Best Push Ups For Chest!

Here is the first pro-tip...

...Use a wall for your push up training!

By forcing your heels to stay up against the wall while doing your push ups, you restrict your movement and put more “weight” on your chest and triceps.

Here are 4 of my favorite push ups to build a solid chest!

1. Pike push ups: 5 x 5

The pike push ups are a staple move to target your upper-chest. Make sure to  bring your head in front of your hands at the bottom of the move!

2. Chest to floor wide push ups: 10 x 10

This is one of the best push ups for chest too. Stretching your chest a the bottom of the move causes the pec muscles to reach their maximum length, generating a full contraction. Pause a split second at the bottom to stretch your chest as much as possible.

3. Plyo-hollow body push ups: 10 x 10

The dynamic plyo- hollow push ups are great push ups for chest and triceps and core. Keep a solid hollow body form during the full movement.

4. Plank push ups attempts: 3 x ...

Muscle Growth with Push-Ups

Today, let's dive into one of the most underrated exercises.

Many mistakenly see push-ups as beginner's exercises, since anyone can do a push up.

Or sort of!

But I'm here to challenge that!

Push-ups are not just for beginners; they are, in fact, one of the most frequently butchered exercises out there (with pull ups).

It's time to rethink your approach and discover the muscle-building magic hidden within this seemingly simple movement.

Here the 3 most important types of push ups!

Mindset Shift:
First things first – let's reshape our mindset around push-ups.

Instead of fixating on rep counts, shift your focus to extracting the most from each repetition. Think of it as a full body workout, where your body tenses from head to toe.

Push-ups, when executed with precision, are far from easy. They are an amazing tool for enhancing overall fitness and sculpting the upper body. It's not only about how many you can do; it's about how much you can get from each re...

Best Push Ups For Chest and Triceps

Are you looking to hit your chest and triceps with calisthenics?

Look no further!

These are by far the best push ups you can do to get a great chest and triceps pump.

If you haven't guessed yet, I am talking about the narrow grip push ups.

Here I am doing them on a narrow wall, which also increases core engagement and balance work.

These push ups require good shoulder mobility!

Focus on form and tempo when doing them, as it's easy to lose form and the benefits that go with it!

Go for 5-10 reps x 5-10 sets. 

I recommend to hold the last rep down for 5-10 seconds on each set, to maximize your overall time under tension.

Adapt the volume and intensity as needed.

Here is how to get started with push ups if you can't do the narrow grip ones yet!

If you need more guidance overall, get all my calisthenics programs and personal coaching here!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the best type of push-up for targeting the chest and tr...

Try This Quick Calisthenics Pull Ups and Push Ups Challenge!

I wanted to try a quick calisthenics challenge: do 50 pull ups and 100 push ups, as fast as possible.

It's way more challenging than it sounds.

The hard variable is time. Trying to complete all the repetitions in a short time is where it gets tricky.

Your rest time is minimum and each repetition gets harder as you go.

1- For the pull ups, I split the sets as follow: 10-10-10-5-5-5-5

My time for the pull ups was: 6min 40 sec.

I started pretty good on the first 3 sets of 10, with about 20-30 sec rest in between. Things started getting tough around the last 2 sets of pull ups where I had to struggle my way up.

Here is how to get better at pull ups if you are getting started!

I took about a minute to reset the tripod between pull ups and push ups.

2- For the push ups, I did: 30-25-20-15-10

My total time after the push ups was: 9 min 50 sec.

While the goal was to rest as little as possible, my form started to suffe...

Venice Beach Calisthenics Games - Results & Replay!

The Venice Beach Calisthenics Games took place last Saturday and the results are in!

The Sets and Reps Competition had about 50 participants (men and women) competing for the most reps possible in pull ups, push ups and dips.

Form had to be clean for the repetitions to be counted as valid. 

Each movement had to be performed with full range of motion (elbow lock out) and in one go (no pause or stopping allowed).

