How to build muscles with push-ups at home. Pectoral push-up program for men

Many beginners are interested in Is it possible to pump up the pectoral muscles with push-ups?. As a rule, we are talking specifically about beginners, since experienced athletes do not ask such questions - they pump up their pectoral muscles with the help of full-fledged training in the gym, using barbells, dumbbells, and other equipment.

Beginners, for a number of reasons, try to find an alternative to full-fledged real training. More specifically, the following reasons can most often be identified:

Lack of understanding of basic training principles. Many beginners do not even have a superficial understanding of the reasons for muscle growth. Recovery, supercompensation, load progression - all these concepts are often unfamiliar to them.
Reluctance to go to the gym. Some people don't have money for this. Someone has time. Some people don’t have a gym within walking distance, but they don’t want to travel to the gym on the other side of town. Therefore, people are trying to find a way to train at home, without special equipment. Push-ups are just such an exercise that is practically not done in gyms (where there is the necessary equipment), and is used, most often, in home workouts.
Fear of going to the gym. This point can be highlighted separately, although it is similar to the previous point. The fact is that some people, although they have the opportunity to visit a gym, are simply afraid to go there. They simply lack self-confidence. They are afraid to “disgrace themselves” in front of experienced visitors, and feel insecure among all these pumped up thugs.

Is it possible to pump up your chest with push-ups at home?

It cannot be said unequivocally that push-ups are only done at home. But, nevertheless, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the question of whether it is possible to pump up the chest with push-ups should be understood as the question: “Is it possible to pump up the chest with push-ups at home?”

Therefore, let's look at what features home workouts have, and whether they can help us achieve our goal.

By and large, if you don’t go into too much detail, then for muscle growth we need to provide two conditions: 1) create a sufficient training load, 2) ensure a constant progression of the load.

In fact, there are many subtleties. You need to provide yourself with adequate nutrition, recovery, choose the right training program, etc., but these two conditions largely create differences between home training and training in the gym.

Home training is different in that it is extremely difficult to ensure that these two conditions are met. That is, it is difficult to create the necessary load, and it is difficult to constantly increase it. Let's take a closer look at why this is so.

If you were working out in the gym, you could take a barbell, hang the required number of weights on it, and thereby create the required load on the pectoral muscles. Then, as your strength increases (that is, your fitness level increases), you can add weight to the bar, thereby creating a new level of load that will cause new muscle adaptations. This will lead to muscle growth.

Now let's imagine that you are just doing push-ups at home. If you do push-ups with your own weight, the load will always be the same. At first it may be enough, but sooner or later, it will become too small for you. And if you have a high level of training, then it may seem small to you from the very beginning.

In general, the rep range of 6-12 reps is best for muscle growth. At the same time, most people can easily do more push-ups. Some do it 20 times, some do it 30 times, and some do it all 50 times. Therefore, this type of load is not the best for muscle growth. This is a good way to keep your muscles toned, but you most likely won’t be able to achieve serious growth this way.

Not only will the load be insufficient, but you can also create its progression only by increasing the number of approaches and/or the number of push-ups in a set, which is not the optimal option in this case.

Of course, someone might say that you can put on a backpack and put some weights in it. But why reinvent the wheel if the equipped room already has everything you need?

Therefore, if you want to really pump up your chest, you need to consider, first of all, not home workouts, but full-fledged workouts in the gym. With this option, you can pump up not only your pectoral muscles, but also muscles throughout your body. Home workouts are not a viable alternative to gym workouts.

Training program for pumping up the pectoral muscles with push-ups

Okay, let's now say that you have read and understood everything written above, but despite everything, you still want to do push-ups at home. Let's say you have some good reasons for this. What should you do then? What is the correct way to deal with this?

We offer you the following training program. It's not to say it's the best in the world, but it will be pretty good and has the right training principles.

You need to train 2-3 times a week. More often it is not necessary. Less often is also not necessary. Strict adherence to the schedule is also not necessary. You can rest a little more one time, a little less another time, but make sure you fit in 2-3 workouts per week.

