Dominic Stone
While breasts naturally lose their elasticity and sag over time, there are exercises that can help give them a perkier appearance. Breasts do not contain any muscles, but they are surrounded by them. The pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles are located underneath the breasts, and working these muscles can add shape to the chest. Strengthening the muscles around the breasts can also improve posture, creating the illusion of perkier breasts.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Exercises can help breasts appear perkier, lifted, and fuller. |
| Muscle Groups | Pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, triceps, biceps, core, back, hamstrings, glutes, and quadriceps. |
| Exercises | Chest press, chest fly, plank, cobra pose, goddess pose, and various dumbbell exercises. |
| Equipment | Dumbbells, stability ball, and playground ball. |
| Expert Recommendation | "Developing the muscles underneath your breasts will enhance the look of your breasts and make them appear larger." — Jen Comas Keck, certified personal trainer and former figure competitor |
| Additional Benefits | Improved strength, balance, flexibility, coordination, and posture. |
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What You'll Learn
Chest exercises to increase muscle mass
While surgery and a good push-up bra are sure-fire ways to make breasts perkier, chest exercises can help increase the mass of and strengthen the pectoral muscles, making the whole chest look fuller.
Yoga Cobra Pose
Start by lying on your stomach with your legs extended and the tops of your feet resting on the floor. Place your hands directly under your shoulders with your elbows tucked in. Lift your head and chest off the ground while drawing your shoulders back, trying to straighten your arms as much as you can. Hold for 30 seconds and aim for three sets. This yoga pose activates all of the chest muscles.
Plank
Start on the floor on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders. Step back with one foot at a time. Bring your feet wider than hip-distance apart for more stability, and closer together for more of a challenge. Maintain a straight line from the top of your head to your heels, with your gaze just above your fingertips. Tighten your abs, quads, and glutes, and hold for 3-5 seconds. This move will help with flexibility and get your muscles ready for a chest workout.
Dumbbell Press
Lie on your back, with your knees bent and feet flat on the mat. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms upward, with your palms facing each other. Keeping the weights together, bend your elbows and lower the weights to your chest. Slowly reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
Goddess Pose
Stand with your feet in a wide stance, holding two light weights in both hands. Bend your knees and elbows about 90 degrees and bring the weights out to your sides, with your palms facing forward. This yoga move works your hamstrings and glutes while strengthening your chest.
Push-ups
Push-ups are a versatile exercise that can be done anywhere and easily adjusted for range of motion. They can help target different parts of your chest with tweaks to elevation or hand placement.
Bench Press
The bench press is one of the most popular lifts in the gym as it allows you to move the most weight. It is also an easier lift to control than pressing with heavy dumbbells.
To increase muscle mass, it is also important to consume adequate protein and manage your diet.
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Yoga poses to activate chest muscles
While surgery and push-up bras are sure-fire ways to make breasts perkier, exercises that strengthen the chest muscles can also help to enhance the look of your breasts and make them appear larger and fuller. Yoga poses that open the chest and shoulders can help to strengthen these muscles and improve posture.
Cobra Pose
This pose will activate your chest muscles and serve as a great warm-up for your chest exercises. To do this, lie on your stomach with your legs extended and the tops of your feet resting on the floor. Place your hands directly under your shoulders with your elbows tucked in. Lift your head and chest off the ground while drawing your shoulders back, trying to straighten your arms as much as you can. Hold for 30 seconds and aim for three sets.
Plank
Start on the floor on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders. Step back with one foot at a time. For more stability, bring your feet wider than hip-distance apart, and bring them closer together for more of a challenge. Maintain a straight line from the top of your head to your heels, with your gaze just above your fingertips. Tighten your abs, quads, and glutes, and hold.
Cat Pose
Begin on your belly with your feet together and your hands reaching back, palms down. Extend your big toes straight back and press down with all ten toenails to activate your quadriceps. Rotate your inner thighs to the ceiling to broaden your lower back. Inhale and raise your head, chest, arms, and legs, leading with your inner thighs. Roll your shoulders back and up away from the floor and reach your hands toward your heels. Keep the back of your neck long and emphasize lifting your sternum instead of your chin. To come out of the pose, slowly release your arms, legs, and head to the floor.
