Chest exercises are one of my favorite things to do with resistance bands. Resistance bands chest exercises include a wide variety of motions to hit those pec muscles hard. They often also work the triceps and delts which are great for upper body appearance. In this post we’re going to go over:
- Resistance band push-ups
- Chest fly with resistance bands
- Resistance band chest press (Similar exercise to dumbbell bench press)
Resistance band chest exercises
Resistance band push-ups
Push-ups are a really great fundamental movement where we can work our chest, triceps, and front delts. You can do them with body weight, or even better you can perform them with some added weight from your resistance bands!
- Wrap the resistance band around your back, at the middle of your shoulder blades. Wrap each end of the resistance band around your hand.
- Kneel to the ground and lean forward onto your hands, then lower the rest of your body.
- Hands should be positioned under the shoulders, slightly farther than shoulder width apart. Drive the bottoms of your toes into the ground.
- Tuck your shoulder blades behind your back as far as you can and keep your elbows tucked close to your body. Inhale, then exhale while pushing yourself up as one unit.
- Repeat this exercise for 12-15 reps, and 3-4 sets depending on your ability.
That’s how you perform the exercise, and here are some tips on keeping your form solid and your body in good position because that’s important too!
- Neck in line with spine to maintain control and reduce the risk of injury.
- Drive palms into the ground and twist your elbows inwards to create upper body tension.
- Once fully in position, pulling your palms towards your toes will tighten your core.
- Clenching your glutes will lock your hips into place and relieve your lower back.
- Keep your feet close together to transfer power from your lower body.
Chest fly with resistance bands
Although the chest fly is a popular exercise, it’s more risk than reward. The full range of motion doesn’t keep the chest muscles activated as much as any of the chest press exercises, and can overstretch the front of shoulder causing possible injuries down the road. It seems like a better idea to stick to exercises like push-ups and presses to keep the possibility of an injury to the minimum.
- Place your feet on top of a band and hold the handles with an overhand grip. Bend your knees slightly and lean forward at the hips.
- Extend your arms straight backwards (don’t lock your arms).
- Keep your elbows tucked in close to your sides to stabilize your upper body and arms.
- To maximize the tension on your triceps, don’t let your elbows bend forward farther than 90 degrees. Using a bigger range of motion will give your triceps a break in between each repetition.
- Repeat this exercise for 12-15 reps, and 3-4 sets depending on your ability.
Resistance band chest press
To perform this exercise, which is in my opinion the best resistance band chest exercise out there, you will need a door anchor or pillar to wrap the band around. Here’s the exercise:
- With the band anchored to a pillar or door, put your back to the anchor object.
- Grab each of the handles and keep your elbows pulled back with your hands at shoulder height almost in your armpits.
- Take a deep breath and with your dominant leg forward, press forward with both hands while squeezing your chest muscles together.
- Release your breath and bring your hands back to the starting position.
- Repeat this exercise for 12-15 reps, and 3-4 sets depending on your ability.
So try these exercises out, see which ones you like doing and incorporate them into your regular resistance band routine.
Resistance band exercises on Mobility Guardian
If you’re new to resistance bands check out our other resistance band exercises and if you need a pair of resistance bands, check out our comprehensive review of all of the products on the market.
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