Train your chest.
Not against it.
Just bulking a sunken chest can make the dip look deeper. 16 weeks built on the only published clinical exercise method for pectus excavatum.
Why a bigger chest backfires with PE, and what the research says instead.
The reverse-origin trick from Cheung's clinical method, and the 16-week structure that builds the frame around the dip.
You train hard and the
dip looks worse.
Most people with PE either avoid the gym or train in a way that deepens the depression. Here's why, and how a program built on the actual research changes the result.
Training isn't the danger.
It's one of your best tools.
Load the chest in a deep stretch so the pecs pull the sternum up instead of just bulking over it, keep back volume equal to chest so posture improves instead of rounding, and layer breathing and mobility on top every day. That's the whole arc this 16-week program runs, straight out of the clinical research.
Backed by the research,
not just my opinion.
Transformations & Real Stories
Read them by rating, or by what people actually got out of it - the transformations, the honest reviews, and the messages that land in my inbox every week.
across 35 rated statements
500+ reviews collected since 2015. Open a bar, a tag or a condition to read the published ones.
What the 4.8 is made of
45 published statements · 500+ collected since 2015
- ★★★★★
I came across your blog about a year ago and I just want to say how much you've changed my life for the better. I thought it was going to be another average article, but the tips you gave were things I hadn't heard of before. Now I've improved so much and im more confident then ever.
Cristian PE 17
Read the blog USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
spent two years researching surgery before i found this. six months in and i wish id found it sooner. the progress photos dont lie
Tom W. PE 24
Pectus Excavatum Course Manchester, UK 🇬🇧
- ★★★★★
Was skeptical, id tried everything before. the custom vacuum bell was different to anything id used. three months of consistent use and i can already see the sternum coming up
Chris L. PE 31
Vacuum Bell Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦
- ★★★★★
direct, no nonsense. mihail knows this condition better than any doctor ive seen. my GP was shocked when i showed him my 9 month comparison photos
Ryan H. PE 29
1-on-1 Coaching Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪
- ★★★★★
been watching mihails youtube since 2017. finally bought the program in 2023 and kicked myself for waiting. shouldve trusted him years earlier
Liam O. PE 26
PE Exercise Program Auckland, New Zealand 🇳🇿
- ★★★★★
Seven months with the bell now. dip is maybe half what it was and i've stopped turning sideways away from people at the gym lol. didnt expect that part
Tobias PE 24
Vacuum Bell Hamburg, Germany 🇩🇪
- ★★★★★
started at 19 with a chest i couldnt look at in the mirror. went with the excavatum course cus everyone kept telling me nothing but surgery works and i didnt buy it. 5 months of doing the work most days and my chest sits noticeably flatter now - the surgeon who told me wait and see at 17 wouldnt recognise it. only regret is i didnt start the day i turned 17
Wes PE 19
Pectus Excavatum Course Colorado, USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
Nine months in and my cardiologist literally asked what id changed. resting heart rate came down and i sleep breathing through my nose now. still kind of wild to me
Andrés Vásquez PE 31
1-on-1 Coaching Santiago, Chile 🇨🇱
