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Training your upper body with push-ups targeting the lower chest is a great way to build a well-balanced physique. Incorporating these exercises into your workout routine helps establish a strong, defined upper body.
Each push-up variation, including ring and hand-release push-ups, targets the pectoralis major and minor. These exercises engage multiple muscle groups, promoting muscle growth and strength gains for effective results. Add them to your chest workout routine to enjoy the benefits that come with consistent training.
Lower Chest Push-Ups
Each push-up for lower chest effectively strengthens and stimulates the upper body.
7 Best Push-Ups For Lower Chest
These push-ups for lower chest effectively engage muscles in this area to improve strength and muscle mass. From beginner-friendly incline push-ups to challenging Aztec push-ups, check out these quality exercises for a stronger lower chest.
Incline Push-Up
Incline push-ups are an efficient regression of the traditional push-up. It incorporates an elevated position to decrease the impact of gravity and weight load on the lifter. The incline push-up is an excellent option for beginners looking to strengthen their upper body and pin down proper form.
This variation is excellent for all levels looking to integrate push-ups for the lower chest. It integrates the pectoralis muscles, specifically the sternal and abdominal heads. These chest muscles make up the lower chest.
How To Do
- Position two chairs to face each other. Ensure the chairs are stable and don’t tip over or move while performing the exercise.
- Plant a hand on both of the chairs about shoulder-width apart.
- Shift your feet back to enter a high plank position, maintaining a straight back. This is your starting position.
- Inhale and lower down as far as possible without compromising form.
- Pause at the bottom.
- Exhale and drive up to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Refrain from arching the neck, such as looking up, while executing the incline push-up. Try to keep the neck and spine neutral throughout the movement.
- If you don’t have two chairs for the incline push-up, consider using other elevated surfaces. A bed, chair, countertop, desk, or any raised surface can work. The smaller the elevation, the more challenging the push-up becomes due to gravity.
Optimal Sets & Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Side Push-Up
Side push-ups primarily target the triceps but also engage the biceps, obliques, deltoids, and chest. This bodyweight exercise requires no equipment and is great for beginners wanting to get started training their upper body.
As a unilateral exercise, side push-ups focus on working one side of the body. This is great for addressing any potential muscular weaknesses or imbalances. Lifters can prioritize one side of the body during the movement to prioritize mind-to-muscle connection and increase muscle engagement.
How To Do
- Find a flat space to perform the exercise.
- Lie down on your right side.
- Position your left hand in front of your chest on the mat.
- Wrap your right arm around the front of your body and place your right arm on your ribcage, creating space for the side push-up. This is your starting position.
- For the exercise, the legs can be kept either bent and stacked on top of each other or straight. The right hip will remain on the ground, making a straight line from knee to shoulder.
- Inhale, engaging the core.
- Exhale and press your working arm into the mat, straightening the arm to lift the body.
- Inhale, returning to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets. Switch sides.
Tips
- Engage the core and glutes to maintain a straight back and neutral spine. This will also help maintain balance and stability while performing the side push-up.
- Avoid bending the torso when executing the exercise. Try to keep the torso straight and aligned with the knees.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 2–6 | 2–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–6 | 6–12 |
| Endurance Training | 2–3 | 12+ |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–5 (Explosive) |
Pseudo Planche Push-Up
The pseudo-planche push-up is a variation of the traditional push-up. It integrates a unique arm position to force the muscles to work harder to maintain balance during the exercise’s movement. This exercise integrates both forms of the planche and the push-up to better emphasize muscular engagement.
It targets multiple upper body muscles, including the triceps, chest, and deltoids. Specifically, it primarily engages the abdominal head of the pectoralis major, which makes up the lower section above the abdominals. This exercise is excellent for enhancing muscular endurance and strength in the upper body and lower chest.
How To Do
- Locate a space for the exercise.
- Enter a tabletop position with your hands and knees on a mat or towel.
- Place your hands out to the side near your stomach. Point your fingers away from your body.
- Ensure both arms are straight with your elbows next to your ribs.
- Extend your legs behind you and rise from the mat in a plank position. There should be a straight line from your heels to your head.
- Inhale and engage your core.
- Slowly lower down to the bottom position.
- Exhale and extend your elbows to push back up.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Protect your shoulders and fully extend the elbows at the top of the movement. This is the most demanding part of the exercise’s movement pattern. Establishing this form cue can place more demand on the shoulders to enhance strength progress.
- Depending on the lifter’s preference, the fingers can face in different directions. Facing fingers forward toward the head may result in limitations for wrist mobility.
- Focus on lowering the chest to the ground or as close as possible without breaking form. Tuck the elbows in to prevent hyperextension over the wrists.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 15–20 |
| Power Training | 2–3 | 1–5 (Explosive) |
Diamond Push-Up
Diamond push-ups are named after the unique hand placement used in the exercise. This hand position creates a narrow space, challenging balance and stability. It is considered a progression of the traditional push-up.
In the diamond push-up, different upper-body muscle groups are worked. From the triceps and upper back to the deltoids and lower chest, these muscles are actively engaged in this exercise.
