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Can You Get Big Pecs From Push-Ups?

Jun 16, 2011 | By Ryan Matthews
Can You Get Big Pecs From Push-Ups?
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You can get a bigger pectoral muscles by using a classic strengthening exercise, the pushup. Not only do pushups help you develop your chest, but they strengthen and build the muscles in your arms and shoulders. You must also target your pecs from different angles using different styles of pushups to ensure you get full chest development.

Classic Pushup

Regular pushups activate both the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles relatively equally. The starting position is with your hands flat on the ground about shoulder-width apart and you legs extended with your feet together. Classic pushups are performed by raising and lowering your chest toward the floor by bending at your elbows. If you have any spare books or weight plates, you can place them on your back to increase the resistance.

Incline Pushup

The incline pushup primarily targets the pectoralis minor. The initial position starts with your feet together on the floor with your hands placed on a chair or bench. Like traditional pushups, the goal is to raise and power your chest so that it touches the bench and then push back up. Incline pushups require you to wear a weighted vest so that resistance can be added to your upper body to make the exercise more difficult.

Decline Pushup

The final variation required for developing bigger pectorals with the pushup exercise is the decline pushup. This time, your hands are placed flat on the floor with your feet raised higher than your hands. You can do this by placing your feet on a block, step or bench. The higher your feet are, the more emphasis is placed on your pectoralis major and shoulder muscles. Elevation also impacts exercise difficulty. As you increase the height of your feet, the more difficult decline pushups become. Decline pushups can't be made more difficult by adding additional resistance.

Training

Of two primary methods for developing muscular hypertrophy, or growth, the first involves increasing the load, or amount of weight you lift per repetition. The disadvantage is that adding weight to pushups is difficult. The other method involves increasing the time your muscles spend under tension, according to research by Nur Mohamad appearing in the February 2011 "Strength and Conditioning Journal." Each repetition should take four seconds to get to the floor; hold the low position for two seconds, then push up slowly for four seconds. Going slowly greatly increases the demands on the muscles and can elicit muscular growth. A beginner's routine should consist of performing all three exercises for three sets each with 12 repetitions per set performed at the 4:2:4 tempo.

References

Article reviewed by Nicholas Roman Last updated on: Jun 16, 2011

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