Calisthenics Chest Workout: 8 Best Exercises to Build Mass

Being a hybrid athlete, I often incorporate calisthenics chest exercises into my training plan because some exercises, such as push-ups and dips, are equally effective as many weighted exercises for building a jacked and fuller chest.¹ Kotarsky, Christopher J et al. “Effect of Progressive Calisthenic Push-up Training on Muscle Strength and Thickness.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research vol. 32,3 (2018): 651-659. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000002345, ² Are weighted dips as effective as the bench press? – Reddit?

In this article, I’ll show how to perform various calisthenics chest exercises to bolster your upper, middle, and lower pectoral muscles efficiently.

These exercises will help you develop a solid and defined chest at home with little to no equipment.

Here’s a quick view of all the calisthenics chest exercises you’ll see below:

1. Push-ups
2. Bar Dips
3. Archer Push-up
4. Decline Push-up
5. Narrow Push-up
6. Slow Push-up
7. Pseudo Push-up
8. Incline Push-up

8 Best Calisthenics Chest Exercises to Build Muscle

1. Pushup

The pushup is a traditional push workout to build a strong and functional upper body, especially the chest.³ Alizadeh, Shahab et al. “Push-Ups vs. Bench Press Differences in Repetitions and Muscle Activation between Sexes.” Journal of sports science & medicine vol. 19,2 289-297. 1 May. 2020, ⁴Kikuchi N, Nakazato K. Low-load bench press and push-ups induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain. J Exerc Sci Fit. 2017;15(1):37-42. doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2017.06.003

When I was a beginner, I used to do 50 push-ups (in three to four sets) and they pumped my chest well enough.

Push-ups have many variations but studies suggest keeping your hands 1.5 times wider than your shoulder width to put more emphasis on the pectoralis major.⁵ Contreras, Bret MA, CSCS1; Schoenfeld, Brad MSc, CSCS, NSCA-CPT2; Mike, Jonathan USAW, CSCS, NSCA-CPT3; Tiryaki-Sonmez, Gul PhD4; Cronin, John PhD5; Vaino, Elsbeth BS, CSCS6. The Biomechanics of the Push-up: Implications for Resistance Training Programs. Strength and Conditioning Journal 34(5):p 41-46, October 2012. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e31826d877b

Doing pushups is simple as it only requires a little space and your upper body strength.

Once you’re ready, follow these steps to perform your first rep:

1. Sit on your knees on the floor and position your arms below your shoulders.
2. Lift your knees off the floor and get into a straight-arm plank position.
3. Keep your core engaged and your body in a straight line. That’s the start.
4. Lower your torso until your chest is close to the floor, then push back to return to the start. That’s your one rep.

Ensure your hips also move along with your torso during the ascent and descent phases.

If regular push-up on your toes feels hard, you can do them on your knees to make it easy.

2. Parallel Bar Dip

The bar dip stimulates both Pectoralis major and minor and builds noticeable muscle. It also engages the triceps, front shoulders, and abdominal muscles and helps develop the muscular trunk.

It is performed in almost every fitness program, from Calisthenics and Crossfit to Bodybuilding and Powerlifting.

The bar dip can be challenging for beginners. So it would be best for them to first build fundamental strength through these at-home dip variations.

A bar dip involves the following steps:

1. Grab the handles and hoist yourself off the floor.
2. Keep your arms straight, lean your trunk slightly forward, and maintain a tight core.
3. Bend your knees behind your buttock. This is your starting position.
4. Bend your elbows and lower your torso until you feel the contraction in your pecs.
5. Pause for a moment, then press back until your arms are straight.
6. That’s your first rep. Do as many as you like.

If you want to activate your pecs more efficiently, you should opt for ring dips. Ring dips are slightly challenging but also engage more muscles than bar dips and improve core stability and balance.⁶ McKenzie A, Crowley-McHattan Z, Meir R, Whitting J, Volschenk W. Bench, Bar, and Ring Dips: Do Kinematics and Muscle Activity Differ?. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(20):13211. Published 2022 Oct 14. doi:10.3390/ijerph192013211

3. Archer Push-up

The archer pushups provide a good stretch to your pectoral muscles and develop a sturdy chest.

