The Best Chest Workout Exercises To Do At Home
Many assume that you need a fully equipped gym to grow your chest. I mean, who can survive without a bench press and cable machine for chest flyes? This assumption is far from the truth, and you can get a great chest workout at home with minimal equipment. Furthermore, a chest workout for home doesn’t have to be boring, and you can save yourself a lot of time and money by working out from home. This article will look at the best chest workout for home gyms. So, what are we waiting for?
Push-Up Chest Workout
If you want to work out your chest, you’ll need a strong pushing movement, as the chest is a pushing muscle. Press-ups or push-ups are, therefore, one of the best chest workouts for home, and they’re straightforward to perform.
To perform a push-up:
- Start with your stomach facing the floor, using your hands and tiptoes to keep you in a plank-like position. Your hands should be underneath your shoulders, and your feet as close together as is comfortable.
- Bend your arms until your chest touches the floor, and drive back up to the starting position to complete a rep.
- Keep your core tight, and try not to flare your elbows, as this could lead to injury.
Incline Push-Up
You can perform an entire chest workout at home by just performing push-ups. Incline press-ups are one of the best variations to perform and are my personal favorite!
To perform an incline push-up, you’ll need a bench, sofa, bed, or chair. Get into a press-up position with your hands around shoulder width apart on the item of furniture. Place your feet on the floor as normal. Your body should form an upwards slope at a gentle angle. To perform one rep, simply lower your chest as far as possible, and drive back up with your arms.
Incline push-ups can rival the best chest workouts in the gym but are so simple that you can perform them anywhere, without equipment. If you’re serious about building your chest muscles from home, you need to add these into your workout because they’re so effective. Unlike regular push-ups, they take pressure off your arms and shoulders, meaning your chest has to do more of the work. In addition, you can add some more resistance to this exercise with the use of resistance straps stretching from each hand across the top of the upper back/shoulder.
Decline Push-Ups
Decline push-ups are a great way to make your chest workout at home even harder. You’ll need an elevated surface, just like incline push-ups. But instead, you’ll be elevating your feet with your hands on the floor.
Use the same push-up motion to perform a decline push-up, ensuring that your chest gets as close as possible to the floor and you don’t flare your elbows, to avoid injury. Your back should always remain straight, with your core engaged.
Decline push-ups are one of the most challenging variations because it allows you to get your upper chest even lower to the ground, activating your chest muscles even more. They are an absolute must for a chest workout day.
Decline push-ups will work the following muscles:
- Upper Pecs
- Shoulders
- Triceps
Here are some other variations of the humble push-up that are sure to spice up your chest workout at home:
Knee Push-Ups
If you’re struggling to complete conventional push-ups, try starting on your knees instead of your toes. Being on your knees makes the push-up movement much easier to perform and is a great way to get a chest workout at home for beginners.
Diamond Push-Ups
These are a great choice if you’re looking for a triceps and chest workout. Instead of placing your hands shoulder-width apart, form your hands into a diamond shape on the floor, and perform reps as normal. Diamond push-ups are one of my favorite variations, and I frequently push until failure!
Dumbell Push-Ups
If you’re looking for a dumbbell upper chest workout, dumbbell push-ups are a great choice. You’ll need hex dumbbells to perform these to keep them stationary on the ground. Perform a push-up, but have your hands on the dumbbell bar instead of the floor. This is a great way to target your chest and is a perfect addition to any push-up chest workout.
Wide Push-Ups
If you want a real challenge, try adding wide push-ups to your workout. To perform a wide push-up:
- Start in your normal push-up position.
- Widen your legs and arms beyond the shoulder width position.
- Lower your chest to the ground slowly as far as it will go and explode back up with your arms to complete a rep. This exercise will target your chest, triceps, and deltoids, making it a great shoulders and chest workout.
Push-ups target the following muscles:
- Triceps
- Pectoral muscles
- Shoulders
- Lower back
- Core
Medicine Ball Push-Ups
If you’re looking for a way to add an extra challenge to your chest workout day, medicine ball push-ups are the way to go. These push-ups are harder than regular push-ups because they require extra stability and core strength. Additionally, they enable a deeper range of movement and stretch in the pectoral muscle.
Medicine ball push-ups can be performed with one ball, using two hands close together on the ball or with one hand on the ball and the other on the ground. If you have two medicine balls, try balancing with one hand on top of each ball which will give you the most significant push-up depth potential.
