How to expand your chest size and get a wide look?
87All natural old timer methods do work ya know!
A large chest commands a lot of attention, especially when the rest of your body is also in proportion to it. When reading the old timers such as Liedermann and even newer writers such as Randall Strossen, one comes to realize that it is indeed possible to expand and enlarge the chest, although many would have no idea about how to go about doing the same effectively.
There are many cases enumerated of people who were the proverbial weaklings with 33 inch chests who turned themselves around to 45+ inches, earning a name for themselves as well a strength of body and mind to be able to do many of those things that were virtually impossible to do before.
For proper expansion several things must first be understood about the chest and torso structure: the chest is composed of muscle, bone, and connecting tissue, and as such, one must focus on all three areas in order to get the most size out of one's physique.
First, the bone structure: it has been shown that bone completely remodels itself every three months. In addition to that, bone increases in density as more weight is placed upon it, which is also shown by examining the bones of weightlifters - definitely stronger bones than the average person on the street. So what we want to do is to place regular force upon the bones that will send a message to our systems to make the bones bigger, and longer in some aspects, so that the whole support structure of the upper body enlarges. This will also end up encouraging the connecting tissue to expand and enlarge as well. A very basic exercise is a deep breath and hold. Set aside some time every morning and afternoon to do the following: take the deepest breath possible, hold tightly, and try to raise the arms up and to the side from an initial position of clasped in front of your waist. Hold this expanded position for as long as you can, and repeat at least 10 times. Follow this with what are called breathing squats with pullovers 3 times a week with reasonably heavy weights especailly in the afternoons. A breathing squat is when one takes an extremely deep breath and squats down, breathing out on the way up. This needs to be done at least 20 times, and must immediately be followed by the pullover on the floor. This is done by holding a light weight with both arms extended in front, and letting the arms slowly fall backwards over your head. Each time the arms go down, there must be a puling sensation in your ribs. Repeat this 20 times. This will take care of the bone and connecting tissues.
The next area to focus on is the chest muscles. These can be started off after about 2 months of practice with the above. Basic exercises are the chest dip, and the standing military press. These will build up the lower chest region, as well as the upper chest and shoulder tie-in area. Usually moderately heavy weight for 5 sets of 5 reps, increasing the weights slightly once 5x5 are possible. These are alternated every workout, and done in conjunction with the squats from the third month.
One year of these, and you will definitely kiss your narrow chest goodbye my friend! All the best!
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will it expand your shoulders too??
because i donnot want a broad chest if i have narrow shoulders
@ chiboy,
I am sure everyone can find access to a simple bench, and rocks / heavy stones if no weights are available. Do the ribcage stretching exercises to at least give you a base of bone structure growth, and save up some money if possible to eventually join a gym where you can do the weight exercises.
@ aditya,
your shoulders will also expand because your whole upper body structure will. You can also hang from bars with a wide grip to encourage slow sideways expansion of the shoulders.
how long should i hang for then?
and how long will it take me to gain 6 inches in width i am 16 and nearly 17
will the flyers help too in expanding the bone structure
has it helped u to expand chest and shoulders?
are there any success stories?
Hi Aditya,
Have you been working on the exercises?
The recommended exercises are pullovers and wide grip hangs. I don't have any experience with flyes so cannot answer you on that.
The hanging you can do for up to a minute, several times a day. But make sure that your shoulders don't hyperextend outwards.
To be 6 inches wider, you need more than just stretching exercises. Also do weight training to build up your shoulder muscles, and you will automatically become wider.
As for success stories, check out material by Earle Lidermann and Randall Strossen in particular, although many old strength writers would have their anecdotes. I personally increase my chest circumference by around 2~3 inches using the exercises specified. That increase also resulted in my shoulders 'setting a little more squarely'.
Do the exercises, stick to them for at least 6 months, and see what becomes of you.
hmm wow
and yes i am being doing these exercises
and what does it mean when u said "That increase also resulted in my shoulders 'setting a little more squarely'."?
I used to be quite hunched, with sloping shoulders. Straightened up quite a bit and my shoulders also took on a more upright, square look. They still appear a little sloped, but this time it's due to the trapezius muscles growing. :)
how old are u?
I first did these exercises, along with the deep breathing squats, in 2000, at the age of 25.
The only thing to be careful of is that when you do the pullovers, try to stretch the upper portion of your chest, rather than letting your belly blow outwards, as continually stretching out the lower chest area may result in expansion in an area that you don't want.
and how do would you do that?
which muscle u need to contract?
i even tried to suck my belley in and still i can feel the stretch in the lower rib cage
Trying to suck your belly in is correct. Also try to make sure that you breathe 'high' in your chest - the type of breath which makes your upper chest puff up, rather than a big belly breath.
