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Resistance Band Workout for Chest
Hello everyone! Today’s post will cover an intense resistance band workout for chest. The chest is one of the fun and popular muscle areas to work out, so I enjoyed creating this routine. Check out this post to get a strong, developed chest without using any weights but still feeling resistance with bands and your bodyweight.
As always, I want to emphasize the importance of slow, controlled reps with all of these moves. Don’t rush through these workouts, or else they won’t be as effective. Another aspect of this workout that may be overlooked is that it is typically better to use a band with higher resistance since the chest is an overall stronger muscle group with more range. Note that a door anchor will be very helpful for this workout, but you can probably figure something out if you don’t have one.
Resistance Band Workout for Chest: Warmup
Start this workout with two simple but important moves to get some bloodflow into your chest.
Resistance Band Front Chest Stretches
I’m struggling to come up with a better name for this move… Anyway, gently stretch the band in front of you. Stretch enough to give the band a little tension.
10 Reps
Shoulder Dislocates
Here it is again. Hold the band taut in front of you and lift over your head, back behind your body as far as you can go. The more often you do this move, the more you will be able to reach back.
10 Reps
Resistance Band Workout for Chest: Eight Moves
1. Higher-Anchor Flies
Anchor the center of the band at a higher point in your doorway and step far enough away from it so that there is already some tension before you even start the move. Elbows slightly bent, bring your hands forward as if they are wings and slowly “flap” them forward as far as you can. I suggest criss-crossing your forearms to get to the highest tension point and full range of motion. Alternate forearm crosses with every rep.
10-20 reps or until failure.
2. Higher-Anchor Chest Presses
Anchor the center of the band at a higher point in your doorway and step far enough away from it so that there is already some tension before you even start the move. Bend your arms all the way back, lean slightly forward, and slowly press forward straight in front of you – I like to actually angle my arms downward slightly. You can change the angle of and distance between your hands to target different chest muscles – for example, pushing with your palms vertical will target the side of your chest.
10-20 reps or until failure.
3. Lower-Anchor Flies
Anchor the center of the band at a lower point in your doorway (chest level or lower) and again step far enough away from it so that there is already some tension before you even start the move. Same deal as above: elbows slightly bent, bring your hands forward as if they are wings and slowly “flap” them as far as you can, then bringing them back as far as you comfortably can behind your body. Criss-crossing and alternating your forearms is again the best way to get to the highest tension point and full range of motion.
10-20 reps or until failure.
4. Lower-Anchor Chest Press
Anchor the center of the band at a lower point (chest level or lower) in your doorway and step far enough away from it so that there is already some tension before you even start the move. Bend your arms all the way back, lean slightly forward, and slowly press forward straight in front of you – in this case, I will angle my arms upward. Again, you can change the angle of and distance between your hands to target different chest muscles.
10-20 reps or until failure.
5. Resistance Band Push Ups
The first bodyweight exercise that incorporates resistance bands! This push up is like any other push up, except you have the band strapped against your back with your hands gripping it against the floor. You’ll feel the extra resistance from the first rep. Feel free to do variations, like close or wide grip push ups.
10-20 reps or until failure
6. Resistance Band Dips
Our second bodyweight exercise that incorporates bands requires dip bars – if you don’t have them, then you can skip this move. Wrap the band around your neck and under the two bars. Do your dips slow and steady, and right away you will feel the extra resistance trying to pull you back down. To really target the chest hard, lean your body slightly forward, but don’t hunch your neck.
10-20 reps or until failure.
7. Pullovers
A unique but effective move in this resistance band workout for chest is the pullover. Anchor the band as low as it can go – preferably on the floor. Lie down so that your head is pointing towards it, and grip the band with your arms stretched towards the anchor and above your head. Make sure you’re far enough away to already feel the band’s tension before the move starts. Slowly lift your hands up into the air and the press them down to your pelvis.
10-20 reps or until failure.
8. Low Anchor Single-Arm Crossover Flies
This is a tough one so you may want less resistance. Anchor the band on the floor or as close to the floor as you can. Stand far enough away so that when you grip the band you already feel a little tension, and make sure your side is towards the anchor. Hand at your side, slowly “uppercut” towards your upper shoulder, hold for a second, and then bring your arm back down to your side. Repeat with the other arm.
10-20 reps or until failure.
Resistance Band Workout for Chest: Conclusion
Was my resistance band workout for chest tough enough for you? I hope so. It certainly gets me tired and sweaty! Resistance bands are obviously an effective alternative to weights, and I love that you can use some calisthenic moves in conjunction with them too. And as always, remember to stretch!
Be sure to check out my other resistance band workouts while you’re here. Do you have your own resistance band workout for chest with different exercises? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to try out your ideas.
