Exercises for chest?

fifly

Hi. What exercises should I do to build up the muscles in my chest? I'm female and slim and want my breasts to look firmer and chest area look less boney if that makes any sence!

Are push up the only excercise that will have the desired affect? I don't go to a gym.

rubadub

I have push up bars that you get in argos.
http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=30001&langId=-1&catalogId=10151&productId=658088&clickfrom=name

They help hugely. I used to do (what I called) bench presses on my bed with a bar but could not bring my elbows down far since they hit the bed. I could "press" 75kg like this for 10 reps. Then I got a go on a proper bench and can only manage about 55kg for 10 reps. With a proper bench you bring the bar right down to your chest. My bench was out of action for the last week and I went back to using the push up bars again, but this time I did them properly! If you put the bars out sideways it mimics holding a bar. Since you are above the ground it allows you to do very deep push-ups, this allows your chest to go down as far as the 2 bars. This mimics a proper press up on a bench where the bar touches your chest. Without the bars you cannot get the full range of motion (just like my presses on the bed). I can do 30+ normal pressups not a bother. I can only manage about 15 very slow deep pressups with the bars. You feel FAR more worked out by going so deep, much more than regular pressups. You can wear a weighted backpack and get even more of a workout, it also hits your abs when you go that low/deep. The bars also stop excess pressure/strain on your wrist. I would recommend them to anybody, I am going to use them from now on, it is much safer than bench pressing since if you train to failure you are only falling to the ground. They are only €7, and since it is argos you can return them for a cash refund if you don't like them. You can probably get the same effect using objects like books instead of the bars.

I will wait for our resident female expert g'em to answer the questions on the breasts. All I can say is my beer-boobs are firmer than ever!

GerryRyan

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ChestWt.html
Invaluable site - if you have the patience to work your way through the info.
Not an expert (by any means), so best wait til a more frequent poster comes along.

TerrorFirmer

How do you find the push up bars rubadub? I have them myself but find doing regular pressups is more of a stress for me, for whatever reason....I can manage alot more, alot easier with the bars, which I think is the opposite of what they're supposed to represent?

Leon11

Sorry this a general question can't believe I'm asking it, when I bench I only bring lower the bar as far as to when my elbows are slightly below 90 degrees, leaves the bar bout 6inches from my chest. The reason I do this is because if you always leave the bar just above the chest your range of motion gets shorter as your chests grows bigger.

Ready for flood of how stupid are you type comments now!:D

rubadub

HavoK wrote:

How do you find the push up bars rubadub? I have them myself but find doing regular pressups is more of a stress for me, for whatever reason....I can manage alot more, alot easier with the bars, which I think is the opposite of what they're supposed to represent?

When I got them first I was the same, I could do more with the bars. They were left in the wardrobe for months, another useless purchase

It was only after doing proper bench presses, touching my chest, that I thought of them again.

It is easy to do normal pushups with the bars (i.e. chest is well above you hands at its lowest). I think this is physics too since you are at an angle upwards so less weight is acting down. But if you do very deep pushups you can actually go below your hands, mimicing a bar actually going lower than your chest. Try doing some very slowly, or weighted ones. Even with dumbells on a bench it would be hard to go this deep since the plates would get in the way. Some may find wrist strain the limiting factor with regular pushups too, just like grip is the limiting factor on most peoples shrugs.

In all pictures I see people using the bars like the guy here.
http://www.andreascahling.com/images%5Cbot887157907.jpg
I use them the opposite way so it is like holding a barbell.

If you raised or lowered your legs on a platform it should mimic incline/decline bench pressing.

justsomebloke

OP, it is quite hard to hit the chest muscles without having a bench so press ups are probably your best bet. Also, as far as I know, there is no real evidence to say that women can't do real pressups by it causing internal injuries. So don't think that you have to do pressups with your knees on the floor

Now if you find ordinary pressups too hard try doing them at an incline, e.g. have your hands on a step or a chair, this way you will be lifting less of your body weight making them easier to do and then as you get better move the incline further and further down until you can do proper ones

BaZmO*

Leon11 wrote:

Sorry this a general question can't believe I'm asking it, when I bench I only bring lower the bar as far as to when my elbows are slightly below 90 degrees, leaves the bar bout 6inches from my chest. The reason I do this is because if you always leave the bar just above the chest your range of motion gets shorter as your chests grows bigger.

Ready for flood of how stupid are you type comments now!:D

So you leave a gap of six inches to allow for when your chest grows bigger?

And by bigger you mean that you'll be putting an extra six inches just on you chest. Let us know how you get on with that!!

iregk

Leon11 wrote:

The reason I do this is because if you always leave the bar just above the chest your range of motion gets shorter as your chests grows bigger.

That is the strangest quote I have seen on this forum yet! Thats one for Dragan's quote of the week! Tell the truth. The real reason why you do this is because its easier. When you bring the weight into your chest the push off your chest is very taxing on your arms. So by bringing the bar down to 6" off your chest your eliminating the hardest part of the exercise. At this point your used to it and have convinced yourself that when you grow your chest an extra 6" (which by the way is some serious growth!) sure you'll only be bringing the bar down that far anyway so why not start out that way!!!

In my sister in laws book who is a fitness instructor she calls that a big fat E. In other words a BIG FAT EXCUSE! Now tell me I'm wrong.

rubadub

Leon11 wrote:

leaves the bar bout 6inches from my chest. The reason I do this is because if you always leave the bar just above the chest your range of motion gets shorter as your chests grows bigger.

Bizarre logic, your chest will not get that much bigger unless you DO allow it touch your chest. An increase of 6" radially from your chest is like going from a 40" chest to something like a 70" chest!

You're only fooling yourself, you shouldnt give a damn about the size of the weights you are lifting. Like these guys I hear of in gyms lashing through heavy weights using momentum and dangerous form.

Reyman

We're deviating from the Op's question which is - are push ups ok as a chest exercise.

I would say yes provided you use different hand spacing and angles i.e. feet raised, arms wide etc.

My own feeling is that press ups with weight on your back are better then bench presses because they seem to activate stabilizer muscles and the lats better.

That's just a personal opinion and I await wiser counsel

g'em

Reyman wrote:

My own feeling is that press ups with weight on your back are better then bench presses because they seem to activate stabilizer muscles and the lats better.

To a certain extent, yes. You want strength and mass? Bench. You want definition and endurance? Push-ups. You want everything? DB bench (but take care of your shoulders...)