper and lower fibers. Follow this guide above, and you will be on your way to a Terry Crews pec bounce in no time.