- ★★★★★
1100 pages sounded ridiculous til i realised its a reference not a book you read front to back. im in the vacuum bell chapters basically every day
callum_g PE 22
Breathe Deeper Glasgow, Scotland 🏴
- ★★★★★
Back and rear delt work changed how my chest reads more than anything i did to the actual chest. did NOT expect to be told that
Dmitri PE 29
PE Exercise Program Riga, Latvia 🇱🇻
- ★★★★★
App keeps me honest ngl. i log the bell session and it tells me when ive earned the next step up. before this i was just guessing
Joon-ho Park PE 26
The app Seoul, South Korea 🇰🇷
- ★★★★★
my mum found mihail tbh. four months of coaching and the difference between the photos is obvious. never had to sit in front of a surgeon
Tomás Ferreira PE 17
1-on-1 Coaching Porto, Portugal 🇵🇹
- ★★★★★
gaining weight was the bit nobody would explain to me. 3 months on the nutrition plan, 5kg up, and the same chest reads completely different at that weight
Felix PE 28
Pectus Nutrition Program Graz, Austria 🇦🇹
- ★★★★★
It works. the suction takes getting used to and i gave myself a bit of skin bruising the first fortnight, until i dropped the pressure back to what the guide actually says. my fault not theirs
Marc-Antoine PE 33
Vacuum Bell Quebec, Canada 🇨🇦
- ★★★★★
honest review. 5 months of consistent bell use and my depth has barely moved. im 35 and my chest wall is stiff, which the guide does warn about upfront. the posture and breathing side genuinely helped and i dont regret the money, but i wouldnt tell someone my age to expect what the teenagers are getting
Nikolai PE 35
Vacuum Bell Guide Sofia, Bulgaria 🇧🇬
- ★★★★★
dip and flare at the same time. THE FLARE WENT FIRST, which nobody warned me would happen, and that alone changed my whole silhouette
Bruno Salgado PE + Rib Flare 30
1-on-1 Coaching São Paulo, Brazil 🇧🇷
- ★★★★★
brace did its job on the flare. what i actually wanted was how to run it alongside the vacuum bell work in the same week. asked and got a proper answer same day, but that should be in the material, not something you have to know to ask for
Otto PE + Rib Flare 25
Rib Flare Brace Tampere, Finland 🇫🇮
- ★★★★★
Had rib flare since i was a teen. the brace plus the breathing drills changed everything. my waist looks normal in a fitted shirt for the first time in my adult life
Daniel K. Rib Flare 27
Rib Flare Brace Bristol, UK 🇬🇧
- ★★★★★
Mihail doesnt sugarcoat anything. told me exactly what to expect and exactly how long it would take. 12 months in and my carinatum is flat. i finally take my shirt off at the beach
Aiden R. PC 19
1-on-1 Coaching Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺
- ★★★★★
the breathing protocol alone changed how i feel day to day. didnt realise how shallow i was breathing until i fixed it. the rib flare correction kind of followed on its own
Sam B. Rib Flare 21
Rib Flare Course Oregon, USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
The carinatum brace is really well made. fits perfect to my chest and i can wear it under a t-shirt at work. results started showing around 4 months
Nico P. PC 17
Pectus Carinatum Brace Milan, Italy 🇮🇹
- ★★★★★
the course structure is exactly what i needed. not overwhelming, not vague. each module builds on the last and you always know what to do next
Jake M. Rib Flare 23
Rib Flare Course Texas, USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
My son is 15 and was getting self-conscious at the pool. The carinatum brace and the fortnightly check-ins are what kept him consistent. Six months and the ridge has visibly dropped.
