These Simple Push-Up Variations Builds Chest Size Faster Than You Think

One muscle part that makes a great physique far more exceptional than a standard physique is how well-developed the pectoral muscles are. Often, when you think about building a bigger chest, exercises such as heavy bench press, dumbbell press or a chest press machine immediately come to our mind. While free weights are an excellent choice of exercise for pectoral muscle development, they are not the only option.

In fact, if you follow a well-designed exercise plan based on your own bodyweight for building pecs, various push-up variations can help you to build and sculpt a well-defined pectoral muscles. But the truth is, you need to know the right technique as well as the variations that can actually make the push-up movement target all the areas of the chest (upper, middle and lower chest) just like you would be able to do in traditional bodybuilding exercises in a gym.

Of course, it is fair to say that the results from bodyweight push-ups may not match what you could have achieved by training with free weights. However, push-up variations still remain an extremely effective movement for beginners, people doing at-home training, and even for experienced lifters who want to maintain their chest gains while being away from the gym for a shorter duration of time.

Ryan Sadilek (ACE-CPT) from “Minus The Gym” YouTube Channel, explains how subtle changes in upper and lower limbs position during a push-up can not only mimic the traditional gym exercises for chest, but can be an effective method for muscle growth.

Below are five push-up variations that can help to develop a more complete chest without the need for free weights.

Editor’s Note: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any medical condition. Always consult your physician or a qualified personal trainer before starting any workout or nutrition program

[Also See: Why Your Chest Isn’t Growing (Even Though You Bench Every Week)]

5 Push-Up Variations That Build Complete Chest Muscles

1. Standard Push-Ups

The standard push-up variation is the foundation of all chest bodyweight training. When done with a correct method, it replicates the biomechanics of a Flat Bench Press.

How To Do Standard Push-Ups

1. Lie on a mat, and place your hands slightly wider than your shoulder width.
2. From head to toe, maintain your body in a straight line.
3. Engage your core and glute muscles to stabilize your body.
4. Now, lower your chest towards the floor in a controlled motion.
5. Immediately push back up until your arms are fully extended.

Explanation: Using Parallettes for doing a Standard Push-Up can make the exercise more effective. Parallete allow your chest to travel slightly more deeper during the lowering phase. Thus allowing the pectoral muscle to stretch more than in a floor push-up.

The deeper range of motion achieved using a parallette helps to recruit more muscle fiber in the chest, as you would get in a flat bench press with a barbell/dumbbell. Because of the similarity, the standard push-up variation done using a parallette also targets the same middle portion of the chest, as you would have in a flat chest press exercise.

2. Decline Push-Ups

A Decline body weight Push-Ups replicates the biomechanics similar to an Incline Chest Press, which targets most of the upper portion of your chest.

How To Do Decline Push-Ups

1. First of all, find a suitable heighted surface where you can rest your feet with the toes.
2. Keep your hands on the floor and place your hands slightly wider than your shoulder width.
3. Maintain a straight body line from the hands to the ankle.
4. Now, lower your chest slowly towards the floor.
5. Immediately push yourself back up until your arms are completely extended while maintaining a tight core.

Explanation: To effectively target the upper chest in this push-up variation, your feet should be elevated high enough to create roughly a 30 to 45 degree body angle.

The 30 to 45 degree body angle changes the direction of resistance, which makes the upper chest work harder. Thus resembling the incline chest press movement, done with a barbell or dumbbell in a gym.

[Also See: Why Muscle Mass Matters More as You Enter Your 40s]

3. Incline Push-Ups

The Incline Push-Ups focus more on the lower portion of the chest.

How To Do Incline Push-Ups

1. Place your hands on an elevated surface such as a bench, box or a sturdy table.
2. Set your feet on the floor and maintain a straight body position.
3. Now, lower your chest close to the elevated surface.
4. Immediately push yourself to the starting position.

Explanation: In this exercise setup, your body angle shifts downwards from your hands to your feet. Thus changing the pressing direction and placing more emphasis on the lower chest fibers. This variation closely resembles the decline bench press used in traditional chest workout.

4. Close-Grip Push-Ups

The Close-Grip Push-Ups can increase activation in the inner chest while also engaging the triceps.

[Also See: Why the Triceps Pushdown Is Still One of the Best Arm Builders in the Gym]

How To Do Close-Grip Push-Ups

1. Start with a standard push-up position, but for this exercise, bring your palms close to each other.
2. Position your palms such that only the thumbs are touching each other.
3. Keep your elbows close to your body as you lower your body.
4. Immediately push yourself and come back to the starting position.

Explanation: By bringing the hands closer together and elbows close to the body, the movement now has more tension in the inner portion of the chest. While the variation also increases tricep involvement. The narrower hand position can help to improve inner chest development when performed correctly.

5. Wide Grip Push-Ups

The Wide Grip Push Ups emphasize more on the outer portion of the chest.

How To Do Wide-Grip Push Ups

1. Start with a standard push-up position, and place your hands more than your shoulder width.
2. Strictly maintain a straight body posture.
3. Lower your chest towards the floor while keeping your elbows slightly flared outwards.
4. Immediately push yourself back up to the starting position.

Explanation: In this bodyweight exercise, the wider hand position shortens the range of motion for the triceps and thus places more workload on the chest muscles.

Therefore, this variation tends to emphasize more on the outer region of the pectoral muscles, which gives your chest a broader appearance.

[Also See: Electrolytes for Gym-Goers: Necessary or Just Hype?]

Final Takeaway

Well, it is evident that push-ups are one of a kind bodywieght exercise. They may look simple, but with the right variations, they can become a highly effective chest training tool. For beginners, the above mentioned five variations can build a solid foundation for the upper body.

For advanced lifters, doing just the bodyweight push-ups will not be sufficient to grow the pectoral muscles, as the bodyweight movements are not as intense as the weight training you do in gym. But it can be a suitable substitute to maintain the muscle mass, if you miss gym sessions for a few days or a week.