If you are looking for push-ups that work the upper chest, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ll talk about the best push-up for training the upper pec.
You can strengthen and increase the thickness of your upper pecs by including this upper chest push up into your training regime. Having a well-developed upper chest helps to create a fuller upper body, and also has functional benefits.
When we talk about chest muscles, it’s important to note that there are two main sections, upper and lower pecs. To achieve the greatest muscle thickness and strength, you should develop the muscle from all angles.
Specific workouts, like upper chest push-ups, work on specific muscles and make you look better. You need to focus on exercises that will create a defined muscle in the clavicular head of the chest, in order to build the upper portion of the chest.
How To Build Upper Chest With Push Ups
Many people choose to build muscle with push ups because they have many benefits. When it comes to resistance, your body reacts to any kind of resistance, whether you are using weights, a bottle of water, or your own body.
Choosing the right exercises, with the right intensity, allows you to eliminate the need for weights from your upper chest workout routine.
Benefits Of Upper Chest Bodyweight Workout
When it comes to training, the upper pecs push-ups exercises are a perfect choice because:
- An upper chest push ups will improve muscular endurance in the upper body and strengthen both muscles and bones.
- As you’ll be moving your full body around, these drills will improve your metabolism, get you to burn more fat and help you achieve that mean and lean look.
- Push ups are also considered a compound exercise because they require multiple muscle groups to be worked simultaneously. One benefit of push-ups is that they can also enhance the cardiovascular system by making your heart work harder.
- One of the lesser-known push up benefits for men is that they can increase testosterone
- Push-ups require more balance that can lead to greater muscle fiber recruitment.
- The movements you’ll learn are highly functional. You will gain strength and size, and you will become more powerful all around.
- A bodyweight chest workout can be a good full-body workout and help you burn more calories.
Upper Chest Push-Ups Workout
Here are the best upper chest push that require no equipment, or just a slight modification to target your lower pecs. With so many variations of push-ups available, one type will help you develop the upper portion of your chest better than others.
1. Decline Push-Up
Decline Push-up is a great exercise to start with if you want to train your upper chest with push ups at home.
It is similar to normal push-ups, but with your legs on a bench. Although this is called the Decline push-up, it focuses more on the upper pecs.
Furthermore, your lower body is raised from the floor, the resistance your body provides is increased compared to doing the push-up on the floor. This makes the decline push-up harder than the standard push-up.
How To Do Decline Push-Up
- Placed your hands firmly on the floor and spaced slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Put legs on the bench or the pad roller.
- Now raise yourself off the ground, straightening your elbows and your arms. Keep your elbows close to your body.
- Raise until your elbows are almost near to locked, and pause for a moment at the top of the movement.
- Now lower your body under slow sustained motion, feeling the motion all the way down until your chest is very close to the ground.
Training Tips
- Exhale while you exert.
- Vary the position of the bench to hit different angles of the upper chest.
2. Feet On Stability Ball Push-Up
If you’re looking for a way to get more creative with your upper chest workout, why not try push-up with feet on a Swiss ball. The unstable surface of the stability ball forces the upper chest muscles to work harder.
It is a progression of the decline push-up that targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps while engaging the core. The exercise emphasizes the upper chest and shoulders.
How To Do Stability Ball Push-Up
- Lie face-down on the ball with your arms supporting you in push-up position. Roll forward until your pelvis and thighs are off the ball and positioned your feet on top of the ball.
- Your hands should be directly beneath your shoulders. And your body should form a straight line from head to heals.
- Breathe in as you lower yourself by bending your arms until your elbows form a 90-degree angle. Use your core muscles to stabilize yourself.
- Pause for one to two seconds at the bottom before breathing out and using your arms to push you up to starting position.
Training Tips
- You should keep your elbow tucked at your sides.
- Keep your core tight and your back flat throughout the movement.
- Your body should be in a straight line. Don’t let your hips rise or fall.
3. Pike Push Up
Pike Push-ups aka shoulder push up is a variation of the push-up that increases strength and stability in the shoulders, upper chest and triceps.
