If you want to improve your chest strength, push-ups are just what the doctor (in physical therapy) ordered.
This classic exercise is great for targeting your pectoral muscles and building serious strength.
This blog post will discuss the 11 best push-ups for a stronger chest. These exercises are sure to challenge you and help you achieve amazing results.
We’ve classified these chest push-up variations into three categories: the easier stuff, the harder stuff, and the Superman stuff.
Keep reading below to find out what you’ll be in for.
But first:
Table of Contents
Do Push-Ups Make Your Chest Bigger?
Push-ups are one of the most popular exercises for building upper body strength. But why do push-ups work so well?
The answer has to do with physics and the principle of leverage.
When you perform a push-up, your arms act as levers, and your bodyweight creates a force that presses down on your chest. The further away your hands are from your body, the greater the lever arm and the more power is applied to your chest muscles.
This increase in force challenges your muscles, making them stronger and larger over time.
But that’s not all.
Push-ups can also make your shoulders and arms look bigger, giving the illusion of a larger chest.
Warning: Not all push-ups are created equal.
Some variations work your triceps more, while others, like pike push-ups, are best for your shoulders and lats.
So, let’s see what push-up variations are best for your chest.
Push-Up Variations for Chest
Without further ado, let’s see what the best chest push-ups to try are. We’ll split these into categories so you can find the best ones according to your fitness level.
The Easier Stuff
Let’s start with the easier variations:
1. Diamond Push-Ups
We’ve discussed all about diamond push-ups in this article, but here’s a quick step-by-step recap of how you should do one:
- Get in a push-up position with your hands close together, forming a diamond shape.
- Lower yourself until your chest nearly touches the ground.
- Pause for a second and then press back up to the starting position.
2. Wide Push-Ups
Most people are familiar with this classic push-up variation. All you have to do is place your hands wider than shoulder-width apart. This position will shift the emphasis onto your chest muscles, making them work harder.
How to do a wide push-up:
- Get in a push-up position with your hands twice shoulder-width apart.
- Lower yourself until your chest nearly touches the ground.
- Pause for a second and then press back up to the starting position.
3. Slow-Mo Push-Ups
This variation is perfect for people who want to increase the time under tension on their chest muscles. By performing the push-ups in slow motion, you’ll make your muscles work harder and help them grow bigger and stronger.
How to do slow-mo push-ups:
- Get in a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower yourself to the ground in a slow and controlled manner, taking at least three seconds to lower your body.
- Pause for a second and then press back up to the starting position again, taking three seconds to complete the move.
4. Decline Push-Ups
Decline push-ups have your chest muscles working harder because your legs will be elevated on a box. That means your pecs will have less help from your lower body, and they’ll have to do more work to lift your torso during the push-up.
Here’s how to do a decline push-up:
- Place your feet on an elevated surface with your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground.
- Keeping your core engaged, lower yourself until your chest nearly touches the ground.
- Pause for a second and then press back up to the starting position.
5. Archer Push-Ups
Archer push-ups have you sitting in a classic push-up position but with your arms twice wider than shoulder-width apart (or more).
You will move successively from left to right, bending one elbow while straightening the other.
The purpose is to target each side of your chest equally and improve coordination.
How to do archer push-ups:
- Get in a push-up position with your hands twice wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Keeping your core engaged, lower yourself to one side until your chest nearly touches the ground.
- Pause for a second and then press back up, shifting to the other side.
The Harder Stuff
The harder variations involve adding plyometric movements that briefly subject your chest muscles to a large amount of force. Here are a few examples:
6. Clap Push-Ups
This exercise increases explosive power and builds up your chest muscles. For this variation, you must clap your hands between each rep.
How to do clap push-ups:
- Get in a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower yourself until your chest nearly touches the ground.
- Explosively press up off the ground and clap your hands together in mid-air.
- Land back in the push-up position and repeat ten times.
7. Staggered Hand Plyo Push-Ups
This variation is similar to the clap push-up, but instead of clapping your hands together, you’ll be pressing up with one hand while the other stays in place.
How to do staggered hand plyo push-ups:
- Get in a push-up position with your right hand slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your left hand closer to your chest.
- Lower yourself until your chest nearly touches the ground.
- Explosively press up off the ground with your right hand and land in the push-up position with your left hand now further away from your body.
8. X-Tap Push-Up
This variation is also similar to a clap push-up, but instead of clapping your hands beneath your chest, you will have to tap your shoulders with the opposite hand.
This movement requires a lot of coordination and will really test your explosive power.
How to do an X-tap push-up:
- Get in a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lower yourself until your chest nearly touches the ground.
- Explosively press up off the ground and tap your right shoulder with your left hand and your left shoulder with your right hand.
- Land back in the push-up position and repeat.
Almost Impossible Variations
Once you’ve mastered these push-ups, it’s time to move on to Superman level.
9. Clap Behind Push-Up
Let’s start with a more mellow option; do a regular clap push-up but instead of clapping your hands under your chest, clap them behind your back.
10. Double-Knee Tap Push-Up
Lower yourself to do a standard push-up and then explosively clap up, touching both knees with both hands while you’re up in the air.
11. Superman Push-Up
This type of push-up will be the crown-work of the push-up routine you’ve perfected so far.
The trick is to do a regular push-up while lowering your body to the ground.
Then, use your chest muscles to simultaneously explode your arms and legs in the air, achieving that famous Superman position for a brief second before landing back down.
Weighing Your Options
Now that you know all the best push-ups for a stronger chest, it’s time to pick which ones will work best for you.
You can always modify these variations for what your body can do now.
Remember to focus on quality over quantity; perform each rep with perfect form, and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself (or to honor your limits).
Start small and work your way up.
For example, most of these push-ups work from your knees too.
With time and practice, you’ll be able to perform any of these variations easily. So get out there and start working on that Superman push-up!
It wasn't until his late twenties that he found the passion for strength training, which helped him get into great shape and stay there.
Besides sharing his favorite exercises and routines, John also provides tips on staying motivated, overcoming plateaus, and progressing in your strength training journey.
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