Pectoralis Minor Muscle Anatomy & Exercises 101 | The Chest Muscless

This guide on the pectoralis minor explains the muscle anatomy, functions and chest exercises for this small pec muscle.

This chest muscle is like the little brother of the pectoralis major muscle, under which it is located.

It attaches to from the 3rd, 4th and 5th ribs (from the top) and extends directly back to the scapula (shoulder blades). It performs the action of moving the shoulder forward and down.

For the remainder of this guide, you may find it useful to reference the glossary at the bottom of the page, which contains the definitions for all the terminology within this page.

On the right, you can see the table of contents (TOC), and use the links jump directly down the page to any given section.

Pectoralis Minor Muscle Anatomy

3 Heads

• Origin
  • Anterior Surface of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Ribs (1 head per rib)
  • May originate from 2nd to 5th ribs or 3rd to 6th ribs in some people.
• Insertion
  • Medial Side of the Coracoid Process of the Superior Anterior Surface of the Scapula
• Function
  • Downward Scapular Rotation, during Scapular Protraction
  • Scapular Protraction
  • Scapular Depression

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Pectoralis Minor Muscle Exercises

Exercises. Below is a list of the chest exercises that most directly workout this muscle.

• Barbell Bench Press
• Chest and Tricep Dips
• Chest Flyes (Cable or Dumbbell)
• Dumbbell Incline Press
• Dumbbell Pullovers
• Push Ups
• Push Up Variations

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Related Chest Muscles

Related Muscles. Muscles that perform similar functions include the following:

• Pectoralis Major
• Serratus Anterior

Glossary

Functions

• Downward Scapular Rotation. Lowering the scapula, while also rotating the inferior angle of the scapula medially (i.e. to the inside).
• Scapular Protraction. Moving the scapula forward.
• Scapular Depression. Moving the scapula downward.

Anatomy

• Anterior. Front.
• Coracoid Process. A bony, hook-shaped structure on the front, upper region of the scapula.
• Medial. On, or extending toward, the inside.
• Scapula. Shoulder blade.
• Superior. Above, or higher; located closer to the head, away from the feet.

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