If you want to take push-ups to the next level, and own three medicine balls, try push-ups with one hand each on a medicine ball and your feet balanced on top of the third ball or a stability ball. Again, remember to keep your core engaged throughout the entire movement.
Next time you’re looking for a new challenge, why not give the Bring Sally Up Bring Sally Down push-up challenge a go.
Chest Workout At Home With Dumbbells
Dumbbell Press
The dumbbell press is an excellent substitute for a barbell bench press, making it the perfect exercise for a chest workout at home. Of course, you’ll need some dumbbells and a bench/flat chair if you have one. If not, the floor will work perfectly.
To perform a dumbbell press:
- Sit on your bench/other surface and lift the weights to your chest.
- Lie down, with the dumbbells facing outward, palms facing towards your feet.
- Press the dumbbells toward the ceiling, keeping your core engaged.
- Slowly lower the weights until they touch your chest again to perform one rep.
The dumbbell press is a great at home chest workout for several reasons. Firstly, it’s pretty easy to perform, and you can master the correct form quickly. But, it’s also highly effective. So, implement this exercise to your chest workout day, and you’ll soon see results.
It can be argued that the dumbbell press is better than a bench press because it helps activate your stabilizing muscles more.
The dumbbell chest press works the following muscles:
- Pectorals
- Deltoids
- Triceps
Incline Dumbbell Press
If you have an adjustable bench and dumbbells in your home gym, implementing an incline dumbbell press into your workout can make for the best home chest workout.
To perform an incline dumbbell press:
- Position your bench so that your bench is angled roughly between 30 and 45 degrees to the floor.
- Sit on the bench and pick up your dumbbells, lifting them to your chest.
- Use your knees to help you with this motion if you need support.
- Press the dumbbells up and lower them back down under control, just like the flat variation.
Incline presses target your upper chest more than standard presses, which target the entire pectoral muscle. So, if you’re looking for an excellent upper chest workout at home that will seriously build muscle, the incline dumbbell press is perfect.
This exercise will work the following muscles:
- Pectorals
- Triceps
- Anterior Delts (shoulders)
Dips
Dips are one of the most versatile exercises on the planet, making them an excellent choice for any at home chest workout. They’re also incredibly effective and require no equipment.
You might think you need a dip station to perform dips, but you would be wrong. They can be performed anywhere from parks to your kitchen; you just need a little creativity. I usually use the corner of my kitchen counter, which gives me two flat horizontal surfaces to dip from. I’ve also used high-back chairs before. You can get parallel bars for pretty cheap online if you’re struggling to find anywhere to perform a dip.
Link to rogue fitness
To perform a dip, grip or rest your hands on your surface and lift yourself by straightening your arms. Then, slowly lower yourself back down by bending your elbows before driving back up and straightening your arms to complete a rep.
Dips are a great addition to any shoulders triceps and chest workout, as they work the following muscles:
- Pectorals
- Triceps
- Shoulders
- Rhomboids
Dumbell Chest Flyes
Regular chest flyes are a great chest workout at the gym. Dumbbell chest flyes are the perfect at-home alternative to a chest workout on cables. They make for an excellent finisher for your chest workout day and will target your entire chest. These can also be performed on an adjustable bench to target the upper chest muscle.
To perform a dumbbell chest fly:
- Lie on a flat bench with your dumbbells resting on your chest.
- Lower your arms, keeping them slightly bent at the elbow until you feel a slight stretch.
- Push this stretch as much as possible, but stop if you feel any pain.
- Return to the starting position to complete a rep.
This is a great isolation exercise to finish any chest workout at home. It will work the following muscles:
- Pecs
- Anterior Delts
- Triceps
Final Thoughts
So, there are 8 of the best home chest workout exercises that will ensure you build your chest quickly and efficiently. Try out all these exercises to find out which one’s your favorite, and implement them into your chest workout routine. You should see results in no time. Mastering these exercises will ensure that no matter where you are, you’ll be able to fit in a chest exercise, ensuring that you’ll never skip a chest workout day again!
Make sure to consult your doctor or PT before exercising, as personal injuries or circumstances may mean you cannot perform some of these workouts.
About the Author
James is a freelance writer with a passion for fitness. He has written for multiple businesses, and takes great pride in producing high-quality articles. When he’s not pounding away at the keyboard James is sweating it out at the gym, boxing, watching tennis, and playing video games