You can train at any time of the day, whatever is most convenient for you. If it’s more convenient in the morning, train in the morning. It’s more convenient in the evening - train in the evening. Do not exceed the recommended number of approaches. Regularity of training is more important than a large volume of training itself.

You need to perform three variations of push-ups that will sequentially load different parts of the pectoral muscles - top, middle and bottom.

The first exercise is on the top, since the top of the pectorals traditionally receives insufficient load, and often remains underdeveloped compared to the middle and bottom. In order to load the upper part of the pecs, you need to perform push-ups with your feet on an elevated platform (for example, on a sofa, chair, etc.) so that at the bottom of the amplitude your head and shoulder girdle are lower than your feet.

Your back and legs should be kept straight, without bending. Hands should be positioned wider than shoulder-width apart. During push-ups, your elbows should be spread to the sides, and not pressed against your body. This will transfer the load from the triceps to the pectoral muscles.

You need to perform 4 sets of 12 repetitions. Rest between sets – 1 minute. The pace of execution is average (not too fast). If you follow all these recommendations, then even without additional load the exercise may be quite difficult for you.

If you feel that you cannot complete all 12 repetitions in each approach, then do as many as you can. This will be a good sign, since we are trying to make the job more difficult, not easier, and your fatigue will indicate that we managed to do this.

Before moving on to the second exercise of the complex, you also need to rest for 1 minute.

The second exercise is classic push-ups. Feet on the floor. The rest of the recommendations are similar to the first exercise: hands wider than shoulders, elbows to the sides, 4 sets of 12 repetitions, average pace, rest - 1 minute. Classic push-ups will put stress on the middle part of the pectoral muscles.

The rest time before the third exercise is the same - 1 minute.

The third exercise is “reverse push-ups”. Starting position - you sit on the floor, legs straight, arms resting on the sofa or chair behind you. Rise by straightening your arms, and “sit down” again. It is advisable to use the muscle sense to create force with the lower pectoral muscles, and not with the triceps. It may not work (not right away), but it's worth a try.

Plan: 4 sets of 12 reps. The pace is average. Rest between sets – 1 minute. If the exercise seems too easy for you, try placing your feet not on the floor, but on an elevated platform so that you can lower yourself deeper.

This simple set of three exercises will allow you to fully realize the potential of home workouts. But when you feel that the complex has become too simple for you, think about starting to visit the gym.

For full-fledged classes in the gym, you will need to prepare a suitable one for yourself.

You can fully train your pectoral muscles not only in the gym, but also at home. In this article we will figure out how to pump up your pectoral muscles at home and what intricacies of training you will have to deal with during classes.

Tips for training at home

The pectoral muscles are a rather “stubborn” muscle group from a developmental point of view. It often takes several months to achieve visible changes. Apply the following principles to your training process to achieve your desired results faster:

Any workout begins with a warm-up. This is a prerequisite for long-term progress and effective injury prevention.
To see how your body changes, adhere to the principle of progression of loads. In other words, in each workout you should do a little more than the previous one.
The pectoral muscles love variety. You will make progress faster if you regularly modify the load: add new exercises, swap them, alternate working with weights and with your own weight, etc.
It is important not only to contract the working muscles, but also to stretch them, so pay special attention to the negative phase of the amplitude in each exercise. “Deep” push-ups on dumbbells are a great way to feel the tension in your pectoral muscles.
Don't stop working with your own weight. Buy a pair of collapsible dumbbells specifically for home workouts, so you will progress much faster.
Follow the correct breathing technique - this is the basis for performing any pressing exercises for the pectoral muscles at home. In all types of push-ups, inhale when lowering while lying down, and exhale when lifting. In the dumbbell press, you exhale as you lift the dumbbells up.
Focus not on the number of repetitions or heavy working weights, but on the feeling of the pectoral muscles working. If we pump the pectoral muscles at home, then a burning sensation in them will be the main indicator of proper functioning.
Use static dynamics from time to time when performing any type of push-ups. The pectoral muscles respond well to this technique.

The best exercises for chest muscles at home

The main basic chest exercise performed with your own weight is push-ups. It is around them that we will build the entire home training process. Let's look at the most common variations of this exercise.

This exercise is often called the “reverse bench press” - the biomechanics of the movements are almost identical, so they will be basic as part of home training. Use the maximum possible amplitude: at the lowest point between your body and the floor there should be no more than 5 cm. If your physical fitness for this exercise is not yet enough, first perform push-ups from your knees - this way you will strengthen the muscle frame and prepare the joint-ligamentous apparatus for more serious work.

This is an alternative to the close grip bench press. The narrower you place your hands, the more the inner part of the pectoral muscles will be involved in the work. The triceps and anterior deltoid muscles are also actively involved in the movement.

This exercise is almost similar to dips. Vary the load between the lower chest and triceps using the position of your elbows. By placing your legs at the same level as your body, you will increase the load on your pectoral muscles. Girls and beginners are recommended to leave their feet on the floor, this will make it easier to get used to the biomechanics of movement.

is an explosive movement that uses all the fibers in the pectoral muscles. The most common variation is clap push-ups. Excellent for developing explosive power and strengthening the entire shoulder girdle. More complex variations: with two claps, with a clap behind the back, “Superman” push-ups, etc.

"Deep" push-ups

For this exercise you will need a pair of dumbbells (the weight is not important) or a small elevation. The amplitude is longer than in classic push-ups, so you stretch the muscles more strongly at the bottom. The result is new stress and more incentives to grow. This technique is also great for upside down push-ups.

If you have special sports equipment at home, you can do more strength work. This will create even more prerequisites for muscle growth.

This is the only strength exercise for pumping up the pectoral muscles at home, which does not require a special bench or other equipment. It involves mainly the outer parts of the chest. A combined version of this exercise is possible: bench press + fly. To do this, you need to spread your arms further to the sides and bend your elbows less. It is possible to perform this exercise using two weights. To shift the load to the inner pectoral muscles, place the dumbbells parallel and close to each other and lower them closer to the solar plexus.

This exercise perfectly forms the “collar” - the middle of the upper part of the pectoral muscles. It does not require a lot of weight; it is much more important to feel the work of the pectoral muscles, and not the serratus or latissimus dorsi muscles. To create the correct angle of inclination of the body, an ordinary chair or stool will be enough.

Also, the pectoral muscles work indirectly when performing some abdominal exercises, for example, when rolling on a roller, running in a prone position, or lifting from a plank. To further strengthen your core, we recommend performing one of these exercises at the end of each at-home chest workout.

Training program for the pectoral muscles at home

If you want to make a small specialization in developing the pectoral muscles, we recommend doing two workouts per week. Follow the diagrams below to get started, and as you gain experience, tailor your workouts to suit your priorities.

And one more program:

With the help of these two complexes, you can pump up your pectoral muscles at home in a couple of months. The rest time between sets is 45-60 seconds. During breaks, it would be a good idea to stretch the pectoral muscles a little, this will improve blood flow to them.

Ways to progress loads

If you want to see improvements in your fitness day after day, you must increase the volume and intensity of your training with each workout.

There are several ways to do this:

Reduce rest time between sets. For example, from 1 minute to 30 seconds.
Increase the number of working sets and repetitions.
Use additional weights (place a plate on your back while performing push-ups) or increase the working weights in dumbbell exercises.
Use combination approaches (supersets, drop sets, giant sets, etc.). For example, you can do one set for the upper and lower chest at a time.
Increase the number of exercises performed during training.
Apply the rest-pause principle (after reaching failure, rest 5-10 seconds and do a few more final reps).
Work your slow-twitch muscle fibers harder. They respond well to the static-dynamic style of performing exercises. This will make the entire shoulder girdle stronger.

Recommendations will help you progress faster. However, remember that if your training is too intense, and at the same time you cannot create all the conditions for fast and complete recovery, there is a high probability of developing overtraining and stagnation.

There is a widespread belief that training certain muscle groups is impossible without specific sports equipment, which is found exclusively in specialized establishments such as a fitness center.

