Your chest muscles move your arms in many ways. The best workout program to shape your chest uses the various arm placements to improve the overall look of your chest. Always performing one chest exercise such as pushups will improve your strength, but is limited to working your chest across the center. To complete your workout routine, include exercises for the upper, lower and the area down the center of your chest. You cannot exercise your chest without using your arms, so include a day of rest after your chest workout that does not involve arm exercises. Aim to exercise your chest two or three days a week.
Plyometric Pushup
Step 1
Position your hands and knees on the floor. Place your hands underneath your shoulders with your fingertips pointing forward.
Step 2
Straighten your legs behind your and rest your toes on the floor. Straighten your spine and tighten your stomach so your body is in a line.
Step 3
Inhale and bend your elbows to a 90 degree angle out to your sides as you lower your body toward the floor.
Step 4
Exhale and straighten your arms as you push off the floor to lift your hands.
Step 5
Land with your hands on the floor in start position. Repeat 10 times.
Incline Dumbbell Press
Step 1
Set your weight bench to a 45 degree angle incline. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Sit on the bench and rest your back against the pad.
Step 2
Straighten your arms toward the ceiling. Position your hands in line with the top of your chest and face your palms in the direction of your lower body.
Step 3
Inhale and bend your elbows as you lower the weights toward your armpits. Allow your elbows to bend below your sides.
Step 4
Exhale and straighten your arms as you press the dumbbells up to start position.
Step 5
Repeat the action eight to 12 times and for two or three sets.
Dumbbell Bench Fly
Step 1
Adjust your weight bench to a flat position in which it is parallel to the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Lie down on your back on the bench with your feet on the floor.
Step 2
Straighten your arms and raise the dumbbells toward the ceiling over your chest. Face your palms toward each other. Keep a slight bend in your elbows.
Step 3
Inhale and lower your arms out to the sides of your body. Open your arms as wide as you are able without lower your hands beyond your body.
Step 4
Exhale and raise your straight arms to start position.
Step 5
Complete eight to 12 flys and two or three sets.
Decline Dumbbell Press
Step 1
Adjust your weight bench to a decline angle. Hand your partner your dumbbells and ask them to stand near the low end of the bench.
Step 2
Lie on your back and allow your head to be lower than your legs. Straighten your arms toward the ceiling with your hands over top of the lower portion of your chest. Receive the dumbbells from your partner and face your palms toward your lower body.
Step 3
Inhale and bend your elbows as you lower the weights to the side of your chest. Allow your elbows to lower beyond the sides of your body.
Step 4
Exhale and straighten your arms to return the weights to start position.
Step 5
Complete two or three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.
