≡ November 24, 2015 Category: Exercises by muscle group
Many girls who watch their weight and figure and work out in gyms focus on pumping up their abs and gluteal muscles. Few people know that it is equally important to keep the muscles of the arms and chest toned. There are prejudices that since the breasts mainly consist of adipose tissue, it is not worth losing fat, because the size may decrease.
But what is not taken into account here is that even if the layer of fat becomes thinner, pumped up muscles will lift the breasts and make them firmer, more beautiful and visually larger.
Benefits of chest exercises
If you know how to properly pump your pectoral muscles, training will give you several benefits.
Beauty benefits
Noticeable improvement in posture. It is no secret that a woman with beautiful posture, even with curvaceous figures, attracts more admiring and approving glances than a slouching “skinny” woman. At the same time, women who, due to the nature of their work, have to spend a lot of time in a sitting position, develop a stoop, their shoulders move forward and down, their back hunches, their stomach protrudes and their chests sink.
Agree, the picture is unpleasant, but true, because there are so few girls on the street who are thin and have a beautiful, as they say, “royal” posture. This situation can be corrected only if you know how to quickly pump up the pectoral muscles.
The breasts visually enlarge and rise. This part of the body consists of the mammary gland, several lactation channels, adipose and connective tissue. There is muscle tissue under the mammary gland, and if it is pumped up, the breasts rise and become larger. There is no need to be deceived, the size does not increase by much, only surgical plastic surgery significantly increases the size, and here the visual effect is greater, however, due to the fact that the breasts do not sag, in general they look more attractive from the point of view of aesthetics and sexuality.
Benefit for health
Well-developed chest muscles relieve excess tension from the back and neck muscles, which makes it possible to expand the range of motion and eliminate frequent headaches.
Increasing muscle mass allows you to speed up metabolic processes, which benefits the entire body.
In turn, accelerating the metabolic process allows you to burn fat faster and more efficiently and remove waste and toxins, which leads to weight loss.
As you can see, knowing how to properly pump up your pectoral muscles, you can literally “create” your figure and benefit your health.
The most popular chest exercises
A good workout is possible in the gym using special equipment. But you can get a beautiful body in other ways, for example, active exercises at home. In any case, the main thing is the correct implementation of physical activity.
Home workout
The set of exercises that you can perform independently does not have a very extensive list, but is highly effective. But the most important thing is the special recommendations that must be followed to achieve maximum results:
- Wearing sportswear. A special bra supports the mammary glands and fixes them in the correct position during training.
- Any workout should begin with exercises. A light warm-up warms up your muscles and helps avoid injury when performing exercises.
The list is not too long and consists of only two points. Following which will provide beautiful and toned breasts in a short time.
Push ups
The best exercises are never complete without classic push-ups. They are very effective. When performing, the shoulder muscles, back, legs, and abs are involved. It is very easy to do at home, as it does not require the use of special equipment.
The technique is simple and will be understandable to any girl. Even if you have questions, you can find training pictures online that will help you get into the correct position. Take a lying position, distributing the main weight on your toes. Do 10 push-ups. Take a break for 1-2 minutes and repeat the exercise again. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
With each new lesson, increase the number of repetitions, and reduce the rest time between them by several minutes.
Palm clenching
This exercise for breast correction can be performed independently several times a day or as part of a training complex. Although it does not require the presence of various devices, it is very difficult to perform at first:
- Take a standing position. The back should be perfectly straight and the chin raised.
- Place your palms in front of your chest and squeeze as you exhale.
- While squeezing your palms, try to focus on the muscles that are contracting.
If the breasts are not too large, when performing gymnastics, you can see how the bust rises at moments of increased muscle tension. Breast lifting occurs precisely as a result of their contraction. The number of repetitions and approaches at the beginning should be minimal. Be sure to take a short break between approaches.
Using sports equipment
To tighten the chest muscles, you can also use sports equipment: dumbbells, expanders, light barbells and much more. With these attributes it will be much easier to achieve results.
Basic exercises
The favorite equipment of many girls is an expander and dumbbells. They are compact and easy to use. Suitable for correcting breast shape. Especially with sagging problems.
Exercises with an expander
During the exercises, you can take any position - standing, sitting or lying down. The only constant condition is a straight back. Technique:
- To take a position. The back should be straight.
