Many people think you building a nice chest has to be done in the gym but this is not true. If we program things correctly we can build the chest muscles from the comfort of the home. While it’s true that using equipment like a bench press can accelerate the process. It doesn’t mean that you can’t do it without bulky gym equipment.
Here’s our guide for an at home workout for chest
The push up
Push ups are a great choice if your goal is to build a better chest from home. The main muscles worked in the push up are the pectoralis major or the (pec muscles). The secondary muscles worked in the push up are the front deltoids followed by the triceps. The best way to do the push up for building the chest is to have the hands wider than shoulder-width apart. Placing the hands wide will emphasize the pec muscles over the front deltoids and triceps. The elbows should be at a 45-degree angle to take the pressure off of the shoulder joint. Make sure that your body goes all the way down until you’re about an inch from the ground before coming back up. Partial range of motion push-ups will work the front deltoids and triceps more than the chest. When doing the push up the rep range should be close to failure because you aren’t using weights to cause muscular fatigue. If you’d like to add resistance to the push up you can invest in a weighted vest or bands. Doing push-ups in a must for an at-home workout for the chest
The incline push up
The incline push-up is an important exercise for building the lower part of the chest. Everything that we talked about for the standard push up is the same. You’re hands placed on an elevated object such as a chair, stairs or weight bench. The incline push-up works the same muscles as the decline bench. You don’t have to worry about having a spotter or your neck being in a dangerous position if the bar slips. The incline push will feel easier than the standard push up so it should be done after the regular push up. If these become too easy consider using a weighted vest. This a great variation for an at-home workout for the chest.
The decline push up
If your goal is to get in a good chest workout from home without any equipment the decline push up is a must. The decline pushup works the upper chest muscles just like the incline bench press. The arm placement is the same as the standard push up. The only difference is where your feet will be placed. To do a decline push up your feet will need to be elevated which will put more load on the chest compared to the other push up. It’s best to do the decline push up first because it’s the hardest of the 3 push-ups. Remember not to raise your feet too high because this will turn the push up into a handstand pushup that will work the front deltoids more than the chest. This is a good choice for at-home works for the chest.
The eccentric push up
If you feel that you’ve reached a plateau. you might want to try slowing the push-up. Focusing on going slow on the eccentric (descent or negative) part of the push up can be a game-changer. When slow things down on the eccentric part of any exercise it causes more damage to the muscle. More damage caused will cause more growth. Next time you try doing push-ups do the negative part of the push up at a 4-second count. You’ll find that the exercise harder. This a solid way to change things up for a at-home workout for chest
Chest flys
This article has been about getting a chest workout from home without bulky equipment but it’s important to add some chest flys into the mix. An inexpensive way to do this without bulky equipment is to get slider discs. You can pick up slider discs at Amazon, Walmart, or Target. We are sponsored by any brand so we won’t recommend one. The slider disk has a smooth surface that can slide on the carpet and the other side of the slider can be used on hardwood or tile. The placement of the slider will be the same as the push-up but you’ll be sliding the discs out away from the chest with a slight bend of the elbow rather than a pushing motion using the arms. Chest flys isolate the chest, unlike the push-up. This is a simple way to isolate for an at-home workout for chest.
Pre exhausting synergists
A trick that may help you get a little more out of your chest workout is to pre-exhaust the synergist muscles which are the front deltoids and triceps. You can do this by doing tricep dips or front raises right before push-ups. This will leave your shoulders and triceps tired before doing the push-ups requiring the chest to work harder during the push-up. You shouldn’t pre-exhaust your muscles every workout but it’s something you can do once a week to mix things up.
Thank you for reading our blog on at-home workouts for the chest. Visit us at www.onthegofitnesspro.com if you’d like to sign up for a free virtual personal training session.
