I love that line, I love that chant. I’ve been wracking my brain for the last two hours to try and remember what book it came from. I think it’s a line in a Judy Blume book that I read when I was younger. My daughter isn’t old enough to read Judy Blume yet, so I’ll have to go with my gut on that one.
Increasing bust size is a familiar issue that some women face. They may feel their bust is inadequate. Or they may feel the reverse is true, they may want to tone down their bust. Either way, chest flies are a fantastic exercise for women.
That’s right – chest flies.
What’s a chest fly?
A chest fly is performed usually from a prone position, though you can do them on an incline or standing up if you have the right equipment. I like to do them on my balance ball. You need two hand weights – mine are about 10 lbs each, although I occasionally bust out the 15 lbs. You sit on the ball with a weight in each hand, and then walk your feet forward slowly until you are lying with the ball firmly against your upper back.
Your feet should be firm against the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. You will feel a moderate about of tension against your lower back, but nothing in this position should be uncomfortable.
If you are uncomfortable, try sitting on the ball again and walking yourself forward. If you are unfamiliar with working with an exercise ball, you might put your feet against the sofa or use it to help stabilize your balance.
Once you are comfortable, you still have your hand weights. Extend your arms directly up or straight ahead, bend your elbows slightly. Slowly lower your arms straight out to the sides, you should feel a pinch slightly between your shoulder blades. Do not let your elbows drop lower than the line of your body.
Slowly return your hands straight up to the starting position. As you pull them back to the starting position, you should feel your chest contract. You should inhale on the downswing and inhale on the up.
You should perform this exercise for a set of 8 repetitions to begin with. Never overextend and never use more weight than 5 or 10lbs when you are getting started unless you know you can handle more. You should perform the movements slowly and deliberately.
You are exercising in directions, contraction and expansion and this repetition of movement will strengthen your pectorals. For men this can lead to a nice cut and developed chest. For women, this exercise can strengthen your chest, reduce excess fat around your bust and help shape and tone.
So if you are looking to increase your bust or simply tone it up, chest flies are a great addition to any workout.