Chest

The chest is many times associated with a persons musculature. The fibers of your chest start at the center of your sternum (chest) and run almost straight across your body and attach to your arm. It's pretty logical: when these fibers shorten it moves your arm towards the center of your body.

Myth: Certain exercises can develop the inner and outer chest.
Truth: Sorry, that's not how it works. Muscle fibers can grow equally. Think of the fiber as an inflatable mattress. When you inflate it it all fills together, right? Your muscle fibers work the same way. If the fiber grows it will grow equally over its whole length, not just one section. You can however work the upper and lower chest with different exercises since those are just fibers that are position differently on the muscle.

Exercise 1: Bench Press
Starting position: 1. Lay on the bench with your feet up on the bench (like in the picture) to stabilize your back. You don't know how many times I see people with their feet on the floor and arching their back to move the weight. If that's the way you're doing it you're just asking to get injured. 2. Grip the bar at a width that causes your forearms to be perpendicular with the floor during the movement. The reason for this is that you want to always be working against the force of resistance. When you perform any free weight exercise you are working against gravity, which is straight up and down.

Movement: 1. Lower the bar until your Humerus (the upper part of your arm) is parallel with the floor - no farther 2. Slowly return bar to starting position REPEAT

Exercise 2: Machine Press
Starting position: 1.Sit on the machine and adjust the height so that when you push the handles, your Humerus (the upper part of your arm) is parallel to the floor. 2. Keep your chest up and head straight

Movement: 1. Push the handles forward until your arm are fully extended 2. Slowly return arms to starting position REPEAT

Trainers tip: During this exercises try to keep your hands relaxed - if you grip the handle too tight you will start to use your arms instead of your chest.

Chest Exercise 3: Resisted Push-up
*Exercise Shown using Bodylastics elastics. Click here to see more exercises
Starting position: 1. Wrap the elastic(s) around your body and place hands over the elastic(s) a few inches inside the handles with the elastics coming out the bottom of your palm 2. Fingers pointed straight, thumb touching bottom of chest 3. Keep your back straight, head straight and legs straight

Movement: 1. Raise body and shorten chest muscles until arms are almost straight. 2. Slowly return body to starting position REPEAT

Trainers Tip: Try to keep your hips straight or up, do not let your midsection sag.

Chest Exercise 4: Chest Fly (1 arm or 2)
*Exercise Shown using Bodylastics elastics. Click here to see more exercises
Starting position: 1. Legs should be slightly bent with feet wider than hips width apart 2. Keep your head straight, back straight, chest up and stomach tight. Adjust height of the cables so that your Humerus is parallel to the floor.

Movement: 1. With a slight bend in your arm(s), pull active arm from the side to straight out in front of your chest and shorten the chest muscles. 2. Slowly return arm to starting position REPEAT

Trainers tip: If you are not able to keep a slight bend in your arm then just keep your arm straight.