At first, I found it challenging to do chest exercises when I realized I had muscular dystrophy. At one point, I was doing knee push ups and wall push ups, but the doctors recommended that I avoid these exercises. Eventually, I discovered some machines and rubber band exercises to work my chest. The resistance band chest press was one of the first exercises I introduced to help target my shoulders and chest muscles. This article will explain how to perform the chest press in a few different ways and briefly explain the benefits I have experienced.
#1 Chest Press Variation
The first resistance band chest press variation mimics a traditional chest press with weights, and the information comes from Healthline’s article “A Resistance Band Chest Workout You Can Do Anywhere.” It can involve you lying on your back on the ground, on a roller, or on a bench. You wrap the band under your shoulder blades. Then, you grasp the ends of your bands and start with your elbows bent by your shoulders. Following this, press your arms over your chest, hold for a few seconds and then return to control. You should try for three sets of ten repetitions, but if you cannot do this long, you can stop whenever necessary.
#2 Chest Press Variation
Bodylastics video “HOW TO DO Chest Press with Resistance Bands” shows how to do the second variation of the chest press. This one involves you standing up and attaching a rubber band to a wall or behind a door with the rubber band angled downwards. In the video, he connects the hinge of the rubber band at around knee level. After securing the rubber band, you then grab the handles with your arms parallel to the ground and position one of your legs in front of the other. After you are in place, push the band slightly upwards and try to hold your arms at the top position for a few seconds. It would be best to try these for the repetitions of the previous chest press variation.
#3 Chest Press Variation
Perfect Fitness’ video “Perfect Resistance Band Workout – Chest Press – Day 4 Workout 1” will explain the final variation that I am covering. Instead of attaching the rubber band below you at around knee level, this variation involves attaching it at around shoulder height. Then, hold the resistance band at shoulder level with your arms parallel to the ground and position one of your legs forward. In the video, she changes the legs after a few sets, which you can do if you feel comfortable using both legs. Then, push the rubber band outwards as far as you can, hold for a few seconds, and repeat. You should try these for the same repetition as the previous chest press variation.
Final Insights About The Chess Press Variation
The resistance band chest press is a fantastic exercise to target the chest and works parts of the arm and back. The benefit I witnessed was less fatigue when I was using my arm and an overall strength increase in my upper body. The chest is also essential because it works with your back muscles to help keep your posture better. In addition to this, your chest muscles are larger than most muscles in the body, so improving their strength can help you in various areas of your life, including reading, writing, picking things up, holding objects, and many more. I usually switch up the chest exercises and chest press exercises I do whenever I work them out to introduce variety in my workouts. I would recommend taking the same approach as me. Hopefully, you begin exploring exercises you can do for your body that do not involve using any weight and could significantly damage your body.