There will be a little stretch in the lower areas, but most of it will occur in the upper sections.
hi there how are u doing
we know how to stretch the cartilages at front of the rib cage
but how would u stretch the cartilages at the back of the rib cage?
and one more concern will my chest just pop out after the expansion and gain 6 inches in my chest?
i dont quite understand how the shoulders get broader
what i do is lift my shoulders up so they are touching my ears while keeping my arms pointing to the floor and then quickly drop my shoulders i do it one shoulder at a time
to create micro fractures to my collar bone and then hang with the wide grip
You can't stretch out only the front of the ribcage...it will take care of the whole thing.
Bone remodelling is a lengthy process. Your chest will not 'just pop out'. The whole rib box will slowly become bigger all around.
The hanging stretches cause the shoulders to get broader. Btw, 'quickly dropping your shoulders' would best left alone. Just stick with hanging with a wide grip, taking care nt to let oyur shoulders hyper-extend.
my main aim is to get broader shoulder bones that is it
so do i need to work on my chest expansion as well
Bro, the only one who can answer the question that you ask is you. If you think it is something you want, then go for it. If not, then don't. But don't you think that broad shoulders without any depth to your torso might seem a little weird?
well for broad shoulders i am not sure that i would have to do breathing squats or pull overs to get optimal results or by just doing wide grip hangs
well without any depth will look weird
but if you have broader shoulder (bones) then they will push your upper rib cage out and your upper chest will be expanded too
looks like i am changing the whole concept of this hub lol :)
:) no worries bro!
But think of this - how will broader shoulders 'push out your upper rib cage' unless you actually try to push it out deliberately? I've actually seen people with wider bone structures who actually have sunken chests too.
Anyhow, try it out for a few months, and see what you get :)
i know it sounds silly
but can your rib cage de expand?
i mean will it go back in if it goes wrong
or i expand the wrong area
and damn! i injured my elbow and lats and pecs
i got some sharp pains there
when i rapidly breathe or do pullovers i can feel the sharp pains
i only did about 20lbs for 3 weeks only 2 times a week
and i am a physically active guy
hey sorry man i am bothering you so much i just want to be safe
do u have your pictures before and after your chest got expanded
you can just rub your face out
but i would need to see the proportions of head and shoulders
thank you
No bro, bone structure will not necessarily go back to what it was. But you have to be careful so that you don't get injured.
Sorry but I don't have any photos - actually didn't even think of taking any because I myself did not think anything would come of it.
Looking back, I wish I had. I would say I've gotten at least a 3~4 inches just from stretching out my ribs.
and just one more concern
what type of squates i should be doing?
i mean hindu squats, pile squats etc?
and should i be using weights for squats
and when i squat down should i keep my knees together?
and should i keep my back straight when doing pullovers??
i didn't quite understood it
The type of squats that are recommended are called 'high bar squats'. The barbell is placed on the shoulders in the 'high' position - as found here: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBF
Your knees are NOT to stay together.
Back is to be kept straight because you will be lying on a flat bench.
I would advise you to purchase if you can, a book called 'Super Squats'. It basically answers all your questions. Let me know if you need a link.
i tried doing pullovers by keeping every muscles in my back, hips and didnot raise my chest and breathed through my chest deeply
after doing 20 reps i felt dull pain in my upper rib cartillages
were they stretching?
it felt like a pulling sensation
was that the right method?
i just want to do it right
i meant by keeping straight was should you arc your back?
or just keep it relaxed
The thing with the pullovers is that they are a stretching exercise. As such you may feel quite a bit of stretch in the ribs. At the end of the day, you have to see for yourself what kind of pain you have, and learn from it.
I think your questions have gone beyond what I can safely answer online. It seems like you need hands on support. It's either that, perhaps you're getting 'analysis paralysis'.
Do the work, and learn how your body works.
dude!
i just want to make sure 100% that i am doing it the right way
on the blog it said something like dont arch your back or something so that means that your keep your back muscles relaxed
and i am doing these excersises but i am only 99% sure that i am doing them right
and analysis paralysis?? lol
99% sure is a whole lot more than I was. get back to me in a month.
alright mate, basically i got big hips for a man and jus wondering if by doing what you wrote, will it make them seem smaller?
Hi Alex...yep...anything that makes your chest, shoulders, and back bigger is going to definitely make your hips appear smaller. That's what real bodybuilding is all about - building a body that is pleasing to you.
i dont think this is working for me
i have noticed that my 2 or 3 ribs are sticking out 2-3 cm where my lats are
and no gains in shoulders
i did these evxersises every other day
and plus i developed a clicking under my rib cage where the cartilage is
so this is a total fail.
