Even if you're not the type to work up to your bench press PR (or know what that means — no shame), it's still a great idea to do some strengthening and stretching of your chest. After all, your chest muscles — namely your pectoralis major and minor — play an important role in lots of everyday movements, such as pushing, pulling, and lifting. If you're the sporty type, a strong chest can improve your game in sports like tennis, swimming, and anything that involves throwing a ball.
While you might have heard that doing a ton of push-ups could make your chest bigger and fill out that bikini top, it's not exactly true; women don't tend to have the testosterone levels that are required for major muscle mass. (Plus, we're fans of learning to feel great about the way your body looks right now.) But focusing on the chest definitely has some aesthetic benefits: Specifically, stretching your pecs can help with posture, since hypertonic — a.k.a. overly strong and tight — chest muscles can actually pull your shoulders forward, creating a rounding in your upper back. And there's nothing like standing up straight and holding your head high to make you look and feel awesome.
So whether you're working out to feel better in your body generally, you're training for a sport, or you just want to be strong enough to move all those boxes into your new apartment on your own, it can't hurt to try out a few moves to make sure your upper body is in tip-top shape.
Click through to find a few chest-strengthening and -stretching moves. You can do these at home with minimal equipment (though if you prefer heavier dumbbells or a barbell, make sure you have a spotter).
Cat-Cow
1. Start on all fours, with your knees underneath your hips and your wrists underneath your shoulders (with fingers pointing forwards). Inhale to drop your belly and point your chest toward the ceiling.
Illustrated by: Paola Delucca
Cat-Cow (cont.)
2. Exhale, tucking your tailbone down and using your abdominal muscles to arch your back towards the ceiling. Lengthen your neck and tuck your chin towards your chest. Inhale back to the stomach-down, chest-up position, and continue moving between "cat" and "cow" for 10-15 repetitions in each position.
Illustrated by: Paola Delucca
Supine Chest Fly
1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, with the dumbbells resting on your knees, lie on your back on a flat bench. Raise the dumbbells directly above your chest (if they're heavy, you can use your thighs to help hoist them up), extending your arms but not locking them out at the elbows. Hold the dumbbells together with palms facing each other.
Illustrated by: Paola Delucca
Supine Chest Fly (cont.)
2. Inhale, slowly lowering the dumbbells into a wide arc until they are level with your shoulders or chest. Exhale and slowly return them to the starting position. If your dumbbells are on the lighter end, perform 10-12 reps. If they're heavy, perform 4-6 reps. (Either way, the last 1-2 reps should feel quite challenging.)
Illustrated by: Paola Delucca
Supine Pullovers
1. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, with the dumbbells resting on your knees, lie on your back on a flat bench. Raise the dumbbells directly above your chest (if they're heavy, you can use your thighs to help hoist them up), extending your arms but not locking them out at the elbows. Hold the dumbbells together with palms facing each other.
Illustrated by: Paola Delucca
Supine Pullovers (cont.)
2. Slowly lower your arms, keeping the dumbbells together, until they are in line with your ears. Keep your elbows extended, but not locked out. Then slowly pull the weights back to the starting position. If your dumbbells are on the lighter end, perform 10-12 reps. If they're heavy, perform 4-6 reps. (Either way, the last 1-2 reps should feel quite challenging.)
Illustrated by: Paola DeluccaLike what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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