Pectoral exercises help a person tone and firm the chest region and lead to overall upper body strength. In this following story we will look through some of the most effective pectoral exercises that women can take up and use for great results.
The way your breasts looked when you were younger, they don't look like that anymore. Or they don't seem as perky and firm. Maybe you had a baby, maybe you put on weight, or maybe gravity just played its natural game and did to your breasts what they are now.
Sit with sagging boobs that do nothing for you? Hell, no! Get up and start out on some pectoral exercises. Why? Cause this is where the answer to get a firmer, toned and perkier chest lies. While you include aerobics or any other cardio routines in your schedule (which is a great idea), make it a point to especially include pectoral exercises as well.
And please do away with the misconception that doing pectoral muscles will make your chest look bulkier and beefed up like a body builder's does. That is not going to happen. Let's get to the kind of exercises that you can do in this direction.
Pectoral Exercises for Women at Home
If you get to a health club or join a gym, there will be all that equipment to choose from and carry through with these particular exercises in that way. There will also be the instructors to guide you through with the same.
But what if you don't want to join a gym? Then what? Is it possible to firm and tone your chest muscles without the help of specialized machines? Rest assured there are several pectoral exercises without weights that women can work with and aim for the best results.
The best part about these exercises is that you can carry them through from the comfort of your home because they do not require any special equipment. And yet they work just as effectively in getting you the desired results. Here are some examples of both these exercise forms - with weights and without them.
Exercise # 1 - Floor Push Up
Lie on your stomach, while bending your knees and crossing your ankles behind you.
Bend your elbows and place your palms flat on the ground. They should be placed in front of the shoulders and a little to the side.
Lift yourself up so that you have straightened up and are balanced on your palms and knees.
Push your chin a little towards the chest region. This will get your forehead to face the floor.
Suck your abdominal muscles in and tighten your abs.
In one swift movement, bend your elbows and lower your body till the point that your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
• Then straighten and push right back up. • This is one repetition. Do about 16 in one set and work towards 3 sets of the same.
Exercise # 2 - Bench Press with Dumbbells
A set of dumbbells is one of the simplest equipment that you can stock up on at home. It is hassle free and does not cost much.
Lie on a flat surface so that your back is properly supported. Keep the soles of your feet flat on the ground.
Take two dumbbells and hold them firmly in your hands so that the palms are facing away from you and towards the ceiling.
Hold the dumbbells so that they almost touch each other and then lower them to your chest.
While lowering them, maintain the same position (palms facing up) and bring them to the sides of your chest such that the elbows are pointed to the ground.
Then lift the dumbbells to the original position.
Do 16 repetitions of the same and 3 sets of the same.
Exercise # 3 - Wall/Door Push Up
Find a door that is wide enough so that you can stand with your hands comfortably apart in between the door.
Stand about 2 feet from the door or the wall and extend your hands fully, bringing them at the level of your shoulders.
Make sure that the arms are fully extended.
Stand so that there is about a hip-width distance between the feet.
Slowly bend your elbows and exclusively using your toes, start leaning forward.
Come till a point where your chest is right in the doorway or is inches away from the wall.
Then using your arms, push yourself to the original position.
To begin with, try to do this about 10 times. Then slowly increase the number to 25 in one set and do 3 sets of the same.
Exercise # 4 - Chair Dip
Start out with this one only after you've gained a little strength because the difficulty level of this exercise is quite high.
Take two very sturdy chairs and place them back-to-back. Place some heavy objects on them so that they do not move when you exercise.
Maintain a distance of about shoulder width between them.
Grasp the top of the chairs and balance yourself well while you bend your knees, lift your legs off the floor and lock them behind.
Make sure that your back is straight, the chest is out and the abdominal muscles are sucked in.
• While balancing yourself, slowly lower yourself to the ground so that your arms are slightly more bent than a parallel-to-the-ground position. • Hold for 3 seconds and come right back up to the original position.
• Try doing 4-5 dips before you leave your hands and put your feet back on the ground. • As your strength increases, try to take the count to 10 or more and pull in 3 sets of the same.
Other than these pectoral exercises, one can also use a rod in the ceiling and then tucking their feet behind and bending their knees, pull themselves up to a height that can be managed. This one works really well on not only the chest region but also the arms.
With these pectoral exercises in place, you can rest assured that in due course of time, your chest will be well toned, firmer and sans the sagging and fat that seem to plague it now. What a day that will be, what a day.