Pushups are an effective resistance exercise to build your chest muscles. They require no equipment and use your own body weight to provide resistance. There are several variations of the pushup. You can build a different section of your chest depending on which variation of pushup you perform. To build your chest muscles evenly, you should perform regular workouts involving as many variations of pushups as possible. As with any resistance exercise, you should do pushups every other day to give your chest muscles time to recover between workouts.
Step 1
Place your hands on the floor directly under your shoulders and extend your arms straight out from your chest. With a flat back and your body horizontal to the floor, put your feet together and elevate yourself on your toes. This is the basic pushup starting position.
Step 2
Bend your elbows slowly while keeping your back flat to lower yourself toward the floor. Stop a couple of inches above the floor and begin to straighten your elbows to lift yourself back to the starting position. You have completed one repetition of a basic pushup.
Step 3
Repeat the basic pushup 10 to 15 times for one set. The basic pushup works the lower section of your pectoral muscles and also your biceps and triceps.
Step 4
Add sets of incline pushups to build the upper section of your pectoral muscles. Instead of placing your body horizontal to the floor, elevate your feet on an aerobic step platform or other solid object that will not move as you perform the pushup motions. The exercise becomes more difficult the higher you elevate your feet.
Step 5
Work the outer pectoral chest muscles with sets of pushups performed between platforms. Place two aerobic step platforms or other sturdy objects under each hand and one under your feet. The three platforms should be the same height. As you perform the pushup motion, dip your chest between the platforms where you have placed your hands to stretch out the chest muscles.
Step 6
Alternate sets of each type of pushup in your workout. Do three to five sets of each type with 10 to 15 repetitions during each set.
Tips and Warnings
- Always exhale on the part of any exercise that expends the most energy. For pushups, this is the upward motion. Inhale while lowering yourself and exhale while raising yourself. Keep your back flat during each pushup. Squeeze the gluteus muscles to help keep your back flat. If there is pain in your wrists, move your hands forward to straighten them slightly. This should alleviate the pain. If it does not, stop doing pushups and consult your doctor. If you are not strong enough to do a full basic pushup, try knee pushups. Start with your knees on the floor instead of your toes. Bend your knees to raise your feet off the floor and keep them raised throughout the pushup motion. As you increase strength with knee pushups you will be able to move on to full basic pushup position. A variation on pushups is using a large exercise ball to elevate your legs. Lie on the ball on your stomach and roll yourself forward with your hands until the ball supports your thighs, knees, shins or ankles. The lower on your leg the ball is, the more strength is required to do a pushup. Combine your chest-building workouts with proper diet and additional exercises to build your chest and general health.
- Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise or diet plan.
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