In the pike push-up, the hips are elevated above the shoulders, so the range of motion is increased for better access to the upper chest.
This exercise is another great option that will help you to target the upper chest and grow your upper pecs at home with bodyweight.
How To Do Pike Push Up
- Start in a standard push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and elbows completely locked out.
- Lift the hips up and back until your body forms an inverted V shape. Keep arms and legs as straight as possible.
- Slowly lower the top of your head towards the ground. Once your head is about to make contact with the ground, pause for a second.
- Then slowly push back until your arms are straight, and you’re in the inverted V position.
Training Tips
- Make sure you maintain control throughout the movement.
4. Elevated Pike Push-Up
Finally, if you’re looking for one more effective bodyweight Upper chest home workout, try elevated pike push-up.
By elevating your feet on a box, you advance these holds because you are now stabilizing a heavier percentage of your bodyweight on your arms.
Each of the setups steps from above still applies. This step allows you to make greater strength gains while also eliminating the fear of falling over.
How To Do Elevated Pike Push-Up
- Start in a standard push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and elbows completely locked out. Elevate your feet to an appropriate height for your current strength.
- Lift the hips up and back until your body forms an inverted V shape. Keep arms and legs as straight as possible.
- Slowly lower the top of your head towards the ground. Once your head is about to make contact with the ground, pause for a second.
- Then slowly push back up until your arms are straight, and you’re in the inverted V position.
Training Tips
- Be sure to have first mastered the pike press before trying the elevated pike press.
- Make sure you maintain control throughout the movement.
- Keep your back neutral and knees straight throughout the exercise.
5. Archer Push-Up
In Archer push up, arms are kept wider than the normal push-up position and as you lower your body.
You transfer the majority of your weight to one of your hands and incline towards that hand, while the other hand is kept straight. Simultaneously move your body to both sides. You have to maintain a tight, steady, and controlled body to perform archer push-ups. Must add this exercise in your upper chest bodyweight workout.
How To Do Archer Push-Up
- Start in a standard push up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and elbows completely locked out.
- Maintain a strong core position and shift your upper body toward your right side. Pull your right chest toward your right hand as you bend your right elbow.
- As you lower toward the right side, allow your left arm to straighten. Your left arm should be fully extended, forming a straight line from your shoulder to your hand.
- . Repeat for your desired number of repetitions, switch sides.
Training Tips
- Don’t let your hips raise.
- Make sure your body is in the straight line from head to the feet.
Takeaways
It can be difficult to train parts of the body that are particularly stubborn, but with persistence, the right methods, and slight modifications to push-ups exercises, you might be able to make a positive change.
The push ups above will work the upper chest when a person performs them correctly. It is best to add these exercises to a full-body strength training routine to achieve a well-balanced physique.
To build a strong upper body, it’s important to train the chest as a whole unit and then focus on getting all 3 parts of the muscle working.
Thanks for reading
People Also Ask
How the decline Push up works the upper chest?
The decline push up requires that you place your feet very high. When you are in a decline position, you are putting more weight on the clavicular (upper portion) head of the chest. This allows you to work the upper chest more intensely.
What Bodyweight Exercise Works Upper Chest?
There are several excellent bodyweight exercises that target your upper chest. The decline push-ups and Pike Push Up are one of the best upper chest bodyweight workout.
Incline Push ups Vs Decline Push Ups
Both variations work your chest, triceps, shoulders, and back muscles. However, because of the angle, the Incline Push Up works your lower chest and back more.
On the other hand, the decline push-up works the upper chest and front shoulders more than the regular or incline variation.
Do Push-Ups Build Upper Chest?
Decline Push-ups are an excellent bodyweight exercise for strengthening the upper chest, but decline push-ups on a stability ball take this routine to the next level.
How Do You Work Your Upper Chest Without Weights?
The decline push-up and the pike push-up are two of the best exercises for working the upper chest without weights.
Can You Build Your Chest With Bodyweight Exercises?
You can build chest muscles with bodyweight exercises, you don’t need an expensive barbell or bench to develop a strong chest. You can build a stronger chest at home without weights by doing push-ups.
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