Parent of Ethan PC 15
Pectus Carinatum Brace Michigan, USA 🇺🇸
- ★★★★★
what sold me is that every claim links to a study. only place online that treats pectus like an actual training problem instead of selling a miracle
David P. Rib Flare 34
Read the blog Rotterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱
- ★★★★★
Everyone i asked just told me to do more core. turns out i was breathing into my neck this whole time. learning to actually use my diaphragm was the entire fix
Georgia Rib Flare 24
Rib Flare Course Perth, Australia 🇦🇺
- ★★★★★
started out flat on my back every night checking whether my ribs still stuck up, they always did. got the rib flare program and actually did the breathing side properly this time instead of just the exercises. four months later i lie down and theyre flat - i still check out of habit and still cant quite believe it
Hanna Rib Flare 22
Rib Flare Program Malmö, Sweden 🇸🇪
- ★★★★★
the fortnightly check-ins are the only reason im still doing this. left on my own id have quit around week 3, easy
Katarina Rib Flare 31
1-on-1 Coaching Split, Croatia 🇭🇷
- ★★★★★
obsessed with watching that number drop every month ngl. 10/10
marta_v Rib Flare 25
The app Valencia, Spain 🇪🇸
- ★★★★★
clear, cited, actually practical. heavy going in the anatomy chapters if you have no background, but id rather be given too much than too little
Aisha M. Rib Flare 27
Rib Flare Brace Guide Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪
- ★★★★★
material's good and i have no issue with the science. my honest gripe is the early modules cover the same ground as the free blog posts, which id already read before buying. the later phases are where the real value sits. wouldve paid the same to skip straight to those
Stefan Nagy Rib Flare 34
Rib Flare Course Budapest, Hungary 🇭🇺
- ★★★★★
Wore it 8 hrs a night for 5 months. the ridge is basically gone. im 16 so i got lucky on timing, but you still have to wear it every single night. beat the operation they were lining us up for
Elias PC 16
Pectus Carinatum Brace Bergen, Norway 🇳🇴
- ★★★★★
The wear-schedule chapter is honestly the whole product. everywhere else online just goes "wear a brace" and leaves you to figure out the rest
hamza PC 20
Pectus Carinatum Course Casablanca, Morocco 🇲🇦
- ★★★★★
spent two years hiding the ridge under hoodies before i actually did anything about it. what changed it was the carinatum program - building the chest and back around the ridge instead of just bracing and hoping. six months in and it reads flat enough that the hoodies are gone
Rafael PC 22
PC Exercise Program Cebu, Philippines 🇵🇭
- ★★★★★
He replied to my messages same day, every time. at 17 with a chest you hate, that matters way more than the plan does honestly
Théo PC 17
1-on-1 Coaching Ghent, Belgium 🇧🇪
- ★★★★★
solid guide and the pressure numbers are genuinely useful. half a star off cus im 28 and the whole thing is pitched at teenagers. an adult section, where the timelines are honestly different, wouldve been worth a lot to me
Jonas B. PC 28
Carinatum Brace Guide Aarhus, Denmark 🇩🇰
- logged case
Two months in and I've put on 3.2 kg of muscle. My chest doesn't cave the way it used to when I'm standing relaxed, and that alone was worth it.
Milo PE 25
Germany 🇩🇪
- logged case
Nine months, 5.7 kg of muscle on, and 0.9 cm off the depth of my chest. I am 32. I had been told the window for fixing this closed at 18.
Liam PE + Rib Flare 32
Seattle, WA 🇺🇸
- logged case
I came in skinny with a deep dip and ribs that flared out. Six months later I am 4.5 kg heavier, and the flare is the part people notice is gone.
Ian PE + Rib Flare 22
Canada 🇨🇦
- logged case
The brace handled the flare, the training filled out the chest. 6 kg on and 0.9 cm less depth in seven months. I wear fitted shirts now.
Alejandro Sanz Torres PE + Rib Flare 29
Bilbao, Spain 🇪🇸
- logged case
Five months, 4 kg up. The dip is still there if I go looking for it, but nobody else finds it anymore.
Lars PE + Rib Flare 25
Sweden 🇸🇪
- logged case
I am 52 and carried both a ridge and a dip my whole life. Dropped 9 kg in five months and my chest finally reads as one shape instead of two.
Greg Henderson PC + PE 52
Ohio, USA 🇺🇸
- logged case
Three months, 5 kg on, and the ridge sits lower than it ever has. At 19 I thought surgery was the only thing that would fix it.
Ethan PC 19
North Carolina, USA 🇺🇸
- logged case
Nine kilos in six months. Building the muscle around the ridge did more for how it looks than the years I spent hiding it under loose shirts.
Omar Al Mansoori PC 24
Abu Dhabi, UAE 🇦🇪
- logged case
Four months of coaching and the ridge you could see from the side has flattened out. I stopped checking my profile in every window I walk past.
