Do Pushups Make Your Arms & Chest Bigger?

The pushup is classic exercise and a staple of any strength-training routine. As well as serving as a benchmark against which to test your fitness, pushups, when performed properly, specifically work large muscle groups in the chest and arms, providing tremendous benefits in the size, strength, functionality and tone of your muscles.

Muscle Groups

Pushups directly target and strengthen both the pectoral muscles -- the group of muscles that make up the chest -- and the triceps. The pectorals are made up of both the pectoralis major and the pectoralis minor muscles, which serve to move the humerus across the chest and the shoulders forward. The triceps, attached to the humerus, serves to extend the elbow and brings the arm down toward the body. In addition to these chest and arm muscles, pushups also serve to strengthen and tighten the core.

Proper Pushup Form

The chest-and-arm-strengthening benefits of pushups only come if the pushup is executed with proper form. Indeed, an improperly performed pushup, in addition to failing to provide any muscular benefit, can even lead to injury. To perform a proper pushup, begin on your hands and feet with your eyes facing the floor. Place your hands apart slightly wider than shoulder-width and, keeping your back straight and your core tight, lower your chest toward the floor until your chin touches the ground. Hold this position for a moment before raising your chest back up.

Pushup Variations

You can increase and change the benefits the pushups provide by varying the type of pushups you perform. Perform an uneven pushup, which will target different areas of your chest, by staggering the elevation of your hands. Another variation on the standard pushup involves alternating the position of your hands between wider than shoulder-width and standard-width with each pushup. Decline pushups can be performed by assuming the form of a standard pushup, by placing your feet on an elevated surface, such as a chair, instead of the floor. Very fit individuals can even perform handstand pushups, which specifically target the shoulder muscles, by performing a handstand using a wall for support and lowering the head toward the ground.

Considerations

If you are suffering from any sort of back, shoulder, or arm injury, refrain from performing pushups. Similarly, if you experience any pain while performing pushups, do not try and push through. Individuals who have just embarked on a fitness routine may find even standard pushups difficult at first; however, even a pushup performed on the knees instead of the feet can increase strength and endurance, making standard pushups possible later. As perfect your pushup performance, you may find that pushups become easy, or that you're not seeing the gains that you once were. In this case, remember that the pushup is an infinitely scalable exercise, and you can can continue to benefit from them by trying more difficult variations or even adding a weight vest.