If you're a fan of at-home exercise, the push-up is probably a staple exercise in your routine — and with reason. There's no shortage of benefits to this exercise: it's challenging, works your whole body and can be modified or progressed easily.
But after a while, we all suffer from push-up fatigue, both physically and mentally. Want to give your chest a good workout but can't fathom doing another push-up? Sculpt your chest with this six-move resistance band routine, crafted by K. Aleisha Fetters, CSCS and author of Fitness Hacks for Over 50 and demonstrated by Noam Tamir, CSCS, owner and founder of TS Fitness.
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1. Wax On, Wax Off
- Stand and place both palms inside the band, then sling the band behind your upper back.
- Extend your arms straight out in front of your shoulders.
- Move one hand in a circle, repeat on other side, move both hands simultaneously clockwise and counterclockwise. Don't let your back arch, brace your core.
- As you move your hands, focusing on maintaining control, keeping your chest, shoulders, and back squeezed and fixed in place.
2. Standing Press
- Start standing with your back flat. Place both palms inside the band, then sling the band behind your upper back. The band should be tight in this position.
- Your palms should be in line with your chest.
- From here, extend your arms straight out in front of your shoulders.
- Pause for a moment and return to the starting position with control.
Tip
As you bring the band back to the starting position, maintain control and brace your core. This well help keep your back from arching, Fetters says.
3. Standing Incline Press
- Place both palms inside the band shoulder-width apart.
- Stagger your legs, placing the left in front of the right and hold the opposite end of the band down with your left foot.
- Keeping your back in a neutral position, press the band diagonally in front of you, fully extending the arms.
- Pause with the arms extended, then return to the starting position with control.
4. Decline Banded Chest Fly
- Start lying face up with the band on the floor under your back. Place both hands inside the band. Extend your arms out to each side in line with the chest, bending slightly at the elbows.
- Press your feet flat into the floor, bringing the knees up. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips up toward the ceiling into a glute bridge. Hold this bridge throughout the exercise.
- Maintaining a slight bend in the elbows, squeeze through the chest and bring your hands together, as if you're giving a big hug.
- Pause here, then return to the starting position, keeping the bridge in your lower body.
Tip
If the decline fly is too challenging, keep your hips on the ground and perform a standard banded chest fly. This will take some of the work out of the lower body.
5. Decline Press
- Begin lying on the ground, facing up with the band under your back, both hands inside the band. Hold each hand close to your sides, in line with your chest.
- Place your feet flat on the floor, knees up. Squeeze your glutes and press your lower body up into a bridge, raising the hips toward the ceiling.
- Press the band straight up over your chest, extending your arms.
- Pause here, then return with control to the starting position.