Inner Chest Workout

What are V-ups? | What Muscles Do They Work? | The Exercise | The Benefits | Different Variations of V-ups 

Join Pat Chadwick as he takes you through his inner chest routine to get more defined pecs. In this article, he will show you 9 exercises that will directly develop the visual appearance of this segment of the chest muscle. If your chest lacks definition, then this could be the key to building a bigger chest to make your pecs look more attractive. 

In this 8 minute workout, you will work for 40 seconds, followed by resting for 20 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. You must focus on the form which means its quality over quantity! Try to squeeze your chest at the top position to increase time under tension on your muscles. 

Research suggests that if you can complete more than 40 push-ups, you are associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, compared with those achieving lesser than 10. Therefore, you can improve your upperbody endurance and long-term health by completing this workout, today!

What Muscles are Worked by this Inner Chest Workout?

The primary muscles worked are the triceps, pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, and serratus anterior. The secondary muscles worked are the abdominals, obliques, quadriceps, rhomboids, and the lower chest. Each exercise will require you to position your hands and body at different angles to target the inner chest portion.

What Level is this Iner Chest Workout?

This routine is suitable for all fitness levels as you will see in the video above, there will be a “Beginner’s version” demonstration in the bottom lefthand corner of the video. Therefore, everyone can join in, have some fun, and make long-lasting real results.

Wide to Diamond Push-Ups

1. Begin in a wide push-up stance where your hands are wider than shoulder-width. Your legs are extended, and your feet are together. Brace your core to maintain a straight line across your body. 
2. Inhale as you bend your elbows to lower your chest down until your elbows are at 90 degrees.
3. Exhale as you explosively push up and lift your hands off the ground, followed by landing your hands at the center of your chest in a diamond push-up position. Hold this position briefly before returning your hands to the wide push-up position.
4. Repeat this alternating stance movement for 40 seconds. We have covered 4 different wide push-up variations in this wide push-ups tutorial, check it out to find out more!

Incline Diamond Push-Ups

1. Place your hands on an elevated surface such as a chair or a table in a diamond grip. Your body should be at an inclined slope with your feet together and legs extended.
2. Inhale as you lower your chest down to the chair by bending the elbows until they’re at 90 degrees.
3. Exhale as you push up and return to the starting position. Lock your arms out fully before repeating the next rep.
4. Repeat this movement for 40 seconds. You can also practice incline push-up using 4 different grips to target different angles of your chest. Find out more in this incline push-ups tutorial.

Chest Fly Crossover

1. Stand tall or rest on your knees so that your torso is upright. Form a fist with your hands and lift them until your elbows are at 90 degrees. Brace your core and retract your scapulars to pull shoulder blades back together. 
2. Exhale as you slowly push your fists forward by extending your arms across your body to perform a crossover where your right arm moves towards the left, and your left arm moves towards the right. Squeeze your chest at the end position for 2 seconds.
3. Inhale as you slowly return to the starting position.
4. Repeat this movement for 40 seconds.

Decline Diamond Push-Ups 

1. Begin in a decline diamond position, placing your feet on an elevated surface and hands on the floor in a diamond grip. Your body should be at a declined slope. Keep your core and glutes tight to ensure a straight line. 
2. Inhale as your lower your chest towards the ground, keeping your elbows close to your torso rather than flaring out. Lower until your elbows are at 90 degrees. 
3. Exhale as you push through your palms, extend your arms and return to the starting position. Squeeze your chest for 2 seconds at the top.
4. Repeat this movement for 40 seconds. Want to learn about the benefits and different variations of this exercise? Find out more in this decline push-ups tutorial.

Negative Diamond Push-Ups

1. Get into a diamond push-up position with your hands in a diamond grip and is placed at the center of your chest. Your legs should be straight and your feet are together. Keep your core tight. 
2. While maintaining core and full-body tension, you will slowly lower your chest towards your hands at a count of 5. Your elbows should be at 45 degrees angle in relation to your torso. 
3. Exhale as you explosively push back to the starting position. 
4. Repeat this movement for 40 seconds.

Deficit Push-Ups

1. Place your hands on an elevated surface such as two chairs or two stacks of books. Your body should be at an inclined slope. Engage your core and glutes to keep your body rigid and in a straight line. 
2. Inhale as you bend your elbows to your lower chest as far as you comfortably can (ideally to a point where your chest is in line with your hands). Keep your core tight.
3. Exhale as you return to the starting position by pushing through your chest and triceps. Lock your arms out fully before repeating the next rep.
4. Repeat this movement for 40 seconds. 

Staggered Push-Ups (Close Grip)

1. Begin in a staggered push-up position with your hands being 2 inches apart. Your right hand is 6 inches in front and your left hand is 6 inches behind. Keep your legs straight, feet together, and core, and glutes tight. 
2. Inhale as you descend into the bottom of the push-up position until your elbows are at 90 degrees.
3. Exhale as you push up and return the starting position, followed by switching hand positions so that your left hand is now 6 inches forward, and your right hand is now 6 inches behind. 
4. Repeat this alternating movement for 40 seconds.

Isometric Diamond Hold

1. Start in a diamond push-up position where your hands are located at the center of your chest. Your body is in a straight line from head to feet.
2. Squeeze your chest at the top position and hold this for 40 seconds.

Congratulations on completing this intense 8-minute inner chest workout. I hope this killer circuit has made your chest feel more pumped than ever. Routines like this are great for those who are on the move, short on time, and want to get a workout done without using weights. Want to target different regions of the chest? Be sure to check out this upper chest and lower chest workout to have well-rounded pecs - See you there!

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.