- Take the expander in your hands and extend it in front of you at shoulder level.
- Slowly spread your arms to the sides, stretching the expander as much as possible.
- Fix the position and stay in it for 7-8 seconds.
- Return to starting position. Take a short break and repeat again.
This exercise provides an excellent lifting effect. It can be performed at home or in the gym, if possible.
Using dumbbells
There are always a large number of dumbbells of different weights in the gym. To begin with, choose the minimum. This will help the muscles get used to the load and prepare them for further more intense training. After a long period of training, the weight is increased gradually.
Alternate lifting
The exercise is very easy to do. To lift her breasts, a girl should do this regularly during training:
- Take a standing position. Take dumbbells in your hands.
- As you inhale, raise your arms up, and as you exhale, lower them down.
- Make several entries and repeat again.
This exercise can be performed in several ways. Raise your arms simultaneously or alternately. Just lift or bend to the side. Any of the options will give a good result.
Pullover exercise
To give breast elasticity, use the pullover exercise. When performing it, the triceps, back and shoulder muscles are involved. How to do:
- To pull up the weight, lie on the surface, taking a horizontal position. Before doing this, grab the necessary equipment.
- Raise your limbs above you to eye level. Your arms should be slightly bent at the elbows.
- As you inhale, slowly move your hands behind your head.
- Having reached the bottom point, exhale and return your hands to their original position. Number of repetitions – 10 (for starters). No more than 3-4 approaches.
The exercise may not work out very well at first. To perform it, your arms must be strong. With each new lesson you will get much better. Regular exercise will help your bust become firmer and more attractive.
Lying on an incline bench
Another one of the most effective exercises for breast tightening. When working, all the muscles of the bust are involved. The muscles of the shoulder blades, ribs and biceps on the arms are trained. How to do to get a firm bust:
- The inclination of the bench should be within 30°, but not less than 20°. Take dumbbells and lie with your back on an inclined surface.
- Raise your arms with dumbbells up 90°. With your elbows apart, the level should be slightly below your chest.
- At this stage, inhale, holding your breath for a few seconds.
- Exhale and press your arms up until they are completely straightened.
- After stopping at the top point, return your hands to their original position.
With each new workout, the number of repetitions increases. To begin with, you should do it 10 times. In this case, 3 or 4 approaches will be enough. Take a break of no more than 1.5 minutes between repetitions.
In addition to these techniques, various simulators will show excellent results. They can be used no more than 3 times a week. The load is distributed by day of the week, choosing the best option for each girl.
A program on how to quickly pump up your pectoral muscles
You should be realistic and not expect results too quickly. The fact is that women's muscles, in particular the pectoral muscles, are not as responsive to pumping as men's. They increase much more slowly due to natural features - differences in hormonal levels. But if you don't plan to shine in bodybuilding, even small changes will improve your health and make your figure more beautiful.
A trainer will help you create the most correct program for how to properly pump up your pectoral muscles, however, if you have problems with this, use the generally accepted algorithm of action, including the following exercises in your personal plan:
- Dumbbell bench press.
- Dumbbell bench press on an incline bench.
- Dumbbell fly.
- Push ups.
This program is suitable for both the gym and home workouts.
Dumbbell Bench Press
For girls, this exercise is more effective than barbell push-ups in a lying position, since even with weak muscles, this exercise increases the range of motion.
How to do the exercise correctly:
- Lie down on a horizontal bench and lift the dumbbells in front of you, keeping your hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing outward.
- Bend your arms so that the angle between your shoulder and forearm is 90 degrees.
- As you exhale, push the dumbbells up, while lifting the dumbbells faster than you lower them down.
- When lowering, bring your shoulder blades towards each other and lift your chest; when lifting, vice versa.
- When completing the exercise, do not suddenly lower the dumbbells to the floor, so as not to damage the shoulder muscles, lower them at hip height, first sit down and only then lower them to the floor, this is the only way you will not get injured.
Set of exercises
To timely strengthen the muscles of the thoracic region, training is necessary. Effective complexes for pumping up the chest are represented by: push-ups and presses with dumbbells. They are aimed not only at strengthening and lifting the chest, but also at correcting posture.
