Doing push ups is one of the most effective bodyweight exercises for building upper body strength. With proper form, push ups primarily work the chest muscles while also engaging the shoulders, triceps, and core. Read on to learn the benefits of push ups, proper push up form, common mistakes to avoid, and push up variations to target your chest.
The best way to target your chest muscles with push ups is to maintain proper form with hands shoulder-width apart, keep your elbows tucked close to your sides, go low enough to create a 90-degree angle with your elbows, and keep your body in a straight line.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Push Ups for Your Chest
Push ups are one of the best chest exercises because they activate multiple muscle groups at once. Benefits of doing push ups regularly include:
- Strengthens chest muscles including pectoralis major and minor. This improves the shape and size of your chest.
- Works the front deltoids and triceps as secondary movers. This leads to well-rounded upper body development.
- Engages core stabilizer muscles including abdominals and obliques. This enhances core strength.
- Can be done anywhere without equipment. Push ups are a convenient exercise.
- Burn calories and boost metabolism. Push ups elevate your heart rate for fat burning.
- Improve shoulder and elbow joint stability and mobility when done with proper form.
- Easy to modify into many variations to change difficulty and emphasis. Progress can be made over time.
Proper Push Up Form to Target the Chest
Proper push up form is essential for maximizing chest activation while minimizing strain on the joints. Follow these push up tips:
Hand Positioning
- Place hands shoulder-width apart or slightly wider to recruit more chest muscles.
- Position hands directly under your shoulders. Do not allow hands to flare out wider.
- Spread fingers wide and distribute weight evenly through each hand.
- Rotate hands outward 45 degrees to reduce wrist strain. Thumbs should point forward.
Arm Positioning
- Keep elbows tucked in close to your sides as you lower down. Flaring elbows out can strain shoulders.
- Maintain a slight anterior tilt of your pelvis to keep your elbows pointing backward behind you throughout the push up.
- Focus on allowing elbows to bend straight back behind you rather than out to the sides. Keep upper arms close to your side ribs.
Torso Positioning
- Maintain a straight line from head to heels by engaging your core. Do not arch lower back or sag hips.
- Brace abdominals to keep your body rigid while performing the push up. Do not allow hips to sag toward the floor.
- You can elevate your feet on a box to make push ups easier. Just maintain a straight line with your body.
Range of Motion
- Lower yourself until your elbows bend to around 90 degrees. This allows your chest muscles to contract through their fullest range.
- Descend in a controlled manner taking around 2 seconds to lower down. Do not let gravity drop you suddenly.
- Press back up to the start position by fully extending your elbows while keeping them close to your body.
Common Push Up Mistakes to Avoid
Many push up mistakes can limit chest activation or lead to undue joint strain over time. Be aware of these common form errors:
Flaring Elbows Out
Letting your elbows flare out to the sides puts more strain on the shoulder joints and engages more triceps. Keep elbows fixed close to your side ribs.
Sagging Hips
Allowing your hips to droop toward the floor reduces engagement of your chest muscles and can strain the lower back. Maintain a rigid torso.
Head Drooping
Drooping your chin down toward the floor can strain the neck over time. Pick a spot on the floor about 6 inches in front of your hands to look at.
Arching Lower Back
An overarched lower back shifts emphasis to the shoulders rather than the chest muscles. Maintain a neutral spine.
Uneven Hand Placement
If one hand is positioned further forward, it bears more weight which can strain the wrists over time. Spread weight evenly between hands.
Partial Range of Motion
Not lowering all the way down eliminates the deep chest contraction at the bottom. Descend until your elbows are at 90 degrees.
Push Up Variations to Target Your Chest
There are many ways to modify push ups to alter emphasis and difficulty level. Try these variations:
Standard Push Ups
The traditional push with hands positioned slightly wider than shoulder-width apart represents the ideal all-around option. Great chest activation with minimal joint strain.
Close Grip Push Ups
Placing your hands together in a close grip position increases triceps and pectoralis minor engagement. Decreases range of motion.
Wide Push Ups
Positioning your hands beyond shoulder-width apart recruits more pectoralis major chest fibers. This emphasizes the outer chest muscles.
Elevated Push Ups
Placing your hands on a stable box or step increases the overall chest activation. The higher the surface, the greater the resistance.
Diamond Push Ups
Forming a diamond shape with your two thumbs and index fingers increases triceps work while challenging shoulder stability and core strength.
Decline Push Ups
Elevate your feet on a box while keeping your hands on the floor. This allows for a greater range of motion and increased chest activation.
One Arm Push Ups
Performing a push up while balancing on one hand increases core, shoulder, and arm demands. Provides a greater challenge.
Work Up to Being Able to Do 100 Push Ups
For most people new to strength training, performing 100 full push ups in one set with proper form may seem like an impossible feat. But with consistent practice, it is an achievable goal over time. Here are some tips for being able to work up to 100 consecutive push ups:
- Start with an amount you can complete with proper form, such as 5-10 reps. Do 2-3 sets.
- Gradually increase your total reps each workout by 2-5 reps. Add sets or reduc rest time to progress.
- Work towards being able to complete 20-30 reps per set before trying to do more reps in one set.
- Practice push up intensity techniques like supersets, drop sets, and rest-pause training.
- Build your chest, arm, and shoulder strength with bench presses, dumbbell presses, dips, and shoulder presses.
- Work on losing excess body fat if needed since extra weight makes push ups harder.
- Consume sufficient protein daily to support muscle growth and recovery. Shoot for 0.5-1g per pound of body weight.
- Let yourself recover fully between intense push up workouts. Follow hard sessions with easier ones.
- Be patient and stick with it. Getting to 100 push ups takes consistent work over months. Stay motivated!
With dedication and drive, you can develop the strength necessary to perform the centennial push up milestone. Just be sure to use proper form to avoid injury.
Perfect Your Push Up Technique
Having proper push up technique is important not just for targeting your chest muscles effectively, but also for protecting your joints and preventing injury. Many common mistakes stem from lack of awareness of technique. Follow these best practices:
First, set up in the top plank position correctly before lowering down. Your hands should be positioned directly under your shoulders with fingers spread wide. Rotate your hands outward 45 degrees. Place your feet together and engage your core to maintain a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Do not sag or arch your lower back.
Next, as you lower yourself, lead with your chest as you bend your elbows. Focus on keeping your elbows pointed straight back and fixed close to your sides as you descend. Do not allow elbows to flare out to the sides. Keep upper arms near your side ribs at all times.
Lower down until you reach the bottom position where your elbows form 90 degree angles. Pause briefly then press back up to the start by fully straightening your elbows while keeping them close to your body. Do not lock out your elbows harshly at the top.
Throughout the push up, make sure to keep your head and neck in a neutral position. Do not crane your neck up or let your head droop down. Pick a point on the floor about 6 inches in front of your hands to look at. Maintain this gaze throughout the set.
For maximum chest activation, keep your shoulder blades retracted and down throughout the push up. Do not allow your shoulders to wing up or protract out as you lower and lift yourself. Keep shoulders squared and stabilized.
Move slowly and with control on both the lowering and lifting phases. Take about 2 seconds to descend and 2 seconds to press yourself back up. Do not use momentum or let gravity drop you down quickly.
Proper push up form takes practice, cues, and concentration. Have a trainer observe your form or record yourself on video from a side angle. The more you focus on technique, the more natural it will feel over time.
What to Do If You Can’t Complete a Full Push Up
Many beginners struggle to perform a proper full push up with their hands on the floor. This could be due to inadequate upper body and core strength. Do not get discouraged! There are steps you can take to build strength until you have the capability to do full push ups:
- Start with wall push ups. Stand facing a wall with your hands placed shoulder-width apart. Lean in and perform the push up motion against the wall. This allows you to practice the technique with an easier load.
- Progress to inclined push ups at a counter or table. As your strength increases, place your hands on a surface increasingly lower to the ground to increase resistance while still using your legs for support.
- Move on to knee push ups with your knees on the floor rather than your toes. Having your knees down lowers the amount of body weight you have to lift while building initial strength.
- Attempt full floor push ups. You may only be able to do a couple repetitions at first. That’s ok! Simply lower yourself to your knees to finish the set if you need to stop halfway up.
- Use assisted push ups to build strength as needed. Have a friend hold their hand against your back to help bear some weight as you complete the push up motion.
- Strengthen your chest, arms and shoulders with bench presses, shoulder presses and tricep extensions using dumbbells, machines or resistance bands.
With consistent push up practice and supporting strength training for your upper body, you will build enough muscle to complete proper push ups in time. Be patient with yourself and celebrate small wins!
Push Up Bars for Joint Comfort and Extra Range of Motion
Push up bars are devices you grip in each hand that elevate your body higher off the floor during push ups. This shifts the position of your shoulders and wrists to provide some key potential benefits:
First, push up bars allow for a greater range of motion on the push up. Because your body starts in a higher position, you can bend your elbows further on the descent for increased chest muscle contraction.
- Push up bars also encourage proper shoulder positioning, facilitating a rearward shoulder rotation to keep your upper arm bones centered in their sockets during the push up.
- The neutral grip of push up bars may also place less strain on some people’s wrists compared to a traditional push up position. The bars let your wrists stay straighter.
- By gripping the bars, you take pressure off your hands and fingers, which may allow you to perform higher reps with less strain on the smaller muscles.
- Push up bars force you to engage your core and hip stabilizers more to keep your body straight. This enhances the exercise for your midsection.
- The elevated starting position leads to greater forward torso lean. This increased chest engagement enhances the muscle stimulation you receive.
Be sure to set up push up bars on a sturdy, stable surface. Adjust hand placement inward or outward on the bars as needed to find the most comfortable position. Start with body weight push ups before adding extra loading.
While not essential, push up bars can provide some advantages for maximizing chest activation with push ups while reducing strain on the wrists and hands. They add variety!
Building Your Push Up Volume and Endurance
Once you can complete proper push ups, a common goal is increasing how many reps you can perform in one set. Here are some tips for safely building your push up volume and muscular endurance over time:
- Start by doing as many push ups in good form as you can in one set. Make sure your technique remains consistent. Record your max reps completed.
- Once you reach a volume you can complete for 1-2 sets, increase total reps each workout by just 2-5 as long as you maintain perfect form. Move slowly.
- Take short 15-30 second breaks during a set as needed when fatigue hits. Then complete a few more reps before taking another quick break. Build volume this way.
- Set a weekly or monthly goal for your max reps completed, like an extra 10-20 reps. Review your progress to stay motivated.
- Do push up pyramids by gradually increasing then decreasing reps each set (ex: 5, 10, 15, 20, 15, 10, 5). This adds volume through smart programming.
- Include intensity boosting techniques like supersets, drop sets, and rest pause sets to spur further muscular gains.
- Support your push ups with chest focused strength exercises like dumbbell presses along with eating enough protein daily. Be patient and keep it up!
Training to increase your max consecutive push up reps challenges your muscles in new ways. But be sure to avoid compromising proper form. Take sufficient rest between intense sessions. Building substantial push up volume represents an impressive feat requiring dedication over time. You can do it!
Conclusion
Doing push ups is one of the most effective ways to build a stronger and more sculpted chest. Pay close attention to proper push up form with hands shoulder-width apart, elbows tucked close to your sides, and body in a straight line. Lower down to 90 degrees while bracing your core for maximal chest recruitment. Avoid common mistakes like flared elbows, sagging hips, partial reps, and uneven hand placement. Include variations like close grip, incline, and decline push ups. With consistent practice and gradual progression, you can work up to the impressive goal of 100 push ups. Push ups are a convenient exercise you can do anywhere to target your chest!
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I do push ups to build my chest?
Aim to do push ups about 3 times per week, allowing at least a day of rest in between sessions to allow your chest muscles to recover and grow.
Should I do push ups before or after lifting weights?
Either order can work. Do push ups after weights if you want maximum strength for the exercise. Do them before weights to pre-fatigue the chest muscles.
What muscles do push ups work?
Push ups work the chest muscles most, including the pectoralis major and minor. They also engage the front shoulders (anterior deltoid), triceps, and core stabilizers.
Can push ups build muscle?
Yes, when done consistently with proper form and progressively increased difficulty, push ups can stimulate muscle growth in the chest, shoulders, and arms. Use variations to keep challenging muscles.
How low should I go when doing a push up?
Lower yourself until your elbows bend to around 90 degrees to allow your chest muscles to contract through their fullest range. Descend slowly.
How do I fix my push up form?
Common fixes include keeping your elbows tucked close to your sides, maintaining a straight line with your body rather than sagging, and placing your hands directly under your shoulders for even weight distribution.
What can I do if I can’t do a single push up?
Start with wall push ups, then graduate to incline push ups with your hands elevated on a box. Do knee push ups on your knees. Build strength until you can do full floor push ups.
Can push ups help with gynecomastia?
Building muscle with exercises like push ups may help improve the appearance of gynecomastia over time. Talk to your doctor about other potential treatment options too.
How many push ups should a woman do?
A good goal for many women is working up to 20-30 good form push ups in one set. Going higher is possible with consistent training. Do what feels comfortable and challenging.
How long does it take to see results from doing push ups?
You may see some increased definition after a few sessions, but building noticeable muscle size and strength from push ups takes 6-8 weeks of consistent workouts. Be patient and trust the process.
