Articles written by Devin Sherrington about health, wellness and fitness in regular column called Fit to Be Tried in the Daily News:

The Daily News - Fit to Be Tried by Devin Sherrington

Men want them bigger. Women want them higher. That's right. I'm talking about your chest.

Men that exercise seem to have a strange desire to crack a walnut between their chest muscles. Women want to boost them up without the whole surgery thing.

Unfortunately our genetics play the biggest part in the end result. Some men like me, have flat chests. I will never be able to compete with Arnold. Then there are people like my friend Tim. He could lie around all day, eat cake with every meal and still have a Hulk like chest. It just doesn't seem fair.

For women it's almost the same thing. Breasts are made up primarily of fatty tissues, so the size and shape depends on how much fat you tend to store there. Or course other factors weigh in like weight, overall health and age.

But for everyone the size and perkiness of your chest can be associated to the muscles directly under the breast called the pectorals. You might not be able to make those muscles huge like a pro bodybuilder's but you can make them more shapely and firm.

One of the most important things about training your chest is doing the exercise correctly. Lots of other muscles can come into play when you train your chest so you need to make sure you concentrate on flexing those chest muscles.

Push-ups are a fantastic chest exercise. For men, start on the floor lying face down. Your ankles should be close together and toes pressing on the floor. For women lie on your stomach and bend your knees. Cross your ankles so your weight is resting on your knees during the exercise.

Both men and women should bend your elbows and place your palms on the floor. Your hands should be a little wider than shoulder width apart. Your fingers should be facing forward.

Straighten your arms and lift your body so you are balanced on your palms and knees (women) and toes (men). Tighten your abdominals making sure to keep your back straight.

Bend your elbows and lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. From here push back up. You should feel like you're pushing your hands into the floor. At the top of the movement pull your shoulders in slightly and squeeze your chest for one second. Then lower yourself again. Do three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.

To work your chest a little harder, try a soup can at home or dumbbell press at the gym. Lie on your back on the floor or on a bench. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Begin with the soup cans, or dumbbells above your chest. Slowly lower them to the sides of your chest, taking about four seconds to go down. At the bottom your arms should make an L shape at 90 degrees.

From there, push upwards, squeezing your chest together at the same time. Remember to keep your back relaxed and not arched.

These two exercises should get you moving toward improving your chest. There are about a million other great chest exercises out there. Ask a trainer for some tips. Remember you may not be able to change the genetics, but you can make huge differences with what you have.