You can increase strength, size and definition of your chest muscles if you choose the right workout routine. Compound exercises like the bench press will help you achieve your goals. You can perform your chest exercise routine one or two days a week, with at minimum a full day of rest for the chest muscles in between, advises the American Council on Exercise. Do a warm-up and cool down before and after each chest exercise session.
Step 1
Warm up before beginning your chest exercise routine, advises the American Council on Exercise. Do the cobra, in which you start lying on your stomach with hands by your sides, directly under your shoulders. Face your hands forward, and extend your legs. Exhale and press your hips to the floor. Pull your chest away from the ground, but keep the hips in position. This arches the lower back and stretches the muscles in the chest. Hold 30 seconds, then slowly lower your chest back to the floor. Next perform the cat or cow. Start on all fours. Stiffen your abdominal muscles so your back is straight. Exhale and contract abs. Push your spine up toward the ceiling and hold for 15 seconds. Let your head fall toward your chest. Relax and allow your stomach to fall toward the floor, arching your back. Hold 15 seconds. Do one to two sets of each warm-up exercise. At the end of your workout session, cool down by performing the cobra again.
Step 2
Perform push-ups. Do these with knees bent, if you're a beginner. If you're more advanced, do push-ups against a resistance band you hold under each hand and loop over your back at the shoulders. Complete 12 to 15 repetitions and then rest for 45 seconds to one minute. Repeat once or twice more to complete a total of two or three sets, recommends the American Council on Exercise.
Step 3
Execute the bench press, which works your arms and shoulders as well as your chest. If you're trying to build a bigger chest with heavy weights, this is the exercise for you, advises Stronglifts.com. If you're seeking to tone your chest, choose lighter weights. Lie on your back on the bench with your feet planted firmly on the floor and your eyes are below the bar. Pull your shoulders down and back so they are making firm contact with the bench, where they should remain throughout the exercise, advises the American Council on Exercise. Keep your head and butt on the bench throughout as well. Have a helper, called a spotter, assist you in moving the barbell off the rack. Place the bar over your upper chest with extended elbows. Do not flex or extend your wrist. Inhale. Slowly lower the bar, keeping the movement controlled. Touch the bar lightly to your chest, just above your armpits. Do not arch your back. Exhale and push the bar up to the starting position. Do three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions with 60 seconds of rest in between if you are seeking to tone. Do five sets of five repetitions if you are maximizing muscle growth, with two minutes of rest between sets, and work up to the point in which you are using or exceeding your own body weight on the barbell, advises Stronglifts.com.
Step 4
Work your outer pectoral muscles with dumbbell flyes. Lie on a flat bench. Hold the dumbbells in front of your shoulders with palms facing inward. The dumbbells should almost touch each other. Keep your head, shoulders, butt and back on the bench throughout, and your feet on the floor. Inhale. Extend your arms out on either side until the dumbbells become level with your body. Exhale and slowly raise the dumbbells back to starting position. Keep your elbows locked in an almost straight position throughout the move. Do 12 to 15 repetitions three times, with one minute rests in between to tone. To build, do five sets of five repetitions with two-minute rests.
Step 5
Execute dips between parallel bars that are 22 inches apart to work your lower chest muscles. Stand on a box between the bars and kick the box back. Raise yourself on the bars, then inhale and lower your body until your shoulders reach the point that they are lower than your elbows. Exhale, and straighten your arms to push yourself up. You will be using your own body weight as resistance. If you're an advanced exerciser, use a weighted belt. Along with the chest, you are working your shoulders, triceps and latissimus dorsi, or outer back. If you seek to tone, do three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions with 60 seconds of rest between each set. To build up size, do three sets of six to eight repetitions with two minutes rest in between, advises Great-Workout.com
Step 6
Choose the decline bench press to work your lower chest muscles if dips are too difficult for you. Lie with your head angled down on a decline bench that's set at an angle of 20 to 40 degrees. Position the barbell so it's in line with your chin, gripping slightly wider than shoulder-width apart it with palms facing forward. Keep thumbs wrapped around the bar. Do not flex or extend writs. Keep your head, back, shoulders and butt in contact with the bench throughout the exercise, and your feet on the floor or a step, advises the American Council on Exercise. Inhale and lower the bar until you can gently touch your chest. Exhale and slowly push the bar up. It's best to use a spotter, or helper, for this exercise. To build muscle, do five sets of five repetitions with a two-minute rest in between. To tone do three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions with a one-minute rest in between.
Tips and Warnings
- Lower the amount of weight you are using if you cannot maintain proper form.
- Stop immediately if you experience pain in your lower back and consult your doctor.
Things You'll Need
- Bench
- Decline bench
- Barbell
- Dumbbells
- Resistance band
- Parallel bars
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