At Home Chest Exercises

Chest exercises, like push-ups are simple to do at home. You can also use a set of inexpensive resistance cables to do chest exercises. Resistance cables are easily stored in a closet or hung up on a hook. They usually come in sets of three, consisting of a light, medium and heavy resistance, making them more practical for home use than a set of dumbbells or several weight machines.

Cable Chest Flye

The cable chest flye is an exercise to work the pec muscles of your chest. You can do this exercise by tying a resistance cable or band around a stationary object, at chest height. Face away from the object. Hold a resistance band handle in each hand, with your arms extended out at shoulder height and your palms facing forward. Your arms should be slightly rounded. Bring your arms together to meet in front of your body and then open them back to the sides again. Do as many repetitions as you can before your chest muscles become tired, recommends "Fitness" magazine's article "Sheryl Crow's Arms and Shoulders Workout."

Cable Chest Press Exercise

The cable chest press is a similar exercise as the chest flye, but with your arms held in a different position that will also work your triceps muscles. Tie a cable to an object at chest height. Stand facing away from the cable and step one foot forward into a staggered stance. Hold your arms at shoulder height, to the sides, with your arms bent at right angles with the fists pointing forward. Press the arms straight forward to work the pecs. You should keep your spine straight and you may incline your upper body forward slightly. Bend your arms back to right angles to complete one rep. "Women's Health" magazine suggests doing 12 to 15 reps.

Push-Ups

Push-ups are a classic bodyweight exercise that targets the pecs, arms and shoulders. You can emphasize the upper and lower portions of the pecs by doing decline or incline push-ups, respectively. For example, instead of doing the classic push-up on the floor, put your feet on a chair or your bed and your hands on the floor to do decline push-ups. Alternatively, you can put your feet on the floor and your hands on a chair or a stair to do incline push-ups. No matter which way you do push-ups, line up your hands below your shoulders and keep your torso in a straight line. One rep consists of bending the elbows out to the sides to lower the torso and then straightening the arms to raise the torso. Work up to three sets of eight to 20 reps for improvements in muscle strength, recommends the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA).