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There are countless push-up variations, each incorporating different movement patterns, hand positions, and sometimes equipment, to target specific muscle groups.
Including these exercises in your gym routine can help activate the upper chest, promoting growth and strength. Each push-up variation on this list focuses on muscles like the serratus anterior and pectoralis major, driving real results. Build a strong, defined chest and enjoy the aesthetic benefits by incorporating these upper chest push-ups into your workout.
Push Ups For Upper-Chest
These upper chest push-ups integrate muscles like the pectoralis major to support muscle growth and strength gain.
Upper Chest Push-Ups
Are you interested in trying upper chest push-ups in your training routine to produce greater muscle growth? Consider these push-ups for the upper chest to actively engage the upper chest and increase progress.
Decline Push-Up
Decline push-ups are a progression of the traditional push-ups. It challenges the lifter by increasing intensity using gravity in the declined exercise position. The muscles worked in this exercise include the triceps, anterior deltoids, serratus anterior, and upper pectorals.
The decline push-up is an excellent exercise for enhancing upper body strength by activating multiple muscle groups. It also engages the core to help stabilize the body, which is necessary for maintaining balance and coordination.
How To Do
- Set up a chair for the decline push-up. Ensure it is stable and will not tip over or move during the exercise.
- Stand in front of the chair, facing away from it.
- Take a large step forward.
- Enter a high-plank position on your hands and feet.
- Pick up your feet, placing them on the chair. This is your starting position.
- Inhale, slowly lowering your chest down to the floor.
- Pause at the bottom.
- Exhale and push through the floor to straighten the arms.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Keep a neutral spine while performing decline push-ups. Do not look up while performing the exercise, as this can place tension on the neck.
- Do not flare your elbows out to the side. Instead, drive them back rather than out and press your hands through the floor as a visual cue.
Optimal Sets & Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3–5 | 1–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 2–3 | 15–20 |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–5 (Explosive) |
Wide Push-Up
Wide push-ups actively engage several muscle groups, such as the pectoralis major, triceps, biceps, anterior deltoids, and rectus abdominis. Their wider hand positioning effectively stimulates various upper body muscles, like the pecs, to target the upper chest. It forces the chest muscles to work together to support balance and stability while performing wide push-ups.
For lifters seeking push-up variations that emphasize the upper chest, the wide push-up is a great selection. It produces benefits like increased strength or boosting muscle growth in this area.
How To Do
- Find a flat space to perform the wide push-up.
- Enter a high plank position on your hands and feet.
- Widen your hands greater than shoulder-width apart. This is your starting position.
- Inhale as you slowly lower down to the floor.
- Aim to touch the chest to the floor without breaking form. Keep the back straight and hips aligned.
- Exhale as you push your hands through the floor to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Maintain tension throughout the body while performing wide push-ups. This improves muscle engagement to aid stability and keep proper form.
- Don’t drop down to the ground in the lowering motion. Instead, control the movement to increase muscle engagement.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 3 | 4–8 (Weighted) |
| Hypertrophy | 3–5 | 10–15 |
| Endurance Training | 3–5 | 10–30 |
| Power Training | 4 | 10 (Explosive and weighted) |
Close-Grip Push-Up
The close-grip push-up effectively targets the upper chest and other muscles, like the triceps brachii and anterior deltoids. Its narrow hand placement elicits more significant muscle activation in the pectoralis major and triceps brachii.
This push-up variation decreases stability with its narrow hand placement, helping to increase muscle engagement. It forces the lifter to recruit more muscles to maintain balance without tipping over or breaking form. These limitations boost exercise difficulty, producing strength, stability, and coordination benefits.
How To Do
- Locate a flat space to perform the close-grip push-up.
- Enter a tabletop position on all fours (knees and hands).
- Position your hands a few inches apart, inside shoulder-width distance.
- Press up to enter a high plank position on hands and feet with the close-grip hand placement. This is your starting position.
- Inhale, slowly lowering down as far as you can without breaking form.
- Pause at the bottom.
- Exhale, driving up to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- In the tabletop position, hands should be placed directly beneath the shoulders. The hands are moved inward to the close-grip hand placement from this position. The shoulders should be over the hands throughout the exercise rather than behind or in front.
- Squeeze your glutes and core, engaging them to maintain a flat back. This is also beneficial for maintaining stability and balance while performing the close-grip push-ups.
Optimal Sets And Reps
Training Style | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Strength Training | 4–6 | 1–6 |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 | 8–12 |
| Endurance Training | 2–3 | 12–15+ |
| Power Training | 3–5 | 1–5 (Explosive) |
Incline Push-Up
Incline push-ups are considered a regression of traditional push-ups. Their elevated position decreases the weight load of gravity on this bodyweight exercise. They are an excellent option for beginners to strengthen their upper body and get proper form down before progressing to traditional push-ups.
