Best Chest Exercises for Women
If you want a stronger, more developed chest, you have a few options. The best and most natural course is to do chest exercises to build up your muscles and strengthen your chest and to give you a more built and developed appearance.
The best chest exercises for women can make an impact on their bustline, helping them to get a look they love to feel confident with. Why go under the knife to shape your body when you can do it through natural means by exercising regularly?
I think that’s something everyone needs to ask themselves when they’re not happy with the way their chest looks. That’s why I’m sharing the 5 best chest exercises for women to help develop this part of the body and to give women a body they can be proud of.
Travelling Planks
Planks are a really healthy, helpful, and simple exercise. They are also one that just about anyone can do, which is why I often recommend them for as many workout routines as I can. I always like to give my readers some choices that are suitable for any level of activity or physicality. You may not be as physically fit as you’d like, but you should still be able to do planks, even if you can’t do some of the more intense exercises that may be recommended for chest development.
This is a plank with a little dynamic movement to it, which means it’s even more beneficial to you. It focuses on the muscles of the chest and gets them working in stretching for fast development and incredible results.
You start this exercise in the normal plank position and try to keep your head and neck as neutral as possible. Your hands should be placed directly under your shoulders on the floor with your palms open. Try your best to keep your back straight and prevent it from sagging as you do this exercise.
As you work out, you want your core tight and engaged. Start by lifting your left hand and left foot off the ground and then take a step sideways to the left. You’ve just done a single rep.
Once you finish a rep, pause for a moment and go back to the starting position. Then, take another step to the left, repeating the same motion for a total of 10 reps. Afterwards, you can switch sides and work on the right side of your body. You want to try to even out your workout so that both sides of your body get equal treatment. Remember to return to the starting position each time take a short break after you’ve done a set of reps for both sides.
These are some of the best chest exercises for home women because they don’t take up much space and don’t require any additional equipment. However, I would suggest doing it on an exercise mat for better support and comfort.
Cobra Pose
This is a good way to warm up and transition to the other more intense exercises on this list. The cobra pose is fairly easy to do, taking even less energy than the travelling plank. It activates your chest muscles, preparing them for the other exercises on this list. You can use the cobra pose as both a warmup and a cool down exercise.
Begin this pose by lying on your stomach on the floor or a mat. Your leg should be extended out behind you with the top of your feet lying on the floor. Your hands should be under your shoulders and your elbows tucked in close to your sides.
From that position, lift both your chest and head up off the ground and pull your shoulders back. Your neck should be kept neutral during the exercise and your arms should be straightened as much as possible. Once you have lifted your head and chest off the ground, you should hold that pose for 30 seconds and then return to the starting close. Repeat this a few more times before taking a break.
Resistance Band Press-Ups
The press is a push up type exercise that incorporates a resistance band. If you have the right form while you perform the exercise properly, it activates your pectoral muscles and focuses on abdomen, arms, and upper back muscles as well. This is simply one of the best resistance band chest exercises for women because of how well it develops the chest and how it works out a lot of the other muscles in the upper body.
You need a long enough resistance band that can wrap around your back and reach your hands. Take the resistance band in one hand and then pass the end around your back, grabbing the other end with your other hand. Get into the pushup pose, with your palms pressing down on the floor and pinning the resistance band ends to the floor. Adding the resistance band to this standard exercise makes it a lot more effective and powerful.
From there, do the normal pushup exercise, keeping your back as straight as possible on your neck and head neutral and lined up with your back. Your leg should be locked straight and extended out all the way, with your toes supporting your lower body. Your hands should be on the ground, palms flat, directly under your shoulders or just a little wider than your shoulders.
Lower yourself to the ground with your elbows flaring out to the sides. You should get close enough to where your nose is resting just above the floor. Make sure you descend in a controlled and even movement, and then return back up to the starting position. You do not need to hold the pose at all. You should feel tension on the resistance band behind you, if you positioned it correctly and it’s tight enough.
It’s helpful to explode up from the lowest point in this exercise, as that burst of speed really helps to develop your chest. Make sure your breathing is even as you push, and you can breathe in as you lower your body and breathe out as you raise yourself back up. For added resistance, use a heavier resistance band.
I consider this one of the best exercises for toning chest and breasts in women, and I think some variation of pushups should be a part of just about every exercise regimen.
Cable Cross
This is another exercise that should make its way into most workout sessions. It’s very versatile and helps to work a lot of different muscle groups. The cable cross focuses on chest development and shoulder strength, but it also works your biceps, triceps, and back muscles. I would recommend it as one of the best exercises for underarm/chest fat for women.
It works your entire chest including the upper and lower portions. You can even engage your abdominals with this exercise if you like. The best lower chest exercises for women tend to work the entire chest like the cable cross does.
You can determine the amount of weight you want to use with this exercise, and I definitely suggest starting low and easy at first. Once you get used to it and you’re comfortable with this exercise, you can increase your weight and make it into a more challenging exercise.
Resistance Band Pullover
You should definitely do this exercise on a workout mat or other soft surface. You also need some place to anchor the resistance band for this exercise to work. Anything you attach it to should not be able to move once you start working out and putting some force on that band.
Lay down on the mat with your feet planted on the floor and your knees bent. You should be able to reach far enough behind you that you could grab the resistance band, so it will need to be close. You want to make sure that when you pull on the band, you get some resistance. However, you want enough slack on the band so that you can go through the entire motion of the exercise.
Use both hands to grab hold of the band and then pull up over your head. Engage your chest muscles for the pulling strength you need and keep your arms locked the entire time. Hold that stretched pose for a few seconds, keeping your hands straight above your eyeline.
Then, lower the resistance band back down in a controlled and even motion. You may want to start out with a thin resistance band so that you’re not working with a lot of resistance at first. Once you get more comfortable with the exercise, you can increase the band gauge.
If you keep up these exercises consistently, you should quickly see great results in chest development and upper body strength.
