For an attractive body figure having a well-shaped big chest is a must. Your workout routine and the exercises you do have a bigger impact on building a massive chest. If you want to train your upper body with bodyweight exercise then you should include pushups and variations of pushups for growing your chest size.
The standard push-up is a popular bodyweight exercise which is useful for toning and building a muscular upper body.
But are push-ups good for chest?
The short answer is if you do pushups with the right form and do specific pushup variations which specifically target your chest muscles and do multiple sets of pushups then pushups can help you build a bigger chest. So, yes pushups are good for building chest.
Read on if you want to uncover the potential of doing pushups for chest growth. This article will help you understand the effectiveness of pushups for building your chest, inform you about other exercises like pushups for building your chest and help you understand how far you can go in terms of building a muscular chest by doing pushups.
Do pushups work chest muscles?
The chest muscles also known as pectorals and these muscles are responsible for a variety of movements like pushing and pulling. When you do push-ups it primarily engages muscles of the chest, as well as your shoulders, triceps and core.
The pectorals consist of two muscles – the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor. Of these two pectoralis major is the largest and responsible for the majority of the work when you do pushups.
So, yes doing push-up exercise work chest muscles and other muscle groups in the upper body.
When it comes to building a bigger chest from doing pushups it’s important to do the right amount of pushups and do pushups variations which specifically work your chest.
Are push-ups good for chest?
If you wanted to know are pushups good for the chest then the answer is yes, pushups and pushup variations like diamond pushups are very effective for building chest.
Doing pushups can help you to build and tone your chest.
Below you will read more about the best push-ups variations which can give you better results.
Choosing the right pushup variation is crucial because it can make your pushup workout effective, but if you only do traditional push-ups, it won’t give you impressive results.
Apart from doing those pushup types which are optimised for chest growth for better results you need to focus on doing an adequate number of push-ups and the number of sets to maximise your chest gains.
For muscle building, it’s recommended that you do 3-4 sets of pushups and it’s better to do pushups until failure in each set. Also, you need to do more than one pushup variation for better muscle-building results. Here’s how many pushups you should do a day to build muscle.
Push-up variation for building a big chest?
If you wanted to get better results, you should include these types of push ups in your workout routine.
Diamond pushups
Diamond pushups are great for building your inner chest and overall doing this pushup variation will help you give your chest a better shape and add volume to your chest. You should do diamond pushups for 2 sets in a pushup workout and do it 2-3 days and on other days do other pushup variations from this list.
Wide-Grip Push-Ups
Doing wide-grip pushups will help you build a wider chest. Especially for men this can grow your chest size and if you also train your core then you can get a V-shaped body.
You should do 1-2 sets of this pushup variation for 2 days a week.
Regular push-up
Regular pushups or traditional push-up are also good for building your chest. Especially this pushup variation will help you achieve a balance in your chest shape. You should do regular pushups in every pushups workout session and you can do 1-2 sets.
Explosive Push-Ups
Doing explosive pushups builds explosive power and strength in your chest muscles. But the main benefit of including this pushup variation in your chest workout is it will make your pushup workout challenging and can decrease the chances of plateauing (the point when your body gets used to your workouts and your muscle-building process gets slower or stops).
Do 1-2 sets of this pushup variation once a week.
Incline Push-Ups
Incline pushups are good for building your upper chest. You can do incline pushups for 1-2 days and do 2 sets. How many days you should do incline pushups for building your chest depends on your workout goals. If you want to build and target your upper chest, do incline pushups for 2 days.
Or you can do incline pushups one day and train your upper chest once a week.
Decline Push-Ups
Decline pushups are good for building your lower chest. You should do 2 sets of incline pushups for 1-2 days a week.
Should I do pushups every day for a massive chest?
Some people who want to build a bigger chest and want fast results might think if they could do pushups every day for a massive chest in less time.
The first thing you need to remember is to build or increase your muscle size after a workout you need adequate amounts of rest so that your body gets enough time to repair the tissues.
So you should not hurry when you want to build your chest.
Doing pushups every day and doing a lot of pushups increases the chance of overtraining. Here’s why you should not do pushups daily.
You can train 3-5 days a week with pushups. After 2-3 days of doing pushups, you should rest for one day.
Related: Do you need rest days for pushups?
Are pushups better than bench presses for building a muscular chest?
Undoubtedly pushups are one of the best exercises for building a muscular chest. But it’s a bodyweight exercise.
Where bench presses are done with weights thus the results will vary and you should not compare bench presses with pushups.
But to answer the question are pushups better than bench presses for building chest?
The answer is when it comes to building muscle, adding volume to your chest and building a muscular chest – if someone follows the right workout plan then bench press will outperform pushups by a lot.
So for a bigger chest, you can do bench press and if you want you can also do bodyweight exercises like pushups. But for those who only want to train with bodyweight exercises, pushups can be a good choice for building your chest.
Can doing push-ups give you a bigger chest?
When you do pushups for 3-5 days a week and perform those push up variations which are mentioned above then it can help you build a bigger chest. Yes if you use pushups the right way then doing pushups can give you a bigger chest.
