What exercises can I do to tone up the muscles behind my breasts? I know I can't increase my breast size, but I've heard that building these muscles can give some definition to my flat-as-a-board chest.

-- Gaby

Gaby,

The muscles behind your breasts, whether you're a man or a woman, are called the pectorals. In the gym, you'll probably hear them referred to as pecs. You're right when you say you can't necessarily change the look of your breast tissue but by working those pecs, you can lift your chest up and make them appear firmer and more youthful. Weight training can also give the illusion of cleavage by better defining the space in between the pectorals.

Good exercises for your pecs include bench presses, push-ups, dumbbell flys, dumbbell presses, and cable cross-overs. The description of all of these exercises can be found in most strength training books, including our Weight Training For Dummies.

For best results, you need to do 3 sets of chest exercises or a total of 12 sets for all exercises at least twice a week. You should lift the heaviest weight you can handle and still use good form for 8-15 repetitions.

If you're a beginner, start with 1-3 sets per workout and gradually increase. Don't do the same exercise for all of your sets. Try a variety of exercises from a variety of different angles.

For instance, do one-two sets on a flat bench, focusing the work on the most central fibers of your chest muscles. Then, do a couple sets with the bench angled upward a few degrees--an exercise known as an incline bench press--to focus the work on the upper chest fibers.