Best for toning your pecs

jackblack99

what the best ways to tone up your pecs.

I started doing press ups everyday recently but i want more excercises to do. I dont have weights readily available and not a member of a gym...but i train and play alot of sports. I welcome any tips. Thanks

aye

"Toning" is a combination of low bodyfat percentage and good muscle development.

If you want to tone, you need to lower your bodyfat percentage through proper eating, and increase the muscle through weight training.

pressups will work the chest fine for endurance, if you got yourself to a gym and lifted on the bench press, you could lift a heavier weight for 6 to 8 reps which would result in more muscle development on the chest.

if you dont have weights, you can make press ups harder by:

putting your feet up on a chair
pushing up explosively and clapping handing in between each press up.
buy a fit ball and do press ups on it, or with your feet on it.
buy a medicine ball and do press ups on this.
one handed if possible.
T press up - http://www.menshealth.co.uk/Fitness-&-muscle/T~push-up/v1
slow press ups, take 10 seconds to lower 10 seconds to rise

rubadub

Inclined pushups until you are in the 8-12rep range, i.e. raise you legs up onto a chair, or the stairs. Also if you get pushup stands or do them on 2 books with a gap in the middle you can lower your head more and get a better range of motion.

Also do dips on chairs.


Or find some railings in your area to do dips on. Where they meet in a corner at right angles.



I got a mini dip stand just welded up today, I will post a pic when I get a chance, it is metal but could be made of wood, and as it is a right angle it will fit snuggly in the corner of a room or shed.

Once you can do over 12dips try adding weight to a backpack.

Best get some chinups and bodysquats in too, or just get a weights set.

check out www.simplefit.org and www.bodyweightculture.com

jackblack99

cheers lads......

Im not looking for instant results but how often would you recommend doin these excerises like for an hour a nite or something and when would i begin to notice some toning like after few weeks or months???

rubadub

For hypertrophy (muscle growth, which is what "toning" really is, combined with fat loss) you should stick to 3 sets of 8-12reps. Maybe one day on one day off. So incline your feet until you can only just manage 12 pushups.

Dips are a lot harder, especially on chairs. I have gymnastic rings which makes them even harder. You use more muscles to stabilise yourself. I can now do dips on really flimsy chairs. I can do over twice as many dips on railings as on gymnastic rings.

You need time to rest and muscles to recover. Once you can do over a certain amount it is OK to do them every day. e.g. I used to do 50chinups before my shower every morning.

LovesToSpooge

If you get to being able to do 40 or 50 push-ups easily, try claps. Get into the push-up position on push yourself into the air, then clap your hands when your in the air. Its great for building explosive power