Thanks for your feedback, Aditya. Too bad it couldn't work for you. Perhaps you may yet find something else that will.
do u know how can i get my rib carillage to shrink
the ribs are actually sticking out very badly
Maintaining a state of tension in your core by constantly keeping your abs and obliques tensed may help.
thank you for your help
but i am sorry i have to flag this hub for misleading the goal
i know this is not the only one there are other sites as well that talks about this
Jo aapki marzi. Have a good life.
Hey there, nice post ;)
I have some questions, though... I am looking to broaden my shoulders too, so, in what you advice in the comments above, should I do one minute hangs with wide grip several times a day? Or should I do ,say, 5 sets of them in the morning and another 5 in the afdternoon? And also, all the exercise you did to broaden you rib box were the ones you mentioned?Can you also tell me how many repetitions and how many sets you did?
Thanks a bunch! :-D
are yaar u hindi bhi bolta hair
@ prince...if you can do the hangs several times a day at a stretch of up to a minute, then do so. It would be better than having an overload in the morning and afternoon only. We must coax our body to change rather than beat it. Do the pullovers for 1 set of 20 slow reps with a light weight after a set of breathing squats. Do your hangs several times a day, but remember not to hyper-extend your shoulders.
@ aditya..of course...I am 4th generation Indian living in Fiji...my great grandparents came to Fiji from Uttar Pradesh towards the end of the 19th century and the early parts of the 20th.
Thanks!
Two more questions! When you say 'hang',given that I mainly want to broaden my shoulders, should I hang loose, should I pull myself slightly just to engage my rib muscles, or should I perform a full pullup and hang at that position?
And, about the deep breath and hold exercise, should it be something like this ?--> http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/3916/exercise.g
Thanks again and sorry for bothering you!
Also, by saying "hyper-extend your shoulders" you mean that if I overdo it they might get very much exanded?
Thanks!
Hi prince,
Hyperextending means that the shoulders end up slowly being pulled out of their sockets, and thus become weaker for the long term. So keep shoulders tight, and avoid a sensation of dislocation. Always good to err on the side of caution. Go to the bottom position of the wide grip chinup, and stay there.
Btw, your gif is about right. Just make sure to breath with your chest and not your belly.
If one holds his breath while performing the heaviest part of an exercise, internal pressure gets to dangerous levels. I've seen this resulting in a hernia with various persons. Read this article with a grain of salt please.
Perhaps saulo needs to look again at real world applications for breathing patterns during heavy work.
How many people breath normally while pushing their cars, or lifting some heavy bags of groceries?
Read saulo's stuff with a grain of salt please :)
Hi Everyone!!
I am Waji From Pakistan i am 20 years old. Actually Recently i applied for Selection In Army but Due To under chest expansion i am declared Medically unfit . My chest is (29-30.5) and i need to gain 1.5 inch to clear my medical.i have only 2 weeks so anyone can guide me to gain chest expansion within 2 weeks.
No short cuts kiddo!
@ maxfiji777
please can u guide me how to gain chest expansion ..
my rib cage is way smaller than my hip which looks wierd and im 17. will the execrises mentioned help me to increse rib cage???
Read the article and practice the tips, fellas! I'm not going to rewrite everything all over again.
You're a patient man, Max, answering all these people! Keep it up - I'll give your exercises a try.
Also Doing Wide grip bench press and dumbell fly's on the negetives, lowering the weight stretches ur chest. Putting your grip wider on presses like shoulder barbell press can widen your shoulders.If you want to have a bigger chest you must eat!
I expanded my chest doing cardio exercises on my bicycle. I do at least 16 miles on my hybrid speed bike at 80% power and do burst of 100% to where lungs cannot not keep up, also known a "blow-up." I do this 3 times a week making sure to have a day of rest in between. 16 miles is an easy 45 minute ride. You can do high cadence riding or low power cadence. The best way to expand your chest is to use your lungs/diaphram to do the expanding. Easy way to do this is cardio exercises.
@ Xavi...thanks buddy. I don't have any personal experience with that. Thanks for the tip :)
@ Debra...thanks.
Hey there, how much time do you hold your breath in the first excercise? "As long as you can" meaning 30+ seconds ?
Gee...I don't know...just what exactly does 'as long as you can' mean :(
Is it really that difficult to understand?
hello max,
My chest circumference is increased with normal fitness from 97 to 108 cm in four months. Could I expect more result with this trainingmethod?
hello dutchie,
all i can say is that it is worth a try :)
Hello MaxFiji 777,
i can recall of having read somewhere that Reeve's deadlifts (something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0myTtFMdaDc) can help broaden your shoulders a bit.. But the force you put on them through this exercise would be the opposite of the force you put on them through wide grip chin-ups... Are you sure that wide grip chin ups do extend the shoulders and, if yes, do you know if there is any conflict on the overall result if you also do reeve's deadlifts?
