Workouts for the chest and core strengthen the muscles of the pecs in the chest and the muscles around the waist that stabilize the torso. These core muscles include the abs and lower back. You can save time do exercises that work both your chest and core, which will allow you to do shorter workouts that are still effective.
Swiss Ball Routine 1
This workout includes two exercises, the ball chest press and ball push crunches. A Swiss ball and a pair of dumbbells are used for both of these exercises. Instead of lying on a bench, lie with your shoulders and neck resting on a ball. By lifting your torso and holding it parallel to the floor, the glutes, lower back and abs work to stabilize your body. Simply do chest presses from this position to work your chest and core. For ball crunches, sit on a ball instead of the floor with the knees bent and feet flat and crunch your upper body toward the ceiling, just as you would with floor crunches. By holding your arms straight toward the ceiling during the movement, the pecs work isometrically. Perform 12 to 15 reps of each exercise and work up to three sets.
Swiss Ball Routine 2
Another way to work the pecs is to do dumbbell chest flyes. Performing chest flyes lying on a Swiss ball in the position described above strengthens the core, too. Lie on the ball with a dumbbell in each hand, and perform chest flyes as normal. Follow the flyes with the plank with knee drag exercise. Plank with knee drag targets the core, but your arms holding you in plank position works the chest isometrically too. Begin in plank position, but drop your right knee to the floor. Then, drag the right knee forward. Repeat with the left leg. Perform 12 to 15 reps of each exercise and work up to three sets.
Swiss Ball Routine 3
The Swiss ball can be used to work the abs and chest without weights. Push ups, a classic chest exercise, are challenging to the core when your feet are on a ball instead of the floor. The ball's potential to move makes the core work hard to balance during this exercise. Simply put your feet on top of a Swiss ball and do push ups off it as normal. Then, hold your body straight to do a ball reverse plank. A reverse plank works the core just by maintaining a neutral spine. The pecs contract to hold yourself up. Use the same reps and sets for the push ups. Hold the plank as long as you can without breaking form.
Bosu Ball Routine
A Bosu ball is like a half Swiss ball with a sturdy platform on one side. Using this tool also makes for an effective core and chest workout. Doing push ups while holding the Bosu challenges not just the large pec muscles, but smaller stabilizer muscles in the chest. Simply get into push-up position and hold the sides of the Bosu's platform with the ball side on the floor. Your chest aligns over the Bosu. Perform 12 to 15 Bosu push ups. Then, flip the Bosu over and do push crunches with dumbbells off the Bosu just as you would a Swiss ball to target the abs. Work up to three sets of 12 to 15 reps each.
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