Do you want to develop your upper body muscle mass and strength at home, but don’t have any expensive equipment? Then it’s time to try calisthenics.

Calisthenics, also known as bodyweight training, uses bodyweight resistance to promote muscle hypertrophy (muscle growth), and increase strength.

In this article, we discuss our calisthenics push workout. We cover the six best push exercises, technique guides, expert tips, and more.

Top 6 Calisthenics Push Workouts

Below we have listed six of the best push calisthenics exercises for increasing muscle mass and strength. Each exercise contains a description, step-by-step guide, and expert tips. This provides you with everything you need to create a bodyweight push workout.

Push-Up

The push-up is a staple upper-body exercise for your calisthenics workout. The primary movers are the pectoralis major muscles. The deltoids, triceps, rectus abdominis, and obliques are the secondary movers.

The push-up requires the engagement of many push muscles. This makes it great for increasing upper body training volume and promoting muscle growth. Furthermore, using multiple muscle groups means we can apply significant resistance, which is great for increasing mass and strength.

How To Do

1. Kneel on your mat, lean forward, and place your palms flat on the floor shoulder-width apart.
2. Lift your knees off the floor to form a plank. Your weight should be resting on the balls of your feet and palms.
3. Take a deep breath in and tense your abdominal muscles.
4. Allow your elbows to bend and lower your chest toward the floor.
5. Lower until your upper arm is parallel to the floor.
6. From here, push yourself back up to the beginning position. 

Tips

• Keep your hips parallel to the floor and your core engaged for the duration of the set. This will keep your torso rigid.
• Avoid dropping during the lower phase and concentrate on lowering with control. This will help you develop strength.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Pike Push-Up

The pike push-up is a compound movement that angles the torso to place greater emphasis on the shoulders. The primary movers are the deltoids. The secondary movers are the triceps brachii and pectoralis major.

The inverted position of the pike push-up mimics an overhead press, placing a greater load through the shoulders. Additionally, the core muscles including the rectus abdominis, external obliques, and erector spinae must engage to stabilize our torso. This makes it a fantastic full-body exercise.

How To Do

1. Kneel down, lean forward, and place your palms flat on the floor.
2. Lift your knees off the floor and elevate your hips. 
3. Your legs and torso form a 90-degree angle with the top of your head facing the floor.
4. Inhale and engage your abdominal muscles.
5. Bend your elbows and lower yourself until your upper arm is horizontal.
6. Then, exhale and push yourself back up to the starting position.

Tips

• Perform static or dynamic hamstring stretches in your warm-up for this exercise. This will lengthen the hamstrings and make it easier to hold the pike position.
• Beginners should perform shallow repetitions and gradually increase depth.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Tricep Extension

The tricep extension is a fantastic exercise for increasing arm muscle mass and enhancing our physique. The primary movers are the triceps brachii. The deltoids, rectus abdominis, and obliques are the secondary muscles.

The narrow arm position limits shoulder involvement, which places greater emphasis on the triceps. Meanwhile, the core muscles must engage to maintain a neutral spine. This makes it one of the great calisthenic isolation exercises which engages the entire body. 

How To Do

1. Kneel on your mat and place your forearms on the floor so your upper arm remains vertical.
2. Inhale, engage your core muscles, and lift your knee off the floor.
3. Your weight should be on your forearms and the balls of your feet.
4. Exhale, push down with your hands, and lift your elbows off the floor until your elbow is straight.
5. Then, gradually lower back to the starting position.

Tips 

• Keep your forearms parallel and elbows tucked for the duration of the set. This will improve tricep isolation.
• Concentrate on engaging the triceps when the elbow is extended. This will improve your mind-muscle connection, improving results.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Chest Dip

The chest dip is a powerful compound exercise for enhancing strength and muscle mass. The primary mover is the pectoralis major. The secondary movers are the deltoids, triceps brachii, and latissimus dorsi.

The chest dip requires us to support and press our entire body weight. Because it utilizes many muscle groups and joints, it allows us to lift a near-maximal load. This can induce greater effects on muscle strength. 

How To Do

1. Standing in front of the dip bars, step up onto each step.
2. Grab a handle in each hand with palms facing inwards towards your body.
3. Press yourself up so your arms are straight, and take your feet off the steps.
4. Angle your torso forward.
5. Take a deep breath and tense your core muscles.
6. Allow your elbows to bend and lower yourself toward the floor.
7. Once your upper arm is horizontal, push yourself back up until your arms are straight. 

Tips 

• Before this exercise, perform a warm-up consisting of arm swings and arm circles to warm up your chest and shoulders.
• Avoid dropping into the dip and focus on gradually lowering yourself. This ensures you are developing strength during the pressing and lower phases.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Decline Push-Up

The decline push-up is great for increasing upper chest muscle mass. The primary mover is the pectoralis major. The secondary movers are the deltoids, triceps, rectus abdominis, and obliques.

The decline push-up requires us to place our feet on a chair and hands on the floor. As we lower our chest toward the floor, there is greater emphasis on the pectoralis major clavicular fibers. This is the upper part of the pectoralis major muscle.

This is because the decline position resembles the angle of an incline bench press. An incline of 30 degrees results in greater activation of the upper portion of the pectoralis major. This highlights its involvement during the decline push-ups.

How To Do

1. Kneel on the floor with your back facing the chair.
2. Lean forward and place your palms flat on the floor.
3. Lift both of your legs and place your feet on the chair.
4. Your weight should now be resting on your palms and the balls of your feet.
5. Take a deep breath in and brace your core muscles.
6. Allow your elbows to bend and lower your chest toward the floor 
7. Lower until your upper arm is parallel to the floor.
8. Exhale and press yourself back up to the starting position.

