Best Body Weight Exercises For A Firm CHEST and BREAST.

In other for you to develop a sculpted, firm, well rounded and sexy looking Chest(''Big Chest'') and Breasts,  you have to engage in a variety of chest exercises that will develop, tone, sculpt and firm the upper, middle, and lower regions.
Women who seek well-defined boobs should focus on upper-chest workouts because this area is more visible on a woman’s body than the middle or lower chest. Many men develop adequate middle and lower chests through frequent bench pressing and press-up performance and should focus on upper chest development for better looking chest.
While the press-up is arguably the most popular bodyweight exercise and certainly the most common bodyweight chest exercise, it’s important to progress to more challenging variations of the exercise for continued results. There are dozens of types of press-ups, and I have included the most effective press-up variations to allow you to achieve your goals. Moreover, it’s critical that you learn the proper way to perform a push-up from the get-go because a vast majority of exercisers perform this movement incorrectly. The chest muscles are also involved in many sport actions. Straight punching as in a jab or right cross involves the chest muscles(pectorals aka pecs), as does arced punching such as hooks or uppercuts. Tennis, volleyball, and handball actions involving overhead and swinging motions across the body such as serving, forehand strokes, and spiking, involve the pectorals. Gymnasts and swimmers require strong pectorals for various maneuvers and strokes. Even track and field athletes train the chest because a strong upper body can increase speed.
For these exercises, all you need is a floor and you’re good to go. It’s also important that you pay attention to feeling the chest muscles working during multi-joint pressing movements. NOTE: Pectoral muscles means Chest muscles.
Tips: - Warm up, Stretch for about 5mins to free up tight muscles and improve blood circulation
        - Safety First!! Use a strong platform.
       - The red colour on the anatomical illustrations indicates the muscles engaged during each exercise.

1a. Press-Up

1. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width and your feet close together on the
ground with your body in a straight line from heels to head.

2. With the arms at a 45-degree angle, the hands positioned directly under the elbows, the glutes(buttocks) and abs(stomach muscles) contracted, and the entire body tight, lower yourself until your chest
touches the ground.

3. Reverse the movement and raise your body until your elbows lock out.

Muscles Involved
Primary: Pectoralis major, triceps brachii, anterior deltoid
Secondary: Serratus anterior, trapezius, rectus abdominis

Exercise Notes
Second to the biceps, the pectoralis major is the muscle men most want to develop, as evidenced by our obsession with press-ups and bench presses. But this exercise isn’t all show and no go. Press-ups build upper-body strength and power. Make this a full-body exercise by engaging the core and keeping the glutes(buttocks) squeezed as tightly as possible throughout the set. Many people sag at the hips, place their elbows too wide, and fail to use a full range of motion. By engaging the glutes and abs, you’ll prevent the hips from sagging. Place your arms at a 45-degree angle from your body (abducted position) and make sure your forearms and hands are directly under the elbows for maximum shoulder joint health. Look down to keep the neck in neutral position. Lower all the way and come up all the way for correct performance, which allows you to also strengthen the shoulder stabilizers and keep the shoulders healthy for years to come.


1b. Press Up Variation(Wide-Width)

The wide-width press-up targets the pectoralis (chest) muscles differently than the regular push-up. To perform this movement, place the hands higher and wider on the floor compared to the standard version (1a. Above).










2. Elevated Press-Up

1. Place your feet on top of a chair, or box and your hands on top of two chairs positioned slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. You also could use objects such as a weight bench and two strong boxes.

2. Keeping the body in a straight line and glutes(buttocks) tight, descend until you feel a stretch in your chest.

3. Reverse the movement and push your body up until your elbows lock out.


Muscles Involved
Primary: Pectoralis major, triceps brachii, anterior deltoid
Secondary: Serratus anterior, trapezius, rectus abdominis(stomach muscles)

Exercise Notes
The elevated press-up is an advanced variation of the press-up, allowing an increased range of motion at the shoulder joint. This equates to more muscle activation and ultimately more muscle action. You don’t want to aggravate the shoulder joint, so go only a few inches or centimeters deeper than you would during normal push-ups. The forearms should remain perpendicular to the floor and the hands placed at a medium width.
Safety Tip: Use very sturdy, well-grounded props for this exercise.


3a. Torso-Elevated Push-Up

1. Place your hands on top of a sturdy chair or table slightly wider than shoulder width and your feet close together on the ground.

2. Keeping your glutes(buttocks) contracted and your body in a straight line, lower yourself until your chest touches the chair or table.

3. Reverse the movement and raise your body until your elbows lock out.

Muscles Involved

Primary: Pectoralis major, triceps brachii, anterior deltoid
Secondary: Serratus anterior, trapezius, rectus abdominis

Exercise NotesThis is a great beginner variation because it allows you to perform the movement with proper core activation and accustoms you to keeping the body long and straight. As you progress, perform the movement from a lower table or chair to bring yourself closer to the ground. Eventually you’ll be able to perform press-ups from the floor.


