Complete Chest Workout

Follow along in this complete home chest workout and give your pecs an incredible pump. If you’re looking to have a muscular chest, you can achieve it with bodyweight exercises rather than spending hours benching at the gym. You can seriously grow your pecs with these 10 push-up variations. 

This workout is based on variations, which will allow you to target all angles within the entire chest region. If you’d like to target a specific section of your chest, we recommend you check out this upper chest and lower chest workout.  You will work for 30 seconds, followed by resting for 30 seconds, for 10 sets!

What Muscles are Worked by this Complete Workout?

This workout targets the upper body muscles especially the chest area, with the primary muscles being the pectoralis major, triceps, anterior deltoids, and serratus anterior. The secondary muscles worked are the abdominals, obliques, rhomboid, glutes, quadriceps.

What Level is this Complete Chest Workout?

This chest routine workout is for all fitness levels, from beginners to advanced as Pat Chadwick will also demonstrate easier variations for you to practice in each exercise. You can go at your own pace, take rests when you need to - just don’t give up

Inclined Diamond Push-Ups

1. Start by forming a triangle shape with your hands by connecting the index fingers together, as well as thumbs together. Place your hands on an elevated surface with your hands being located at the center of your chest. Your legs are extended and your feet are together. Engaged your glutes and core to keep your body straight.
2. Inhale as you bend your arms and lower your chest towards the elevated surface until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Keep your elbows close to your torso rather than flaring them out. Maintain active core and glute engagement.
3. Exhale as you push up and return to the starting position. Lock your arms out.
4. Repeat this movement for 30 seconds. You can find out more about this exercise and its variations in this incline push-ups tutorial.

Explosive Push-Ups

1. Begin in a push-up position.
2. Inhale as you lower your body to the ground by bending the elbows. Lower down until your elbows are at 90 degrees.
3. Exhale as you push through with high force from palms so that your hands leave the ground. To increase the difficulty, you can clap your hands together during mid-air.
4. Land softly on the ground by bending the elbows slightly, and immediately perform the next rep.
5. Perform this movement for 30 seconds.

Archer Push-Ups

1. Start in a push-up position with your arms wider than shoulder-width. Keep the body in a straight line with no sagging hips by engaging your glutes and core.
2. Inhale as you bring your body down to the right-hand side by bending the right elbow whilst keeping your left arm straight. Keep your right elbow close to your body rather than flaring them out, and lower down until your right elbow is at 90 degrees.
3. Exhale as you push back up to the starting position, keeping the straight line along your body.
4. Repeat this movement for 23 seconds, followed by switching to your left side. Want to learn more? Check out this archer push-up tutorial where we show you 3 different archer push-up variations.

Staggered Push-Ups

1. Begin in a stagged push-up position where your right hand is one foot above your right shoulder, and your left hand is one foot lower, being closer to your left hip. Your legs are extended, and your feet together. Engage your glutes and core.
2. Inhale as you lower down by bending the elbows until your chest is just above the floor. 
3. Exhale as you push up and return to the starting position.
4. Reverse your hand position and repeat. 
5. Repeat this switching hand movement for 30 seconds.

Plyo Release Push-Ups

1. Begin in a push-up position.
2. Inhale as you lower your body until your chest touches the ground. Release your palms off the floor so that your hand goes outwards.
3. Return your hands to the ground and exhale as you push up to return to the starting position.
4. Repeat this movement for 30 seconds.

10-10-10 Isometric Hold

1. Begin in a push-up position. Your core and glutes are tight and your body is in a straight line.
2. Hold the top push-up position for 10 seconds.
3. Lower down to the halfway point and hold this for 10 seconds.
4. Lower down to the bottom push-up phase and hold this for 10 seconds.
5. Exhale as you push up and return to the starting position.
6. Repeat this movement for 30 seconds.

Hindu Push-Ups

1. Start in a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your legs extended and feet together. 
2. Push your torso backward so that your butt is up to form an inverted V-shape between the head and the torso. Your body is in a downward dog position. 
3. Inhale as you bend your elbows and drive your upper chest close to the ground whilst keeping your butt up. 
4. Drop your butt down so that your body is in a straight line and your elbows are bent at 90 degrees.
5. Extend your arms whilst keeping your butt down and push your chest in the upward direction. This is called the upward dog position.
6. Push your torso back to the starting position and repeat. 
7. Repeat this movement for 30 seconds.

Decline Push-Ups

1. Start by placing your feet on an elevated surface and your hands on the ground. Your shoulders are stacked directly on top of your wrists. Your body should be in a decline slop. Engage your glutes and core to ensure that your body is in a straight line.
2. Inhale as you lower down by bending the elbows, keeping your elbows close to your body. Lower down until your chest almost touches the ground.
3. Exhale as you push up and return to the starting position.
4. Repeat this movement for 30 seconds. You can learn more about this exercise and its variations in this decline push-up tutorial.

Alternating Shuffle Push-Ups

1. Begin in a push-up position. Keep your core and glutes tight. 
2. Extend your right arm to the right to pivot your body right. Inhale as your lower down until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Exhale as you push up and return to the starting position where your arms are shoulder-width apart.
3. Extend your left arm to the left to pivot your body left. Inhale as your lower down until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Exhale as you push up and return to the starting position.
4. Repeat this shuffling motion from left to right for 30 seconds.

Shoulder Tap Push-Ups

1. Begin in a push-up position. Keep your core and glutes tight.
2. Inhale as you lower down by bending the elbows until your chest is just above the ground. Keep your core tight.
3. Exhale as you push up and reach your right hand to tap your left shoulder. 
4. Repeat this with your left arm tapping your right shoulder.
5. Repeat these alternating shoulder taps for 30 seconds.

Thanks for following today's workout, I truly hope you found value in this and become a better version of yourself. To build incredible core muscle, don't forget to target different angles within the mid-section. I recommend reading my guide to targeting the obliques in this plank tutorial, along with your upper abs in this V-Ups tutorial, to get complete and symmetrical abdominal muscles.  And, as always with Gymless, you never need a gym membership to follow these workouts

About the Author

My name is Pat Chadwick, I am a calisthenics coach with over 4 years of experience in helping people from all backgrounds to achieve their calisthenics goals. My goal is to become the number one calisthenics coach in the world as it is my passion to help people change their lives through inspiring bodyweight movements. I believe everyone deserves the right to feel good about their health, body, and be delighted inside and out.