I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m succumbing to an old wives’ tale, but I remember hearing as a girl that there were certain exercises one could to increase their bustline. Is this true, or have I fallen for another one?

I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m succumbing to an old wives’ tale, but I remember hearing as a girl that there were certain exercises one could to increase their bustline. Is this true, or have I fallen for another one?

Although your query does have the ring of a classic old wives’ tale, there is actually truth to the assertion that exercise can increase a woman’s bustline. Now, I want you to note that I didn’t say that exercise can increase breast size, because it cannot Since breasts contain no muscle tissue, there’s no way to develop them. However, you can train the muscles over which your breasts sit, and by firming them you can lift and extend the tissue atop them.

Your chest muscles, or pectorals, comprise one of the larger muscle groups on your body and can be worked from a variety of angles. I suggest prioritizing the upper pecs as the lower pecs are all but totally covered by breast tissue.

To work the upper pecs you’ll want to focus on incline exercises. That means the back of the incline seat should be adjusted to anywhere between 30º and 45º. You can do either dumbbell or barbell bench presses and/or dumbbell flyes for the upper chest.

From there I’d move to the middle pecs, which means doing flat bench work such as flat flyes, flat bench presses or pec dec flyes. Finally you can do some assisted dips (on an assisted pull-up/dip machine), which are primarily for the lower pecs, but also hit the outer portion of your chest, just under your armpits. I’ve included a simple workout for you to follow that is sure to give your bustline a new, improved look in only 6-8 weeks.

Bust Lift Routine
Exercise Sets Reps
Incline dumbbell press 3 16-13-10

Pec dec flyes w/ dumbbells

3 16-13-10
Assisted dips 3 12