Bench push-ups allow you to pump up your chest muscles for both men and women.
Push-ups can be done from a wall, floor or bench. They are aimed at developing strength and endurance, but do not provide excess volume. But exercises with dumbbells will help you achieve the desired volume, but you can also overdo it, so you should do them with caution.
We previously wrote about ways to pump up the pectoral muscles with pull-ups on the horizontal bar and recommended bookmarking this article.
Important! When performing exercises to strengthen the muscles of the thoracic region, it is necessary to observe the correct technique, intensity, and regularity of exercise.
One of the sets of exercises:
- Warm up and stretch. You should not miss them under any circumstances. They allow you to prepare your muscles for training and thereby avoid injury.
- Doing push-ups from a bench. You need to turn your back to the bench, lean your hands on it, and stretch your legs forward. Bend your arms at the elbow joints, lowering yourself to the maximum. You need to do 10 squats.
- Raising and abducting arms with dumbbells. This exercise is effective for pumping up the pectoral muscles. The pose when performing it can be lying on a bench, stools, or standing. Hands spread in different directions or lowered behind the head.
Raising your hands with dumbbells behind your head in a lying position. The pectoral muscles work, thereby tightening the chest and making it visually larger.
- Combined exercise with dumbbells. It is performed lying on a bench or stools. Your arms need to be raised up and then spread in different directions. Then return it to its original position and bend it at the elbows, pressing it to the sides of the torso. This will count as one repetition. A minimum of ten repetitions must be done.
- Power press. Feet should be shoulder-width apart, arms with dumbbells hanging down. After this, you need to raise your two arms up to the sternum and spread them in different directions. At the same moment you should rise on your toes. Then you need to return to the starting position.
One of the power press options. This exercise helps strengthen the pectoral muscles, making the chest more elastic.
- One more press. You need to kneel down and place your left leg in front of you. You need to take dumbbells. The body should be tilted towards the exposed leg. Your arms should be bent in front of your chest. When inhaling, you should spread your arms to the sides, when exhaling, return them to their original position. You need to do this at least ten times. After this, change your leg and carry out similar actions.
- "Skier" This exercise is especially effective for breast enlargement. You should stand up straight, pick up dumbbells and make movements similar to pushing off with poles when skiing. Movements should be performed smoothly. You need to repeat this until slight fatigue occurs in the pectoral muscles.
Important! During training, you should monitor your breathing process. It must be stable.
How to properly perform a dumbbell press on an incline bench?
The incline dumbbell press is useful because it makes it possible to increase the load on the upper chest.
Before starting the exercise, adjust the angle of the bench. You should know that the greater the angle of inclination, the more the load increases, so do not force things and start with a small angle, gradually increasing the inclination.
Otherwise, the technique of this exercise is almost the same as the previous one, with the exception of one point - at the highest point, your hands with dumbbells should be perpendicular to the floor.
Tips for performing gymnastic exercises
Classes should be held at a smooth and slow pace. Perform each exercise according to the instructions, without rushing. If you train in a hurry, you will not achieve any positive results.
Exercises for the chest require maximum effort and concentration from a person. Therefore, at the beginning, gymnastics should not begin with complex exercises using additional weight. The number of times performed should be minimal. Over time, you can increase the load by gradually using dumbbells and an expander.
During exercise, you need to monitor your breathing. Such a simple nuance can harm the body. Also, do not lose sight of the position of your arms, legs and back.
Strength exercises are not recommended for everyone, especially if the person knows they have health problems. Training for problems with the spine, acute heart failure, chronic diseases in the acute stage and elevated body temperature is strictly prohibited. In such a condition, it is better for a person not to engage in sports or to do so with extreme caution. After treatment of the underlying disease, you can begin sports.
Dumbbell lateral raises - correct execution technique
Use the same bench for it, first practice on a horizontal one, and gradually move on to doing it on an inclined one.
- Lie on your back on a bench, lift the dumbbells in front of you. Hands should be fixed shoulder-width apart, palms facing each other.
- As you inhale, lower your arms down and away from your body, bringing your shoulder blades together and slightly lifting your chest. Only the shoulder joints should move.
- As you exhale, bring your arms together, as if “hugging” yourself.
After 2-3 weeks, depending on how you feel, make this exercise more difficult by doing it on an incline bench.