3b. Feet-Elevated Press-Up

The feet-elevated press-up is an advanced chest muscle exercise that uses a greater percentage of body weight and changes the angle to make the  movement more like an incline press. Although you need to go deep for maximal effectiveness, try not to look up too much at the bottom of the movement so you don’t over-extend the neck.









4. Side-to-Side Push-Up

1. Begin in a standard push-up position, feet close together with toes on the floor, hands under shoulders.

2. As you descend into the press-up, lean to one side, placing more stress on the side that you’re  leaning toward.

3. Push up to lockout and alternate on the other side.

Muscles Involved
Primary: Pectoralis major, triceps brachii, anterior deltoid
Secondary: Serratus anterior, trapezius, rectus abdominis

Exercise NotesThe side-to-side push-up is an advanced variation that places more stress on the targeted side. The side you  are targeting will take on about 65 percent of the load while the other side will take on about 35 percent. Moreover, this variation provides a challenging core workout because it’s difficult to maintain proper body position throughout the movement.

5a. One-Arm Press-Up

1. Take a wider-than-normal posture. Place one arm under your body and grab your upper outer leg with  the non-working arm.

2. Lower your body while keeping the grounded arm tucked in close to the torso, keeping the body straight, the core tight, and the hips square.

3. Lift yourself to lockout while preventing excessive lateral(side) and twisting motions.


Muscles Involved
Primary: Pectoralis major, triceps brachii, anterior deltoid
Secondary: Serratus anterior, trapezius, rectus abdominis, internal oblique, external oblique

Exercise Notes
The one-arm push-up is the most challenging press-up variation. It is very difficult. Build up to performing this movement by starting with a short-lever position  by kneeling and engaging in this exercise. Also you can simply lower your body by lowering yourself slowly until you’re able to push yourself back up properly. Control the side-to-side and rotary motions with strong core contractions.


5b. Self-Assisted One-Arm Press-Up 

You can perform self-assisted one-arm press-ups by placing one hand on top of a strong chair, weight  bench, or stair and relying on the other arm, hand on the ground, as much as possible to execute the press-up. The hand on the chair or bench provides the minimum amount of resistance to help you achieve the repetition. This is an effective movement and serves as a valuable intermediate exercise between two-arm push-ups and one-arm push-ups.





6a. Clapping Press-Up

1. Begin in standard press-up position with feet close together and arms slightly wider than shoulder width.

2. Lower the body and then propel the body upward as forcefully as possible, keeping the feet on the ground.

3. Once airborne, clap the hands together and then catch the body in standard press-up position. Got it?


Muscles InvolvedPrimary: Pectoralis major, triceps brachii, anterior deltoid
Secondary: Serratus anterior, trapezius, rectus abdominis

Exercise NotesThe clapping press-up is an excellent upper-body plyometric movement that builds power and elastic strength in the shoulders, chest, and triceps.  Keep good form and make sure the movement stays athletic by sticking to fewer than six repetitions per set and focusing on maximum power generation.

6b. Knee Clapping Press-Up
People who struggle with clapping press-ups will find the knee clapping press-up easier. The variation shortens the lever and makes the movement easier since you perform this movement from the knees instead of the feet. But don’t write this variation off as less effective than the standard clapping press-up. It uses less body weight, which means you can push your body up higher. Some people are powerful enough to push their body back up to a tall kneeling position.

6c. Whole-Body Clapping Press-Up

The whole-body clapping press-up is the most advanced variation of the mix because it requires incredible upper-body explosiveness and core strength. The goal is to spring the body upward with enough power to propel the entire body off the ground. Aim for maximum height and maintain the quality throughout the set. Land properly by having the feet touch the ground first and then absorbing the impact through eccentric contraction of the upper-body pressing muscles. This variation is incredibly intense, so, be cautious.





7. Chest Dip

1. Begin with the hands placed on the backs of two chairs or tables and the knees bent so the feet are off the ground. Instead of chairs or tables, use parallel  bars or chest dip bars, if available.

2. Keeping the forearms relatively vertical, lower the body until you feel a big stretch in the pecs(chest). Slightly lean forward.

3. Reverse the movement until the arms are locked out.




Muscles Involved
Primary: Pectoralis major(chest), triceps brachii, anterior deltoid
Secondary: Pectoralis minor, rhomboids, levator scapulae

Exercise NotesThe chest dip exercise is an advanced pectoral movement that requires tremendous upper body strength, especially for larger people. Most people fail to use a full range of motion during this movement and therefore do not receive an optimal workout. Keeping the forearms perpendicular to the floor while leaning the trunk forward places the tension on the pectorals(chest) and spares the elbows. Keep the elbows tucked into the body and don’t let them flare outward. Go deep but not so deep that you stress the shoulder joints. Use the triceps up top to lock out the elbows.
 
Credit: Bret Contreras (Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy)
Sharing is Caring.
Follow us On Twitter: @naijagym  Like our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/naijagym