Try This: 13 Breast-Firming Exercises

Chest-focused training can help grow and strengthen your pectoral muscles, which in turn makes your chest appear fuller.

Boobs. Want them a bit larger? More lifted? Firmer?

While surgery or a very supportive push-up bra are the only surefire ways to change size and shape dramatically, strengthening the chest muscles can add mass that helps your upper torso look perkier.

Below are 13 chest exercises—some require equipment, others do not—that can tone your pecs and give your top half a firmer appearance. Mix and match these a few times per week to feel more va-va-voluptuous than ever.

1. Cobra pose

Active Body. Creative Mind.

An ideal warm-up for chest work, cobra pose helps switch on those muscles.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your belly with legs extended and the tops of your feet pressed to the floor.
2. Place your hands beneath your shoulders with elbows tucked in close.
3. Lift your head and chest off the floor while drawing your shoulders back and keeping your neck neutral. Straighten the arms as far as comfortable.
4. Hold for 30 seconds, then lower down. Repeat three times.

2. Traveling plank

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Planks are hugely beneficial; adding dynamic motion increases the challenge. Concentrate on engaging the chest as you move.

How to do it:

1. Begin in a plank with your head and neck neutral and hands under your shoulders. Avoid sagging in the lower back.
2. With core braced, lift your right hand and right foot and “step” to the right — that’s one rep.
3. Pause briefly, reset, and take another step right. Complete 10 steps right, then switch and step back left using your left hand and left foot.
4. Do three sets.

3. Pushup

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A top-tier bodyweight move, pushups deliberately target the pectorals. If standard pushups are too tough, drop to your knees.

How to do it:

1. Start in a plank with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, head neutral, and core engaged.
2. Bend elbows and lower until your chest nears the floor. Keep elbows tucked rather than flaring at 90 degrees.
3. Press back up to start. Perform three sets of as many reps as possible.

4. Plank reach-under

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A plank variation, the reach-under alternates single-arm touches for added difficulty.

How to do it:

• Get into a plank with hands under shoulders, a neutral back, and core engaged.
• While holding the plank, lift your right hand and tap your left knee.
• Return to plank. Do 10 reps with the right arm, then switch and complete 10 with the left — that’s one set.
• Repeat for three sets.

5. Dumbbell chest press

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While bench pressing with a bar is classic, dumbbells allow a wider range of motion for more stimulus. Start with moderate weights like 10–15 pounds.

How to do it:

1. Sit on the end of a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand.
2. Lie back with feet flat, knees bent, and back supported on the bench.
3. Bring your upper arms out to the sides, parallel to the floor, elbows bent so the weights align with your upper arms.
4. With core braced, press the dumbbells up and toward the midline, feeling the chest contract.
5. Pause at full extension, then lower back to start — one rep.
6. Do three sets of 12 reps.

6. Stability ball dumbbell fly

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The chest fly isolates the pecs for focused activation. Performing it on a stability ball also challenges your core. Use light dumbbells (around 5 pounds) while learning the movement.

How to do it:

1. Position your upper back on a stability ball so your trunk and thighs form a straight line, knees bent, feet flat. Hold a dumbbell in each hand.
2. With core engaged, extend arms with palms up and a slight elbow bend, arms starting parallel to the floor.
3. Bring the dumbbells toward the midline, feeling the chest contract. Slowly lower back slightly past the starting position until you sense a chest stretch — one rep.
4. Do three sets of 12 reps.

7. Medicine ball superman

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Combine core strengthening with a chest challenge by using a medicine ball.

How to do it:

1. Lie face down with arms extended holding a medicine ball and your head neutral.
2. Using your chest and core, lift your legs, torso, and the medicine ball off the ground.
3. Raise as high as you can without straining the neck and pause at the top.
4. Lower down. Perform three sets of 12 reps.

8. Dumbbell pullover

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Perform a dumbbell pullover on a bench or stability ball to target several smaller muscles you might not usually engage.

How to do it:

1. Sit on a stability ball or bench holding one moderate dumbbell (or two light ones).
2. Lie back and walk your feet out until knees are at 90 degrees. Hold the dumbbell perpendicular over your chest with both hands.
3. Keeping arms extended, lower the dumbbell in an arc behind your head until you feel a stretch in your chest. Keep your core engaged. Pause, then return to start — avoid letting the weight drop too far behind you to protect the neck.
4. Complete three sets of 12 reps.

9. Cable crossover

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Working the chest from a different angle, like in the cable crossover, ensures balanced development across the muscle.

How to do it:

1. Set each pulley above your head and take the handles. Step forward, bringing your arms together in front of you with a slight lean at the waist.
2. Keep a small bend in the elbows and allow your arms to open and rise until you feel a chest stretch.
3. Return to the start with control, pause, and repeat.
4. Perform three sets of 12 reps.

10. Butterfly machine

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The butterfly machine stabilizes your body, letting you safely handle heavier loads than some free-weight moves. Expect a serious chest burn.

How to do it:

1. Adjust the seat height and sit with your back against the pad. Place your forearms on the pads and grip the handles (or just grip the handles if your machine lacks pads).
2. Press your arms together, using the chest to move the weight.
3. Return to the start and repeat for three sets of 12 reps.

11. Incline dumbbell chest press

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The incline angle emphasizes the upper portion of the pectorals.

How to do it:

1. Set the bench to an incline.
2. Sit and lie back with dumbbells at your chest, elbows bent and upper arms parallel to the floor.
3. Press the weights up until arms are extended, pause, then lower so the upper arms dip slightly past parallel. Repeat.
4. Do three sets of 12 reps.

12. Barbell bench press

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The time-honored barbell bench press remains central for building chest strength.

How to do it:

1. Lie flat on a bench with feet on the floor and the barbell resting over your chest. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width.
2. With core braced, press the bar up to full extension, pause, and lower it back toward your chest, focusing on the chest muscles doing the work.
3. Perform three sets of 12 reps.

13. Cable oblique twist

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A core-focused exercise that also engages the chest, the cable twist helps sculpt the midsection while working upper-body muscles.

How to do it:

1. Attach a rope or handle and set the pulley at shoulder height.
2. Stand to the right of the machine and hold the attachment with both hands at shoulder width, arms extended. Adopt a comfortable shoulder-width stance with knees slightly bent.
3. Using your core and chest, rotate your torso to the left until your head faces left. Pause, then return to center.
4. Do 10 reps on this side, then switch sides. Complete three sets.

Things to consider

Start by incorporating three to four of these moves twice weekly and rotate through them. Prioritize the mind-muscle connection so you’re truly recruiting the chest effectively.

To maximize your results, follow a balanced diet to maintain a healthy body-fat level while building muscle.

The bottom line

Stick with a consistent program and you’ll notice greater strength and a perkier chest within a few months.