With a resistance band, you can perform exercises for all parts of the body. The chest area is no exception from this assumption as there are hundreds of exercises that can be done with a resistance band to work the chest.
The resistance band exercises for the chest include standing chest press with bands, door push-up with bands, band chest fly, band dip belt chest dip, reverse grip fly, single-arm low crossover, band high crossover, banded pushup, incline chest press variation, and the decline chest press.
While you can use only bands for your chest workout without anchors some other exercises may require other attaching equipment that can be easily found at your local gym.
Given that most of these exercises affect the back to an extent, you should do them slowly and steadily while keeping the back & core strong to avoid any injuries. Following is a complete set of chest resistance band workouts.
1. Band Chest Fly
The band chest fly exercise is similar to performing fly jacks without jumping and with a resistance band in your hands. It’s target is the inner and upper chest and it’s performed as follows:
- Anchor the band at the level of your shoulders and hold its ends in both hands while facing away from the anchor.
- Move away from the anchor with your arms spread out at your shoulder level. Move away until you just have some tension in the band. Preferably, you should have your feet apart at shoulder width and with one foot ahead of the other.
- Without folding your arms, bring the palms to meet in front of your chest while pulling on the band. Ensure you’ve maintained the straightness line in your arms throughout the movement.
- Return to the starting point without your hands going back past the body to complete the rep.
Perform 15 of these reps.
2. Standing Chest Press with Bands
The standing chest press with bands exercise focuses on the upper and middle chest. It’s similar to a bench press or a normal push-up only that it’s performed standing up and with bands.
The steps are as follows:
- Anchor the band knee high and hold the ends of the band in either hand facing away from the anchor. Preferably, the ends of the band should be attached to handles for a better grip.
- Move to about 3 feet away from the anchor point. Stand with your back straight up, forearms horizontal to the ground and one foot back to maintain the tension in the band.
- While keeping the distance between your palms intact, push forwards and slightly upwards until your arms are fully stretched out. Return to the starting point and don’t let the elbows go past the body before pushing forwards again.
Perform 15 reps of this exercise for the best results.
3. Door Push Up with Bands
Another exercise focusing on the upper and middle chest is the door push-up with bands. It’s a variation of the standard push-up but less taxing. It’s also more flexible given that you can adjust the difficulty by moving away or towards the door.
It’s performed as follows:
- Take one end of the band together then loop it around your shoudkders. Hold the looping end in either hand then hold the frames of the door with the same hands. The band should have some tension in the resting position. Move your feet back about 2 feet.
- Push your body away from the door until your arms are straight then let your body move towards the door (without moving your feet). That completes a single rep.
When performing this exercise, ensure that you don’t lose the posture of the body, just like in a standard push-up. Perform up to 15 reps of the exercise.
4. Band Dip Belt Chest Dip
This is among the toughest band exercises you can perform for your chest. The good news is that it also works on your triceps and the whole chest. Depending on the amount of resistance you’ll create in the bands, it can be quite tough doing this exercise.
For the most chest benefits, ensure the workload goes to the chest muscles and not the triceps. Follow the steps below:
- Get into a dip bracket and kneel in it.
- Use a good leather dip belt and add bands to the dip bracket. You can then squat and hold the handles with hands to elevate your body.
- Hang on the dip bracket such that your torso is a straight line with the knees bending to a 90-degree angle and off the ground. Your forearms should be perpendicular to the ground with the elbows forming a 90-degree angle at the resting point.
- Lift yourself up until your arms are straightened out then dip to the original position.
Perform 10 to 15 of these reps for the best results.
5. Reverse Grip Fly
The reverse grip fly exercise may seem simple but it’s among the most effective when it comes to toning your chest muscles. You don’t need anything other than the resistance band for this one.
The steps are as follows:
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Loop the band below both feet while holding the ends in both hands. The palms should be facing one another and, at the resting position, should be resting on your thighs.
- While maintaining the straight hands, pull the ends of the band upwards and forwards until they’re parallel to the ground. Return them to the resting position to complete the rep.
The resistance in the band can be increased by having more tension in the band when the hands are resting.
6. Single Arm Low Crossover
This exercise is very similar to the one above with the main difference being that you’ll be using one hand and swinging it up and across your body. The steps are outlined below.
- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and the band looped below them.
- Hold the center of the band in your hand then move the hand to the side (bedsides your thigh for that hand).
- While keeping the body steady, move the hand with the band from outside your body across to the opposite shoulder then return it for a single rep.
Perform 15 reps on one side then switch to the other side.
7. Band High Crossover
The resistance band high crossover exercise is very much similar to the band chest fly. The main difference is that in the high crossover there’s no band anchor. Rather, it’s performed with your body alone.
It’s done as follows:
- Start by wrapping the hand around your band as you did in the door exercise above.
- Stand with one foot before the other for stability and lean slightly forward.
- With the band in your palms, spread out your arms to form a T shape in your upper body.
- From this point, squeeze your arms till they touch each other before you. Return to the starting point to complete the rep.
The exercise requires 15 reps for completion.
8. Banded Push Up
The banded push-up is just like a normal push-up only that you’ll be adding a band to increase the difficulty. It’s done as shown in the following steps:
- Wrap the band around your shoulders as in the exercise above then assume a standard push-up formation.
- While keeping your body straight, let your body come close to the ground without touching it. Push your body upwards with hands until they’re fully stretched out.
This routine is tough as it’ll be using a lot of your body weight. Perform between 10 to 15 reps.
9. Incline Chest Press Variation
This workout is also close to the band chest fly only that the anchor in this one is your foot rather than another item.
The steps are as follows:
- Stand with one foot in front of the other with the foot behind straight and the one in front bent at the knee to maintain a right angle between the lower leg and the ground. The upper body should also be perpendicular to the ground.
- Anchor the band on the rear foot by looping it below this foot.
- Loop the other end of the band around your chest while holding your ends on it.
- Push your hands upwards as if you’re lifting weights and back again.
Between 10 to 15 reps are enough for a single set. You can do 3 sets for this one as well.
10. Decline Chest Press
The decline chest press is basically a band high crossover with the direction of the push is towards the ground. The procedure is the same and it’s as follows:
- Stand with one foot in front of the other as in the exercise above.
- Loop the band around your shoulders and hold the ends in your palms. In a resting position, your arms should be pointing towards the ground.
- Push the band forwards and downwards until your arms are fully stretched out. Return to the resting position for a rep.
15 reps are enough for this exercise.
All the 10 exercises listed here are safe and work out various parts of your chest with the resistance band as the main tool. If done routinely, you’ll see the results you desire.
Videos, No Achors
Best Resistance Bands
The five best resistance bands for your chest include the following:
1. Tribe Resistance Bands Set
2. REEHUT Single Resistance Band
3. Lim Resistance Bands Exercise Loops
4. FOMI 7 Ring Stretch and Resistance Exercise Band
5. Koncle 11 pcs Resistance Band Set
These are affordable resistance bands with a very good quality.
Further Reading
- Resistance Bands Basics: Meaning, Types, how they Work + Benefits
- Resistance Band vs Free Weights
- Best Beginner Resistance Band Exercises
- Resistance Band Exercises for Knees
- Dead Lift Resistance Band Exercises
- Pilates Resistance Band Exercises
- Best Ankle Resistance Band Exercises
- Best Senior Seated Band Exercises
- Best Shoulder Resistance Band Exercises
- Glute/Butt Resistance Band Exercises for Women
- Upper and Lower Back Band Exercises
- Resistance Band Exercises for Arms(Biceps & Triceps)
- Best Resistance Band Abs Exercises
- Best Resistance Band Leg Exercises