Warrior 1 Pose
Lift your chest, roll your shoulders back, and interlace your hands behind your back. Bend your front knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor at about 90 degrees, or as close to 90 degrees as you can comfortably get.
Goddess Pose
Stand with your feet in a wide stance. Put two light weights in both hands and bend your knees and elbows about 90 degrees. Bring the weights out to your sides, with your palms facing forward.
Remember, the key to making these exercises effective is to focus on the muscle-mind connection and ensure you are recruiting your chest muscles in the most efficient way.
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Dumbbell exercises for the pectoralis major and minor
The pectoralis major and minor muscles are located front and centre in your chest. The pectoralis major runs from the sternum up and out to the arms and neck, while the pectoralis minor is underneath the pectoralis major and helps connect the ribs to the shoulder blades.
Training these muscles can help give your chest a strong and sculpted look, improve your core and back strength, and lead to the illusion of an hourglass figure. It can also help improve your posture and balance.
- Dumbbell Bench Press: Lie on a flat bench with a dumbbell in each hand, held at chest height. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended, then slowly return to the starting position. This exercise provides constant tension throughout the movement and can be made more or less challenging by using different weight dumbbells.
- Dumbbell Pullover: Lie on your back and hold a single dumbbell with both hands. Pull the dumbbell over your chest and toward your hips. This exercise targets the outer part of your pecs and requires a lot of control and muscle engagement.
- Dumbbell Fly: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding two dumbbells, and bend your elbows out to the sides to form a 90-degree angle. Keeping a straight back, slowly bring your arms and elbows together in front of your body, then return to the starting position. This exercise targets the pectoralis muscles from a different angle, ensuring your entire chest gets a workout.
It's important to note that building muscle mass requires a significant amount of hard work, a tailored program, and time. Additionally, maintaining a well-balanced diet to keep body fat at a healthy level is crucial to achieving the desired results.
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Plank exercises for core and back
While surgery or a good push-up bra may be the most immediate solutions to achieving perkier breasts, exercises that target the chest, back, and core muscles can help to lift the breasts and improve posture, giving the illusion of perkier breasts.
Plank exercises are a great way to strengthen your core, back, glutes, hamstrings, arms, and shoulders. They are also recommended over crunches or sit-ups as they put less strain on your spine and hip flexors.
Basic Plank
Start on your hands and knees, then lower down to your forearms so your elbows are directly underneath your shoulders, your palms are down, and your fingertips are facing forward. Lift your knees off the ground and step back with each foot so that your legs are straight and fully extended. Maintain a straight line from the top of your head to your heels, with your gaze on the floor a few inches in front of your hands. Keep your neck in a neutral position and your core, butt, and quads tight.
Plank Jacks
Start in a forearm or high plank. Jump both feet outward, wider than hip-distance apart. Immediately hop them back into the original plank position.
Plank Knee to Elbow
Hold a high plank and bring your right knee up to meet your left elbow. Hold for three seconds, then return your right foot to the floor. Bring your left knee up to meet your right elbow, hold for three seconds, and then return your left foot to the floor. Continue alternating sides for 20 to 30 seconds or as long as you can hold the position.
Forearm Plank with Dumbbell Row
Get into a full plank position with each hand gripping a dumbbell. With your right arm, lift the dumbbell to the side of your waist or toward your hip to perform one row. Return the dumbbell to the starting position. Perform one row with your left arm. Continue alternating arms for 20 to 30 seconds, aiming for 2 to 3 sets.
Side Plank Hip Dips
Start in a forearm side plank with your right forearm propping your body up. Stack your left foot on top of your right and squeeze your abs and glutes to lift your hips off the floor. Extend your left arm up or place it on your hip. Slowly dip your hips toward the floor, keeping your core tight and your back flat. Then, lift your hips back up. This is one rep. Do all your reps on one side and then repeat on the other side.