Tips

• Place the back of the chair against a wall or hard surface. This will increase stability and prevent it from moving during your set.
• Ensure that your hands are at the same level as your shoulders. This will help create a solid base and improve your pressing ability.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Diamond Push-Up

The diamond push-up is a variation that increases the difficulty and muscle activation. The primary mover is the pectoralis major. The secondary movers are the deltoids, triceps, rectus abdominis, and obliques. 

The narrow hand position push-up increases muscle activation of the pectoralis major clavicular head, sternal head, and triceps brachii. During this exercise, they show greater activation compared to other push-up variations.  

The diamond push-up shares a similar hand position, bringing the hand to the midline of the body, shortening the pectoralis major. This allows for greater muscle contraction and highlights how effective it can be for targeting the chest. 

How To Do

1. Kneel on the floor, lean forward place your palms flat on the floor.
2. Position your hands directly below your chest and in the middle.
3. Place your thumbs and index finger together to make the shape of a diamond.
4. Raise your knees off the floor so your weight rests on your palms and the balls of your feet.
5. Breathe in and engage your core muscles.
6. Allow your elbows to bend and begin lowering yourself toward the floor.
7. Lower until your chest almost makes contact with your hands.
8. Then push yourself up to the starting position.

Tips

• Avoid performing the diamond push-up if you are nursing shoulder and elbow injuries. The narrow hand position can be restrictive and can cause discomfort or aggravation.
•  If you cannot perform the diamond push-up, perform the narrow hand position. From here, you can gradually move your hands closer as you build up strength.

Optimal Sets And Reps

Best Calisthenics Push Workout Routine

The workout below combines the six exercises above into the best calisthenics push workout. Its focus is to increase muscle mass and strength. Perform each exercise following the set, repetition, and rest recommendations for the best results.

Benefits Of Calisthenics Push Exercises

Calisthenics push exercises are great for increasing muscle mass, enhancing strength, and improving body composition. Below we discuss these three benefits.

Increases Muscle Mass

Developing lean muscle mass requires overloading of muscle tissue at a moderate to high intensity. This can be done by performing compound and isolation exercises. 

Compound exercise engages more muscles and joints. This allows us to overload our muscles, promoting growth. Meanwhile, isolation exercises provide a targeted approach, enabling us to target increased training volume of specific muscle groups. 

The combination of these types of exercises helps us increase total training volume, which can promote hypertrophy.

The calisthenics push exercises above are excellent examples of compound and isolation exercises. Movements such as push-ups and decline push-ups target multiple muscle groups. On the other hand, tricep extensions provide targeted overload. By combining these exercises, we can increase total training volume, increasing muscle mass.

Enhances Strength

Enhancing strength requires us to produce maximum force against an external resistance at a moderate to high intensity. Our chest, shoulders, and triceps are strong, powerful muscle groups that can be exhibited during push exercises.

These calisthenics push exercises are all great for challenging our push muscles. The chest dip and pike push-up require our chest, shoulders, and triceps to produce maximal force against our body weight. This leads to an increase in strength.

Improves Body Composition

Change in body composition requires an increase in lean muscle mass and a decrease in body fat. This is achieved through progressive resistance training and a calorie deficit which is consuming fewer calories than we are burning. 

The calisthenics push workout focuses on compound movements, which engage the entire body. As mentioned, the above exercise applies significant resistance promoting muscle growth.

This, combined with a calorie deficit and prioritizing complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats can help reduce body fat. This reveals a lean muscular physique.

Expert Training Tips 

• Perform a dynamic stretch warm-up such as arm swings and arm circles, for example, before your calisthenics push workout. This will increase muscle temperature, and prepare joints and the nervous system. This will improve performance and reduce injury risk.
• Consider performing light cardio and leg swings before your pike push-ups. This will length the hamstrings and make it easier to hold the pick position.
• Concentrate on engaging your target muscle with each repetition. This will enhance your mind-muscle connection, improving your results.
• Focus on completing each movement with the correct technique through its full range of motion. Perform the lowering and pushing phase with control, this helps develop strength.
• Keep your core engaged for the duration of each set. This will stabilize your torso and spine, reducing unwanted movement. Combining this with correct breathing can increase lifting ability and improve abdominal fitness.
• At the end of each session perform a cool-down consisting of light cardio and static stretching. Frequent static stretching can enhance flexibility and mobility, and improve performance and functional range during daily life.
• If you are experiencing elbow or shoulder pain, consult your physical therapist. They will be able to prescribe alternative exercises and a recovery plan to help you return to exercise safely.
• For effective body recomposition, enter a calorie deficit consisting of nutrient-dense foods and a focus on protein. The recommended daily protein intake is approximately 1.4–2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight. This will support muscle growth and repair and improve satiety, reducing snacking between meals.
• Allow for 24–72 hours between calisthenics push workouts. This ensures you have enough time between sessions for adequate rest, recovery, and growth. 

Conclusion

Calisthenics workouts are an incredible way to increase muscle mass and strength and develop our physique. Consisting of upper-body compound movements, they provide significant overload to many of our upper-body muscle groups. This leads to increased training volume, improvements in strength, and growth. 

Furthermore, many of these exercises do not need equipment, meaning we can increase muscle mass and strength anywhere.

If you are considering trying our calisthenics workout plan, we suggest following the recommended sets, repetitions, and rest times. This will help you achieve the best results. 

Additionally, if you want to expand on your at-home training, check out these bodyweight exercises. These can help increase your training volume for even better results.