Building chest muscle requires two things -- muscle stress and calories. First, you must stress your muscles to failure so they can grow. You also need to make sure you are eating enough calories to allow them to grow. Calories are your fuel, so if you aren't eating enough you'll simply burn fat instead of building muscle. Although a gym offers a wider array of weight machines to work the chest in different ways, the chest is actually one of the easiest muscles to work at home without special equipment.
Step 1
Write down everything you eat, and find your total caloric intake. Increase your calories by 300 per day, and monitor your progress. If you do not build muscle, add more calories. If you put on fat, decrease your calories or increase your cardio workout. Make sure you are eating 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram (0.454 pounds) of body weight to promote muscle growth.
Step 2
Work your chest muscles as part of an overall body building routine, but pay special attention to your chest routine three days per week. Do two sets of each exercise, using weights heavy enough that you cannot lift more than eight reps.
Step 3
Lie on your stomach with your hands beneath your shoulders and your toes on the floor.
Step 4
Push up until your body forms a straight line and only your hands and toes are touching the ground. Keep your back straight and your abs tight.
Step 5
Lower yourself back to the ground. Repeat the push-up until you cannot do any more.
Step 6
Vary your hand position to work your chest from different angles. For example, do a set with your hands wider than shoulder-width, and another set with your hands next to your ribs.
Step 7
Add variations to make the push-up harder. Try doing them with your feet higher than your hands or while wearing a weighted belt. Add movement by "walking" side to side or back and forth with each rep.
Step 8
Lie on your back on a bench or narrow table no wider than your shoulders. Grasp a weight or sand-filled milk jug in each hand.
Step 9
Keep your arms perpendicular to your body, and begin with your elbows bent at 90 degrees. Push the weights straight into the air, and touch them together at the top of the lift.
Step 10
Lower the weights back to the starting position slowly. The "down" portion of the move works your muscles just as much as the "up" portion. Repeat the press until you can't do any more.
Step 11
Perform sets of the press on an incline as well -- when your head is at the high end, you work the top of the chest more. When your head is at the low end, you work the bottom of the chest more.
Tips and Warnings
- Perform each move slowly for maximum muscle stress. Every movement should be controlled, and you should never let gravity do any of the work for you.
- Use a spotter when lifting heavy weights.
Things You'll Need
- Dumbbells or milk jugs full of sand
- Bench or narrow table
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