It is a unilateral pushup that helps you train each side of your pec individually, allows you to focus more on the underdeveloped side, and corrects muscle imbalance.

Steps to Perform Archer Push-ups:

1. Position your hands two times wider than shoulder-width apart and get into the starting position.
2. Lower your chest to your left side until your right arm is straight, hold for a moment, then push back to return to the start.
3. Do as many reps as possible, then switch to the right side. You can also do it alternatively (one push-up on the left side, then on the right side, and continue).

This works on chest muscles, however, it is an advanced push-up variation so you need to warm your shoulders and arms before attempting it.

You can see more about Archer push-ups on the Reddit website.

4. Decline Push-up

The decline pushup targets the upper pecs and improves chest muscle definition. It also engages the anterior deltoid (shoulder’s front part), abdominals, and triceps and bolsters upper body strength.

This push-up is also called feet elevated push-up.

How to Do it Step by Step:

1. Place your feet on an elevated surface, such as a bench.
2. Position your hands on the ground with your arms straight and shoulders over your wrists. Your body will be in a downward position.
3. Brace your core, legs, and glutes, and lower your torso until your chest is close to the floor.
4. Pause for a moment and then press back to return to the start. This is your one rep.
5. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement.

Do as many reps and sets as possible, depending on your fitness level and goal.

5. Narrow Pushup

The narrow pushup is a great exercise for developing the upper chest and triceps. The narrow grip focuses on the inner fibers of the pectoralis major which helps enhance the chest muscle appearance. ⁷ Marcolin G, Petrone N, Moro T, Battaglia G, Bianco A, Paoli A. Selective Activation of Shoulder, Trunk, and Arm Muscles: A Comparative Analysis of Different Push-Up Variants. J Athl Train. 2015;50(11):1126-1132. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-50.9.09

Steps to Perform a Narrow Push-up:

1. Keep your hands close with the right thumb and forefinger touching the left thumb and forefinger below the center of the sternum, then straighten your elbows to get into the starting position. Keep your body straight from top to bottom, and brace your abdominal muscles.
2. Bend your elbows and lower your trunk down until your chest almost touches the floor.
3. Pressing through the floor, squeeze your chest and extend your elbows fully to complete your first rep.

6. Slow-Mo Push-up

You can also activate your chest in a different way with slow-mo push-ups. Moving slowly during push-ups forces your chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor) to work harder for a longer period. It ensures both the fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers in the chest are activated. This sustained tension and muscle activation promotes muscle growth.⁸ Tsuzuku S, Kajioka T, Sakakibara H, Shimaoka K. Slow movement resistance training using body weight improves muscle mass in the elderly: A randomized controlled trial. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2018;28(4):1339-1344. doi:10.1111/sms.13039, ⁹Effect of Push-up Speed on Upper Extremity Training until Fatigue – Journal of Medical and Biological Engineering, 31(4): 289-293 289

How to do it:

1. Start in a high plank position and lower your chest toward the floor in a slow and controlled fashion until your chest touches the floor.
2. Land your knees on the floor, go back in a high plank position, and repeat.

7. Pseudo Pushup

The pseudo pushup is an advanced calisthenics exercise for arms and chest muscle development.

It involves placing your hands slightly behind (than a basic push-up) or in line with your hips. This position makes the lower and mid pecs work harder and helps forge a muscular chest at home.

A pseudo-push-up involves the following steps:

1. Place your hands underneath your stomach with your fingers facing forward.
2. Get into the up position and maintain a flat back. That is the start.
3. Perform as many pushups as possible and make sure your arms are not flaring out.

This exercise works efficiently for developing the upper body, including chest muscles but requires decent balance and strength. So, if you haven’t done it before, you should do it under supervision.

8. Incline Push-up

Performing push-ups with your hands elevated (on a surface like a bench, box, or wall) targets the lower portion of the pectoralis major more effectively than standard push-ups.