However, all this fully applies to professional athletes who work on special programs with heavy weights. But if you just want to have a beautiful, toned, harmoniously developed body or cannot, for one reason or another, train in the gym, training at home is a good solution to achieve a visible effect.

The pectoral muscles are divided into 3 groups - major, minor and serratus anterior. In addition, there is a classification by departments. According to it, there are 3 of them in total - upper, middle and lower. And if the average is worked out in almost any exercise, then others must be trained with emphasis, otherwise there will be no results. The so-called inner part of the chest stands apart. It also requires special training.

Note that exercises for working out the pectoral muscles help reduce the volume of adipose tissue due to the high energy consumption during their implementation, which has a beneficial effect on the entire body as a whole.

Home workouts

Many people are desperate for free time. Someone has a difficult schedule or work itself. There are those who, due to their character, cannot bring themselves to be in a large group of strangers. Perhaps your budget does not allow you to spend money on a gym. In all these cases, it is better to practice at home. Yes, the effect of training will not appear quickly. Yes, it is impossible to develop muscle definition to the level inherent in bodybuilders at home. But it’s still better to have a fit, athletic physique than nothing at all, isn’t it?

Below we will describe in detail the process of how to pump up the pectoral muscles at home, but first I would like to remind you that you must have motivation, otherwise you will not be able to achieve serious success.

Training mode

First, let's deal with such an important issue as the training schedule. The most important rule is that you cannot train every day. This way you will only exhaust yourself, because during training the muscles are heavily loaded, and this inevitably leads to microtraumas. By exercising daily, you will not give your muscles rest (and they grow just during it), microtraumas will accumulate and one day turn into a full-fledged injury.

It is likely that after your first workout you will experience pain. It is important not to practice until they disappear. So it's better to train twice a week. For beginners, it is advisable to perform 1 or 2 exercises in 2 or 3 approaches, then this number (meaning both exercises and approaches) should be increased.

Classic push-ups

An excellent alternative to the basic exercise bench press. This exercise also loads the pectoral muscles, arms, shoulder girdle and partially the lats and abs.

With due persistence and regular exercise, it is possible to pump up your chest at home with push-ups alone, although this will take a lot of time.

Narrow push-ups

The technique is similar to classic push-ups, but during this exercise the palms are not shoulder-width apart, but next to each other - so that the thumbs touch. When lowering to the lower position, you need to touch your chest with your palms, then pause for 1 second, and only then return to the starting position (IP). The exercise is aimed mainly at training the inner chest.

Push-ups on stools

To perform this exercise, you will need 2 strong, stable stools, preferably with a hard, non-slip top. They are placed at the width of your shoulders, and then you take the IP like a regular push-up, the only difference being that your palms are on the stools and your feet are on the headboard (or anywhere else; the main thing is that your feet should be located above the shoulder line). Hands should be placed slightly wider than shoulders.

You need to go as low as possible, and the optimal number of approaches is 3 or 4, with 10-12 repetitions. Over time, we may feel that the exercise has become too simple, but the number of repetitions and/or reps should not be increased. Better use weights; in particular, a backpack filled to capacity with books is perfect for this purpose.

Forward Bend Push-Ups

It is the same as the exercise described above, only performed without stools. The legs should again be above the shoulder line, they should be placed on some level and stable piece of furniture. Because of this position of the legs, the main load falls not on the middle, but on the upper part of the chest muscles. In addition, the triceps and deltoid muscles are actively involved in the work.

Dumbbell floor press

If you don't have dumbbells, you should definitely get them, as this exercise is a great way to work your chest muscles. If we talk about the gym, then there it is performed on a bench; at home you will train on the floor.

Starting position: take dumbbells and lie on the floor, legs should be bent at the knees. Then stretch your arms upward with the dumbbells held in them and smoothly lower them to the sides until your elbows touch the floor (as you inhale). Next, wait 1-2 seconds. and return to IP (as you exhale). It is important to follow 2 rules: keep your elbows apart so that the pectoral muscles are fully loaded, and when lowering your arms, you must not allow your elbows to hit the floor.

Complex

Also suitable for pumping up the pectoral muscles at home are exercises such as lying hands with dumbbells, pullovers and reverse push-ups. If finances allow, buy a folding athletic bench. It will not take up much space when stored, but will greatly increase the efficiency of the dumbbell press.

Program for pumping the pectoral muscles at home

Wide grip push-ups 3 sets of 30 reps
Close grip push-ups 3 sets of 20 reps
Dumbbell floor press 3 sets of 15 reps
Lying dumbbell curls 3 sets of 15 reps
Pullover 3 sets of 20 reps

You can pump up your chest muscles without leaving the TV. If you follow the recommended number of repetitions, accurately perform the techniques, and exercise regimen, it is not difficult to achieve excellent results.

4 versions of chest push-ups

The exercises work the chest, triceps muscles of the arms, abdominals, back, and help build strength. Do them at home so that the pectoral muscle workout for men is the most complete and brings positive results in the form of enlarged pectoral muscles.

Below we describe how you can pump up your breasts using different types.

No. 1. Basic option:

We perform a stand with emphasis on straight arms and toes.
The head, pelvis, and spine form a straight line. The stomach is tense.
Bend your elbows and slowly lower yourself down.
Using our hands, we raise the body to the starting position, at “1, 2, 3” we tense the chest muscles, and lower ourselves again.

Exercise No. 2. The load depends on the position of the hands. If in the classic pose the hands are shoulder-width apart, in the variant with a narrow push-up fingers touch.

As we lower our body while exhaling, we touch them with our chest.
We stay static for 2 seconds and rise.

Exercise No. 3. Incline push-ups pump up the anterior muscle. The goal is to raise your legs higher than your body.

Hands are placed on the floor, legs are placed on a support.
From the starting position we lower ourselves down, hold in the position for 3 seconds, and return back.

Exercise No. 4. From a stand on straight legs, we drop to our knees. We perform classic push-ups.

Lying down, as in a classic push-up
Instead of toes, we kneel
We lower ourselves by bending our elbows and rise to the starting position

Number of repetitions the same for all options - from 12 times for 4 sets.

Read also, training other muscles:

How pump up your shoulders to a man at home, written
Exercises at home for legs, article available
Complete full body workout
How to do press your dreams by doing simple exercises,
Training program for a week for men, available

Exercises with available equipment

To thoroughly pump up the serratus and minor muscles, place 2 stacks of 8 medium-thick books under both hands and perform push ups How on stops.

Slowly lower the body, hover above the floor for a few seconds, and return to the starting position.
During the process, we feel a deep stretch of the thoracic region (10 times in 4 sets).

We train the deltoid and pectoral muscles.

We place 2 chairs with their backs at a distance of about 50 cm.
Leaning on our backs, we stand upright while lying down. If your biceps are strong, the task can be made more difficult. Instead of lower support, we place our legs on the sofa.
With bent elbows, we try to go as low as possible to the floor.
At the bottom point, pause for 3 seconds and return to the starting position (7 repetitions of 3 sets).

Sliding hands strengthens the thoracic region.

We throw 2 towels on the floor.
We stand in a basic stance, placing our palms on the canvas.
We move and move them apart (12 times, 3 approaches).

We take dumbbells

We perform exercises with dumbbells for the pectoral muscles

We lie down on our backs.
As you exhale, raise your arms with weights above your head, palms forward.
As you inhale, gently place your elbows on the floor.
To maximally work the serratus, anterior, and minor muscles, when lowering your arms, spread your elbows wider (13 times, 2 sets).

We change tactics.

We spread our arms to the sides, connecting the dumbbells in the center of the chest.
We don’t touch the floor with our elbows. Repeat 15 times in 4 approaches.

Weight depends on preparation. First, we take a load of 2 kg. We increase the load as we get used to it - after about 10 days. Strength exercises are always performed after warming up. If there is discomfort or insufficient tension, the number of repetitions and weight are adjusted according to sensations.

At the end we perform isometric training.

We sit down on the sofa.
With straight elbows, we connect the hands into a pyramid at the level of the heart.
Squeeze your palms with all your might for about 1 minute.
Rest for 30 seconds, repeat 3 more times.

