Don't Do Any Chest Exercises...

Medicine Ball Wall Throws

This exercise is great fun. It's one that's really good for developing power in your upper body muscles. If you prefer to, you can throw it at a partner instead of a wall. It's a good competitive exercise that is good for making you push yourself.

1. You need a medicine ball for this. We use a 10lb one but yours can be heavier or lighter depending on how strong you are.
2. Find a solid wall or a partner to do this with.
3. Get low into a squat position in front of the wall or your partner. - This helps for balance.
4. Bring the medicine ball to your chest.
5. Push the ball out from your chest as fast as you can.
6. Catch the ball on the rebound from either the wall or your partner.
7. Push it out again.
8. Keep going until you can do no more.

Wide Hands Pressups

One of the greatest chest exercises around. They are the ultimate exercise where there is limited space and equipment. Perfect for building strong chest muscles for free.

The proper technique is to lower your body down until your chest is just above the ground. You should then feel a stretch across your chest. Consciously tighten your chest muscles as you press up.

1. Get into the position shown.
2. Tighten you ab muscles and push back through your heels. This keeps your body rigid and strong.
3. Lower your body down slowly.
4. Stop just above the ground.
5. Tighten your chest muscles and press up again slowly.
6. Repeat.

Incline Dumbbell Chest Press

This method of chest press has the advantage of safety. You can do them with heavy weights and you don't need a spotter. If you ever get into trouble just drop the weights out to the side.

These are good for keeping your left and right side balanced. It is quite common to use one arm more when you're doing a barbell chest press. With dumbbells there's no option. You have to lift both of them.

All incline chest exercises work your upper chest.

1. Lie in the position shown.
2. Push your chest out and squeeze between your shoulder blades.
3. Lower the weights down to chest level.
4. Squeeze your chest muscles and push the weights back up.
5. Repeat.

Swiss Ball Pressups

These pressups are great for working your upper chest muscles. They also are very good for your ab muscles because you have to use them so much to stabilise your body.

1. Put your feet up on a swiss ball and get into the position shown.
2. Tighten your ab muscles to keep your body rigid.
3. Lower your body down to the ground and pause just above the ground.
4. Tighten your upper chest muscles and press your body back up.
5. Repeat.

Dumbell Pec Fly's

The proper technique for these is to push your chest out as far as possible. At the bottom of your movement you should be able to feel a stretch across your chest. This is when you know you're working the right muscles.

As with all exercises, the slower you do it, the better it works, and the safer it is. This is especially true with this one though, because if you do it too fast you can do some serious damage to your shoulder muscles. Don't swing your arms, make sure you control them.

1. Lie in the position shown with the weights at arms length above your head.
2. Spread your wings and fly away...
3. Make sure you feel the stretch across your chest.
4. At the bottom of the movement, pause and then lift up again.
5. Repeat.

Bench Press

  
This is probably the most well known of the chest exercises. It's basic and it's very effective. There are different arm and body positions you can use to work different parts of your chest. A wide grip is used for working your outer pectoral muscles. A narrow grip is for your inner pectoral muscles. An incline bench is used for working your upper pecs and decline is for working your lower pecs.

Be very careful about putting too much stress on your shoulder muscles with this exercise. Shoulder tears are very common because of poor technique.

If you're lifting heavy weights you should get someone to spot you. It's scary as heck if you're not strong enough to stop the bar from crushing you.

1. Lie down on the bench with your shoulders at bar height.
2. Your feet should rest on the ground with your knees at 90 degrees.
3. Get a bench to  rest your feet on if your feet are too low.
4. Your lower back should be nice and straight.
5. Place your hands on the bar at shoulder width.
6. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and push your chest out.
7. Lift the bar up and bring it to balance over your chest.
8. Lower the bar down slowly.
9. Let the bar touch your chest and feel the stretch it produces.
10. Squeeze your chest muscles and press the bar back up.
11. Repeat

Parallel Bar Dips

This exercise can be done with two chairs back to back if you like. You just position yourself between the 2 chairs and put your hands on the backs of both of them.

This chest exercise works your lower pecs.

1. Find yourself 2 parallel bars.
2. Bend your legs and hold your body weight up with your arms.
3. Make a funny face like Tom is.
4. Try to lean forward.
5. Bend your arms and lower your body until your arms are at right angles.
6. Squeeze your pecs and raise your body back up.
7. Don't let your feet touch the ground.
8. Repeat.