20 Minute Home Chest Workout! - NO DUMBBELLS OR BARBELLS!

This article is going to give you a FULL CHEST WORKOUT that’s still going to allow you to build muscle without having to have dumbbells and barbells and all the things you would normally find in a gym. I know it can be very frustrating for those of you who are working out at home, or if you don’t have time to hit the gym but you still want to get a great workout in, and you’re only limited to doing push-ups. It only gets you so far, and you can only get so much resistance doing push-ups on the floor.

So, I’ve created a band workout that’s going to target the entire chest – upper, lower, EVERYTHHING – break it down for maximum muscle damage, and maximum re-growth, all by just using a resistance band.

How The Workout Is Structured

The way this workout is going to work is we’re going to be doing 5 exercises and 4 sets per exercise, for a total of 20 working sets for the entire workout. This workout should only take you around 25 minutes MAX to complete. However, because we are working with a resistance band, we have to work with a few other things to make this workout effective.

Those things are going to be controlled negatives, isolation holds, as well as utilising our own body for leverage to get more out of each exercise. The only other thing you will need is a sturdy surface to do these movements on. You can literally go outside and use a tree, you can use a flag pole, or you can even go to a monkey bar gym and attach your band there. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s sturdy.

Can I Use My Body Alone For Some Exercises?

The first exercise is going to be a chest press, for example, and some of you may think that you can just line up the band across your back and do the press that way. The answer is yes, you can do that, HOWEVER, you’re going to quickly find out that if you use JUST your body, it’s going to cut your range of motion (ROM) in half, and you won’t be able to get that deep stretch at the bottom. That stretch is something you clearly want to break down as much muscle fiber as possible, so I recommend you use a post of some sort if you can.

The Post Is Your Friend

Just so you know, whatever post you choose to use, is one you’re going to have to get really friendly with. For each exercise, you’re going to press your butt right up against the post. This is so that you can use your butt and hips to lean forward and come back to use the post for support while moving your arms, to get a bit more stretch.

Exercise #1: Band Press

Stand with your back to your post, and with your butt pressed up against it. Take your band and place it around the post, holding one end of the band in each hand. It should be around the post and at upper back height. Push your body forward, but keep your butt on the post – this will create more tension in your chest. While keeping that slight arch in your back, you’re going to press out and in with the band. Hold at the peak contraction for 1 second, and then do a 2 – 3 second negative. Repeat for 10 reps.

Exercise #2: Incline Band Press

Stay in the same position you were in for the first exercise, but this time have the band lower on the pole (it should be near your lower back, as opposed to your upper back). Lean forward once again, keep a slight arch in your back, and press the band up so that your hands finish above your head. Hold at the peak contraction for 1 second, and then do a 2 – 3 second negative. Repeat for 10 reps.

Exercise #3: Band Fly

This is where it gets a little different. Because you only have so much resistance band to use, you’re going to have to actually lean forward AND lean back throughout the movement to get the entire ROM. For this movement, the band should be slightly higher than it was for the incline press.

Keep your arms wide with a slight bend in your elbows, then lean forward and bring your arms together to perform the fly. When you start to notice the band has run out of stretch, then lean back a little so that you can bring your arms in towards each other as close as possible. Hold at the peak contraction for 1 second, and then do a 2 – 3 second negative. Remember this time, as you move your arms away from your body again on the negative, lean forward to keep as much tension on your chest as possible. Repeat for 10 reps.

Exercise #4: Low-To-High Band Fly

This is to ensure we can hit the upper chest a bit more again. Put the band back into the position it was in for the incline press. Once in place, keep the same form as you had with the regular band fly, but this time remember you are brining your arms UP AND IN, so as to target the upper chest more. You will most likely have to lean back completely against the post to get the full ROM with this exercise. Hold at the peak contraction for 1 second, and then do a 2 – 3 second negative. Repeat for 10 reps.

Exercise #5: Band Sven Press

Place the band around the post in the same position it was for the first exercise. Lean forward to get more tension in the band, and keep your hands pressed together into each other while on your chest. While continually pressing your hands together, extend your arms in front of you while squeezing your chest the entire time. Hold at the peak contraction for 1 second, and then do a 2 – 3 second negative. Repeat for 10 reps.

Conclusion

You’re only going to be taking about a 30-60 second rest period in-between your sets on EVERY exercise for this routine, so believe me when I say it gets real intense, real quick! If you are at home, there’s no reason for you to be stuck with zero gains anymore. There are things you can do to continue making progress, and resistance bands are great for that.