Are Push-Ups Better Than a Push-Up For Your Chest? (And what are square boobs?)

courtesy of lipglossjunkie 

“I must! I must! I must increase my bust! The bigger the better, the tighter the sweater, the boys depend on…” Not me, that’s for darn sure. (And for any of you that are going to point out how busty I look in that green-skirt pic in the rotating images at the top of my site – push-up bra + pose, for the win!) As a small-chested girl who’s always wanted to be just a smidge bigger I’ll admit that I’ve always read with interest anything that reasonably claims to enhance my bust size. Okay and I might possibly have read a few that weren’t so reasonable. Hush.

While growing up hasn’t changed my girls much – some women get bigger knockers during pregnancy, mine just stopped pointing in the same direction – getting older has changed my perception of them. As in, I really don’t care as much about size as I used to. They are what they are and they do what I need them to do and for all other occasions, Victoria kindly shares her Secret with me. No surgery, pills or creams for me. But if there were an exercise or two that helped perk them up? I’d be all over it.

When I first got into weight lifting years ago, there was a lot of talk amongst the lady lifters about the effects of different chest exercises on our boobs. I was even told by a female personal trainer not to lift heavy for chest exercises as it would give me “square boobs.” What on earth are square boobs?!  I was reminded of this when I got the following Facebook from Reader Kristin:

“What kind of exercises are best for chest for ladies? I’ve heard mixed reviews, some say that BB [barbell] benchpress is totally fine whereas others claim it makes a woman look too “boxy”. I personally stick with cables but that’s only because I don’t know the exact effects of other traditional chest exercises (wouldn’t want to look boxy!). Thanks and I love love LOVE your blog!! :)”

First, thank you for taking the time to read my blog – seriously it means so much to me, you guys! Second, great question and imagining “boxy boobs” has had me giggling all weekend. You remember the old joke about the blond stuffing the actual box of tissues down her bra…? But anyhow, I think that square boobs, boxy boobs and manly boobs are all terms girls use in referring to over-developed pecs where you have a line down your chest that isn’t cleavage. Kind of like this:

I’m not body-snarking on Kelly Ripa – I adore her and I think she’s got a gorgeous bod but I remember a couple of years ago when she took a lot of flak for looking too muscular in a dress, particularly in the chest area. I’m not saying I agree with the criticism but  I do know that a lot of women worry about weight lifting making them look too bulky and it feels even more personal when it’s in such a particularly feminine area. I know some of you will roll feel I’m getting too Cosmo up in here but this is a worry I’ve heard quite a few women express.

So what’s a girl who wants to be strong, wouldn’t mind perkier boobs and yet doesn’t want to look like a dude in a dress supposed to do? Here are my thoughts, keeping in mind that I’m as much an expert on this as Kim Kardashian is about marriage.

1. You need to work your chest. To maintain proper alignment of your spine, balance between your back and chest muscles and good posture you need to have reasonably strong chest muscles.

2. Most women don’t have enough testosterone to really bulk out but if you are particularly concerned you can take the advice of a personal trainer friend of mine. He said, “What do you do when you want hypertrophy (to make the muscle bigger)? You lift really heavy in short sets with long rest periods. So if you don’t want hypertrophy then don’t do that.” i.e. Use lighter weights for more reps and less rest in between. But let me go on the record saying while we do have some control over the shape of our muscles (but not the length, that’s genetically determined) that I think without steroids the differences here are going to be minimal.

3. A lot of how defined you look depends on how much body fat is covering your muscles. If you tend to lose weight up top before anywhere else (like me) then you’ll get that boxy look faster. Boobs are made up of a lot of fat and for a lot of women losing weight can deflate those puppies pretty fast. Unfortunately we don’t get much of a say where our body chooses to store fat but gaining weight and body fat can help you look softer.

4. Change is key. So what if you are enjoying your barbell bench presses and you do them every workout? That’s not going to be good in more ways than just the shape of your muscles. Vary your exercises so you end up working the chest muscles from different angles and using different supporting muscles. There’s no need to work your chest (or any other muscle) in every single workout either. And don’t forget to work your back too – gotta stay balanced! If you’re looking for ideas other than push-ups and bench presses, here are a few of my fave chest moves:

One-arm dumbbell chest press: Just like a regular chest press but this one works your core by forcing your body to stabilize the off-balance weight. You can do it laying on an exercise ball to up the instability if you want (and if you never read that story about the man doing this when his ball popped and he broke both arms…).

Towel pulls: Hold a towel between your hands about shoulder width apart. Contract your chest and pull out tightly on the towel. Hold for 15 seconds. This move is great because isometric exercises are very powerful but also because you look hilarious standing there with your arms barely moving and sweat pouring down your face. You can also do this with a Pilates ring, pressing inward.