Hi nick,
thanks for that info....i had previously read about the 'spreading' effect that deadlifts have on the shoulders. but I don't think there should be any 'conflicts' in any way.
salmo allikm warhmat allah wabrakato
i want to ask about this site
www.widershoulderbones.com
your suggest?
thanks
Had to laugh at the guy who said the exercises made his ribs stick out.....isn't that kinda the idea? and then you build muscle on top of them?
Anyway as a child I was raised with an iron fist and had a physically violent upbringing, I suffered with PTSD and stopped growing at about age 15, also unfortunately I inherited my mothers wide hips and my fathers small waist and frame. So things don't look proportionate to me, I have a 33 inch chest, so have decided to do something about it. I'm 25 though, so won't that hinder any chance of more growth? Also is it a case of the more exercises I do the better? Or can you over do it?
@ sport,
I can't say much about the site as it is new to me.
@ Johnny,
you can simply do the exercises, and stop when you think you've achieved the correct proportions. According to Wolffe's Law, bone remodeling is not hindered by age, but continues as a response to the stresses placed upon it. Keep at it.
Thanks for the response, would a persons waist expand after the ribcage expands? I expect it would wouldn't it? Also what sort of time scale are we talking about here, will it take 3 months before any noticeable change?
Well actually you would be stretching out the rib cage area so that is the only one that should expand. You should see changes in around 2~3 months. Bone remodeling is a slow process. Hang in there.
You say - "Follow this with what are called breathing squats with pullovers 3 times a week". What about doing them more than that, like every day? Or even 3 times a day? Would this be too much and cause a problem? Or would it help change things more rapidly? Thanks.
Hi Johnny,
That's an interesting question. As far as I know, the recommendations from old-timers have been to do these exercises 3 times a week, and so I stuck with that. Perhaps you can try a greater frequency and report back? Thanks heaps :)
OK I'll do that. Have you any tips on how to perform pullovers? I've watched a few youtube videos, but when I do them I seem to be working my arms and shoulders more than my ribs. Does this mean I'm using a weight that is too heavy? This is an exercise that is as much about stretching as it is about heavy weights right?
Feeling it in the arms and shoulders more than the rib area would mean that the weight is too much. Stick with 10~15lbs at the most for now. Make sure to breath high into your chest.
This is one exercise where you don't want to go heavier and heavier.
Cheers!
OK thanks. One last question, I'm not really feeling much pressure in my chest or rib cage area when I do breathing squats, should I be? All I've got at my disposal is a 30lb bar, quite light but to be fair I'm so out of shape it's enough ha ha. So do I need to adapt my technique or is it normal not to be feeling much strain in the chest area?
For the moment the 30lb bar may be fine. Focus on deep breathing, and try to keep a tight, high chest full of breath when squatting down. Don't worry, the main strain comes from the pullovers or stretches that you will do for the chest.
Cheers!
Hey Max,
I have very narrow shoulders, if i do wide grip hangs everyday how long do you think it would it take to be 2 inches wider? i mean like 1 inch on either side?
You can only try and see what results you get. It is not possible to predict beforehand exactly how much one can gain. The only thing you can do is try and see what your results are like. All the best!
hey bro i wnaqted to question that if my chest could go broader than my hip bone..???? is it possible
I want to broaden my shoulder and chest i m 18 year old my current chest size is 75 cm n shoulder size is 4o cm n i usually masturbate how can i broadened my chest n shoulder
I want to broaden my shoulder and chest i m 18 year old my current chest size is 75 cm n shoulder size is 4o cm n i usually masturbate how can i broadened my chest n shoulder
I want to broaden my shoulder and chest i m 18 year old my current chest size is 75 cm n shoulder size is 4o cm n i usually masturbate how can i broadened my chest n shoulder
Im 15 now, and im kinda worrried about my weight, after since ive done weights and gym, just for 3months or less, ive alr gained 10kg, im a polevaulter, and my weight affects my jumps alot, i wan broad shoulders to look good but at the same time i wana maintain my weight, what do u think i shld doo:(
I'm 26year old, my chest size is 32inch height 5'7" weight is 47kg. I wants to know what should be ideal body figure for me.And how to gain my weight and chest size
sir i am pavan i want to inecrease the cheast please can you tell i want to inecreasa cheast 5 cm
Chiboy 2 years ago
Good day, pleae if you dont have facilities to help you exapand the cheast what are you to do