Breast tissue is primarily made up of fat, so losing body fat and developing the pectoral muscles will help give the breasts a more toned appearance. Losing fat in one area of the body is not possible, but including chest exercises in your total body workout will reduce overall body fat. Tighten and lift the breast by performing exercises that recruit each angle of the pectoral muscles. Engage in chest workouts twice per week for a toned bust.
Decline Pushups
Doing decline pushups works the lower portion of the chest muscles that sit underneath the bottom of the breasts. Stand in front of a flat bench with your back facing the bench. Place your hands on the floor in front of you, and position your feet on the bench behind you. Your body should be angled toward the floor. Align your hands with the chest. Bend your arms and lower your chest toward the ground. Press your chest up and return to the starting position. Repeat for three sets of 15 repetitions.
Stability Ball Chest Flys
Stability ball chest flys stimulate the middle section of the pectoral muscles that lie between the breasts. Sit on the stability ball with a dumbbell in each hand. Walk your feet forward until your head and neck are resting on top of the ball. Extend your arms over the chest with palms facing inward. Open your arms out to the sides until your hands are aligned with the shoulders. Squeeze your pectoral muscles, and bring the arms in and together over the chest. Return to the starting position. Repeat for three sets of 15 repetitions.
Incline Chest Press
The incline chest press recruits the top portion of the chest muscles. Have a seat on an incline bench. The incline bench should be angled back at about 45 degrees. Extend the arms over the chest with a dumbbell in each hand and palms facing forward. Lower the arms down until your elbows are bent at 90 degrees and aligned with the shoulders. Press the dumbbells up until the arms are straight, and then return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise for three sets of 15 repetitions.
Wide-grip Barbell Chest Press
The wide-grip barbell chest press engages the middle portion of the pectoral muscles. Lie back on a flat bench. Hold a barbell with both arms extended above the chest. Grip the bar with your hands spaced slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lower the bar down toward the chest. Press the bar up over the chest and return to the starting position. Repeat for three sets of 15 repetitions.
References
- Bodybuilding.com: Chest Workouts
- Oxygen Magazine: Build Your Best Chest
- "Weight Training Manual"; National Federation of Professional Trainers; 2006
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