Plate slide outs: Using a gliding disc or plastic plates on carpet or a rag on a wood floor, place one hand on the floor and the other on the plate. Assume a push-up position. Lower down slowly while sliding your hand on the disc out to the side. As you push back up, contract your chest to pull the plate back in to the starting position. You can work up to using plates under both hands. Warning: these are brutal!

So tell me honestly: does the whole weightlifting-boobs conversation bug you? What’s your fave chest exercise? Any advice to help Kristin out (or correct me)??

 

31 Comments

  1. So..I’m feeling crazy, but haven’t you been toting the “heavy weights low reps” as the thing that DOESN’T make you bulk up, while high reps low weights does?

    I’m just confused because I’ve read a lot about how heavy lifting doesn’t bulk you up, and low weights high reps CAN…?

    Am I crazy?

    • No you aren’t crazy! That’s why I added the caveat that for most women not on steroids, I don’t think it makes much of a difference. Genetics, body fat and nutrition make a much bigger difference, in my experience, to muscle size, shape and definition than what type of weight lifting you do. I lift really heavy – chest included – and I don’t look bulky. At least I don’t think I do… Anyhow, there is a little bit of double-speak in the fitness industry about heavy lifting and women. My theory is that while lifting heavy will never make you as bulky as a man, sometimes it can make you bulkier than you like to be. Does that help at all or did I just make it more confusing??

      • Hypertrophy hits the sweet middle spot. If you lift light, you’re doing endurance/cardio (depending if you’re going above 15 reps). If you’re lifting heavy, you’re doing strength. But if you’re lifting medium, you’re hitting hypertrophy. For most women, lifting “heavy” is actually lifting medium, so they’ll bulk unless they either up the weight or decrease the weight. Plus, the resting interval time also matters. http://www.greatist.com/fitness/how-long-should-rest-between-sets/

        Also, I’ve never heard of the boxy/square boob thing, nor have I ever though of chest cleavage way beyond the boobs as “manly”. Wow, women will body snark on anything. Sometimes I’m really happy to be as oblivious as I am.

      • Ok- makes sense…I think. I’ve definitely heard the heavy lifting as good for women in articles, but when I talk to women/trainers at the gym, they are more likely to be keen on the low weight high reps.

  2. It’s all about #3 – if you lose body fat, you will lose your boobs. There’s not much that anyone can do about it. So, those really lean and “ripped” fitness models who have really round and full boobs have had help from external sources! I lost everything but my nipples when I lost weight, nursed two children and lost more body fat, so I now have those “boxy boobs” because of my developed pec muscles. I own a lot of very well-padded push-up bras! 🙂

  3. I’ve never really thought about it but I suppose being an F cup losing a bit isn’t a problem.

    I do remember one episode of Criminal Minds where Merideth Monroe looked very blokey. Her neck was quite masculine looking and she had the pecs instead of the cleavage thing happening. I think that’s the only time I’ve ever noticed it. I just thought – geez she’s been working out a lot ! I pretty much figure that if someone looks good to themselves then what’s that got to do with me ? I really try these days to be non-judgemental (although that does wilt in the face of a woman I work with who is very large and wears tights and short tight shirts to work *shudder*) but I do try 🙂

  4. Female bodybuilders get ripped, and lose fat on their breast tissue precisely because they are dieting to lose body fat. Lifting weights, per se, isn’t going to affect your body fat that much, except to increase muscle mass with respect to “fat mass”. Best Pec and shoulder exercises I have found are decline flyes and decline barbell presses, and behind the neck barbell shoulder presses–preferably seated on a bench.

  5. As a B-cup lady living in a D+ cup flat (I wish I was exaggerating, but my flatmates are DD, E and H!) I would love for there to be a catch-all exercise to increase bust size. Personally, however, I do very little chest-specific work, mainly just sticking to good ol’ press-ups!

    Aside from that, I agree with what everyone else said. I’ve gained muscle in the last year, but my cup size hasn’t changed as my body fat % hasn’t gone dropped low enough to cause boob loss!

  6. I’m not a weightlifting lady, but I’d love to get some tips how to make my girls grow, or at least make them look better. Who doesn’t?
    A few years ago, I lost a lot of weight, and watched my chest shrink with the rest of my body. I’m not an expert, but I’d says losing weight is the #1 reason for ‘losing your boobs’.
    Unfortunately, we can’t choose where we lose or gain weight. Sigh!

