Pump Up Your Chest By Including These Chest Building Exercises
The chest is primarily made up of two muscles, the larger of the two called the pectoralis major, and covers most of your chest, and the pectoralis minor, which is the smaller one, and lies directly beneath the pectoalis major. So when we talk about pumping up your chest, we are primarily referring to these muscles, although since they do not exist in a vacuum, some nearby muscles, such as the shoulder muscles and the triceps will also be involved. And remember, to loosen up with some stretching exerises before starting with this exercise routine. Now let’s go and contour your chest by using these chest building exercises.
1. Pushups
Pushups target mainly the chest, but also involve the triceps and shoulder muscles. Pushups can either be done while standing against a flat wall, or on the floor, while either having the knees bent or laying straight out.
In this exercise, no weights will be used. To work this exercise:
* Place your hands on the wall or on the floor. Keep your hands level with the chest.
* If doing your pushups against a flat wall, put your feet at a distance greater than your arms’ length.
* Then lower yourself until your shoulders are in a straight line with your elbows.(or if using the alternate wall exercise, lean your body toward the wall). And keep a straight line from your head to your toe!
* Bear down on your upper body as you return to your initial position, keeping your elbows slighly bent.
2. Chest Press
The purpose of the bench press is simply to bulk up the pectoral muscles. Use a bench for this exercise.
Remember an incline works on the upper part of the pectoral muscles, while having the bench decline, you
will be working on the lower section of your pectorals.
* Begin with the dumbbells resting on your chest, and then press the dumbbells upward and inward. The dumbbells should gently touch when you approach the top.
* Press upward, always keeping a slight bend to your elbows. Reverse the procedure and bring the
dumbbells back to the starting point.
3. Pec Deck
The purpose of this exercise is tightening the inner part of your chest. (By now you should not be feeling any soreness in either your pectoral muscles or your shoulder muscles. If you feel any soreness in these muscles, lighten up with your weights).
* Shoulders should be down and relaxed. Then gently squeeze the muscles in your back. Tighten your abs to keep proper posture.
* Upper arms should be out to the sides, with your palms forward, and parallel to the floor. Elbows are set at 90 degrees.
* Concentrate on bringing your elbows together for maximum squeeze of your chest. Hold this squeeze for 2 - 3 seconds and then bring the arms out to your sides again.
4. Dumbell Flye
This exercise routine is terrific for shaping the chest muscles. Again, a work bench is not necessary, but
recommended. To carry out this exercise:
* Lie on the bench, face up and with the dumbbells nearby.
* Start with your arms fully extended over the chest, with the palms facing each other.
* Slowly lower the dumbbells by bringing your arms to the side. Remember to keep a slight bend to your elbows.
You can rotate these chest building exercises to keep excitement in your workout routine. Together with a good nutrition program, you can soon reach the shape you’re striving to reach.
Gary Machado writes on a variety of topics of interest. Did you find these tips on chest building exercises
useful? You can learn a lot more about losing chest fat by going to: http://www.squidoo.com/burn-chest-fat
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