The longhand, anatomical name for pecs is pectoralis. This chest muscle group has two parts, the pectoralis major and minor. When it comes to building the pecs, conventional weight training exercises such as bench presses and cable crossovers are commonly performed. Push-ups are body weight exercises that can also have an impact on your chest muscles, but this does come with certain considerations.
Identification
When you move your upper arm toward the center of your body or you move your shoulder forward, you activate your pecs. Push-ups cause these motions, so they will give you better pecs definition. They also work your deltoids and triceps. The delts are the muscles on the outside of the shoulders; the triceps are on the back of the upper arms. Because push-ups work more than one muscle at a time, they are known as compound, or multi-joint, exercises.
Different Angles
The basic push-up is performed with your feet and hands on the floor. This is beneficial, but it mainly targets the middle portion of the pecs. To fully maximize your workouts, perform push-ups with your body at different angles. Decline push-ups, for example, work your upper pecs and are performed with your feet elevated on a bench or chair. Incline push-ups target your lower chest and are performed with your hands on a bench or chair. Include all three types of push-ups in your workouts.
Features
Sloppy push-ups compromise your muscle gains and put you at risk of getting injured. Use a full range of motion and move in a controlled manner. For the basic push-up, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on the floor and position your feet together behind your body. Keeping your core tight, push yourself off the floor until your arms are fully extended. Maintain a straight line from your heels to your shoulders and lower yourself down slowly. Stop when your chest is right above the floor, push yourself back up and repeat. The American Council on Exercise recommends pushing through your heels and the outsides of your palms to increase force production. Follow these same points with all of your push-ups.
Size
The weight of your body is adequate for building your pecs, but you can also add resistance to your body. This makes you heavier and increases the work output from your muscles. Either wear a weight vest or have a training partner hold a weight plate on your back as you do push-ups.
Time Frame
The amount of work you do has to be taken into consideration when building your pecs. Even if you do push-ups with perfect form, you won't get good results if your workouts are sporadic. With each exercise, aim for 10 to 12 reps and do four or five sets. Train three days a week on alternating days.
Tips
Core strength is an important part of doing good push-ups. If you have weak core muscles, your hips sag and your progress is compromised. Spend some time doing core exercises such as back extensions, crunches, sit-ups and leg raises. Simply holding yourself in a plank position is also beneficial. This is the midpoint of a push-up right before you lower yourself down.
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