The chest is an area of the body that both men and women work for different reasons. Men like to work this area to increase their size and make their chest more defined. For women, the game plan is to firm up the breasts and keep them from sagging, which often happens with age and pregnancy. Chest lifting exercises involve free weights and the weight of the body alone.
Bench Presses
Bench presses are one of the signature compound exercises performed in the gym. To do these, lie down on the bench and place your hands on the bar in a wide grip. Push it off the supports and hold it straight up in the air with your arms extended. Lower it down until it is right above your chest, then push it back up. Repeat for a series of reps, then place it back on the supports. These can also be performed with dumbbells on a flat bench or stability ball.
Incline Presses
Incline presses put more emphasis on the upper chest muscles. They are done on a bench that is adjusted to 30 or 45 degrees. To do this exercise with dumbbells, lie back on the bench and extend your arms straight up in the air. Hold the dumbbells about 1 inch apart, and have your palms facing forward. Bend your elbows and lower the weights until your upper arms are parallel to the ground, them push them back up to the starting point.
Decline Presses
Decline chest presses are done on a decline bench, and they put more emphasis on the lower chest muscles. To do this exercise, lie on the bench and hook your legs under the padded support. Grab the bar in a wide grip and lift it straight up in the air. Slowly lower it down to your lower chest area, then push it back up. These can also be done with dumbbells.
Flyes
Chest flyes can be done from a flat, inclined or declined position. To do these, lie on the bench with dumbbells in your hands and extend your arms straight up in the air. Slightly bend your elbows, and lower your arms to your sides until your upper arms are about parallel to the floor. Push them back up and repeat. You can either have your palms facing each other or facing forward when you do this exercise.
Push-ups
Push-ups are a body weight exercise that can be done anywhere there is room to fit the length of your body. To do these, lie on your stomach with your hands directly under your shoulders. Push your body straight up in the air until your arms are extended, then lower yourself back down until you are a fist-width away from the ground. Continue on for a series of reps. When you do push-ups, keep your back straight and abs engaged the whole time. If doing them on your toes is too difficult, place your knees on the ground.
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