10 Best Exercises To Lift Breasts, Strengthen Chest, From A Trainer

It goes without saying that breasts change over time, and by change I mean sag. It's completely natural (and inevitable) for your chest to lose elasticity as you age—you can thank gravity for that, by the way. It's also totally okay to want to do something to give yourself that extra oomph.

If you hate push-up bras as much as I do, you'll be thrilled to know that padding isn't the only way to get a lift. Adding chest exercises into your workout routine can offer a real pick-me-up as well. "Developing the muscles underneath your breasts will enhance the look of your breasts and make them appear larger," says Jen Comas Keck, a certified personal trainer and former figure competitor.

Let's be honest: No workout will turn A cups into Bs or beyond. Still, strengthening your chest muscles has a number of additional benefits, including improved strength, balance, and posture.

Meet the experts:
Jen Comas Keck, CPT, is a certified personal trainer and former figure competitor. Nicole Davis, CPT, is a certified personal trainer.
Ashley Barnett, CPT, is a certified personal trainer based in Oklahoma City.

Underneath your breast is the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles. The pectoralis major runs from your sternum up and out to the arms and neck, while the pectoralis minor is underneath the major muscles and helps connect your ribs to the shoulder blades. "Working the chest from multiple angles with enough weight ensures plenty of stimulus to increase strength and develop the muscles," says Comas Keck. "This can add beautiful shape to the chest."

As a bonus, working these muscles will also improve your core and back, which leads to the illusion of an hourglass figure, says Ashley Barnett, CPT, a certified personal trainer based in Oklahoma City.

The key to making this breast-lifting workout effective: Make sure to choose weights that are heavy enough. You should feel like you could do about two more reps at the end of each set, but no more. "It’s important to challenge yourself with heavier weights for muscle growth to take place," says Comas Keck. Perform the following routine twice a week, completing 3 sets of 10-12 reps (or for the allotted time).

1. Dumbbell Chest Press

How to:

Lie down with your back flat on a bench or mat on the floor and feet flat on the floor, holding two dumbbells resting on your chest.
Push the weight straight up and extend arms with palms facing feet.
Pause at the top for a second, then slowly lower down until your elbows nearly touch the ground. That's 1 rep.

Why it rocks: This move works your chest, arms, and shoulders while engaging your core. You're activating your pecs when you slowly lower the dumbbells and use just your upper body to raise them back up, says Barnett.

2. Pushup

How to:

Start on all fours, with palms slightly wider than shoulders and feet close together. Your body should form a straight line from head to toe. (Option to start on hands and knees, with head to knees aligned.)
Lower down until chest almost touches the floor. Keep upper arms at a 45-degree angle to your torso.
Pause, then push back to the starting position. That's 1 rep.

Why it rocks: "Pushups are an overall fitness test for your stability and upper body strength," says Barnett. "You're engaging your chest, pecs, and triceps, as well as balance."

3. Pop Pushup

How to:

Start in a high plank position with hands slightly wider than shoulders. Keep core engaged and hips lifted.
Bend your arms and lower chest as far as you can go, or until your chest touches the ground.
Push back up with explosive power and hop hands to a narrow position under shoulders.
Bend arms and lower chest as far as you can go, or until chest touches the ground.
Push back up with explosive power and hope hands back out wider than shoulders. That's 1 rep.

Why it rocks: This variation levels up a standard pushup and requires more power from the upper body and control from the core.

4. Dumbbell Fly

How to:

Lie down with back flat on a bench and feet flat on the floor, holding a pair of dumbbells above shoulders with elbows slightly bent.
Keeping the slight bend in elbows, lower the weights to sides until elbows are even with chest.
Keep the same bend in elbows as you press the weights back up. That's 1 rep.

Why it rocks: This move works your triceps and biceps while stretching your chest muscles, says Barnett.

5. Close-Grip Chest Press

How to:

Lie on back, with knees bent and feet flat on the mat. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend arms upward, palms facing toward each other.
Keeping the weights together, bend elbows and lower hands to chest.
Slowly reverse the movement and return to start. That's 1 rep.

Why it rocks: When you lower the weights, they're about an inch above your chest, isolates your pecs. This can help you get the perkier look you're after, says Barnett.

6. Standing Press

How to:

Start by standing with feet about shoulder-width apart.
Bend elbows and bring arms out to sides to form two 90-degree angles (like Cactus Arms in yoga).
Keeping a strong core and straight back, slowly bring arms and elbows together in front of you (keep the 90-degree angle and do not lead with your elbows).
Then, reverse the movement to return to start. That's 1 rep.

Why it rocks: This moves can be done with or without weights or resistance bands. When you do add the weight, it will help target the chest muscles more.

7. Plank With Rotation

How to:

Start in a plank position with hands directly beneath shoulders and form a straight line from head to toes. (Option to hold dumbbells in hands.)
Rotate body open to the right to move into a side plank position. Place both legs stacked on each other and raise right arm to the sky.
Place your right arm back down to the ground and reset in a plank position. That's 1 rep. Complete as many reps as possible in 50 seconds.
Then switch sides and rotate body open to the left, bring left hand to the sky, and stack feet on top of each other for a side left plank.
Reverse the motion to return to plank position. Repeat as many reps as possible in 50 seconds on the second side.

Why it rocks: "Adding the rotation includes the upper body to rotate all the way through," says Barnett. Your chest helps guide your arm from the side to full plank position.

8. Superman

How to:

Lie facedown with arms extended forward and legs straight while keeping head relaxed and spine neutral.
Contract core muscles to stabilize spine, while simultaneously raising both legs and arms a few inches off the ground, keeping head and neck neutral.
Hold at top for 3–5 seconds.
Gently release back to the starting position. That's 1 rep.

Why it rocks: "This move will open your back to help with flexibility. It warms up your muscles and gets you ready for a chest workout," says Barnett. "It's also a great variation to a traditional plank."

9. Plank

How to:

Start on the floor on hands and knees, with hands directly under shoulders.
Step feet back, one at a time. (For more stability, bring your feet wider than hip-distance apart, and bring them closer for more of a challenge.)
Maintain a straight line from the top of head to heels, with gaze down just above fingertips.
Tighten abs, quads, glutes, and hold. Think about digging through your heels and squeezing quads.
Hold the position for 30 seconds.

Why it rocks: "Planks strengthen your core, improve your posture, and give you stability with your abs," says Barnett. The chest also plays a part.

10. Arm Circles

How to:

Stand with feet hips distance apart and arms at sides, holding light dumbbells.
Raise arms out to sides and rotate up and around to complete a full circle until arms are back to start. That's 1 rep.

Why it rocks: "This move works the muscles in the shoulders and chest as well as the upper back," says Barnett

Want even more dumbbell moves? Try this 10-minute dumbbell arm workout: