Not everybody can afford a gym membership, and even if you can, there are those days where you just don't have time to pack up your duffel bag and trek across town to get there. So, if you're driven to get a serious chest workout in and you don't have a bench handy, there are still plenty of ways to accomplish your goals.
Remember legendary NFL running back Herschel Walker? He was as ripped as anybody could ever hope to be, and he got that perfectly proportioned and muscular body from doing a push-up routine every day since high school.
All you need to get a serious chest workout is a little bit of creativity and a lot of desire. Here's how to get started.
The Basic Push-up
In the military, they have a saying when it's time to do your push-ups: ON YOUR FACE!
The basic push-up is just what it sounds like. But there are proper push-ups and improper push-ups. If you do the exercise properly, you will build muscle mass and increase stamina for the pectoral muscle group. If you don't, you will not see the results you want.
The key to a perfect push-up is to keep a straight back throughout. Maintain good posture and slowly descend until your chest hits the ground with arms shoulder width apart. Push-up, and exhale while you do. Repeat as often as you can, rest, then try again. Five sets is a great place to start.
The Decline Push-up
The Decline push-up gives emphasis to the upper pectorals and is a more difficult exercise than the basic push-up. You do it by placing your feet on a table or bench, so that your body is at a 45-degree angle with the ground. The steeper the angle, the harder the exercise, so experiment with this. Be sure to maintain a slow and steady pace in both directions, and exhale as you push up.
Try placing your feet on an exercise ball to add an element of instability to the mix. This will help fire your core muscles as well.
Dumbell Flys
If you have a set of dumbbells you can expand your homegrown chest workout. Lie on your back on the floor and hold the dumbbells directly above your chest so that they are touching together lengthwise. Bring the weights apart over a two count until your outer arms are parallel with the ground, then exhale as you bring them back together. Choose a weight that you can do 4 sets of 10 with.
As you get more advanced, you can try doing these with your back on an exercise ball for an expanded range of motion for the muscle.
Frequency
Leave one to two days between chest workouts to allow time for the muscles to repair themselves and grow.
Goals
Once a week, try a max set of push-ups. See how many proper push-ups you can do in two minutes. If you are pushing yourself as hard as you can, your numbers will improve in no time.
And you will have saved yourself that trip to the gym!
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