Beau PC 30
Missouri, USA 🇺🇸
- logged case
My carinatum was the first thing I saw in every photo of myself. Now I have to point it out to people. Same chest, trained differently.
Taras Bondarenko PC 29
Czech Republic 🇨🇿
"I came across your blog about a year ago and I just want to say how much you've changed my life for the better. I thought it was going to be another average article, but the tips you gave were things I hadn't heard of before. Now I've improved so much and im more confident then ever."
"spent two years researching surgery before i found this. six months in and i wish id found it sooner. the progress photos dont lie"
"Was skeptical, id tried everything before. the custom vacuum bell was different to anything id used. three months of consistent use and i can already see the sternum coming up"
"direct, no nonsense. mihail knows this condition better than any doctor ive seen. my GP was shocked when i showed him my 9 month comparison photos"
"been watching mihails youtube since 2017. finally bought the program in 2023 and kicked myself for waiting. shouldve trusted him years earlier"
"Had rib flare since i was a teen. the brace plus the breathing drills changed everything. my waist looks normal in a fitted shirt for the first time in my adult life"
"Mihail doesnt sugarcoat anything. told me exactly what to expect and exactly how long it would take. 12 months in and my carinatum is flat. i finally take my shirt off at the beach"
"the breathing protocol alone changed how i feel day to day. didnt realise how shallow i was breathing until i fixed it. the rib flare correction kind of followed on its own"
"The carinatum brace is really well made. fits perfect to my chest and i can wear it under a t-shirt at work. results started showing around 4 months"
"the course structure is exactly what i needed. not overwhelming, not vague. each module builds on the last and you always know what to do next"
"My son is 15 and was getting self-conscious at the pool. The carinatum brace and the fortnightly check-ins are what kept him consistent. Six months and the ridge has visibly dropped."
"what sold me is that every claim links to a study. only place online that treats pectus like an actual training problem instead of selling a miracle"
I came across your blog about a year ago and I just want to say how much you've changed my life for the better. I thought it was going to be another average article, but the tips you gave were things I hadn't heard of before. Now I've improved so much and im more confident then ever.
Shared with each client's permission.
Did I help you with your pectus?
Share your before & after
Drag each slider to compare. Published only with the client's written consent.
Medically reviewed by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yüksel
Tap any message to read it full size. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & TikTok comments, DMs, WhatsApp and email - real messages from real clients. Names and handles blurred, content untouched.
“Two months in and I've put on 3.2 kg of muscle. My chest doesn't cave the way it used to when I'm standing relaxed, and that alone was worth it.”
“Nine months, 5.7 kg of muscle on, and 0.9 cm off the depth of my chest. I am 32. I had been told the window for fixing this closed at 18.”
“I came in skinny with a deep dip and ribs that flared out. Six months later I am 4.5 kg heavier, and the flare is the part people notice is gone.”
“The brace handled the flare, the training filled out the chest. 6 kg on and 0.9 cm less depth in seven months. I wear fitted shirts now.”
“Five months, 4 kg up. The dip is still there if I go looking for it, but nobody else finds it anymore.”
“I am 52 and carried both a ridge and a dip my whole life. Dropped 9 kg in five months and my chest finally reads as one shape instead of two.”
“Three months, 5 kg on, and the ridge sits lower than it ever has. At 19 I thought surgery was the only thing that would fix it.”
“Nine kilos in six months. Building the muscle around the ridge did more for how it looks than the years I spent hiding it under loose shirts.”
“Four months of coaching and the ridge you could see from the side has flattened out. I stopped checking my profile in every window I walk past.”
“My carinatum was the first thing I saw in every photo of myself. Now I have to point it out to people. Same chest, trained differently.”
What people ask
before they begin.
The four that come up most, answered the same way I would answer them on a call.
Take the 60-second quizHow long before I see a change? +
Posture and breathing shift first - most people feel that inside the first few weeks. Visible chest change is slower. In the case log above, Milo saw his first real change at 2 months, Ian at 6, Liam at 9. The programs run 16 weeks because that is roughly how long it takes for the training to show up in the mirror.
