Exercises for a stronger, better looking chest

Press-ups. These are probably the most popular chest exercises among young men, ahead of stretching, football and summersaults. From as early as 10 years of age, boys start doing press-ups because, probably, they are intuitively wired to want a larger, stronger chest. This is because to young men, a bigger chest ranks very high in the mating game among humans. 

Other than the popular press-ups, other training exercises for a stronger chest include lifting free weights, working out with resistance bands, bench presses, cable crossovers (cable pulleys), dips, dumbbells and kettlebells, among others. All these are strength exercises focus mostly on the chest.

Benefits of chest exercises
Chest exercises, while they build the chest, do more than just that. They help build upper body strength, meaning that one’s shoulders get squarer, and their biceps and triceps get bigger too. Working out chest muscles can help you achieve a strong, sculpted physique. 

Good posture
As the back muscles, strong chest muscles help you get a better posture because they stabilise your shoulders.

Exercising chest muscles (pectoral muscles) can improve flexibility in the chest-shoulder area over time and take away muscle tightness in the general area. And according to experts, tight chest muscles make poor posture more likely because they can add to that hunched-over posture, as well as limit your range of motion. 

Better breathing
On top of improving posture, chest exercises foster deeper breaths and reduce risk of shoulder injury, according to Johnson Busigye, a fitness trainer at Kampala Serena Hotel. 

“Working out chest muscles not only strengthens them but also makes them lighter. I think this is what helps you to breathe deeper,” Busingye says. 

Breast support
While chest exercises may not give a woman smaller, firmer breasts, they help provide more lift and support due to the fact that these exercises build the muscle around breast tissue. In men, however, the chest becomes more visibly toned, larger and more masculine, improving the bearer’s confidence.

Strength
People with bigger chests do not just appear stronger, they are stronger in real life. Busingye says we use our chest muscles constantly, daily, even when we do not notice it. From mundane tasks such as holding and squeezing to more cumbersome tasks such as lifting and pushing, we are using our pecs. This means that a person who works out their chest will live their everyday life more comfortably than one who does not. 

Examples of chest exercises
While you may have grown up doing push-ups or press-ups, there is a host of options to choose from for better results. Busingye advises that one should always aim at 12 repetitions (reps) of the same workout for better muscle response. 

“But as a beginner, if you cannot do 12, start with what you can manage. The goal is to gradually increase reps to at least 12. Remember to rest about 30-45 seconds between the reps,” he says. 

Chest punches
Starting position: Wrap the exercise band around your back and under your armpits. Hold each end of the band in each hand by your shoulders.
Movement: With control, punch your right arm out in front of you on a slight diagonal across your body. Slowly bring it back to the starting position. Repeat with your left arm. That is one rep.
Chest press
Starting position: Stand tall with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Place a band across your upper back and under your arms. Hold each end with your arms bent, elbows pointing out and your hands by your armpits, palms down.
Movement: Extend your arms straight out in front of you at chest height, stretching the band. Slowly bend your arms and return to the starting position, resisting the pull of the band.
Wood chop
Starting position: Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell with both hands. Hinge forward at your hips and bend your knees to sit back into a slight squat. Rotate your torso to the right and extend your arms to hold the dumbbell on the outside of your right knee.

Movement: Straighten your legs to stand up as you rotate your torso to the left and raise the weight diagonally across your body and up to the left, above your shoulder, while keeping your arms extended. In a chopping motion, slowly bring the dumbbell down and across your body toward the outside of your right knee. This is one rep. Finish all reps, then repeat on the other side. This completes one set.

Kneeling push-up
Starting position: Begin on the floor on all fours with your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Walk your hands forward and lower your hips so your body is at a 45° angle to the floor and forms a straight line from head to knees.
Movement: Bend your elbows out to the sides and slowly lower your upper body toward the floor until your elbows are bent about 90°. Press against the floor and straighten your arms to return to the starting position.
Squat and overhead toss
Starting position: Stand tall with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes pointed out slightly. Hold a medicine ball with both hands at chest height, arms bent.
Movement: Bend your hips and knees, and squat down. Don't let your knees move farther forward than your toes. Press into your heels to stand back up. As you rise, toss the ball overhead and catch it, bringing it back to chest height. 

Tips for defined chest muscles
“Muscle definition” is a challenging term. You may ask yourself, “What does that really mean?”

Well, muscles have to increase in size to be able to see their shape. This is called hypertrophy, and it involves progressively stressing the muscles past their resting state to induce growth. It occurs when the amount of protein used to build muscle exceeds the amount of protein breakdown that occurs.

However, you also need to decrease body fat to be able to see muscle definition. For people with breasts, it will likely be difficult to see much muscular definition in the chest.

Still, if muscle definition is your goal, you will need to work the chest muscles for hypertrophy but also decrease calories to see your muscles better. This will likely involve increasing calorie burn through aerobic exercise and managing your diet.

*Source: healthline.com