Chest Exercises Using a Spring Bar

The spring bar is a portable piece of fitness equipment designed to strengthen your chest. Depending on which exercises you perform, it can also help target your arms, shoulders and wrists. The bar is typically made of steel with a rubber handle at each end and a bendable spring in the middle. The spring comes in various resistances or weights with light duty bars for beginners and heavy duty bars for more experienced exercisers. Chest exercises using a spring bar can strengthen and build muscle.

Push Down

The push down is the most common spring bar exercise to strengthen your chest. It involves squeezing the two sides of the bar down. Hold the two handles with your arms extended in front of your chest. Make sure your palms are facing down. Exhale and slowly rotate your wrists and bend the two handles down to bring your hands together in front of your upper abs. Your elbows will naturally bend down as you bring your hands together. Pause briefly and slowly return your hands to the starting position. You should feel tension in your chest and bicep muscles throughout the exercise. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of this exercise.

Bend-Up Flex

An alternative to the bend-down flex, the bend-up flex involves bending the bar upward. Once again, hold the two rubber handles with your arms extended at chest level. This time make sure your palms are facing the ceiling. Exhale and slowly rotate your wrists so that the middle of the bar bends in a downward position as your hands come together. Pause briefly and slowly, bringing your hands to the starting position. You should feel tension in your chest muscles throughout the exercise. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of this exercise.

Overhead Flex

The overhead flex chest exercise is comparable to a cable pulldown. Hold the bar handles in your hands with your wrists facing down and raise your arms slightly above your head. Exhale and slowly rotate your wrists so that the bar bends in an upward position as you bring your hands close together. Your elbows will naturally bend through this movement but try to keep your hands at the same level above your head. Pause briefly and slowly return to the starting position. You should feel tension in your chest and middle back muscles throughout the exercise. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of this exercise.

Overhead Fly

You can also work the chest muscles by performing the overhead fly, which simulates the pec deck fly. Hold the bar handles in your hands with your wrists facing down and raise your arms behind your head at just above ear level. Exhale and slowly bend the bar back to bring your hands together. Your elbows will flare to the sides as you bring your hands close. Pause briefly and slowly return to the starting position. You should feel tension in your chest area throughout the exercise. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of this exercise.