How would you like to start getting some serious chest gains from home using nothing but your bodyweight?
My name is Andrew and I help men in their 20's and 30's build athletic physiques and functional strength with calisthenics.
In this post we are going to be focusing exclusively on bodyweight-only training to transform your chest from home
Let's jump right in
Best Home Chest Workout From Home
Intro
Even if you have access to weights, bodyweight training with your chest will transform your strength in ways that weights never can
For example, just because you can do a 200lb bench press doesn't mean you can do a 90 degree hold
While I do love external resistance training and recommend you include it in your training, bodyweight chest training is going to help you build more functional strength, and that's what I want for you
Today I have put together one of my favorite bodyweight chest routines that is going to target the lower, upper, and middle portion of your chest for the most chest development
Let's jump right in
The best home chest workout using only your bodyweight
1.) Push ups
The first exercise we have on this list is a good ole fashion push up.
Depending on your current skill level will determine how challenging this will be for you
Our goal is to get a good pre-exhaust on your chest and challenge you to do your max reps.
Make sure to keep your elbows close to your sides, your core engaged, and come all the way down until your chest nearly touches the floor and come up until your arms are straight.
Do as many as you can do and then you will be ready to move on to the next exercise after a 30 second rest
2.) Psuedo push ups
Psuedo push ups are a massive challenge if you have never done them before, and this push up variation is going to primarily work your front delts and your lower chest.
To properly do Psuedo push ups you are going to want to lean forward, keeping your arms straight, and attempt to bring your hands as low as your waist line.
This can be very difficult, so if you can't come down to your waist, come as low as you can go.
Just like a push up you want to bring your chest almost all the way to the ground and come all the way back up until your arms are straight.
Aim to do about 5-10 reps of this, and then give yourself a 30 second rest
3.) Baby maker push ups
These may look a little silly, but they are the real deal. These are going to target your upper and your lower chest in one move.
To properly perform these you are going to want to start in a pike position, come down into the bottom of a pushup position and push back up with your arms while simultaneously arching your back.
This portion of the exercise will really hit that lower chest.
When you come back up you are going to go back down and push back up into the pike position, and this portion of the exercise will really target the upper chest.
Aim to do around 10 reps and really focus on getting a tight contraction throughout.
Give yourself a 30 second break and move onto the next exercise
4.) Side to side push ups
Now we are going to focus on more of the midline of the chest.
While there aren't any exercises out there that specifically target the midline, the only way to see full development in the midline is to bring your arm across your body, which isn't all that easy without weights.
However, this variation of a push up will do just that.
The goal here is to do this just like a normal push up, but to twist to one side to bring that arm across you body.
This will provide a very tight contraction on your chest, and your goal should be about 10 reps on each side, then rest for 30 seconds before moving onto the next exercise
5.) Diamond push ups
Next up we have got diamond push ups.
This exercise is going to shift more of the load onto your triceps, but it's also going to provide you another opportunity to get a really tight contraction in the middle of your chest.
Really focus on feeling this in your chest more than anything, and be sure to maintain good form.
Aim to do your max reps on this exercise and give yourself a 30 second rest before moving onto the last exercise
6.) 90 degree hold
This is where we take your already pre-exhausted chest and really push it to it's limits.
We are going to focus on doing a 90 degree hold for as long as we can to increase the time under tension on our chest, and also to incorporate some training to master the 90 degree hold with your feet off the ground.
The goal is to bring your hands down to your waist line, or as low as you can comfortably go, and hold this for time.
This is not an easy exercise, but it will help you build incredible strength and increase time under tension on your chest, ultimately shredding more muscles fibers and allowing you to grow a bigger chest.
Be sure to keep your core engage, elbows outside your body while being tight to your sides, wrists turned outwards, and body parallel with your elbows.
Do this for time, and then rest for 60-90 seconds before repeating this routine for 2 more sets
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