Am I too old for this to work? +
Almost certainly not. The clients documented on this page were 22 to 32 when they started. Cartilage does stiffen with age, so progress is slower the older you are - but slower is not the same as stopped. What changes is the timeline, not whether it is worth doing.
Do I need a gym, or can I do this at home? +
Either works. Every program ships with a gym track and a no-equipment track for the same 16 weeks, so you pick the one that matches what you actually have access to. You can switch between them mid-program without losing your place.
Pectus excavatum, carinatum, rib flare - is it the same plan? +
No, and that matters. A sunken chest and a protruding chest need close to opposite work, and rib flare often rides along with both. There is a separate program for each. If you are not sure which one you have, the 60-second quiz sorts it out and points you at the right starting place.
Three phases,
then loop it.
Same four full-body days every week. What changes is the load and reps, laid out week by week in the Progression Map. After week 16 you deload and restart Phase B with heavier numbers, a build you can run for years.
Start training rightLearn the movements and own the deep stretch. Higher reps, plenty left in the tank, groove the Cheung warm-up and breathing so the chest is mobile before you load it hard.
Add a set to the key lifts and push the reps. This is where you accumulate the 10–20 hard sets per muscle a week that muscle actually grows on, with back volume matching chest.
Heavier top sets on the compounds while keeping the stretch deep on the pullover and flye. Peak intensity, then finish strong but clean.
One easy week at half the sets to recover, then loop back to Phase B on your new, heavier baseline. Keep the daily stretch and breathing forever.
Everything the program
gives you.
The full contents,
nothing held back.
This is the whole program, front to back. It reads like a short book because a good result comes from understanding why the training works, not just following a spreadsheet. Read the science sections once and everything else clicks.
- Start
- Part 1Start here 01–03
- 01 How to use this program
- 02 Why this program is different
- 03 The study behind it (4,012 patients, 32 years)
- Part 2Part 1 · Understand 04–06
- 04 What pectus excavatum actually is
- 05 The anatomy of your chest
- 06 The "reverse origin" trick, the key to everything
- Part 3Part 2 · The science 07–10
- 07 Bone, Wolff's law and loading
- 08 How muscle actually grows
- 09 Why full-body, 4x a week
- 10 Training the stretched position
- Part 4Part 3 · The framework 11
- 11 The Pectus Priority Pyramid, what to do first
- Part 5Part 4 · Do it 12–16
- 12 Self-assessment (severity, posture, breathing)
- 13 The Cheung Method, warm-up + strength
- 14 The 16-week program, gym + home
- 15 Your 16-week progression map
- 16 The breathing & posture daily plan
- Part 6Bonus · Go further 17–19
- 17 What to expect, month by month
- 18 Common mistakes & troubleshooting
- 19 Meditation & anxiety
- Part 7Reference 20–22
- 20 The exercise library, with PE cues
- 21 FAQ
- 22 25 full references
- Finish
Every claim that needs backing has a small lime citation number you can tap to see the exact study, 25 of them, listed in full in the reference section.
I'm not writing this as a doctor looking at a scan. I had the sunken chest, the flared ribs, the shirt that stayed on at the pool, and nobody could tell me what actually works.
Everything on this page exists because I needed it to exist ten years ago.
I fixed my own chest,
without surgery.
I spent a decade training a chest with pectus excavatum, made every mistake first, and read the research until I understood why some of it worked and most of it didn't.
This program is what I wish I'd had at the start. It's built on the only published clinical exercise plan for PE and the largest long-term study of fixing pectus without an operation, turned into simple sets and reps you can actually follow. Every exercise here is here for a reason, and the reason is cited.
Every exercise here is here for a reason. And the reason is cited.
Medically reviewed
Every clinical claim on mrpectus is reviewed by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yüksel, MD
Thoracic surgeon, founder of the Chest Wall International Group
What each path
actually costs.
