Your pecs are responsible for the power behind pushing motions; anything that brings your humerus, the upper arm bone, in across the body puts the pecs to work. The pecs are relatively easy to work at home since they require little or no equipment; you can get a good chest workout using just body weight, a pair of dumbbells, or even elastic resistance bands.
Push Ups
Push ups work your pecs, along with your triceps and anterior deltoids. Your entire core also works to keep you in proper push-up position. Best of all, you don't need any equipment at all to do push ups.
To do push ups, support yourself on your hands--slightly wider than shoulder-width apart--and toes, with your body in a straight line. Lower your chest slowly toward the floor, stop when it's level with your elbows, then push yourself back up again.
Chest Press
The chest press closely resembles a push-up, but instead of pressing your own body weight up against gravity you're using two dumbbells. Your pecs, triceps and anterior deltoids are still the primary movers. Your core doesn't have to work as hard on a chest press as on a push-up, since you're not holding a plank position, but you'll still need to keep your abs tight to keep your lower back from over-arching.
To do a chest press, lay down on your back on a weight bench, bed or even the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms extended straight up but not locked, palms facing your feet. Lower the dumbbells down and out until your elbows are even with your shoulders; the weights should be directly above your bent elbows. Press back up to the starting position.
Pec Flies
You may occasionally see pec flies spelled "pec flyes." This exercise isolates your pecs, taking the triceps and anterior deltoid, both of which help with almost all push-motion chest exercises, out of the equation.
To do pec flies, lay down on your back. You can use a weight bench, a bed or even the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing in, arms straight but not locked, directly above your chest. Slowly lower your arms down and out, keeping your elbows at the same angle throughout the motion. Stop when your elbows are level with your shoulders, palms facing up, then slowly return to the start position.
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