5 Workouts That Work Your Chest and Back

     If you are looking to build your chest and back,you’re going to need exercises that target the muscles in those areas of the body. Below are five exercises that workout your chest and back and they don’t require a lot of equipment to perform. 

5 Workouts That Work Your Chest and Back
image from bodybuilding.com

1. Push Ups

     A staple workout in building upper body strength, push ups are essential in developing your chest. You don’t need any equipment other than your body, and you can do a number of variations such as incline, decline, and diamond pushups to maximize effectiveness. Keep in mind, however, that technique is everything if you want to see results. 

2. Pull Ups

     Pull ups are excellent when it comes to developing your upper back because the major muscles targeted are the latissimus dorsi – the largest muscles along both sides of your back. You can perform this exercise with several grip variations to challenge your body and increase the strength in your upper back as well as your shoulders and arms. 

     However, to do this exercise properly you will need a bar fixed horizontally in either a door frame or constructed as a free standing unit. It should be fixed so that your feet do not touch the ground when your arms are fully extended and sturdy enough so that it does not collapse on you while performing the exercise.

3. Pull Overs

     Pull overs, are an exercise that work your chest and your back at the same time. To do this one, you will need some form of resistance, such as a dumb bell to pullover your head while you lie flat on your back to perform the technique either on the floor or on a workout bench. 

   The primary muscle that receives the most work is your chest, while you back is the secondary receiver of resistance in the movement. Thus, it works both muscle groups at the same time.

4. Single Arm Bent Over Rows

     This is another exercise that targets the major muscles of the back. You perform it using a form of resistance such as a dumbbell, resistance band, or even a kettlebell. Also, depending on your skill level you will need some form of support such as a chair, workout bench, or even your knee to perform the technique of pulling the weight from the floor to your body.

5. Butter Fly Press

    Targeting the chest, this exercise, is typically performed using dumb bells while lying with your back flat on a workout bench and raising and lowering both arms in a horizontal-arching motion over your chest. However, you can also perform the technique using resistance bands, or cables, while standing or sitting down in a chair.

    Keep your spine straight, depending on how you are positioned, as your arms move in a plane of motion that crosses the weight over your chest and then extends the arms out and away from your body.