Decline Push-Ups Every Day For A Month – The Gains I Didn’t Expect

As you’ll know by now, I love performing different push-up challenges. The amount of amazing push-up variations is one of the reasons why they’re one of the best bodyweight exercises.

For this challenge, I’m going to perform the decline push-up. It’s another one of my go-to exercises but not something I’ve ever performed using a high training volume. 

The movement pattern is simple. However, the addition of a raised surface places more focus on your upper chest and adds an extra core challenge. This makes it useful to grow your chest and challenge yourself once you’ve perfected the normal movement. 

These are my decline push-up benefits after a month of performing them. I’ve also shared my thoughts and feelings as the challenge progressed.

Doing Decline Push-Ups Every Day For A Month — My Experience

Before starting any exercise challenge, you need to find the starting volume. If you’re unsure about how many push-ups you should be able to do, check this article out. 

My starting daily volume is five sets of 15 repetitions. I aim to add five repetitions each week to implement the progressive overload principle. Here’s what I experienced throughout the challenge.

Week 1

I’m excited to see what new benefits this push-up variation offers. I used to perform a lot of decline push-ups but never with this amount of volume.

My starting volume for week one is five sets of 15 repetitions. I think I’ll have no issues with the form. However, I’ll make sure that it’s perfect before increasing my repetitions. 

One thing I’m already liking is just how simple the movement is. I’ve used a chair, the side of the bed, and a sofa so far. You can find whatever is around you as long as it provides an appropriate height. 

My starting volume is good. I’m finding the movement relatively easy to perform with a few form deviations but nothing major. I generally try to perform them near a mirror to check my form. 

I’ve completed week one with no issues. Therefore, let’s apply some more progressive overload and increase the repetitions for week two! 

Week 2

My aim for this week is to perform five sets of 20 repetitions. This means I’ll be doing 100 daily repetitions, which equals 700 a week! While this sounds high, I’m splitting them throughout the day to avoid potential overreaching and fatigue.

I’m already noticing how much I’m feeling my upper chest working. Raising your legs is a great way to push more of the emphasis onto the upper chest and front shoulders. 

Despite using the same push-up movement, the raised leg position requires more balance. Because of this, my core is working harder. Just another reason why this movement is worthwhile.

As I approach the end of the week, I’m still feeling really good. The volume is harder, but it’s still manageable when I focus on the correct technique cues. 

Week 3

At the start of week three, I can’t believe I’m already halfway through the challenge. I guess I can credit this to the fact that it’s such a versatile movement. I’ve managed to easily integrate it into my traveling lifestyle. 

I’ve noticed a big difference in the size of my triceps. Even though it’s predominantly an upper chest exercise, keeping my elbows in has helped me better activate them. My arms are one of my weaker areas, so I’m happy to take all the help that I can get. 

My target volume for this week is five sets of 25 repetitions. I’m thinking I’ll keep my volume the same for week four. It feels like a good balance of training volume and possible fatigue. 

In week four, I’m hoping to keep doing the same as this week to cement the progress I’ve made. Sometimes, doing the basics well is the best way forward.

Week 4

So far in this challenge, I’ve been pleasantly surprised about how such a simple movement can offer so much.

My aim for this week is to keep doing the simple things well. Because of this, my volume will stay the same. Engage my core, flex my elbows, and forcefully push out of the bottom position.

I’ve noticed a difference in the size of my upper chest. As I’ve mentioned many times, volume is key. Using the decline angle to better target my upper chest has been a great way to help it grow.

Raising your feet means you’re flexing your shoulders much more than a normal push-up. Because of this, my shoulder strength also feels better, even though it was pretty good before starting this challenge.

At the end of the month, I successfully completed another challenge. Overall, I would say that the decline push-up is a solid variation that’s worth including in your program. It’s simple, advances the normal movement, and adds a different dynamic to a tried and tested exercise.

Results And Key Changes

These are the five key changes I experienced throughout the challenge. Have a go for yourself and see if you experience them too!

My Upper Chest Development Improved

The chest is split into three main parts: the upper, middle, and lower chest. Most normal pressing exercises focus on the middle chest with some upper chest activation.

My upper chest is pretty good. However, there’s always room for improvement. Because of this, I was excited to see if dedicated upper chest work would improve it. 