List of effective exercises for the gym
Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbell floor press
Helps increase muscle fiber size. Perform in the following sequence:
- Lie with your back on a bench and take dumbbells in your hands. They move them apart, hold them suspended, palms facing up.
- The shoulder and forearm form a right angle. At the exit, lift the dumbbells up.
- Then they are immediately lowered, palms facing each other.
- Place your hands on your hips and assume a sitting position.
You need to lift the weight faster than return it. When lifting a weight, the shoulder blades move away from each other, and when lowering, they move together.
Dumbbell raises in different directions
Dumbbell lateral raises
A hard but effective exercise for the pectoral muscles for women in the gym, which can be performed on a bench:
- Lying on a bench, hold dumbbells in your hands, then raise them up in front of you, palms facing each other.
- As you inhale, lower your arms in different directions, trying to stretch the pectoral muscles, but moving only your shoulders.
- As you exhale, bring your arms together in a hugging motion.
When performing the exercise, your arms should not sag much - you should strive to be parallel with the floor.
Bench dumbbell press
Performed to improve the condition of the upper pectoral muscles. It is advisable to use a Roman chair or bench, the angle of which can be raised. Perform in the same way as a dumbbell bench press.
Seated dumbbell raise
Seated dumbbell press
This exercise for the pectoral muscles for girls in the gym is performed as follows:
- Sitting on a bench, straighten your back and place your feet shoulder-width apart.
- The shoulder blades and shoulders are pulled back, the stomach is pulled in.
- Take dumbbells in each hand and lower them down.
- As you exhale, pull the weight up to shoulder level.
As you inhale, return to the starting position.
Bench press
Bench press
To perform this exercise, you need to choose the appropriate weight. The trainer will advise you to do the bench press from a neutral position or at an incline position. The tactics are as follows:
- The girl lies down on the bench and sucks in her stomach. Your back should be strictly straight, your feet should be flat on the floor.
- Hands are placed on the bar, forming a perpendicular angle with the elbow to the floor.
- The hands are turned forward, while inhaling, the barbell is lifted, fully extending the elbows.
- Hold the position for several seconds, then, as you exhale, return the projectile to its place.
Exercises with a barbell are given a minimum number of approaches and repetitions.
Crossover block exercise
This exercise will require adjusting the upper block. It needs to be brought to the chest, as with dumbbells. Movements should be smooth, without jerking, and not too light. The weight of the load being lifted should be felt.
Dips
Muscles used during dips
A complex and effective exercise is designed for those who already have experience in working out muscle fibers in this way. Dips work well on your shoulders and triceps by bending and extending your arms under your own body weight. Do it like this:
- After jumping onto the machine, you need to keep your body in an upright position with your arms straight. The legs are bent at the knees.
- The elbows are pulled back and they try to support the body with them, the body tilts slightly upward.
- Exhale and tighten the body; if this is difficult, you can straighten your arms at the top.
- As you inhale, lower yourself down and feel the muscles in the chest area stretch.
It is advisable for girls to start working in the gym to develop their pectoral muscles after consulting a trainer. The specialist will select the best warm-up, exercise and cool-down options. He will monitor how the approaches are performed. After several lessons, you can begin to work independently.
Push-ups - how to do them correctly?
In its classic form, this exercise is performed like this:
- Lie on the floor on your stomach with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Rise up with your arms outstretched, fixing your whole body in a straight line so that your butt does not sag down, but does not stick out up either.
- Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles as much as possible.
- Lower your body down until your elbows are bent to approximately 90 degrees.
If it’s hard for you to do the exercise in the classic form without training, start doing it for the first couple of weeks while standing at a distance from the wall and leaning on it with your hands or in a kneeling position.
A few additional tips
Some useful tips on how to properly pump up your pectoral muscles if you want your body to be developed harmoniously.
- Be sure to train your chest in combination with exercises for your back muscles.
- Based on your overall fitness, perform three sets of 10-12 repetitions each.
- If you are a beginner, take the smallest and lightest dumbbells, increase the load gradually, do not overload the muscles (see Training program for beginners)
- Be sure to remember the sequence and mechanics of movements to avoid injury.
- Try to increase the number of repetitions at least a little in each workout.