7 min read
Do you shy away from chest exercises out of fear they'll make your breasts look smaller? You're not alone, since most women do the same thing.
But the truth is that a stronger chest has the opposite effect - working out your chest muscles can actually help to lift and shape the breasts, making them look bigger as a result.
Of course, that's a great benefit, but there are far more important benefits to chest exercises than a perkier bust.
It's easy to forget how often you rely on your upper body and chest for doing day-to-day activities. Think about it - every time you hunch over to type, carry groceries, or pull a door shut, you're using your upper body.
You pull, push, and twist countless times a day without thinking about it - a stronger chest and upper body can ultimately help prevent injury for these ordinary movements.
Plus, strengthening the chest muscles can help keep osteoporosis at bay. That's because osteoporosis is caused by a loss of tissue, which makes your bones fragile and prone to fractures. Training your chest strengthens your tissue and muscles in this area.
You might think that's a footnote, but here's why you should care about osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation:
This isn't meant to scare you of course. The intent here is to help you separate myths from facts:
So if you’re a woman who chooses not to train your chest because of the myth, it's time for a change, and this at-home chest workout below is your first step.
This workout makes chest exercises accessible for any woman, anywhere. All 5 exercises can be done without equipment or a gym membership. Whether you want to grab a quick chest workout in your home, office, or home office, let the following be the building blocks to a stronger chest.
You won't need any machines to follow along, but you'll need a set of dumbbells and a mat to lay on. Complete 3 sets of each exercise, with 8 to 12 reps per set.
As you get started, consider completing this workout twice a week as part of your workout regimen.
Step 1:Grab your dumbbells and lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor.
Step 2:Using your core muscles, push your lower back into the floor and raise your dumbbells above your chest, with your palms facing each other and your elbows bent slightly.
Step 3:Keeping your torso firm and stable on the mat, open your arms wide and lower the dumbbells to your sides until you feel a stretch in your chest.
Step 4:Repeat.
Muscles Worked:Pectorals, anterior deltoids, and latissimus dorsi.
Muscles Worked: Pectorals, deltoids, and triceps.
Note, this is similar to exercise 2, but the narrower grip will emphasize your triceps more than a chest press.
If you're looking for additional tricep exercises, look no further than SHEFIT's 6 moves for stronger triceps and biceps.
Muscles Worked: Pectorals, deltoids, and triceps.
Muscles Worked: Pectorals, deltoids, triceps, and latissimus dorsi.
Regular push-ups should be a staple in your workouts, and the great part is if they are too challenging, you can modify them by doing them from your knees until you can build greater strength.
Muscles Worked: Pectorals, deltoids, triceps, abdominals, quadriceps, and glutes.
Make sure you complete each set 3 times to finish the workout. And with that, congratulations! You've just taken the first step in busting the myths about exercising busts.
After you start building more chest strength, you'll inevitably want more variety or more challenging chest exercises. When you reach that point, there are two workouts you should explore.
Compound exercises are great for toning your body quickly, and that's because they extend across multiple muscle groups.
Check out SHEFIT's 5 compound movements for your upper body - with just these 5 exercises you'll cover your pectoral muscles and nearly every upper-body muscle group more than once, helping you get toned results quicker.
Ready to have an intense chest workout? Great, then you're ready for SHEFIT's HIIT chest workout, which consists of 5 supersets.
It will build full-body strength but was designed with special attention to your chest muscles. And like any good HIIT workout, it will get your heart pumping.
These are seriously challenging - so make sure your body is fully prepared for this.
Nothing can actually increase your breast size – except for surgery of course! But a good chest workout designed for women, like those above, can help you tone and lift your chest, giving the appearance of larger breasts.
So forget the myths surrounding chest workouts for women - they are overhyped, unreal, and nothing to be worried about.
The only time that breast mass is lost iswhen your body loses weight and fat -but training your chest muscles counteracts that effect. Meaning you'll lose weight but your breasts will look larger if you exercise your upper body, including the chest.
The best part is that you can incorporate this chest workout into your routine, and since you can do it from anywhere without equipment, it's easier than most workouts.
A quick aside, there are so many ways to get a great workout from home without any equipment, so if getting to the gym is your biggest hurdle to fitness, check out some other at-home workouts, like SHEFIT's Pilates moves that don't require a single piece of equipment.
We'd be remiss to show you a complete chest workout without giving you the proper physical support during your workout. The last thing you want during chest exercises is to worry about whether your breasts are staying put in your sports bra.
Knowing you’re fully supported allows you to spend more time on your sets reps and less time fixing your bra!
So invest in the best supportive sports bra for the occasion - whether you're well-endowed or not, a sports bra that fits perfectly and does its job correctly makes a huge difference in the quality of your workout - that's why SHEFIT exists!
You should start with SHEFIT's Ultimate Sports Bra, it's custom-built for the most intense movements and able to capably handle everything from conventional chest workouts to HIIT chest workouts.
You’ll get a perfect fit no matter what your size with their patented adjustability and two-way wear.