You're doing them wrong according to your teacher. Doing chest lifts from the upper back (under the bra line) is another way of doing it, and isn't "wrong" unless your teacher wants otherwise :)

There's another way of doing chest lifts that involves the intercostal muscles (as far as I can tell) and the diaphragm -- you get much less shoulder movement (almost none) using this method.

I think I remember Heather Stants mentioned something about this once -- she has her shoulders very much down and together in her basic stance -- so when she does her chest lifts, they come from the diaphragm, because there really isn't much more her upper back can do -- and it has that nice hip-hop no-shoulders isolated chest lift. You might try that?

This is the traditional way of doing the-using the abdominal muscle, not the back. It's the way I've always done them. I believe "diaphragm" is wrong, although I was taught the same thing!

I wish I was there to demonstrate, but it's a push up with the upper edge of the abdominal muscle. When done correctly, your shoulders stay down and you're chest doesn't expand-the whole rib cage just pops up. It's a very different feel from using the back.

I believe, it feels like it, that is a combination of several muscles. Like you have chest muscles below the breasts. You push the chest up, it comes out in between your arms, shoulderblades come closer together, diaphragm does indeed work! I'd say those three groups of muscles are engaged in the movement (between the shoulderblades, diaphgragm and chest. A and maybe the sides of your ribcage, too!) The action comes rather from the muscles in the front, the muscles in the back work in a reaction.

Juniper, this is what I tell my students who have a hard time mastering this:

Starting at the bottom sides of your bra, run your hands down, feeling for the edge of your ribs. Place your fingertips along the edge of your ribs, pressing enough to feel the musculature underneath. You'll notice a crescent of muscles there. These are the muscles that will control this move. I don't teach that you use your diaphragm, for reasons I explain below, but keep in mind how your teacher instructs and what she is looking for. Now say, "Ha!" very quickly. The pulse that you feel is your diaphragm. Then, keeping your hands in place, just push forward or up (depending in which direction you're working on)with the upper abs (if you haven't developed isolation between your sets of abs, this might result in pushing the whole abdominal area out; just keep trying, you'll get it) trying to make it quicker to recreate the pulse of the diaphragm. This should help you feel the difference in using your diaphragm and using your upper abs. Try to recreate the sharpness of the "ha!" move without moving any air in or out of your body. You should be able to talk through a chest lift or pop. If it helps, put your back to a wall, firmly, so you can't squeeze your shoulder blades together to push your chest forward and up. Remember, American women don't move their chest. Why would we? It's just not a part of our culture, so it can feel difficult and foreign at first. Keeping practicing (this is an easy one to practice alot, luckily), and it will get easier. :) If it helps, imagine someone has grabbed you by the middle of your bra and that they are either trying to lift you up or pull you forward.

In my opinion, there is a danger in telling students to use their diaphragm in this, or any, movement. I think it's better to never instruct someone to use their breath to propel or control their movement. While it may seem fine in class when you're just trying it out, onstage during a seven minute song, someone is going to pass out. I'd rather teach, then drill, isolation. Again, this is my opinion and how I teach, and I only present it here in the hope it will help someone else. Good luck!

BB!
~Jeannie

Oh, thank goodness for this question. LOL I knew I'd been doing them "wrong", but it was the opposite. My instruction was saying lifts are powered and controlled by the upper back and pulling the shoulder blades in to meet,. Working all that area back there and voila, chest lift. But, the ones I keep slipping into are powered by my front, not my back, and the ones powered by my front are actually more pronounced and sharp, it seems.

1. pinwheel your shoulders down so they are relaxed but not scrunched into your neck.
2. the chest is naturally lifted so your "sunshine" is open and up (still relaxed)
3. Put your hands together, 90 degree angle and in front of you.
4. Repeat after me while alternately pressing and releasing pressure of hands.
"I must, I must, I must increase my bust" =) (Yeah, it works.)
5. Now pay attention to all the muscles you used in from your pecs to your abs. (I don't use my diaphragm on purpose, either, it's just attached and following along for the ride)

Hope that helped. =)

One of my teachers who wanted chest lifts done without the back/shoulder muscles suggested that everyone stand in dance posture and pretend to hic-up... including making the noise - your chest lifts when you do this, and you've now felt which muscles the teacher wants you to use.... now you just have to work on doing it without the hic-up noise!

Thank you everyone! I have a lot to work with (and on) now.

I was taught to do both-- squeezing the shoulder blades together, and also by lifting the diaphragm. I think both ways are correct, and that it just depends on the way that your teacher teaches it.

hehehe, i always was told the other way around, that it was fine to use your diaphragm to get the hang of the movement, but that the goal was to use your upper back muscles.
it's very good for your posture to use your upper back muscles, plus if you aren't using your diaphragm then your are free to breath as you wish. not that it's wrong, but there are some advantages to doing it the way you have been.