There are many incline push-up benefits to take advantage of. This variation works the pectoralis major and minor, the anterior deltoids, and the triceps brachii, to name a few. It incorporates stabilizer muscles in the hips, abdominals, back, and legs to maintain balance and coordination while performing the exercise.
How To Do
- Position two chairs facing each other. Ensure that the chairs are stable and don’t tip over or move.
- Place a hand on both of the chairs about shoulder-width apart.
- Move your feet back to enter a high plank position with a straight back. This is your starting position.
- Inhale, lowering down as far as you can go without compromising form.
- Pause at the bottom.
- Exhale, pushing up to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- The incline push-up can also be performed against one chair, a countertop, a bed, a desk, or any raised surface. The smaller the incline, the more challenging the exercise due to gravity’s load.
- Do not arch the neck to look up while performing the incline push-up. Instead, keep the neck and spine neutral.
Optimal Sets And 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) |
Ring Push-Up
The ring push-up is a challenging progression of the traditional push-up. It engages muscles in the chest and arms, including the triceps brachii and pectoralis major.
Using unstable suspension devices like the TRX and rings negatively affects power and speed output during exercise execution. Therefore, this exercise may not be the best choice for athletes wanting to improve these elements. However, it is efficient for lifters wishing to challenge stability and coordination.
How To Do
- Find a ring set up for the exercise.
- Adjust the height to a little lower than the hips while standing.
- Grip the rings in a neutral grip with palms facing you.
- Move your feet back to enter a high plank position. Your back should be flat.
- Hands should be positioned to hold the rings on either side of your shoulders. This is your starting position.
- Inhale, lowering yourself down in a controlled manner.
- 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
- Changing the height of the rings can increase or decrease the difficulty level of the ring push-up. The higher the rings, the less weight load from gravity. The lower the rings, the more body weight the lifter must lift to perform the exercise.
- The rings will be wobbly, testing the lifter’s balance while performing the push-up. Use the visual cue of pressing the hands down into the ring grips as hard as possible. This increases tension on the ring to help stabilize it while also increasing muscular engagement to boost balance and stability.
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) |
Deficit Push-Up
The deficit push-up engages the triceps, pectorals, and deltoid muscles to perform the movement pattern. It integrates the use of an elevated platform for hand placement, allowing a greater range of motion for the push-up. The increased range of motion elevates intensity by recruiting more muscle fibers, boosting muscle activation and demand on the body.
Lifters wanting to maximize muscle growth can benefit from the deficit push-up. The increased range of motion heightens muscle activation to boost hypertrophy in the upper body. This, in turn, enhances muscular development and produces greater muscle mass in related muscle groups in the chest and arms.
How To Do
- Position two blocks about shoulder-width distance from each other.
- Place your hands on the blocks.
- Enter a high plank position on your hands and feet.
- You should have a straight back and a neutral spine. This is your starting position.
- Inhale and slowly lower down to the floor.
- Aim to get as low as possible without breaking form.
- Pause at the bottom.
- Exhale, pressing into the blocks to drive up to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Other pieces of equipment can be used to replace the blocks for the deficit push-up. Dumbbells, push-up handles, and plates are all effective alternatives to consider using if you’re limited on equipment.
- Do not let the elbows flare out to the sides. Allow them to drive back and up as you lower into the deficit push-up.
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) |
Banded Push-Up
Banded push-ups integrate the use of a resistance band to increase intensity and muscle engagement. The added resistance forces the muscles to work harder to perform the push-up movement pattern.
In this exercise, muscles like the serratus anterior, pectorals, triceps, and anterior deltoids are worked. When appropriate resistance is applied, banded push-ups can boost muscle strength gains. Lifters wanting to improve strength and muscle size in the upper chest can benefit from banded push-ups in their training routine.
How To Do
- Pick a looped resistance band with the appropriate resistance for your fitness level. Typically, the thicker the band, the more resistance it provides.
- Enter a kneeling position on the ground.
- Grasp both ends of the band, raising it above your head and looping it behind your back.
- Adjust the band so that it is around your upper back above your shoulder blades.
- Place both hands on the floor, still holding the ends of the resistance band.
- Enter a high plank position on your hands and feet. This is your starting position.
- Inhale and lower down in a controlled manner. Aim to touch your chest to the ground or as low as you can go.
- Pause at the bottom.
- Exhale, pushing off the ground to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for desired reps and sets.
Tips
- Do not use an open-ended resistance band. It’s much longer than a looped resistance band and doesn’t provide the desired stretch to increase intensity in banded push-ups.
- Keep the hips aligned with the rest of the body by engaging the glutes during the exercise. This will also aid stability and reduce stress placed on the lower back.