How To Do
- Enter a tabletop position on hands and knees.
- Form a diamond shape with your index fingers and thumbs. Make sure they are touching. Keep your hands in line with your chest.
- Lift off your knees to enter a plank position. This is your starting position.
- Inhale, engaging the core as you lower down to the ground.
- Pause at the bottom.
- Exhale, pushing through the floor to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Drive the elbows back behind you rather than out to the sides.
- If needed, the diamond push-up can be modified to be executed on your knees instead of on your feet. This gives beginners the opportunity to get form down and strengthen their upper body before progressing.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 3–5 (Weighted) |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 12–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–3 (Explosive) |
Ring Push-Up
The ring push-up is another progression variation of the traditional push-up. It incorporates muscles in the arms and chest, like the pectoralis major and triceps brachii.
The use of unstable suspension devices like the rings and TRX prominently affects speed and power in exercise execution. Athletes looking to improve these performance-related factors may find better options than the ring push-up. Lifters wanting to challenge coordination and stability will find that the ring push-up is an excellent choice.
How To Do
- Locate a ring set up for the exercise.
- Adjust the height to a little lower than the hips while standing.
- Clasp the rings in a neutral grip with palms facing you.
- Shift your feet back to enter a high plank position. Keep your back flat.
- Position your hands holding the rings on either side of your shoulders. This is your starting position.
- Inhale and lower yourself down slowly.
- Pause at the bottom of the movement.
- Exhale, pushing your hands down into the rings to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Use the visual cue of pressing the hands down into the ring grips as much as possible. This will increase tension on the rings to improve stability and balance while performing the exercise. It can also be productive in boosting muscular engagement and coordination.
- Ring height can determine the difficulty level of the exercise. The lower the rings, the more challenging the exercise. The higher the rings, the less weight load due to gravity.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–6 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 8–12 | 3–5 |
| Endurance Training | 15–20 | 3–4 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 3–5 (Explosive) |
Hand-Release Push-Up
The hand-release push-up is a regression of the traditional push-up. Great for beginners, this exercise can help reduce some muscular tension at the bottom of the movement.
This exercise emphasizes the use of the abdominals, deltoids, and pectorals. The bottom part of the movement improves chest engagement by opening up the chest. It encourages more focus on the pressing portion of the push-up to further activate the pectorals in the exercise.
How To Do
- Set up in a tabletop position on hands and knees.
- Lift off your knees to enter a high-plank position on your hands and feet. This is your starting position.
- Inhale, lowering down to the floor.
- Keep the back straight and the core engaged.
- Allow the body to rest on the ground at the bottom.
- Release the hands from the ground, straightening arms out to the side.
- Bring the hands back in, positioning them back on the ground.
- Exhale as you press back up to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Maintain tension in the muscles at all times. Keep the spine neutral and the core engaged.
- Do not lift the head at the bottom of the movement. Focus on maintaining a neutral spine and tucking in the chin.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 15–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 3–5 (Explosive) |
Aztec Push-Up
The Aztec push-up is considered an incredibly challenging progression of the traditional push-up due to its explosive movement pattern. It requires the lifter to perform a pike mid-air after performing a traditional push-up. This greatly raises the intensity for the lifter, forcing incredible coordination, form, and muscular engagement to execute.
Many muscle groups are activated to execute the Aztec push-up, including the trapezius, pectorals, and triceps. It is an exceptional exercise for testing and building upper-body strength.
How To Do
- Move into a high plank position on hands and feet. This is your starting position.
- Inhale to engage the core.
- Perform a traditional push-up, keeping a straight back.
- Exhale, pushing off the ground in an explosive movement as high into the air as possible.
- In the air, aim to touch your toes to complete a pike.
- Try to land softly on your hands and toes back in the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Core engagement is crucial in this exercise to maintain stability and perform the pike in the Aztec push-up. Enforce this to prioritize good form and technique in the exercise.
- To perform the explosive movement, push off the hands as quickly and hard as possible.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 4–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 3–4 | 15–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–5 (Explosive) |
Best Lower Chest Push-Up Workout Routine
Push-ups for lower chest can greatly impact strength and muscle definition in the upper body. Consider using this lower chest push-up workout routine to enhance your training progress by stimulating hypertrophy.
Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Aztec Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
| Ring Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
| Diamond Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
| Hand-Release Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
| Incline Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
Anatomy Of The Lower Chest
Understanding the anatomy of the lower chest can create a better comprehension of targeting muscles with different exercises. This is impactful for lifters to identify any muscular weaknesses. It can also help lifters pinpoint the specific chest muscles they aim to grow in muscle size or strength.
Clavicular Head of Pectoralis Major
Muscles located at the top of your chest, running from your armpit to collar bone. Smaller portion of your chest muscle.
Sternal Head of Pectoralis Major
Large muscles located underneath your clavicle head. Makes up most of your chest area
Abdominal Head of Pectoralis Major
Muscles located at the bottom of your pectoral region, just above your abdominal muscles.