  7. I’ve always been pretty busty and I know I’ll probably lose some weight there when I lose weight as I used to be lighter and then I wore smaller bras.
    As far as looking bulky goes: I’d much rather have some muscle bulk then fat bulk (which is what i have now – well or probably some muscle under fat bulk). From what I can see from my body I think I might be one of those women that could bulk up pretty easily but then again those women you see competing spend most of their time and energy trying to just bulk up so they work specifically towards that. I think most women who don’t work out (and eat) to the extreme won’t have that problem.

    One thing to remember though: there are advantages to a flatter chest (or so I imagine): it can be pretty painful to jump and run with bigger boobs, even with a good sports bra, and when doing those things I sometimes wish I had less.

  8. I’ve won our local bench press meet two years running (135 lb bench @ 121 lb bodyweight). Not saying that is awesome or whatever, but just that I can say a few things about bench and chest. Traditional barbell bench press is NOT important to a good chest workout (see this excellent analysis – http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/blogs/dougbrignole/?p=117). It’s restrictive, locks the shoulder blades, and limits range of motion. I would not recommend it unless you plan to compete. Stick with dumbells, cables, pushups, and machines that allow the hands to come together as they go away from the body.

    I have a small chest (for which I am grateful as a triathlete). I’ve lifted for years and years. Strength training has given me a bit of cleavage/separation and the ability to “flex” my pecs which is kind of cool but I’m still an “A” cup!! You can’t really predict how your body will respond but you can’t fear it either. Strength is strength and it’s always beautiful!! That’s never a bad thing. One should always focus on a balanced approach to strength training. A nice set of shoulders and triceps (like Kelly Ripa) not to mention back, lats, legs, etc., is important to go with the chest!

    One funny thing, when I go get a mammogram, there is a big note on my chart that they have to change some image setting because my chest (what little I have) is pretty much just muscle..

  9. For chest exercises I do: push ups, dive-bombers, presses using dumbbells (and just started using my foam roller to lie down on, I think that tip was on one of your slide shows), and chest flys.

    I need to strengthen mine so that I can do more plyo push ups without falling on my face, which is kind of embarrassing when it happens. I’m the only woman who regularly goes to my muay thai classes, and while I’m generally one of the more fit people there, my upper body strength does lag behind the guys.

  10. Yes, chest work is a must! While I do incorporate some weighted work in I get most of my strength in my chest from yoga and a bazillion push ups. I can happily pump out quite a few full chest to ground push ups in a row.

    That being said we are a very chest dominant society and building chest muscle tends to be easier than back muscle. To balance our bodies we need to pay even more attention to our backs and work those oft forgotten muscles just as much as well as work on our posture and at the root of it all our core!

  11. I always thought the boxy comments had more to do with shoulder and neck development (traps, delts, and other upper arm muscles) than the pecs.
    Either way, you’re talking to a 34DD who lifts heavy, and I don’t think ANYTHING affects my chest other than amount of body fat. They inflate a bit when I put on a couple pounds (of fat), and they deflate when I get leaner, but they’re always pointing south. Sigh.

  12. I can’t get my dresser drawer closed because of all of my padded bras!
    And…. I would take Kelly Ripa’s body or lack of boobs over Kim’s any day!

    Actually, I had a conversation with my husband about cleavage not too long ago. He’s a man, need I say more? However boobs on an athletic woman look wrong he says. That’s good because I consider myself very athletic and I wear an A cup. Thank God for Gilly Hicks!!

    I think now that I am 40 I have more low cut shirts than I did in my 20’s, however the cleavage is more like the great divide. I love love love doing the cable crossover machine for my chest workout after I have completed a few reps on the bench with a heavy weight. You can build with one exercise and define with others. I don’t think that doing any chest exercise will build breast…ummmm however you can make the muscle under the breast larger and I guess make them appear perkier. Again, as you said though, boobs are fat. The more muscle you have the less fat.

    S

  13. I think it’s really about cardio rather than lifting. Boobs are fat and even men, with all their testosterone, have a hard time developing their chest. They’ll have super arms and a flat stomach, but they don’t have that pec definition.

    To avoid the “boxy” look, I’d make sure that you’re working your traps and delta. It’s all about illusions. Want to look like you have a small waist? Work your back. And take the Kelly Ripa picture. If she didn’t have those muscles, it’s not like boobs would magically pop up. She’d just look like a 7 year old with no boobs and no muscle tone.

    To avoid the “boxy” look, I’d make sure that you’re working your traps and delta.

  14. First, I’d like to say that this “Boobs are made up of a lot of fat ” is not true for me. 😀

    Then, I love working chest! I am all about the bench press and flye. I would do those everyday if it weren’t for that whole change up your workout thing.

  15. Pushups are awesome for helping to get the girls’ lifted back up to where they are supposed to be after pregnancy and nursing!