Some really strong athletes took part in the event! The rules were strict with everyone.

And the results are here!

Men's winners

• Pull ups: 29
• Push ups: 75
• Dips: 60

Women's winners

• Pull ups: 12
• Push ups: 39
• Dips: 18

These numbers are solid given that no breaks were allowed at all! Any repetition that wasn't clean was NOT counted. 

Overall the energy was really high the whole day.

The afternoon was the amateur freestyle session!

Watch some cool tricks in the IG Live Replays here!

It was a great time, se...

The First Ever Venice Beach Calisthenics Games 2023!

Mark your calendars for the exciting Venice Beach Calisthenics Games 2023 on July 29th!

The entire beach will be transformed into a giant summer camp, filled with energy.

And here's the best part – it's a FREE event, open to everyone who wishes to participate.

Prepare for a great "sets and reps" competition, where the ultimate challenge is to perform as many repetitions of each exercise as possible without taking a break.

The competitor with the cleanest and most repetitions will be crowned the champion!

The primary focus is on executing each move with impeccable form, which means that bad form reps will not count. To guarantee fairness, our judges will be present to carefully assess each participant's performance.

Here the list of movements for the competition:

•  Max Pull-ups
•  Max Dips
•  Max Push-ups
•  Max Handstand Hold
•  Max L-sit Hold
•  Max Deadhang Hold

You can pick up to 3 movements you wish to compete in.

The eve...

Explosive Push Ups Calisthenics Tutorial.

Today I want to talk about one of my favorite calisthenics move: the explosive push-up. 

If you're already a push-up master, it's time to take it up a notch by jumping off the ground for part of the push ups.

Here are 4 progressive explosive push ups yo can train:

•  Clap Push-Ups: Do a push up starting in a plank position, protracting your shoulders to the max, and focus on a full range of motion. Lift your hands off the ground and clap your hands at the top of the move and control the descent. Engage your scapula by shrugging them/squeezing them together after landing on the way down to protect your elbows.
•  Chest Clap Push-Ups: These are a bit harder. It requires you to engage your core, take your hands off the ground at the top of the move and clap your hands quickly on your chest then land as soft as possible. Focus on engaging your core in a hollow body, to provide enough air time for the clap.
•  X Push-Ups: Spread your feet apar
...

3 Calisthenics Moves for Bullet Proof Core and Shoulders!

Let’s discuss three intermediate to advanced calisthenics exercises to develop strong shoulders and a bulletproof core. 

Let's dive in!

•  Dive Bomb Push-ups: This exercise starts with a pike push-up where you then “dive” into a low plank position and back. In details you need to begin in a pike position with your pelvis tilted back, staying on your toes. Lean your shoulders slightly forward over your hands, engaging your shoulders and creating tension. Slowly lower yourself to the floor, bringing your hands to your hips for a full range of motion. Avoid arching your body at the end of the movement to maintain core tension. Press back up to the starting position, keeping a straight back throughout. This exercise is rather advanced and challenges your entire upper body and core.

Go for 3-5 reps x 3-5 sets

•  Shoulder Forward Lean: This exercise is a variation of a plank performed on your elbows, where you lean further
...

2 Move Variations for Strong Shoulders!

You probably heard me say that strong shoulders are important.

Because they are essential! So today we are diving in 2 movement variations to get your shoulders very strong and stable.

Make sure to warm up efficiently before you start!

1. The Pike Push Up

You may know and or use this movement, but here is a particular adjustment you have to make if needed: lean forward before you start bending your elbows. This will allow you to recruit your pec-minor and the upper part of the pec major muscle group to support your shoulders, specially at the bottom of the push up.

Push back up straight!

Watch the video here.

2. The Elevated Pike Push up

Once you are comfortable with pike push ups, use anything to elevate your feet (chair, bench, yoga blocks....) and perform the pike push up from there.

Elevating your feet helps put more relative weight on your upper chest and shoulder area.

The higher your feet are, the harder the pike push will b...