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) |
Best Upper Chest Push-Up Workout Routine
Upper chest push-ups are an effective exercise for stimulating improvements in muscle growth and strength in the pectorals. Use the best upper chest push-up routine to upgrade your workout results and stimulate hypertrophy.
Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Banded Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
| Ring Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
| Close-Grip Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
| Decline Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
| Incline Push-Up | 3–4 x 8–12 | 30–90 seconds |
Anatomy Of The Upper Chest
Understanding the anatomy of the upper chest can build a better comprehension of what muscles you’re targeting with different exercises. This is productive for identifying any muscular weaknesses or pinpointing what specific chest muscles you want to grow in muscle size or strength.
- Pectoralis Major: The largest muscle in the upper chest, extending from the lower chest to the collarbone. It is made up of three heads: the clavicular, abdominal, and sternocostal head. They aid upper body movements needed for daily activities like lifting the arms and moving the shoulders.
- Pectoralis Minor: Situated beneath the pectoralis major, it helps with breathing and movements of the shoulder blades.
- Serratus Anterior: The serratus anterior, or boxer’s muscle, moves the shoulders upward and forward. This muscle creates the punching movement.
- Subclavius: A small muscle in the chest that stabilizes the clavicle, or collarbone.
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.
Serratus Anterior
Small, fan shaped muscle that lies deep under your chest and scapula.
Benefits Of Upper Chest Push-Ups
Adding upper chest push-ups to your workout routine can provide numerous benefits, like improved balance and enhanced shoulder stability. Find out more about the benefits of push-ups below.
Improves Balance
Balance plays an important part in our daily lives. Poor balance can greatly impact quality of life and impact performance in functional movements like lifting items, squatting, and bending. As humans age, there is a natural decline in balance, resulting in a greater risk of accidents and injuries.
Preventative measures like exercise can actively maintain and improve balance and coordination to reduce injury risk. Upper chest push-ups integrate multiple muscle groups in the upper and lower body, including the pectorals, glutes, and abdominals. These muscles work together to preserve form and posture, strengthening them to improve balance and support stability in real life.
Builds Strength
Upper chest push-ups can be beneficial for building strength, thanks to their engagement with various muscle groups. Muscles like the pectoralis major and minor are stimulated, helping produce muscle growth and enhance strength.
Incorporating these different push-up variations can provide greater improvements in strength in the upper body. For lifters, this can be helpful for improving lifts like the bench press. In real life, improved upper body strength can be used to support functionality by pushing open doors or grocery carts.
Enhances Shoulder Stability
Performing upper chest push-ups can productively reduce injury risk by improving shoulder stability. This is done by strengthening muscles surrounding the shoulder joint, including the triceps brachii and the deltoids. These muscles help stabilize the shoulder, supporting healthy movement and arm function.
Poor shoulder stability can make it more susceptible to injury, especially if it goes outside its normal range of motion. This risks injuring the ligaments, joints, muscles, and tendons in the area. Incorporating push-ups into your workout routine can enhance shoulder stability by strengthening surrounding muscles.
Expert Training Tips
There are so many variations of the traditional push-up that can be taken advantage of to better engage the upper chest. Although incorporating these exercises into your sessions is beneficial, it’s more productive to emphasize form and technique. When these are not prioritized, injury risk can be imminent, and training results can suffer.
- Perform a warm-up before exercising to warm up the joints and muscles. This prepares the body for movement and reduces potential injury from a tight muscle or joint. Consider dynamic exercises like arm circles or resistance band pull-aparts.
- If you intend to pair these upper chest push-ups with other weight-lifting exercises, place push-ups at the end of your workout. As a bodyweight exercise, it will require less energy recruitment than a weight-lifting exercise.
Conclusion
Upper chest push-ups are effective bodyweight exercises that recruit multiple muscle groups, like the pectorals, serratus anterior, and triceps brachii. These exercises emphasize engagement of the upper chest to produce enhancements in muscle growth, definition, and strength.
Consider adding these upper chest push-up exercises to your workout routine to challenge your upper body strength and stimulate results. Use the best push-day workout to build a defined chest and a strong upper-body physique.
Frequently Asked Questions
Exercises like the deficit, incline, and ring push-ups all actively target the upper chest in its designated movement pattern. They recruit the upper chest to produce arm movement and stabilize the body to keep proper form.
Your upper chest may be flat because you are not integrating exercises that focus on this area. Exercises like upper chest push-ups and bench presses engage muscles like the pectorals to stimulate muscle growth and improve mass.
You can grow your chest with just push-ups, but you will need to emphasize progressive overload. This is needed to challenge the muscles to stimulate continuous growth as the muscles adapt in strength and size.
Performing one hundred push-ups a day is not recommended. The muscles need time to rest and recuperate to grow stronger. If not given time to recover, the muscles are more susceptible to injury in their weakened state.
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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