Pectoralis Major
The pectoralis major is the largest muscle in the upper chest, stretching from the collarbone to the lower chest. It consists of three heads: the clavicular, abdominal, and sternocostal head. Each aids with upper body movements used in real life, like lifting the arms and moving the shoulders.
Two heads of the pectoralis major make up the lower chest. The abdominal head is a part of the lower chest, varying in size from person to person. The sternocostal head of the pectoralis major expands from the lower part of the sternum and ribs.
Benefits Of Push-Ups For Lower Chest
The benefits of push-ups are outstanding, from boosting upper body strength to increasing muscular endurance. Adding push-ups for lower chest into your workout routine can promote numerous benefits for your health and fitness.
Improves Balance
In our everyday lives, balance is constantly supporting our posture and performance. The same can be said for performances athletically.
When balance is poor, it can drastically impact the quality of life and performance in functional motions like bending and standing. As humans age, there is an unfortunate decline in balance that results in a greater risk of accident and injury.
Integrating preventative measures like exercise can maintain and improve balance to decrease injury risk. Incorporating push-ups for lower chest into your workouts can strengthen the abdominals and pectorals. These muscles can function together to preserve posture and balance to strengthen and improve balance to support stability.
Builds Strength
Adding lower chest push-ups into your training can drastically build strength in the upper body. The engagement of various muscle groups, like the abdominals, glutes, and pectorals, strengthens more muscles at once. Many of these exercises integrate the pectoralis major and minor to produce muscle growth and improve strength.
Each of these push-up variations, like the ring push-up, can actively promote improvements in strength. These improvements can translate to better strength to perform exercises like the bench press. Functionally, this can result in ease in carrying groceries and moving furniture.
Enhances Shoulder Stability
Another great benefit of performing push-ups for lower chest is that it enhances shoulder stability. This is achieved thanks to the strengthening of different muscles surrounding the shoulder joint, like the deltoids and triceps brachii. By boosting strength in these muscles, the shoulder is better stabilized to support healthy function and reduce injury risk.
If shoulder stability is poor, it risks susceptibility to injury, like the joint going outside its normal range of motion. If this occurs, the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and the joint itself can risk injury. By integrating push-ups for lower chest into your training, shoulder stability can be improved for injury prevention.
Things To Keep In Mind
Strengthening the upper body is accessible with so many outstanding variations of the traditional push-up to take advantage of. Adding push-ups for lower chest into your workouts can better activate this area to boost strength, address muscle weakness, and enhance your physique. Emphasizing form and technique is a big priority to reduce injury risk and upgrade progress and should be prioritized.
- Warm up before performing push-ups for lower chest. This prepares the muscles and joints for movement while reducing injury risk from a tight joint or muscle. Use dynamic stretches like resistance band pull-aparts and arm circles to warm up the upper body.
- If you are considering adding these push-ups for lower chest with weight-lifting exercises, program them at the end of your session. Since these push-ups are bodyweight exercises, they require less energy than a weight-lifting exercise.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Push-ups are a phenomenal bodyweight exercise that recruits multiple muscle groups, most located in the upper body. Although it is a bodyweight movement, it can be quite challenging for even the most experienced lifters. Noting this, there are common mistakes to avoid that can make or break your success in performing push-ups correctly.
- Elbow Flare — Do not flare your elbows. This is a common mistake to avoid as it can potentially create shoulder or rotator cuff injuries.
- Sagging Hips — Avoid allowing your hips to sag. Engage the core and the glutes to keep the hips aligned to maintain a neutral spine.
- Incomplete Range Of Motion — Ensure you are completing a full range of motion while performing push-ups. Too little range of motion reduces the extension of the muscle, which reduces the intensity placed on the muscles, decreasing engagement.
- Ego Lifting — Don’t get ahead of yourself by jumping to harder push-up variations too soon. Make your way up these more challenging alternatives to avoid risking injury.
Conclusion
Integrating push-ups for lower chest into your workouts is productive for increasing muscle strength, growth, and definition. It can improve shoulder stability and reduce injury, all while strengthening related muscles like the pectoralis major and minor. These lower chest push-ups can seamlessly be integrated into your workouts to produce magnificent training results.
Add these exercises to your lower chest workout to reap the benefits of a solid upper body.
Frequently Asked Questions
A few effective push-ups that work the lower chest include the pseudo-planche and incline push-ups. These push-up variations engage the pectoralis major and minor, targeting the lower chest.
It is possible to grow the lower chest with just push-ups, but other factors can affect progress. Progressive overload and nutrition both play prominent roles in promoting continuous growth by stimulating the muscles and encouraging hypertrophy.
Many push-up variations are great for stimulating chest growth by engaging muscles like the pectoralis major and minor. The Aztec, pseudo-planche, and diamond push-ups are all great variations to stimulate chest growth.
Doing push-ups daily is not recommended as the muscles need time to rest and recover to grow stronger. If the muscles are in a weakened state because they haven’t been given the appropriate recovery time, injury risk increases.
Resources
Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.
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About the Author
Kaelyn Buzzo, PT Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach
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