Chest · Bodyweight
Seated Chest Clam
How to do the seated chest clam, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit tall on a bench or the floor with your hands behind your head and elbows pointing forward. Open both elbows out wide while squeezing your shoulder blades together, feeling a stretch across your chest, then draw them back in. Move slowly and breathe into the stretch.
- 1A gentle stretch across your chest and the front of your shoulders as
- 2your elbows open
- 3Your shoulder blades drawing together at the end range
- 4An upright spine with your ribs stacked over your hips
Common mistakes
- Don't shrug your shoulders up toward your ears
- Avoid arching your lower back to force the elbows open
- Don't bounce; ease into and out of the stretch
Muscles worked
The seated chest clam mainly works the mid chest, with the upper chest, mid traps, and front delts assisting.
- Mid ChestPrimary
- Upper ChestSupport
- Mid TrapsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Lower TrapsMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- Rear DeltsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
Kovo programs the seated chest clam for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More chest exercises
- How to do the archer push-up
- How to do the assisted dip
- How to do the resistance band chest flyes
- How to do the resistance band push-up
- How to do the barbell bench press
- How to do the paused bench press
Last reviewed June 2026.