Look at any fitness magazine, and you’ll see a strong, sculptured chest. Look in the mirror, and, well, maybe it’s time to get your chest to look a bit closer to what you saw in that magazine! Here’s some of the best home exercises for building your chest.
Why Build your Chest Muscles? – These are some of the most powerful muscles in your upper body, and you need them for any kind of movement that involves pushing, whether that means pushing a door open, to pushing a disabled car off the road.
What Makes Up Your Chest Muscles? – your chest is made up of two primary muscles — the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor (i.e. “pecs) The pectoralis major is the larger of the two muscles, and extends across the upper chest, attaching to the shoulder and the breastbone and has a fan-like appearance. The pectoralis minor on the other hand is a small, thin and triangular muscle that sits just below the pectoralis major.
Five Top Chest Building Exercises
Exercise #1: Push Ups: – This is great starting place for building your chest, and you can do it anywhere! Use a wide grip.
Exercise #2: Chest Press – You can do this with a simple, flat weight bench and a set of dumbbells (PowerBlock Adjustable Dumbbells are a great, space efficient choice!) – lie n a flat bench, holding the dumbbells in your hands above you. Lower the weights slowly until your upper arms are parallel with the floor at a 90 degree angle, then raise back up to a starting position.
Exercise #3: Chest Dips – For this you need either two flat, parallel surfaces, or consider getting a Dip Station. Grab the bars or place hands on the flat surface while holding your arms straight. You don’t want your feet touching the floor, so bend your knees with your feet behind you. Slowly lower yourself until you feel a stretch in your chest. Inhale as you lower yourself, then exhale as you lift back up.
Exercise #4: Incline Push Ups – This targets your lower chest. Find a stable surface about 3 feed above the ground. With your feet behind you, and your hands on the surface, lower yourself toward the surface while inhaling, then exhale as you return to a starting position.
Exercise #5: Decline Push Ups – For this routine, you’ll do a standard push up, but place your feet on a bench or other elevated surface, so that your feet are at a higher elevation that your shoulders. Inhale as you lower yourself, then exhale as you return to a starting position.
Fitness 4 Home Superstore features a wide variety of strength training equipment, perfect for taking your chest workouts to the next level. Stop into any of our three Phoenix area stores to learn more!
