There are just so many myths in my industry and it gets tiring answering the same questions time and time again but thanks to google we trainers have the job of dispelling common myths so women can finally stop doing hours of chest work in hope that their boobs will appear lifted and do the exercises that really work!
Over the last 12 years working as a Personal Trainer the question I most loathe is “will training chest tone and lift my bust” as much I would like to say yes as it would save thousands in cosmetic surgery and breast augmentation would be a thing of the past, but the short answer is “no it will not!”.
The reason for this is that there are no muscles in your breast tissue so the breasts do not respond and change the same way that muscle does when we resistance train. You can grow and develop the pectoral muscles that sit under the breasts which will show on the outer side of the chest or under the armpits but the reality of it is, if you want to see less fat around that pesky underarm area you need to address that predominately though nutrition and hormone balance. When we focus on these two areas we will begin to see less fat around that area when we wear figure hugging singlets or sleeveless dresses.
We also can focus on improving posture which will help naturally lift the breasts. It is about training smarter not harder with corrective exercises for posture rather than performing isolated chest exercises. In some cases too much chest training can create a separation down the centre of the pectoral or chest muscles (a line like when the abdominals separate after child birth) and can often look unfeminine so back off on those push ups and pec deck exercises and substitute them with the exercises that really work!
Here are my top 3 tips for creating the illusion of perky breasts without going under the knife!
Supplement with the mineral zinc
The mineral zinc has been shown to improve pectoral fat in men and women as it increases the production of a very important hormone DHEA and stops a condition called aromatisation. If zinc levels are low DHEA can be converted into oestrogen and according to some studies on hormone production, show as fat around the pectorals or chest. Extract from Sally’s book Healthy Body.
Lengthen your pectoral or chest muscles
Stretching your chest will help a great deal as it will help hold the shoulders back and the breasts will naturally sit higher on the body.
This chest stretch opens up the upper body and is best performed after an upper body workout however it is also beneficial for those that work at a desk and suffer from poor upper body posture as it improves rounded shoulders.
Start off by kneeling on your mat. Take the hands arms behind the back and hold the hands together until you feel a stretch across the front of the body or chest. Hold this position for 15–30 seconds. To get a deeper stretch simply try to move the arms in an upward direction so that they are more in line with the shoulders. (Extract from Rescu. me)
Strengthen your back muscles.
Like lengthening the chest, strengthen your back or postural muscles will also help the breast appear higher.
One of my favourite back exercises is the band row exercise is taken out of the book Rescu. me.
Wrap your band around a post or a stable object like the couch. Sit on the ground roughly ½ a metre away from band & hold the band in an underhand grip. Pull into the naval, hold for one second then slowly release for 3 seconds, keeping the shoulder blades together the entire time and the chest upright.
15 reps, 4 sets, 3-0-1-1 tempo,10 sec rest. (Extract from Rescu. me)
These 3 tips along with improving your nutrition by eating more lean proteins, fibrous veggies, low GI starchy carbs and good fats will help decrease overall fat production including around the chest area.
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