The Ultimate At-Home Chest Workout for Women

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.

A Stronger Female Chest Helps Prevent Injury

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:

80% of Americans that suffer from osteoporosis are female.
Nearly half of women over the age of 50 will develop osteoporosis.

This isn't meant to scare you of course. The intent here is to help you separate myths from facts:

Chest Workouts for Women: The Myth

Women who do chest workouts won't look like they have smaller breasts.

Chest Workouts for Women: The Truth

Training your chest will make your breasts look fuller.
A stronger chest helps prevent injury.
Stronger chest muscles help women combat osteoporosis, a condition that women are far likelier to develop than men.

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.

How to Get a Full Chest Workout At Home Without Equipment

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.

At Home workout

EXERCISE #1: LYING CHEST FLY (8-12 REPS)

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.

Weight training your chest muscles will enhance the look of your breasts. So if you’re one of those women who chooses not to train their chest, then these workout ideas will definitely change your mind. Follow this chest workout for women to add a little extra oomph to that upper body of yours! No equipment? No gym? No problem! This workout can easily be done at home. | How to Get an Amazing Chest: The Best Exercises for Women | Shefit High Impact Sports Bra for Big Busts

EXERCISE #2: CHEST PRESS (8-12 REPS)

Step 1: Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor, and a dumbbell in each hand.
Step 2: Push the dumbbells up so that your arms are directly over your shoulders and your palms are facing up. At the same time, make sure to pull your abdominals in, and tuck your chin into your chest.
Step 3: Lower the dumbbells to the ground and keep your elbows at a 45-degree angle with your body. Be sure to roll your shoulder blades as you lower, almost like you are trying to have them touch one another, this will push your chest out at the same time.
Step 4: Repeat.

Muscles Worked: Pectorals, deltoids, and triceps.

EXERCISE #3: CLOSE GRIP CHEST PRESS (8-12 REPS)

Note, this is similar to exercise 2, but the narrower grip will emphasize your triceps more than a chest press.

Step 1: Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your dumbbells in front of you. Rotate your palms so they are facing each other and the dumbbells touching.
Step 2: With your dumbbells still touching together, raise your arms up and keep your elbows slightly bent.
Step 3: Slowly lower the dumbbells into the starting position - feeling it in your chest and triceps.
Step 4: Repeat.

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.

EXERCISE #4: CLOSE GRIP CHEST PRESS FLY (8-12 REPS)

Step 1: Lie on your back with your feet planted on the floor. Lift a pair of dumbbells directly above your chest with your arms fully extended.
Step 2: Lift your dumbbells directly above your chest with your arms almost fully extended, keeping your palms facing each other and the weights touching together.
Step 3: Keeping your torso stable, open your arms wide and slowly lower the dumbbells to your sides until you feel a stretch in your chest.
Step 4: Pause, and then press the dumbbells back together in the starting position. This starting position is off the ground, with your palms facing each other and dumbbells touching again.
Step 5: Repeat

Muscles Worked: Pectorals, deltoids, triceps, and latissimus dorsi.

EXERCISE #5: PUSH-UPS (8-12 REPS)

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.

Step 1: Lie on the floor with your body fully extended and your stomach touching the ground.
Step 2: Place your hands on the floor, just outside your chest but under your shoulders. Keep your toes on the floor, or if you're doing a modified version with your knees, keep your kneecaps as a primary point of contact with the ground.
Step 3: Tighten your core and push your body up from the floor until your arms are fully extended, but not locked. Pause.
Step 4: Slowly lower yourself down until you are back to the starting position, and your body is on the floor. Pause.
Step 5: Repeat.

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.

Looking to Take Things Up a Notch?

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.

5 Compound Movements for the Upper-Body

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.

5 Supersets for a HIIT Chest Workout

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.

Add Chest Training to Your Workout Routine

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 is when 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.