But to get the results you need to be consistent with your workout follow a healthy diet or follow a balanced diet for 45-50 days then you can see some noticeable muscle-building results. To give you some idea about how long it will take for you to get a bigger chest from doing pushups – here’s how long it takes to build noticeable muscle.
Best chest exercises for growing your chest size
There’s no doubt about the effectiveness of pushups for building chest. But for better results and to reduce the time it takes to increase your chest size you should do other exercises that target the chest to get better results.
Here is a list of bodyweight exercises including pushups for growing your chest size:
- Dips.
- Diamond pushups.
- Incline pushups.
- Decline pushups.
- Pike pushups.
- Burpees.
- Standard pushups.
- Pull up.
- Explosive pushups.
- Wide-grip pushups.
Include these exercises in your workout routine and they will help you build your chest.
Do pushups help tone your chest?
Pushups engage many muscle groups in the upper body and doing pushups engages your chest muscles as well. Thus pushups and variations of pushups are good for building muscles and toning your chest.
But to get a toned look you need to have a healthy body fat percentage. If you have more body fat then it will take some time to get the toned look doing pushups.
Here’s an article I published that talks more about how you can lower your body fat percentage naturally.
Doing pushups 3-5 days a week and doing the right number of pushup sets can help you tone your chest.
Conclusion about are pushups good for chest growth
When it comes to building your chest with bodyweight exercises then pushups are one of the best exercises. Not to forget variations of pushups which can help you in chest growth when compared to the classic pushup.
When you do pushups the right way and include pushups variations like diamond pushups, wide-grip pushups, incline and decline pushups then you can build a bigger chest.
For better chest-building results you can do other exercises like dips and burpees which will add some fun to your workout and help you become consistent with your workouts.
Here are some articles related to this topic you might find useful:
- Doing pushups before bed: Things you should know.
- How many calories do pushups burn?
- Are wall pushups effective?
- How many knee pushups should I do a day?
FAQs
Are Push-ups Good For Chest?
Yes, push-ups are good for building chest and one of the best exercises for building your upper body strength. Doing pushups engages your chest muscles or pectoralis major, as well as your triceps and core muscles. The best thing is there are many pushup variations like diamond pushups, pike pushups, incline pushups and decline pushups which can provide some great results in terms of chest growth.
What Are The Benefits Of Doing Push-Ups?
If you do Push-ups then you will get these benefits: doing push-ups will help you build strength and increase the size of your chest muscles, shoulders, arms and triceps. Pushups also engage your core muscles and thus can help you improve your overall body fitness. Additionally, pushups are a bodyweight exercise and can be done without needing any equipment so, it’s a great option if you want to get fit without going to the gym.
What Are Some Variations Of A Push-Up?
There are many different variations of pushups and suitable for people with different fitness levels. Beginners can try knee pushups and wall pushups. For people who are in the intermediate level, they can do regular pushups, incline pushups, decline pushups and wide-grip pushups. Advanced level exercisers, can do all the pushups mentioned above and additionally can do pike pushups, explosive pushups, one arm pushups, knuckle pushups and many more.
Will Push Ups Help Me Build A Bigger Chest?
Yes, pushups can help you build a bigger chest. To build a bigger chest here are some pushup variations you should do – standard pushups, wide-grip pushups and diamond pushups.
How Many Push Ups Should I Do To Get A Big Chest?
Building a bigger chest requires you to do push ups 3-5 days a week. Depending on your fitness level, the number of pushups you should do to get a big chest can vary. If you are a beginner then you should do 2-3 sets of 10-20 pushups per set with 60-90 seconds of rest in between. As you progress, increase the number of sets and reps as well as lower the rest period to 40-60 seconds. A general guideline is you need to do close to 100 pushups a day to get a bigger chest.
What pushup is best for chest?
Here are some of the best pushup variations for building the chest: diamond pushups, wide-grip pushups, pike pushups, regular pushups, incline pushups, decline pushups and explosive pushups.
Are 100 pushups a day enough for chest?
For beginners to intermediate level exercisers, 100 pushups a day can be enough for building chest. However, it’s important that they do the right pushup variations that help in building a bigger chest. For building chest include these pushup variations – incline pushups, decline pushups, diamond pushups, pike pushups and explosive pushups.
Can I build my chest with just pushups?
Yes, you can build your chest only by doing pushups. But you need to do those pushup variations that are good for building chest. Also, you need to do pushups for 4-5 days and do 3-4 sets of pushups to get better results.
Is push ups every day good for chest?
Doing pushups every day increases the chances of overtraining. Especially if you are doing pushups in large numbers. So, doing pushups every day is not that great when it comes to building chest. It’s best to do pushups for 4-5 days a week for building a bigger chest with pushups.
Are incline push ups good for chest?
Yes, incline pushups are good for the chest, especially doing incline pushups will help you build your lower chest muscles.
Are diamond push ups good for chest?
Yes, diamond pushups are good for chest and triceps. Doing diamond pushups is a great way to build your chest.
How good are push ups for chest?
Pushups are one of the best bodyweight exercises for building chest. If you want to build your chest with bodyweight training then you should do classic push-up, diamond pushups, incline pushups, decline pushups and pike pushups.
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