Plank on Exercise Ball
Start in a full plank position with your lower legs or feet on an exercise ball. Activate your abs to maintain stability and align your spine. Gently lift your hips by engaging your core and pushing through your shoulders. Roll the ball forward with your feet, pulling your knees toward you. Extend your legs and roll the ball back to return to the starting position.
In addition to these plank exercises, be sure to warm up with moves like the cobra pose or the variation described by Barnett, which opens up your back and warms up your muscles for a chest workout.
For a more well-rounded workout routine, you can also try exercises that target the chest, such as the chest press with dumbbells or the chest fly with dumbbells.
Remember, the key to an effective workout routine is consistency and progression. Start with a few exercises and gradually increase the number of exercises and the intensity of your workouts. Focus on the muscle-mind connection to ensure you're effectively recruiting your chest muscles.
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Exercises for posture and muscle connection
While surgery and push-up bras are the most effective ways to achieve perkier breasts, exercises that strengthen the chest muscles can also help. These exercises can increase the mass of the pectoral muscles, making the chest look fuller and improving posture.
Certified personal trainer and former figure competitor Jen Comas Keck notes that developing the muscles underneath the breasts can "enhance the look of your breasts and make them appear larger." She recommends working the chest from multiple angles with enough weight to increase strength and develop the muscles.
Below are some exercises that target the chest muscles and improve posture:
Plank
Start on the floor on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders. Step back with one foot at a time. For more stability, bring your feet wider than hip-distance apart, and bring them closer together for more of a challenge. Maintain a straight line from the top of your head to your heels, with your gaze just above your fingertips. Tighten your abs, quads, and glutes, and hold. Think about digging through your heels and squeezing your quads.
Cobra Pose
Lie on your stomach with your legs extended and the tops of your feet resting on the floor. Place your hands directly under your shoulders with your elbows tucked in. Lift your head and chest off the ground while drawing your shoulders back, trying to straighten your arms as much as you can. Hold for 30 seconds and aim for three sets.
Goddess Pose with Weights
Stand with your feet in a wide stance. Put two light weights in both hands and bend your knees and elbows about 90 degrees. Bring the weights out to your sides, with your palms facing forward. Engage your chest muscles to squeeze the arms together in front of your body. Release with control. Repeat as you stay low.
Dumbbell Press
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the mat. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms upward, with your palms facing each other. Keeping the weights together, bend your elbows and lower the weights to your chest. Slowly reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
Chest Press with Dumbbells
Lie on your back with your arms straight at your sides, holding two dumbbells. Lift the dumbbells above your chest, internally rotating your shoulders, with your elbows pointing out to the sides. Lower the dumbbells to your sides until you feel your chest muscles stretch, with your elbows in a slightly bent position. Repeat this movement.
It's important to note that while these exercises can improve muscle tone and posture, they may not lead to significant changes in breast perkiness, especially for individuals with larger breasts. For noticeable results, consistency and commitment to a workout routine are crucial, along with maintaining a well-balanced diet to keep body fat at a healthy level.
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Frequently asked questions
The pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles are located underneath the breasts. Working these muscles can help to lift the breasts.
Try the cobra pose: lie on your stomach with your legs extended and the tops of your feet resting on the floor. Place your hands directly under your shoulders with your elbows tucked in. Lift your head and chest off the ground, drawing your shoulders back and straightening your arms. Hold for 30 seconds and aim for three sets.
Yes, the plank reach under is a great exercise to target the chest muscles. Start in a plank position and lift your right hand, extending it straight out in front of you. Return to the starting position and repeat with your left hand. Alternate sides and keep your hips square to the ground.
You can do breast-firming exercises with or without equipment. Dumbbells, stability balls, and playground balls are some equipment you can use.
Incorporate three to four exercises two times a week to start seeing results. Focus on the muscle-mind connection to effectively recruit your chest muscles.
