The female chest anatomy is a little more intricate than it appears. The breasts are composed of fat, glands and ducts. The pectoralis major and minor are found under the breasts. These are the muscles you focus on with chest exercises. Your goal is to target your chest from various angles to maximize muscle recruitment. When you are at home, you may not have the luxury of free weights and machines, but you do have the weight of your body.
Push-Ups
Push-ups target the middle portion of the pecs. Perform them on the floor from a face-down position. Place your hands about shoulder-width apart and feet together behind you. Keeping your back straight and core tight, push yourself off the floor until your arms are fully extended. Slowly lower yourself back down until your chest is right above the floor and repeat. If this is too difficult, place your knees on the floor. All forms of push-ups also work the shoulders and triceps.
Elevated Push-Ups
Elevated push-ups are also known as decline push-ups. These are performed by placing your feet on a chair, couch or bed. Due to the angle of your body, you primarily work the upper part of your pecs. Position your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and place your feet together on the chair. Keeping your core tight and back straight, push yourself up in a steady motion and slowly lower yourself down. Repeat for a set of repetitions. For a variation, place your knees on the chair and hold your feet in the air
Incline Push-Ups
Incline push-ups work the lower part of your chest and they are done with your body in the opposite position as decline push-ups. Start out by placing your hands on the top of two chairs that are side by side and your feet together behind you. Keeping your core tight and back straight, lower yourself down by bending your elbows. Stop when your chest is close to the chairs, push yourself back up and repeat. To keep the chairs from sliding, move the back legs up to a wall.
Chest Squeeze
A chest squeeze is an isometric exercise that targets the inner part of the chest. Unlike a regular exercise, an isometric exercise is held for an extended period of time with no movement. You can perform the chest squeeze from a standing or sitting position. Place your hands palm to palm in front of your chest and push in forcefully. Hold until you feel fatigued and slowly release. If you own a basketball or kickball, you can place this between your hands and squeeze it for a variation.
Upward-Facing Dog
The upward-facing dog is a chest stretch performed from a partial lying position on the floor. Start out lying flat on your stomach with your hands shoulder-width apart and the tops of your feet flat. Steadily push yourself up until your arms are fully extended. While doing this, push your chest forward, move your shoulders back and lift your thighs from the floor. Once your hands and feet are the only points of contact with the floor, hold for 30 to 45 seconds and slowly release. For a variation, leave your thighs pressed against the floor. This is called a cobra pose.
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