Strength Training: Building Chest Muscles

Exercises for building chest muscles

• The bench press works all the chest muscles and especially helps in building pecs. Lie on the bench facing up. Grasp the barbell on the stand above your head so your forearms are parallel with each other. Lift the weight off the rack and lower it to within a couple of inches of your chest. Then lift it again. For these (and all weight training exercises), exhale when you lift and inhale when you lower the weight. Use low enough weight so you can repeat this 8 to 12 times. After resting for a few minutes, do another set or two of 8 to 12 reps. When you can do more than 12 reps, add more weight.
• Gym machines make this exercise safer because the bar is attached to a stack of weights, which eliminates the possibility of dropping the bar on your chest.
• You can vary this exercise by using an incline bench, which lifts your torso to about a 45-degree angle.
• Another exercise that works chest muscles — as well as the arms, abdomen, and back — involves lifting a barbell from the floor, positioning it in front of your chest, and then lifting it over your head 8 to 12 times. When lifting the barbell from the floor, keep your back as straight as possible and lift with your legs. You can perform this same movement without the stress of lifting a barbell off the floor on several gym machines that allow you to sit comfortably, grip the handles, and lift.