The decline push-up shifts the pressing angle to a decline. This puts most of the focus on the upper chest. Performing decline push-ups using a high volume provided a great way to improve my upper chest. The targeted movement with the higher volume is exactly what I needed to improve my chest development.

It Required A Lot Of Shoulder Strength

When you perform any pressing or pushing movement, you’re primarily working your chest and shoulders. My shoulders are strong but they have nothing on my chest. Therefore, I was hoping that I could improve my shoulder strength.

Forcing you to push at a decline angle places much more stress on your front shoulders and adds an unstable element. It brings the movement towards a shoulder flexion exercise, similar to a shoulder press. This gave me a great variation to work on my shoulder strength, which acted similar to a suspension push-up.

At the end of the challenge, I definitely felt my shoulder strength improved. This is something that should benefit my other pressing and pushing exercises. 

I Improved My Triceps Size

The triceps muscles make up most of your upper arm size. They consist of three muscle groups that go from the shoulder blade and insert into the upper forearm bone.

Their principal role in elbow extension also means that they are important in daily movement and activity. Examples include when pushing away and extending your arms.

While the triceps are a secondary mover, keeping your elbow tucked in offers a great way to activate them. Because of this, the declined angle and correct technique gave me sufficient volume to improve their size.

They don’t offer the same activation as tricep push-ups. Studies show that the triceps are 6% more active when performing close-grip variations. However, keeping my elbows in while performing the decline push-up provided a big enough exercise stimulus.

My Core Felt Sufficiently Challenged 

Your core is a group of muscles that surround your trunk and spine. They help to support proper movement and reduce injury risk when your body is put under stress. The main ones are the abdominals, obliques, and erector spinae.

The decline position requires good balance to keep the correct exercise position. You use your core to stop your hips from sagging or gluteus muscles from rising. With this, it offers an increased core challenge compared to the normal movement.

At the end of the challenge, my core felt like it got a great workout. I needed to focus on keeping it engaged throughout each repetition. Because of this, it was a great way to improve my core strength and stability.

I Enjoyed How Versatile The Movement Was

In a previous article, I discussed the benefits of doing push-ups every day for a week. In this, I chose to focus on the physical benefits rather than the ones that improve your adherence. This refers to sticking to something, whether it’s an exercise, daily task, or something completely different.

The decline push-up can be performed pretty much anywhere. It requires no equipment, little setup time, and costs nothing. This means it’s a great exercise for anyone willing to put the work in. With no real barriers, it’s a versatile push-up movement well worth your time. It’s a simple bodyweight exercise that can improve multiple aspects of your physical fitness.

How To Do A Decline Push-Up

How To Do

1. Set up next to a suitable raised surface. Ideally, this should be around knee height. Use a padded area or mat if available.
2. Assume a tabletop position on all fours in front of the chair. Your glutes should be facing the chair.
3. Bring both feet onto the raised surface, placing them slightly apart. They should be towards the front.
4. Place your hands on the ground with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. 
5. Brace your core. There should be a straight line from your heels to your head. Your head should be facing the floor with your elbows tucked into your body.
6. Exhale and bend your elbows to a 45-degree angle. Your chest should be just above the ground. 
7. Pause briefly at the bottom position while maintaining core engagement.
8. Inhale and push through your hands to extend your elbows. This should allow you to come back to the starting position.

Tips

• Ensure that your feet are at the end of the raised surface. Your toes should be the main contact point. This ensures that your shins don’t affect your exercise position.
• Focus on engaging your upper chest, shoulders, and triceps as you push from the floor. This increased mind-muscle connection can help improve muscle growth.
• Check that the raised surface is stable so it won’t move as you perform the repetitions. This helps to avoid potential injury risk and maintain exercise focus. 
• Keep your core engaged as you focus on not letting your hips sag or glutes rise. This maintains a tight body position.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the challenge, I was impressed at just how much my upper chest muscles grew. Simply adding a raised surface for your legs provides a much bigger exercise challenge. 

Wherever you are, you’ll find several raised surfaces to use. With this, the decline push-up offers an excellent variation that can be performed on the go. If you’re looking for a bodyweight push-up progression to build your upper chest, this is a great option.

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