The inclined position reduces the load on the chest compared to regular push-ups, making it easier to focus on form and muscle engagement, and helps beginners prepare for other push-up variations.

Steps to perform an incline push-up:

1. Place your hands on the elevated object (30-degree incline).
2. Lower your chest toward the bench and then press back until your arms are straight. This is your one rep.

30-Minute Calisthenics Chest Workout Routine

You’ve got all the important calisthenics exercises for training chest muscles. Now, let’s see how to design a chest workout routine using those exercises:

For Beginners

• Incline Pushup: 10 reps x 2 sets, 1-minute rest
• Supported Chest Dips: 5 reps x 3 sets, 2 min rest
• Standard Pushups: 10 reps x 2 sets, 2 min rest

For Intermediates

• Incline Pushup: 10 reps x 2 sets, 1-minute rest
• Parallel Bar Dip: 10-20 reps x 3-4 sets, 2 minutes rest
• Archer Pushup: 5 reps/side x 3 sets, 2 minutes rest
• Pseudo Pushup: 6-8 reps x 2 sets, 2 minutes rest
• Negative Slow Motion Push-up: 6-8 reps x 3 sets, 1-minute rest

These are only samples, you can structure your own routine depending on your fitness level and the kind of training plan you follow.

Can You Build Your Chest with Calisthenics Exercises Only?

Yes, you can build a strong and chiseled chest with calisthenics exercises only. Calisthenics involves using your own body for resistance and that resistance is strong enough to help you build stronger pecs.

All you have to do is to keep pushing yourself harder every time you hit the workout. You can do that by increasing the number of reps and sets, decreasing the rest time between sets, or using the resistance bands.

However, calisthenics are not as effective as weight training when it comes to growing muscles like bodybuilders. So those who want a bigger chest have to lift weights.

You can also explore calisthenics exercises for other muscle groups.

References

• 1
  Kotarsky, Christopher J et al. “Effect of Progressive Calisthenic Push-up Training on Muscle Strength and Thickness.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research vol. 32,3 (2018): 651-659. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000002345
• 2
  Are weighted dips as effective as the bench press? – Reddit?
• 3
  Alizadeh, Shahab et al. “Push-Ups vs. Bench Press Differences in Repetitions and Muscle Activation between Sexes.” Journal of sports science & medicine vol. 19,2 289-297. 1 May. 2020
• 4
  Kikuchi N, Nakazato K. Low-load bench press and push-ups induce similar muscle hypertrophy and strength gain. J Exerc Sci Fit. 2017;15(1):37-42. doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2017.06.003
• 5
  Contreras, Bret MA, CSCS1; Schoenfeld, Brad MSc, CSCS, NSCA-CPT2; Mike, Jonathan USAW, CSCS, NSCA-CPT3; Tiryaki-Sonmez, Gul PhD4; Cronin, John PhD5; Vaino, Elsbeth BS, CSCS6. The Biomechanics of the Push-up: Implications for Resistance Training Programs. Strength and Conditioning Journal 34(5):p 41-46, October 2012. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0b013e31826d877b
• 6
  McKenzie A, Crowley-McHattan Z, Meir R, Whitting J, Volschenk W. Bench, Bar, and Ring Dips: Do Kinematics and Muscle Activity Differ?. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(20):13211. Published 2022 Oct 14. doi:10.3390/ijerph192013211
• 7
  Marcolin G, Petrone N, Moro T, Battaglia G, Bianco A, Paoli A. Selective Activation of Shoulder, Trunk, and Arm Muscles: A Comparative Analysis of Different Push-Up Variants. J Athl Train. 2015;50(11):1126-1132. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-50.9.09
• 8
  Tsuzuku S, Kajioka T, Sakakibara H, Shimaoka K. Slow movement resistance training using body weight improves muscle mass in the elderly: A randomized controlled trial. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2018;28(4):1339-1344. doi:10.1111/sms.13039
• 9
  Effect of Push-up Speed on Upper Extremity Training until Fatigue – Journal of Medical and Biological Engineering, 31(4): 289-293 289