When it comes to bodyweight chest exercises, it’s easy to hit the chest muscles hard. After all, the focus on core training over the last decade has reminded us that the area between and including the hips and shoulders serves as the engine of all movement.
That said, some athletes feel naked training the chest without weights and a bench, the most popular means to developing a ripped, T-shirt-stretching torso. (There’s a reason dudes immediately head to the bench-press station when they show up to the gym.) But when it comes to producing the broad, lean torso that tapers to a narrow waist, a bodyweight routine can more than handle the job.
This 10-exercise series will challenge your chest with only your body as resistance. You can use these 10 as a warmup, part of a core workout, or as a standalone circuit. If you do a circuit, do two sets of 10.
Pete Williams is a NASM-certified personal trainer and the author or co-author of a number of books on performance and training.
Why: This familiar yoga move challenges your overall core stability, forcing you to anchor yourself from your torso.
How: From a standard plank position, lower your elbows to shoulder-height, pinning them against your side. Your chest, shoulders, upper arms, and elbows should be in alignment. Push back to plank.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds of rest between sets.
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Plank
Why: This promotes overall core stability, but your chest, biceps, and triceps are keeping you in proper position.
How: Lie in a prone pushup position with hands on the floor, elbows under shoulders and bent 90°. Push up off the elbows, tucking your chin so your head is in line with your body. Keep your head in-line with your spine, and your belly button drawn in. Hold for one minute.
Prescription: 2 sets of 60 seconds, with 60 seconds of rest between sets.
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Inti St Clair
Alternating Medicine Ball Pushup
Why: This builds explosive power in your chest, as well as your arms.
How: Start in pushup position with left hand on a medicine ball and right hand on the floor. Lower your body to the floor, and drive your body up with enough force so you can shift your left arm to the ground and your right hand onto the ball. Go immediately into the next rep, keeping your body straight.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds of rest between sets.
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Fotokvadrat
Pullup
Why: Sure, it creates that coveted V-shaped back and blasts the shoulders—but it’s also a terrific chest maneuver, and an essential exercise every guy should probably be doing more often.
How: Grab the bar with an overhand grip. Hanging from the bar, pull your shoulder blades back and down, and lift your body up to build momentum. Finish by pulling up with your arms.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps (or as many as possible) with 30 seconds rest between sets.
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MichaelSvoboda
Stability Ball Pushup
Why: The instability of the ball—you can also use a BOSU—forces you to work harder than in a traditional pushup, cranking up the intensity.
How: Start in pushup position with hands on a stability ball and feet on the floor. Lower yourself to where your chest just touches the ball. Control the ball as you push up, pushing as far away from the ball as you can. Try to vary your hand position to experiment with the challenge.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
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Maridav
Stability Ball Pushups (Feet on Ball)
Why: By placing your feet on the ball, you’re not only adding to the instability of the movement, you’re adding to the degree of difficulty of the move.
How: Start in pushup position with your feet on a stability ball and hands on the floor. Lower your chest to the floor while keeping your hips square to the ground. Push up while keeping the ball under control.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
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One-legged Pushup
Why: By lifting one leg off the ground, you amp up the intensity, placing more of the emphasis on the chest.
How: From pushup position, lift one foot 3″ off the ground while keeping your legs straight. While keeping your chest stable and hips square to the ground, bend your elbows to lower yourself toward the ground. Push back up. Switch legs after the first set.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds rest between sets.
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mihailomilovanovic
Dip
Why: You use your chest and triceps to lift your entire bodyweight.
How: Position yourself above and between the bars, grabbing them with an overhand grip. Cross your ankles behind you to make it easier; straighten your legs, and point your toes slightly in front of you to make it more difficult. Lower yourself slowly—try to get your shoulders below your elbows—and push back up in a controlled manner.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps with 60 seconds rest between sets.
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Suspension Trainer Chest Flye
Why: Like a conventional supine chest flye on a bench with dumbbells, this challenges your chest muscles, albeit with your bodyweight. The suspension trainer makes it easy to scale up or down the difficulty depending upon the angle you take—standing more horizontally will be more difficult.
How: Lean forward with your feet together and arms in front of your chest, holding the suspension trainer handles so the trainer hangs diagonally. While keeping a slight bend in your elbows, lower your chest and bring your arms out to the sides. Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps to each side with 30 seconds rest between sets.
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Blossom Peaches / Getty
90/90 Stretch
Why: You’ll feel this mostly in the muscles of your middle and upper back, especially after hours of sitting—but you’ll also get a great stretch of the pecs.
How: Lie on the ground on your left side with legs tucked into the torso at a 90° angle. Keep both your arms straight in front of your torso, parallel to your thighs. Keeping the knees together and on the ground, rotate your chest and right arm to the right, putting your back on the ground. Hold for two seconds and return to starting position.
Prescription: 2 sets of 10 reps to each side with 30 seconds rest between sets.