The most effective chest training requires the presence of sports equipment: benches, barbells, dumbbells and various exercise machines. All this is a must have in every gym. Those who for some reason do not have the opportunity to visit the gym will be interested in learning how to pump up their pectoral muscles at home.

The pectoral (pectoral) muscles consist of the following symmetrical groups, each of which includes:

The major and minor muscles provide adduction and flexion of the arms at the shoulder joint, as well as partial rotation of the arms inward. The chest is conventionally divided into upper, middle and lower sections. They also highlight the internal part, which can be pumped separately. The middle part works actively during any exercise, and the lower and especially the upper parts require accentuated load. Chest training is very energy intensive, so it can be used to burn excess fat tissue.

A busy work schedule, business trips, inconvenient location of the gym, reluctance to work out in a group and a number of other arguments may become reasons not to visit the gym, but should not become reasons to give up a beautiful and strong figure. You can practice at home with no less success. What is more important is not the place of training, but the diligence and determination of the athlete.

Training mode

To the question of how many times a week you need to pump up your pectoral muscles, the answer is simple: you can’t train every day. Any strength exercises on the chest performed every day can harm a beautiful figure. During training, muscles actively work and receive many microtraumas, after which time is needed to restore muscle fibers and produce protein, which will form new muscle mass. Systematic overload of the pectoral muscles will not give good results.

If the muscles continue to be very sore, training should be postponed until the discomfort stops. That is why the optimal amount is one or two workouts per week. The total number of approaches for all chest exercises should be from 4 to 8. For beginners, one or two exercises of 2-3 approaches will be enough.

Pushups

It is quite enough to do push-ups regularly to pump up your pectoral muscles. Essentially, this is a variation of the bench press and here it is also possible to shift the load to the upper or lower chest by changing the angle of the body. It's no secret that Push-ups are an excellent general development exercise.. Not only the pectoral muscles are worked, but also the deltoids and triceps muscles of the arms, ensuring proportional development of the upper body. Additionally, the abdominal muscles contract, and in a static position the muscles of the legs and back are activated.

You can limit yourself to just push-ups if you want to pump up your chest at home, but there is no desire or time to do other exercises. The effect, although small, will still be felt after just a few weeks of regular training.

Narrow push-ups

Close-grip push-ups can be used to develop strength and work the inner chest. The starting position in this case is the same as for regular push-ups, but you need to place your hands in such a way that the fingers of one hand slightly touch the fingers of the other. When performing, you need to lower yourself until your chest touches your hands, and before moving up, take a second pause.

Push-ups on stools

A more effective way to pump up your pectoral muscles with push-ups is as follows. You need to place 2 stools approximately shoulder width apart. Take the starting position, as when doing push-ups, only place your hands on stools and your feet on another elevation, for example, a sofa or chair. Place your palms slightly wider than your shoulders.

Going as low as possible between the stools, perform 3-4 sets of 10-12 push-ups. Breaks between approaches should be approximately 2-3 minutes. If the exercise is too easy, do not increase the number of repetitions; it is better to use additional weights. For this you can use, for example, a backpack with books.

Forward Bend Push-Ups

The essence of the exercise is to place your legs above the level of your head. To do this, focus on outstretched arms, placing them shoulder-width apart. Place your feet on a stool, sofa or other accessible elevation. This exercise involves the upper chest, as well as triceps and deltoids.

As for how to pump your chest correctly, when doing push-ups from the floor, try to spread your elbows to the sides to provide more load to the chest muscles and not to the triceps. This way, you can pump up your chest faster with push-ups.

As you inhale, slowly lower your arms until your elbows touch the floor.

After pausing, while exhaling, raise your arms with dumbbells to the starting position.

Try to spread your elbows to the sides to maximize the use of your pectoral muscles.
You should lower your arms slowly so as not to hit your elbows on the floor.

Finally, I would like to note that the right decision would be to purchase a folding athletic bench. This will allow you to perform isolated exercises with dumbbells and will help you pump up your chest more effectively at home. You can even buy such a bench in an online store.