  16. I do have an issue with women who don’t want to work out (and thus, become healthier) because of how it will change their body. What do you want — to be healthier but have a slightly muscular look, or to be more unhealthy but have a softer body? I’d rather be healthier. Looks are a temporary thing; health will keep you going for many years to come.

    Secondly, if you don’t want Kelly’s look, simply don’t have low body fat. She is very lean, so you’re going to see more of her muscles (imho, she doesn’t seem that muscled to me). And as a duh, your boobs are fat, so if you reduce your body fat too much, you’re obviously not going to have much going on in the boob department.

  17. Is it just me, or does the term “square boobs” make anyone else think of an adults-only version of “Spongebob?”
    I always know I’m losing weight when my bras get looser. Of course, being a current DD, I’m hoping and praying this will continue for a little while.
    I would recommend yoga along with strength training, especially a type of yoga that focuses on proper alignment. You can be as strong as an ox, but if you hold a lot of tension in your neck and shoulders you’re sabotaging all your hard work, health-wise AND appearance-wise.

  18. hmmm, while I have thought a woman was too muscular looking for my taste, I like the fake “cleavage” that comes with developed pec muscles. I have a really boney chest (even at my heaviest) and I think the bones look better covered in a bit of muscle. But I also didn’t notice any change in my breast size (modest), upon developing muscle there.

  19. Sigh. Yes, I can’t help but get depressed every time there is a discussion on how women can get fit without looking “too” strong and muscular. Musn’t have that!

    But were I heterosexual or otherwise in a head space where it seemed important too look “girly,” and if I were willing to regard strength and muscle definition as more of a “guy” goal, I suppose I might feel differently. Ain’t gonna happen, but, I do understand that most other women are coming from a completely different place than I am!

  20. Good news! No matter what, if you have good posture, your Wilmas and Betties (the girls) will point nicely ahead vs down to the ground in droopy fashion. As for boxy boobs, flat chests, high intensity – low reps; high rep – low intensity trng, that is individual choice and taste. But all of us can look better right away with SOME chest trng AND BACK trng to achieve good posture and “PERK.” Ta dum

  21. No amount of push-ups will increase boob size or anything like – they are fat so what you can do it strengthen the muscles there & make the cleavage area maybe appear better but no big boobs from that! I personally do a well rounded workout for the chest BUT many women prefer incline presses over flat if they are short of time & cables as you mentioned. I like DB over BB but I do both & I also do incline, flat, flyes & cable work too.. Lots of push-ups too – I love them! But the boobs will be boobs….I think I look fine with all I do. Actually even when I was bodybuilding, I never could do heavy BB presses but was able to do heavier with DB’s. I like the DB feel better but I mix it up!

  22. Inclines work the shoulders and triceps more than the chest (pecs). Equivalent to doing pushups with your feet on a rock about 2 feet high. If you want to duplicate the “burn” that you feel in your chest from regular pushups without kissing the ground, do DECLINE presses and flyes–on a bench that allows the lowering of the backboard (and thus, your head and toso pointing down 10-15 degrees). And I agree–you need to work your shoulders and back, not only for balance, but for muscle and tissue support.

  23. And when I say “presses”. I mean with dumbbells, not barbells. Agree with previous poster about this article: http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/blogs/dougbrignole/?p=117

  24. you completely just brought me back to “Are you there God, it’s me Margaret”

  25. I must say doing chest excercises, heavy low reps have really perked these puppies up, but I should point out that I do not actually lose or gain any noticeable mass in my upper body. I am a pear shape, you should see what I am cabable of turning my thighs into, She-Hulk would go green with envy, oh wait, she already did.

  26. *Sigh* This is a subject near and dear to my heart. (Pun intended) I’ve always been thin and flat chested, with really broad shoulders. Yeah, I certainly worried as I saw the muscles develop, but having muscles or not wouldn’t make my boobs bigger or my shoulders narrower. At least this way I have pec cleavage, which is better than looking like Olive Oil. Also, bony broad shoulders look worse in my book than muscular broad shoulders. I’ve seen woman body builders who have an odd look to their boobs, sitting there like scoops of ice cream on top of their pecs. While my pecs make a different line down the side without a shirt on, I’m not walking around in public without a shirt on. I don’t look like a girly girl, but I look fit, which is the best MY body can be.

  27. I’ve honestly nit really thought about it as we do a TON of chest and back exercises at bootcamp. It has perked my girls up a bit, but I have too high a BMI to get the boxy line in my chest.

  28. I actually love Kelly Ripa’s body! I’m bizarre because I don’t find boobs attractive at all (I know!). I think clothing hangs a lot better on me when I’m wearing a unpadded bra vs a push-up.