Not in dollars. In time. Side by side, honestly.
Let's be honest about
who this is for.
No surprises between
you and starting.
No waiting on a reply, no onboarding call, nothing to install.
16 weeks of training,
one small payment.
One payment, lifetime access, free updates forever. The complete, science-cited PE training program for less than a single personal-training session.
Try the whole thing for 30 days. Use it, and if it isn't what was described, message me for a full refund, no questions asked. The risk stays with me, not you.
Common questions.
Do I need a gym, or can I do this at home? +
Both work. The program comes in a full gym version and a home version built around bands and bodyweight (deficit push-ups, inverted rows, band pullovers). You get both, so you can switch as your setup changes. Home sessions run about 35 minutes, gym sessions about 45.
I've been told not to do heavy chest training with PE, is that right? +
The largest long-term pectus study found that just building big pecs over a sunken chest can make the dip look deeper and the chest stiffer. So the fix isn't no training, it's the right training: chest work done in a deep stretch, matched with equal back and posture volume, plus daily breathing and mobility. That's exactly how this program is built.
How many days a week is the training? +
Four short full-body days a week, every other day, so you never hammer the same thing two days running. That lets you hit each muscle 2–3 times a week and stack the 10–20 hard sets per muscle the research points to. If life gets busy, three is still plenty.
Can beginners follow this? +
Yes. Phase A assumes no training background and builds the movements from the ground up. The push-ups come in three progressive levels, and every key lift has a cue. Advanced trainees move through Phase A quickly and find the challenge in Phase C.
Do I need a vacuum bell? +
No. A vacuum bell is an optional complement, it supplies the steady outside force the research talks about and is the strongest non-surgical add-on for good candidates (younger, milder, flexible chest). It's used separately from the training. This program works fully on its own without one.
How long until my chest actually looks different? +
Posture shifts fastest, standing tall already makes the dip look shallower, and that happens in the first weeks. Visible muscle that reframes the dip takes a few months of consistent, progressive training. Any bone-level change is a slow, mostly-younger-person, vacuum-bell story. The program includes an honest month-by-month timeline so you don't quit early.
How is this different from the PE course? +
The course is the complete correction system across every non-surgical tool. This program is the dedicated training arm: the science, the Cheung Method, a 16-week gym + home plan, breathing, posture and self-assessment. They pair well; if correction is the goal and you only pick one, pick the course.
Will this make my sternum pop out? +
Be honest with yourself: training reliably builds the muscle and fixes the posture around the dip, which changes how your chest looks a lot. It does not reliably re-shape bone. The headline win is the frame, not the hole, and that's a win worth having.
I'm skinny and self-conscious in the gym, is this for me? +
It's built for exactly that starting point. Phase A is deliberately simple, the home version means you can start without a gym at all, and every exercise is explained. Nothing early on needs the busy side of the gym.
How do I get access after checkout? +
Instantly. Checkout takes a minute and the link to everything lands in your inbox right after, read it on your phone, tablet or laptop. Lifetime access, free updates, nothing to ship.
What if it’s not for me? +
You're covered by a 30-day, no-questions-asked, 100% money-back guarantee. If it isn't what was described, email me for a full refund.
Three honest ways forward.
Take the free 1-minute assessment and get a straight answer for your condition and severity.
Take the assessment →The chat bubble in the corner reaches me directly, ask anything about your case before you decide.
Try the whole thing. If it isn't right for your chest, every dollar comes back.
Start risk-free →Train for it,
not against it.
16 weeks built on the only published clinical exercise method for pectus excavatum. Deep-stretch chest work, a balanced back, daily breathing and posture, and real muscle that frames the dip instead of deepening it. For less than one PT session.
Start training right P.S. If you've read this far, part of you has already decided. The only thing you can lose by trying is the version of next year where nothing changed. - Mihail