Building and toning your chest muscles, the pectoral major and minor, requires a strategy that integrates exercise and healthy eating. John Hansen, author of "Natural Bodybuilding," explains that although you can develop and tone your chest muscles, the shape and size of your developed chest muscle may vary depending on your individual physical makeup.
Strength Training
Step 1
Perform push-ups in the full-body position; when these become easy, perform push-ups balancing on each leg. Keep proper form by maintaining alignment from your neck to your feet. Perform one-arm push-ups as your chest and arms get stronger.
Step 2
Lie on the inclined or declined bench, keeping your entire upper body flat on the bench. Use a wide grasp to lift and lower the barbell directly from your chest to above your head. The shift from a flat bench to an angled bench encourages development of your upper and lower chest region, which may not receive a balanced workout if all your chest work is done flat.
Step 3
Perform the cable decline fly, lying fly, seated fly and standing fly. Use a weight bench and pulley attachments for the first three and simply stand on the floor to perform the last.
Lifestyle
Step 1
Eat enough healthy, filling food to fuel your body when performing strenuous chest and body building exercises. Restricting calories will make it difficult to build muscle mass. Use a calorie calculator to estimate your caloric needs based on a high activity level. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest a man or woman with a highly active lifestyle eat 3,000 and 2,400 calories, respectively. Adjust your caloric intake as needed.
Step 2
Consume adequate amounts of protein. Nancy Clark, in her book "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook," recommends that athletes who are building muscle mass consume 0.7 to 0.8 g of protein per pound of body weight. If you weigh 200 lbs., eat between 140 g to 160 g of protein a day. You can eat lean meats, eggs, cheeses and milk. Almonds, nut butters and beans are plant sources of protein.
Step 3
Space your meals and calories out throughout the day to give your body a continuous source of energy. Eating every couple of hours keeps your metabolism working all day long and can help you avoid eating too much at one meal.
Tips and Warnings
- Rest between workout sessions for at least 24 hours. Alternate chest exercises to evenly develop your chest muscles. Use a spotter when working with heavy weights. Work with a personal trainer to learn proper form and techniques.
- Consult your physician before beginning an exercise program.
Things You'll Need
- Incline bench
- Barbell
References
- "Natural Bodybuilding"; John Hansen; 2005
- American Council on Exercise: Push-Up With Single-Leg Raise
- ExRx.net: Barbell Decline Bench Press
- ExRx.net: Cable Standing Fly
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
- "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook"; Nancy Clark; 2008
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