Best Exercise for Chest Muscle Toning in Women

Going into a gym is an intimidating place. Perhaps you haven’t been in a while or maybe you recently moved to a new location and a new gym with an all new set up and equipment.

You might be familiar with how each machine works but the layout is all different, and there’s new machines you’ve never tried.

Or maybe, you are doing an at-home workout, and you want to make your workouts more effective.

We’ve all probably been there at some point. So, what is the best exercise for chest muscle toning in women?

This article will go through two of our main modalities and then some examples within those categories of what women can do to tone their chest muscles.

Add Resistance & Weight Training to Your Routine

First let’s start by discussing weight training.

Weight Training

Weight training is a science-based system that provides individuals the opportunity to change their body composition and build muscle. Weight training can be done via body weight, free weights, or machines.

If you are new to weight training, you may want to consider a couple safety tips:

To avoid injury, gradually increase the weight you lift. Start with light weights and work up to heavier ones. You should also focus on perfecting your technique first before adding weight.

The best way to do this is by practicing the exercises with lighter weights and gradually increasing the amount of weight you lift each time until you reach a point where you can comfortably complete all repetitions without any assistance from the machine.

If you are new to barbell training, it’s important that you start off slowly as well. When focusing on the pectoralis muscles, bench press is a foundational, highly beneficial exercise you should include in your workout routine.

Bench Press

If you want to work out your chest muscles without using free weights, then you should try bench presses. This type of exercise works your pectoralis major muscle (the main chest muscle) as well as your deltoids. It also helps you improve your posture and strengthen your triceps.

The bench press is often done with a barbell, and you can simply start off with using the weight of the bar, and gradually increase to using plates for weights.

Start with Light Weights

If you’re new to weightlifting, start out by doing low intensity exercises such as pushups, squats, lunges, and planks. These exercises will help you gain confidence and learn proper form before moving on to more challenging moves.

1. Squat with a weight plate in your hands. Stand up straight, holding the barbell at shoulder level. Your feet should be slightly wider than hip-width apart. Bend over and place your left hand on top of the weight plate. Keep your right foot flat on the floor. Slowly lower yourself down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Pause for one second and then slowly raise yourself back up.

Repeat this exercise 10 times.

The benefits of doing these exercises:

* Strengthens your core muscles, which will help you maintain a healthy posture.

* Helps prevent injuries by strengthening your legs and hips.

* Improves balance.

* Builds strength in your arms and shoulders

Now let’s move on to discussing a little about Resistance Training.

Resistance Training

Our second main form of chest muscle toning in women is found within resistance training.

If you’re looking to build muscle mass, resistance training is one of the best ways to do so. It builds strength and endurance while also improving balance and coordination. The key to making your workouts as effective as possible is to make sure that you are using resistance bands, loop bands rather than machines.

Machines don’t allow for much variation in how a weight can be lifted which makes it difficult to target certain muscles or work on technique.

According to Better Health, resistance training is similar to weight training in that a person builds muscle by working against a force. If you do prefer to workout in a gym setting, cable machines are the best choice for resistance training, if machines were your only option.

Additionally, ensuring that you seek out a reputable and certified muscle and conditioning specialist, dietitian, clinical herbalist, or any other specialist that could help you reach your body composition goals is always the best option for support.