My ethos is to love the way you are. I am proudly an AA-cup and I can certainly think of better ways to spend £5k than packing my pectorals with silicone! That said, I’m all for finding wholesome ways to make the most of what nature has provided. So, I was interested when a fitness guru friend of mine said that a simple daily exercise plan could create a firmer, more defined bust-line. With thanks to Wendy Powell of No More Excuses (Pregnancy & Post Natal Personal Training), I give you these great tips for pumping pecs:
If you want firmer, perkier breasts, surgery is not the only option. While it’s true that exercise can’t boost breasts (which are fat and tissue, not muscle), it CAN strengthen the muscles behind the bust and improve posture to give your chest a stronger contour. By toning the pectoral muscles, you can create a firmer base for your bust and a more defined silhouette.
No-one said push ups were easy, but your pecs will thank you for the effort
Of all the exercises that work this area, the basic push up is the most effective, improving the tone and shape of the chest, shoulders and triceps. If you can’t do a full push up from your toes, start on all fours, or with your knees slightly further back. Keep your shoulders over your hands and lower your face to just in front of your fingertips. Breathe in on the way down, then exhale, pulling the bellybutton through to spine (without hunching shoulders) and push up. Repeat 10 x daily.
In addition to push ups, exercises for the upper back and core can help posture. To strengthen this area, you need ‘pulling’ exercises, such as rowing, or using the pull-up bar or machine in the gym. Another option is the ‘Dumb Waiter’: From sitting on a swiss ball or standing, hold your hands out, as if holding a tray. Keeping elbows tucked in and shoulders relaxed, move lower arms out to the sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for a second and then come back to centre. Repeat 10 x daily.
To balance a small bust or narrow upper body against wider hips and lower body, choose exercises to tone and strengthen the shoulders. Sit on a swiss ball or, if standing, keep knees soft, back neutral and core strong (belly button to spine). Hold a small dumb-bell in each hand (or a can of beans) and lift arms straight up to the sides; then bend elbows and lift straight up above the head. Bring the weights slowly back down. Repeat 10 x daily.
The Plank can't be beaten for strengthening the core & lower back
Finally, no postural programme would be complete without the classic ‘Plank’, which works the core and lower back. Lie on your front with your elbows bent to your sides. Tuck your toes under & push up onto your forearms, holding you body in a straight line. Keep belly button pulled to spine and don’t forget to breathe! Your goal is to hold the position for 1 minute each day.
PS: Do remember to consult your GP before embarking on any exercise programme.
I agree! Since starting a weights program 2 years ago, I’ve noticed a big difference in my breasts. Developing my pecs has actually helped to fill out my bras (I’m a 34AA). In addition to the exercises above, I would recommend using free weights (dumbells). Also if you feel like joining a gym there are special pecs machines which give great results!
- Mandy from Australia
Thanks Mandy. Glad you agree with our advice — and thank you for the extra tips!
I always assumed exercises like these would burn the little fat that I have filling my breasts (34AA) leaving me with even less than I have. This isn’t true?
Read the article in NYT and just dropped in to say that there are plenty of men who like small breasts just fine! In fact, years ago, I saw a study that correlated breast size inversely with economic standing, with men more likely to find the smaller breasted attractive if their earning power was higher, and lower class men going for the zaftig. Certainly sounds right!
But on Laura’s question, it’s much more likely to go the other way. Why? Because no amount of targeted exercise will “burn fat” off a particular area. That’s a myth. You can tone an area, but fat is lost and gained overall, not in one spot. Some will carry it high, some low, but exercise WON’T change that.
However, once you’ve built up muscle cells, you will gain pec size (the muscles underlying the breast tissue). Even slacking off, those muscles don’t seem to go completely away, and a little toning up will bring ‘em back. If you lose wait too easily when working out hard, you can either take it a bit easier, or try eating a bit more fat. When running hard, a slice of cheesecake or a side of bacon works for me.
But before you get to all fired-up to change that one and only YOU, I’d ask: Do you need to change? There’s a wonderful grace and loveliness to the small-breasted woman, and it must be pointed out, her shape stays younger! Look at Greek statuary. They were far and away the greatest sculptors the world has ever seen. Have a look at their ideal goddess of beauty, Aphrodite: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Greek_Marble_Statue_of_Aphrodite_Anadyomene_(Hair-Binding).jpg
Acknowledge your own beautifulness. It’s there.