Chest Expansion Exercise Guide
Reviewed by
Valerie Zeller
Printable version
Chest Expansion is a bodyweight exercise that works your deltoids and pecs.
Chest Expansion is a great easy move. When done correctly, it can effectively target your chest, shoulders, upper body and upper chest.
It requires no equipment to do.
How to do Chest Expansion
Exercise
Stand up tall with your feet set at hip width. Raise your straight arms out wide to shoulder height, palms face down. Then, keeping your arms at shoulder height, bring them in, across your body until they cross over each other. From here expand your chest and open your arms back out as wide as you can. Each time you repeat the movement change which arm is on top of the other when they cross over in the middle.
Illustrated Guide
Learn how to do chest expansion from this step-by-step illustrations:
Muscles Worked
The muscles used for chest expansion may change slightly based on the your trained range of motion and technique, but in the most general case, the muscles used for chest expansion are:
Primary Muscles
- Deltoids
- Pecs
Synergyst Muscles
- Front Deltoids
Frequently Asked Questions
Training, Progressions and Regressions
Interested in how to improve your Chest Expansion faster?
Chest Expansion Training and Progressions
Standards and Averages
Wonder how do others perform in Chest Expansion and how should you?
Chest Expansion Standards and Averages
Alternatives
Wonder how to work the same muscles with other exercises?
Variations
Wonder how to make Chest Expansion either easier or more challenging?
Discover more
Classification
| Type(s) | Bodyweight, Calisthenic, Strength, Cooldown |
| Muscles Worked | Deltoids, Pectorals, Anterior Deltoids |
| Difficulty Level(s) | Easy, Simple |
| Equipment | No Equipment |
| Location | At Gym, At Home, Outdoor |
Muscles Worked
| Target muscle(s) | Deltoids, Pecs |
| Synergyst muscle(s) | Front Deltoids |
