I don’t particularly like the idea of relying on specialized equipment for specific muscles but the ab roller I recently got made me realize I might be too closed minded. I might have got it for $3 at the Dollar Store but it’s excellent exercise judging by how sore I am two days later.
So, what are some good exercises or equipment for pectorals? I’m tired of push-ups and I dislike presses because they involve holding heavy metal objects above me, especially since I sometimes go heavy on weights and exert myself to exhaustion. I might forget to close my door and then one of my cats could come next to me and get in the way of a 30lbs+ dumbbell which is an unacceptable risk. I prefer doing strength training at home.
Does a push-up frame make a big difference compared to just laying your hands on the ground? Amazon.ca
Since I mentioned my cats, the board rules require me to post this to show you whose safety you’ll be contributing to: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
I built pecs that receive admiring commentary using two old high-backed chairs and doing a variety of bodyweight and weighted dips on them. “The upper body squat”, as they say.
This is only for definition of the pec muscle. Get a bicycle pump and and do 100 pumps into a tire per day. I did this all summer on a leaky truck tire. Chest got super defined. Especially if you’re already lean.
Once you gain a baseline level of strength, there are many advanced techniques you can employ to significantly increase the difficulty and intensity of the classic pushup.
Im too tired to catalog all of them but off the top of my head you have “diamonds” which are pushups in which the hands are brought together on the ground in the approximate shape of a diamond directly underneath your chest. This works the triceps much more directly, with less (but still significant) pectoral work. But you don’t want to neglect triceps when wanting to increase chest strength and musculature. Triceps take over during the top part of a chest press so strong tris will go a long way in helping you reach your chest training goals.
Also, you have what I’ll call “fist pushups”. These are exactly what they sound like: pushups with your hands balled up into tight fists, knuckles down. Popularized by boxers and martial artists, fist or knuckle pushups are an excellent way to strengthen your wrists apart from reaping all the benefits of a classic pushup. In this routine, the upper body is supported on the knuckles rather than the palms.
Next there are “clap pushups”. Clap pushups enhance core stability. They also builds shoulder mobility, quick reflexes and upper-body strength. As reach the bottom of the range of motion of the pushup, get ready to explode on your way back up and as you do, take both hands off the floor long enough to clap your hands and get them back down again in time to succesfully complete the pushup.
This is all i can muster right now. There are more tho.
Thank you, the science and exercise ball links were quite helpful.
I’ve been in the market for a computer chair and they’re out of my price range at this time but I see that exercise balls are useful both for core exercises and are recommended as an alternative to office chairs while being much cheaper than a quality computer chair.
Are some exercise balls or features which are better than others? Is there a ball that rules them all?
You get definition by low bodyfat levels. Full stop. You may have been getting a pump from all the blood being forced into the muscle but you really weren’t doing anything to affect muscle definition. Sorry.
It has more stability along the long axis. Which is fine if you’re looking for that. I think you can make it work. However, if you want maximum flexibility of use, consider a regular exercise ball and a base combo for using as an office chair. I would not spend very many hours using it as such without getting up and walking around. I think you might find your posture sagging forward as you get tired later in the day. Most of the brands are generally fine for home use. SPRI used to be the most ruggedly built. But go by Amazon reviews and you’ll probably end up with something decent.
As noted above. Don’t just focus on pecs. Include all around conditioning, especially upper back work to avoid shoulders being pulled forward and thus risking impingement injuries. If you’re fit enough, get an inexpensive chin-up bar (my favorite for home use). If you’re just starting out, among many other great exercise options, you can use the elastic bands as an assist for your chin up routines.
How would the peanut ball have less flexibility of use? Do you only mean that it couldn’t be used as an office chair or is there some other purpose which a round exercise ball could do but a peanut ball couldn’t?
Why couldn’t it be used as an office chair? Sure, it would look silly, but if I’m using a big balloon as a chair, I’ve made peace with it.
I agree. Getting up and moving about every half hour is a good idea no matter what. I’ll probably switch back and forth between an ordinary chair and a ball throughout the day.
I’ve had one since 2006 although I haven’t used it as much as I could since I’ve only been getting back into exercise gradually. I thought chin-ups and pull-ups only worked biceps and shoulders but I will start doing pull-ups this weekend. Thanks.
Generally, I think I’ll be doing alright in terms of aerobic exercise and limb strength, it’s core muscles I’m trying to figure out how to exercise efficiently. So if you have anything to say about any core exercise or equipment that does a good job, I’d like to hear it.
Nah, it’s not a question of whether one is more silly than the other. Both are equally silly. One example where a ball might be better than a peanut ball is in those push-ups in the video. You’ll have less stability with a ball. But that’s just a preference thing, not a, “You’re doing it wrong!” thing.
Depending on what grip you use. Palms towards you, engage your biceps more than palms parallel, and less still with palms away. They all engage your back and lats, again to greater or lesser degree. Just like for push-ups, there are advanced variations you can use to target certain upper body muscle groups more than just your standard pull/chin-up.
You can do lots of good core/ab work hanging from a bar. So that’s an added bonus.
I do a bunch of core work because I just like it. Jeff Cavalier (Athlean X Youtube channel) offers many good examples. I switch things up to keep them from getting boring. I like this group of ab/core exercises currently featured on Eb & Swole. There is a bunch of great ideas there that use the resistance band to challenge your core. I’m a little obsessed with the resistance band these days.
Since he has no real knowledge base here, I think I’ll add that in addition to grip placement, hand width plays a big role in the degree to which all those muscles are engaged.
The wide-grip pull-up is pretty much universally recognized as the most challenging grip/width combo for the pullup. Perhaps not so universally (or maybe it is I’m not sure) agreed on but definitely IMHO. chin-ups with a slightly narrower than shoulder-width grip is the least challenging. This is because, as Quiicksilver pointed out, the chin-up takes the most workload off the lats and allows them to pull more weight. As both the grip turns outward and it widens, that workload is transferred more and more exclusively to the lats.
But wide grip pull ups are where it’s at. When people think of lats they think of a wide wingspan. No form of pull up works the lats more than this one. So any lat program, regardless of it’s goal, should include wide gtip pull ups to some degree.
I understand. But if you’re serious about strengthening your pecs, you really need to get to a gym on a regular basis. IMO the best chest exercise is dumbbell presses while lying on a bench.
I’ve done dumbbell presses while lying on the floor. I suppose using a bench provides a full range of motion? If so, I might jury-rig something. I just need a short flat surface that will support 200-300lbs, correct?
If you’ve changed your mind and are now willing to risk the cat’s lives, you don’t need a bench. You can do your chest dumbbell presses on your office chair exercise ball.
One example where a ball might be better than a peanut ball is in those push-ups in the video. You’ll have less stability with a ball. But that’s just a preference thing, not a, “You’re doing it wrong!” thing.