5 easy chest exercises

Dumbbell chest press Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand resting on top of your thighs, the palms of your hands facing each other. Using your thighs to help raise the dumbbells, lift them one at a time until you are holding them in front of you, shoulder-width apart. Rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing your lower body. The dumbbells should be just to the sides of your chest, with your upper arms and forearms creating a 90-degree angle. This will be your starting position. Exhale as you use your chest to push the dumbbells up. Lock your arms at the top and squeeze your chest, then inhale as you return to the starting position.Dumbbell flyes Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand resting on top of your thighs, palms facing each other. Using your thighs to help raise the dumbbells, lift them one at a time until you are holding them in front of you, shoulder width apart. Raise the dumbbells up as if you’re pressing them, but stop and hold just before you lock out. This will be your starting position. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, inhale as you lower your arms in a wide arc, until you feel a stretch in your chest. Exhale as you return your arms to the starting position, squeezing your chest muscles. To perform this exercise correctly, imagine that you are hugging a large person, and focus on creating that same arc when lowering and raising the weights.Incline dumbbell flyes Lie on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand on top of your thighs, palms facing each other. Using your knees to help bring the dumbbells up, hold them out to the sides with your elbows bent at about 90 degrees, your palms facing toward your lower body. This will be your starting position. Exhale as you extend your arms and bring the dumbbells together above your head so that your arms are perpendicular to the floor. After a brief pause, inhale as you return the dumbbells to the starting position.Push ups The push-up is without a doubt the first muscle-building activity most people try out but somewhere along the line they discover weight training and the age-old technique is discarded. This is very sad considering it is one of the most complete bodyweight exercises that target your chest, abs, arms and shoulder – pretty much every upper body muscle. How to do: Get down on all fours and place your hands a little wider than your shoulders. Keep your feet together and strengthen your arms and legs. Make sure that your entire body is in one straight line, from head to toe. Keeping your elbows close, lower your chest till it’s just one inch above the floor. Hold this position for a second and bring your body up.Straight arm dumbbell pull overs Place a dumbbell standing up on a flat bench. To ensure that the dumbbell stays securely placed at the top of the bench, lie perpendicular along the bench with only your shoulders on the surface. With your knees bent and your feet firmly on the floor, drop your hips just slightly below the level of the bench. Your head will be off the bench as well. Grasp the dumbbell with both hands and extend your arms up above your chest; your palms should be pressing against the underside of the dumbbell plate. This will be your starting position. Keeping your arms straight, inhale as you slowly lower the weight in an arc behind your head until you feel a stretch in your chest. Exhale as you return the dumbbell to the starting position following the same arc. Hold the weight at the top for a moment once you have returned it to the starting position.